Two-time Big West Conference Coach of the Year Cy Williams enters his 31st year as head coach of the UC Davis men's golf team in 2024-25, continuing a tradition of success that has persisted for over three decades at his alma mater.
A letter winner for the Aggies from 1984-87, Williams joined the coaching staff as an assistant in 1990 and served as acting head coach on three occasions before assuming the mantle of head coach from the legendary Jim Sochor in 1997.
In that time at the helm, Williams has guided the UC Davis program from a Division II power into its Division I era, leading the Aggies to a total of 40 team victories, a trio of Big West Conference championships (2009, 2011, and 2012) and four individual conference medalists, including two-time winner Austin Graham (2009 and 2011), Matt Hansen (2014), and Ryan Han (2018), and a pair of Big West Players of the Year in Luke Vivolo (2015) and Thomas Hutchison (2019).
After guiding UC Davis to seven NCAA Division II championship team appearances (1996-98 and 2000-03), Williams’ teams have gone on to earn berths into the NCAA Division I regionals five times (2009, 2011, 2012, 2014, and 2015), while qualifying individual players into five more events. In 2011, after winning the NCAA Tucson Regional with a 9-under 204, Matt Hansen qualified for the NCAA Championships, shooting an opening-round 73 before having to withdraw due to illness.
Prior to making the jump to Division I, UC Davis ended its outstanding run at the Div. II level in 2003 by reaching the NCAA Championships in four consecutive seasons - each time finishing in the top 10 - and winning three West Region titles in four years along the way. In 1998, the Aggies posted their best finish since winning the 1979 national championship, finishing seventh, Jeremy Price represented UC Davis as an individual selection in 1999.
Under his leadership, 14 Aggies have gone on to earn All-America honors, including two-time honorees Jeff Hauer, Jason Boyd, Scott Gordon, and Hansen, nine players have earned Golf Coaches Association of America All-Region laurels, and players have earned a total of 39 All-Big West Conference awards, including Graham, who is a three-time honoree.
A UC Davis graduate who earned his bachelor’s degrees in mathematics and economics and, later, added a master’s degree and a teaching credential, Williams’ experience serves as a perfect example of what it takes to succeed both academically and athletically at the university.
As a result, the Aggies were honored with the GCAA Team Academic Award in 2019-20, and seven of his student-athletes have gone on to be named GCAA All-American Scholars a total of 11 times. In addition seven of his student-athletes have gone on to earn a total of 12 Big West All-Academic Awards.
Five of his former student-athletes have also been invited to join a select fraternity, as Hansen (2020), Graham (2017), Louie Bishop (2013), Gordon (2011), and Boyd (2010) have been inducted into the Cal Aggie Athletics Hall of Fame.
In addition, he helped establish one of the top collegiate tournaments in the nation, attracting some of the top golf-playing and academic institutions from across the country to Southern California for The Prestige at PGA WEST, which is celebrating its 22nd year in 2021-22 and, according to one outlet, was ranked No. 20 worldwide for amateur events.
The Prestige at PGA WEST has featured several outstanding golfers over the years who have earned notable golf achievements, including Jon Rahm (Arizona State), Xander Schauffele (San Diego State), and Viktor Hovland (Oklahoma State), who all currently rank among the top 10 in the Official World Golf Ranking, as well as Sam Burns (LSU), who currently ranks No. 13 in the world.
Other prominent Prestige alumni include: Luke Donald (Northwestern, 2000), a two-time European Ryder Cup Team Member; Brandt Snedeker (2002, Vanderbilt), who tied for fifth at the 2005 New Zealand PGA Championship; Spencer Levin (2002, UCLA), who tied for 13th at the 2004 U.S. Open for the best amateur finish at the event since 1971; and Jamie Lovemark (USC, 2006), the NCAA Player of the Year and Freshman of the Year in 2006.
