Clay White - Men's Golf Coach - Seton Hall University Athletics

Clay White

Title:
Head Coach
Email:
clay.white@shu.edu
Phone:
(973) 275-2935

Phone: (973) 275-2935
E-mail: clay.white@shu.edu

Clay White is entering his 19th season as the Seton Hall head men's golf coach, overseeing all aspects of the golf program, including instruction, scheduling practices and events, and supervising the academic progress of his student-athletes.

White's Pirates are coming off arguably the most-successful season in program history. For the first time in 22 years, Seton Hall won the BIG EAST Championship, besting tournament favorite Marquette by three strokes and defending champion Connecticut by 11 strokes. The Hall’s 15-under-par, 288-283-278-849 is the second-lowest three-round par-72 score in program history. In all, the Pirates claimed the team title of four tournaments during the 2021-22 year, which was second-most in a single academic year ever for Seton Hall. Seton Hall’s 287.50 scoring average for the year was second-best in the BIG EAST Conference and shattered the program record by more than three full strokes. Furthermore, the Pirates set program records for total birdies, eagles and rounds of par or better in 2021-22. At the NCAA Yale Regional, the 12^th-seeded Pirates finished eighth, besting several national powerhouses including No. 27 NC State and No. 31 Charlotte. The Hall finished the year with an 87 national Golfstat ranking, its highest ever.

For his efforts, White and his assistant coaches were named BIG EAST Coaching Staff of the Year, and White earned Division I Northeast Region Coach of the Year honors.

Overall, Seton Hall's success on the golf course has been undeniable since White took the helm. Under his watch, 19 Pirates have been named BIG EAST All-Conference, and twice a Seton Hall golfer has been named conference Player of the Year. Concerned with the overall maturation of the student-athlete, White has made it a priority of the program to continue to excel academically. Since 2004, the golf program has honored a BIG EAST Academic All-Star 106 times and has seen 21 Cleveland Golf All-America Scholars, and three BIG EAST Team Academic Excellence Awards. Furthermore, the NCAA has rewarded the program with six Academic Progress Rate Public Recognition Awards.

Seton Hall had a strong 2018-19 campaign, which saw it finish in sixth place or better in eight of its 11 tournaments. White's Pirates recorded a 292.25 scoring average for the year, the second-lowest mark in program history, and their 564 at the 2018 Hartford Hawks Invitational broke Seton Hall's par-72, two-round record,

Under the guidance of White in 2017-18, Seton Hall had six top-5 finishes in 11 total tournaments, including a pair of second place finishes at the Hartford Hawks Invitational and the UNCG/Martin Downs Collegiate. At the Loyola Invitational, the Pirates twice set a new team record for the lowest par-72 single-round score, shooting a first round, 277, and then a 15-under-par, 273, in round three. For the tournament, the Pirates fired an astonishing 24 strokes under par with a 277-290-273-840, which shatters Seton Hall's previous records for most strokes under par for a single tournament (11) and lowest par-72 three-round score (857).

In 2016-17, White's Pirates enjoyed arguably the greatest single year in program history. Although the team collected only one team victory, at the Princeton Invitational, The Hall broke its single-year scoring average record. The Pirates averaged just 290.68 strokes per round, shaving nearly three full strokes off the previous record set in 2007-08. Furthermore, the Pirates notched six top-5 finishes during the 2016-17 year, including a second place finish at the 2017 BIG EAST Championship, their best finish since winning the event in 2000. Seton Hall finished just one stroke behind the BIG EAST champions, Marquette, as Lloyd Jefferson Go and Gen Nagai tied as tournament runners-up. Several program team records fell in 2016-17 including the two-round par-72 mark set at the Hartford Hawks Invitational, the three-round par-72 record set at the Loyola Intercollegiate, and the three-round par-70 record broken at The Doc Gimmler. The single-round records for pars 70, 71 and 72 were also all broken this year, including a record 15-under-par, 265, in the second round of The Doc Gimmler.

Individually, Go became the first Seton Hall golfer to repeat as BIG EAST Player of the Year, and three Pirates, Go, Nagai and Chris Yeom were named to All-BIG EAST Teams, also a first for the program. Go became the first Seton Hall individual golfer to qualify for the NCAA Regionals for the second straight year, this time doing so with an at large bid.

