The Penn men’s golf team will have a new coach guiding them in their quest to defend last spring’s Ivy League championship.
The athletic department announced Thursday that Bob Heintz has been hired as the new head coach, replacing Scott Allen, who held the position since 2008 but recently departed to take an administrative position at George Washington University, his alma mater.
Heintz comes to Penn with an impressive resume and Ancient Eight background. While an athlete at Yale, he captured three individual Ivy titles — one of only two players in league history to do so — and earned Academic All-America status as a senior.
“We are excited to welcome Bob to Penn,” Director of Athletics Steve Bilsky said in a press release. “His experience as an Ivy League student-athlete, combined with his career on the PGA Tour, provides leadership that bodes well for the continued success of our men’s golf program.”
Heintz played on the PGA Tour for six years and accumulated over $2.2 million in career earnings. In 2010, shortly before he retired, he placed second at the Reno-Tahoe Open, one stroke behind Matt Bettencourt after missing a short putt on the 18th hole.
The 42-year-old comes to Penn with some coaching experience as well, having spent two years as a volunteer assistant with South Florida from 1992 to 1994.
“I’m very proud to join the Penn Athletics family as its men’s golf coach,” Heintz said. “I am looking forward to the challenge of taking the helm from coach Allen and leading the team in our defense of last year’s Ivy League title.
“We have a solid core of players returning, and I can’t wait to get them started in representing the University.”
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