One of the most accomplished golfers in Shocker history, Judd Easterling enters his seventh season at the helm of Wichita State men's golf in 2025-26.
Last season, Easterling led the Shockers to an incredibly successful season, recording four top five team finishes, highlighted by a win for the Shockers in their home tournament, the Grier Jones Shocker Invitational, on October 8 at Sand Creek Station in Newton. Easterling posted a record of 74-60-2 in 2024-25, his highest victory total in his tenure as head coach. At the American Championship, Easterling guided first-year Shocker Jose Miguel Ramirez to a runner-up individual finish, tying the highest finish by any Shocker at the AAC Championship.
In 2023-24, Easterling guided the Shockers to one of their best seasons since joining the American Athletic Conference in 2017-18. The Shockers set program-best records with their third-place finish at the AAC Championship on April 21 in Belleair. The finish was the best in program history at the AAC Championship, and the Shockers set team records for best single-round team score (278), best 18-hole start (279, 2nd place), and best 36-hole start (573, 3rd place). Easterling also coached junior Michael Winslow to AAC All-Conference honors and earned his fifth tournament win as a coach with a victory in the Grier Jones Shocker Invitational on October 10 at Sand Creek Station in Newton, Kansas.
The former All-American was elevated to head coach for the 2019-20 season after three years as an assistant under the legendary Grier Jones. The latter retired in June, 2019 after winning 15 conference titles in 23 seasons.
A two-time honorable mention All-American for the Shockers from 2001-05, Easterling returned to his alma mater in October, 2016 after stops at Missouri and Arizona State. He was elevated to associate head coach prior to the 2017-18 season.
Director of Athletics, Darron Boatright announced Easterling's promotion on May 13, 2019:
"We are very excited to have Judd as our head men’s golf coach," Boatright said. "He was not only an outstanding player at Wichita State, but he has done a tremendous job working with our young men over the last three seasons as an assistant coach. I’m confident that he will continue to lead the program in a first-class fashion and continue the legacy that Grier Jones has built.”
Jones' tenure was highlighted by back-to-back NCAA Championship bids in 2003 and 2004. Easterling captained both teams and posted a top-10 individual finish at the 2004 championship. He qualified for a third time, individually, as a senior in 2005.
Easterling said:
“When I started as an assistant coach at the University of Missouri for Coach
Mark Leroux, I always dreamed about coming back to Wichita State and today that dream comes true. I am extremely grateful for everything that Grier Jones has given me ever since I came to play for him in 2001 and now to coach with him the past three seasons. I look forward to the challenge of leading this program, recruiting great young men and developing them as people and as golfers. I take great pride in wearing the Wichita State logo and I expect us to be challenging for conference titles very soon.”
A four-time all-conference performer, Easterling posted 16 top-five finishes and won five individual titles during his Shocker career. He took part in three NCAA Championships (qualifying individually as a senior in 2005) and was one of 20 golfers named to the Missouri Valley Conference’s All-Centennial Team, spotlighting the league’s most-outstanding performers from 1908-2007.
Easterling still holds WSU's 54-hole scoring record, firing a 195 to win the 2005 Pioneer Classic in Goodyear, Ariz. He finished 21-under par and won the event by 13 strokes.
Easterling also enjoyed success on the summer amateur circuit, winning the Phil Cotton Memorial Golf Tournament (2003) and the Poroto Cima Four Ball Championship (2013). He was a Kansas Amateur quarterfinalist in 2003 and twice participated in the U.S. Amateur.
As a professional, Easterling played in a handful of events on the Adams Tight Lies Tour and reached the second stage of the PGA Tour Qualifying tournament. He completed his Bachelor of Arts in Sport Management from Wichita State in 2007.
The Dixon, Mo. native cut his coaching teeth with two seasons at Mizzou, where he was the program’s first-ever full-time assistant. In his first season (2013-14), the Tigers advanced to the NCAA Championship for the first time in nine years after a third-place regional finish. A pair of Tigers earned 2014 PING All-American honors. Senior Emilio Cuartero (third team) finished atop the leaderboard at the Columbia Regional and tied for 15
th at the national meet. Junior Ryan Zech (honorable mention) posted a ninth-place finish -- highest for a Mizzou golfer in over four decades.
Easterling spent the 2015-16 season at national power Arizona State where he helped the Sun Devils win the 2016 Albuquerque Regional title and claim a ninth-place finish at the NCAA Championship. Senior Jon Rahm tied for third individually. A consensus first team All-American, Rahm won the PAC 12 individual title, led the nation in stroke average (69.41) and claimed both the Jack Nicklaus and Ben Hogan Awards, given to college golf’s national player of the year. He’s currently playing on the PGA Tour.
Easterling returned to Wichita as an assistant coach in October, 2016 and made an immediate impact in his first spring, helping the Shockers reclaim the MVC team title and advance to NCAA regional play. A pair Shockers, senior Grant Bennett and sophomore Yannick Emmert, earned all-conference honors, and Emmert was the MVC’s Golfer of the Year.
PLAYING CAREER AT WICHITA STATE (2001-05)
- 2x PING honorable mention All-American
- 4x All-Missouri Valley Conference
- 3x NCAA Championship qualifier; tied for 10th at 2004 national championship
- One of 20 golfers named to the MVC All-Centennial Team (1908-2007)
- 24 top-10 finishes, 16 top-five finishes, five individual titles
- Three-year captain
COACHING RESUME:
2013-15 – Missouri (Assistant Coach)
2015-16 – Arizona State (Assistant Coach)
2016-17 – Wichita State (Assistant Coach)
2017-19 – Wichita State (Associated Head Coach)
2019-Pr -- Wichita State (Head Coach)
WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT EASTERLING:
Grier Jones, Former Head Coach, Wichita State
“I think he’s going to step right in and take off,” Jones said of
Easterling. “He knows the guys, he knows the people in the program and he knows the people in town. There’s no doubt in my mind that he is going to be successful.”
Jamie Bermel, Head Coach, Kansas
“Fantastic hire for Wichita State. Judd had a great mentor in Grier Jones, and I think he will do well. I am certain he will recruit tirelessly and will develop his players on and off the golf course.”
Mike McGraw, Head Coach, Baylor
“Judd is a terrific young coach and will do a great job at Wichita State. I wish him all the best.”
Mark Leroux, Former Head Coach, Missouri
“This is a dream job for Judd. I know he couldn’t be more excited to come back to his alma mater and lead the Wichita State program. Judd is a great, enthusiastic coach who his passionate about the game and developing young men both on and off the course. I know he is destined for big things at Wichita State and am looking forward to seeing him take that program to new heights.”
Roy Edwards, Head Coach, Colorado
“Judd Easterling is an excellent choice to be the head men’s golf coach at Wichita State. In addition to being an outstanding coach, Judd’s experience, having played and coached at WSU, is a huge advantage in understanding the culture and tradition of high-level golf in Kansas and in the city of Wichita. He will do a phenomenal job.”
Alan Bratton, Head Coach, Oklahoma State
“Congrats to Judd! He’s well-versed in the culture and history of the Wichita State program. He’s a perfect choice to build on what Grier Jones has created over the years. Judd’s competitive nature will make it easy for him to put his own stamp on the program while complimenting what he’s learned from his mentor. I love it when schools stay in the family with their hires. Judd is a home run for Wichita State.”