During the 2015-16 year, White enjoyed seeing his first golfer compete in the NCAA Regionals. Junior Lloyd Jefferson Go won the BIG EAST individual championship and received an automatic qualifier to the NCAA Kohler Regional. White assisted Go through a record-breaking year, which saw the Philippines native average a program-record 71.67 strokes per round and become BIG EAST Player of the Year. White also welcomed a pair of impact newcomers, Gen Nagai and Chris Yeom, who became immediate lineup regulars.

In 2014, bolstered by the addition of transfer Ryan Snouffer, White's Pirates finished in the top-10 in all 11 of their tournaments, and posted seven, top-5 finishes. The highlight of the year came with a victory at the Navy Fall Classic, the program's first win since 2012. Both Snouffer and Kevin O'Brien shot under par for the tournament to lead The Hall to victory. Seton Hall's collective stroke average improved for a second straight year, dipping under 297, and the Pirates improved their BIG EAST ranking for a second straight year, finishing fourth in the conference's premiere event.

In 2013, White recruited Go, who took the BIG EAST by storm as a freshman. Go was unanimously named BIG EAST Freshman of the Year, while shooting under par in four tournaments. White and Go helped lead the Pirates to eight, top-10 finishes, including a second place showing at the highly competitive Rutherford Intercollegiate.

In 2011, White's Pirates notched seven top-10 finishes and four top-five finishes. Adding to Seton Hall's depth, White recruited junior college transfer John Dawson Neufeld, who, in his second career tournament, won the Rutgers Invitational. White also helped mentor Brandon Park, who made his second straight All-BIG EAST Team.

White's Pirates were competitive again In 2010, finishing fourth at the BIG EAST Championship, marking the third straight year that Seton Hall has finished in the conference's top-third. As a team, the Pirates ended the three-round event just four strokes behind Georgetown, the team champion. Overall, Seton Hall recorded eight top-10 and five top-5 finishes out of 10 tournaments during the 2009-10 academic year.

Showing a strong recruiting prowess, White countered the loss of graduate John Zur by bringing in impact freshman Brandon Park. The Weston, Fla. native went on to lead the team with the lowest stroke average and was named 2010 BIG EAST Freshman of the Year.

In 2009, White guided the Pirates to their second consecutive third place finish at the BIG EAST Championship, their highest finishes since they won the event in 2000. Overall, White led Seton Hall to six top-5 finishes for a third straight year. At the Towson University Invitational, a tournament in which the Pirates placed third, Seton Hall fired a 6-under-par, 282, in the second round. The score is the lowest for a Pirates' team single-round in over three years (March 9, 2007). 2009 also brought White his first all-conference performer. Senior John Zur was named to the BIG EAST All-Conference team following his 5-under-par, 211, fifth place finish at the conference championship.

The fall of 2008 was one of the most successful single-seasons in Seton Hall golf history as White coached the Pirates to victories at the Rutgers Invitational and Scotty Duncan Memorial Invitational and a second place finish at the Big-5 Classic.

When White joined the Pirates' athletics staff, he was appointed as the equipment manager for Seton Hall's varsity teams, a position he held until August 2014, in addition to his coaching duties. He came to Seton Hall after a two-year stint as the assistant director of equipment at Ohio University.

During White's time in Athens, he served as the head girl's volleyball coach of the Ohio Juniors Volleyball Club 14-and-under team, just one of many coaching positions White has held during his career. His experiences encompass a variety of sports, including golf, softball and volleyball.

White got his start in coaching at Humboldt State University, where he was the assistant women's softball coach from 1993-95 and the assistant volleyball coach from 1995-97. In December of 1997, he assumed the role of assistant athletic equipment manager at Humboldt State, and served in that capacity until 2000. While performing the duties of assistant athletic equipment manager, White also was the head coach of the volleyball team at the College of the Redwoods from 1997-00, as well as a golf shop assistant at Baywood Golf and Country Club from 1998-00.

A 1995 graduate of Humboldt State with a bachelor's degree in physical education with an emphasis in teaching and coaching, White was a letterwinner in golf at the College of the Redwoods. White and his wife Kelli reside in Basking Ridge, N.J.