In 14 seasons as the UCF men's golf head coach, Bryce Wallor has guided a program that consistently ranks among the best in the nation and has led the Knights to incredible success.
The Knights have claimed an NCAA Regional title and two conference championships under his direction and UCF has advanced to an NCAA Regional or had an individual selected to the field in 11 of his 14 years. The Knights have advanced to the NCAA postseason eight times under Wallor's leadership.
UCF put together two of its best NCAA Championship performances ever under Wallor's tutelage, finishing 14th in 2017 and 16th in 2013, along with appearances in 2012 and 2018. UCF has won 26 tournament championships and 24 individual titles during Wallor’s tenure.
Last season, UCF opened the 2022-23 campaign by winning the Hartford Hawks Invitational for the fifth consecutive year. The Knights tallied a team score of 829 (-35) and fifth year Luis Carrera claimed the individual crown with a score of 200 (-16). UCF fired its lowest round in program history in the second round of the event with a score of 266 (-22) to eclipse the previous mark of 268 (-20) achieved at the FAU Invitational in 2019. The Knights' three-round total tied for the best ever at the event, while also tying as second lowest 54-hole mark in program history.
The Knights finished nine strokes ahead of the second-place team after recording a 284 in the first round (-4), 266 (-22) in the second round and 279 (-9) in the final round.
UCF finished fourth in its final American Athletic Conference Championship to earn the program's ninth top-five finish at the conference championship, all of which have come under Wallor's leadership. After narrowly missing selection to an NCAA Regional as a team, Carrera and Johnny Travale were selected as individuals to represents the Knights in the postseason.
In 2019-2020, Wallor guided the program to one of its crowning achievements; UCF won the home tournament Tavistock Collegiate Invitational for the first time in program history. UCF's 844(-20) total at the Tavistock was the lowest stroke total of the year and gave them the victory over some of the top ranked programs in the nation, including No. 4 Texas Tech, No. 7 Arizona State and No. 18 Texas. To add to the win, Wallor also had one of his own claim the individual title as Johnny Travale placed first with a 204(-12) total. Following the win at Tavistock, UCF was ranked as high as No. 16 in the GolfStat.com Poll.
In addition to a stellar fall on the course, Wallor also made sure the Knights performed in the classroom. Wallor's Knights posted the highest 2019 fall GPA among all men’s programs with a 3.43 GPA. Unfortunately for Wallor and the Knights, the 2020 spring was cut short following just two tournaments as a result of the COVID-19 outbreak.
In 2018-19, Wallor produced two unanimous all-conference selections in senior Kyler Tate and junior Bobby Bai. The two also earned berths to the NCAA Myrtle Beach Regional. Tate made his third consecutive appearance in the postseason, all under Wallor’s guidance. Wallor helped Bai win two tournaments during the season at the Hartford Hawks Invitational and the FAU Spring Championship. The Knights also won those same tournaments as a team and broke multiple program records in Boca Raton. UCF shot a program-best 268(-20) to secure their tournament win in the final round. The team’s three-day total of 829(-35) is the second-lowest 54-hole total in program history. Bai took first overall with a third-round score of 66(-6) to tie the program record for lowest individual 54-hole total with 200(-16). UCF finished third at The American Championship, their best since the inception of the conference. The Knights missed second place by just one stroke, but ousted rival South Florida for the first time in tournament history to help UCF garner six more War On I-4 points.
In 2017-18, Wallor led the Knights to its second consecutive NCAA National Championship appearance after finishing second at the Kissimmee Regional shooting the program’s second best 54-hole total of 834(-30). Manuel Elvira, Kyler Tate, and Bobby Bai earned all-conference honors and Tate recorded the program’s 14th best soring average with a 72.59. Also during the 2017-18 campaign, Wallor led the team to two tournament victories (Hartford Hawks and FGCU Invitational) and two individuals titles with Bai and Juuso Kahlos earning victories.
The 2016-17 season saw the Knights finish strong. UCF was the only team to go under par at the NCAA College Grove (Tenn.) Regional, finishing 1-under to win the tournament and advance to the NCAA Championship for the third time under Wallor. The Knights finished tied for 14th at the NCAA Championship, one of the best finishes in program history. Kyler Tate earned Honorable Mention All-America honors. Bobby Bai was named AAC Freshman of the Year and joined Manuel Elvira and Donnie Trosper on the all-conference team.
The 2013-14 season was one for the record books. The Knights won four events during the 2013-14 season, including what was arguably the most prestigious regular season victory in team history. UCF picked up a victory at the 2014 3M Augusta Invitational, defeating such top-ranked teams as Texas, Virginia Tech, Illinois, Baylor, Houston, South Carolina, New Mexico, Tennessee, TCU and Clemson.
During the season, UCF rose to as high as No. 5 in the Golfstat NCAA rankings, a program record. The Knights finished the season ranked No. 6 by Golfstat, the highest final ranking ever for the program. UCF took runner-up honors at the inaugural American Athletic Conference Men’s Golf Championship and advanced to the NCAA Regional round for the fifth straight time under Wallor’s mentorship.
Senior Greg Eason was named the American Athletic Conference Player of the Year in 2014 and earned his second consecutive First-Team All-America honor, as well. Senior Ricardo Gouveia advanced to the NCAA Championship as an individual, becoming the first Knight ever to earn that distinction. Eason and Gouveia were both named First-Team All-Conference by the AAC and both were named PING All-Region performers, as well.
In 2012-13, UCF put together another highly-successful season. UCF finished tied for 16th at the NCAA Championship. The Knights finished the season ranked No. 26 in the nation by Golfstat. UCF won three tournaments during the regular season, finished third at the Conference USA Championship and took runner-up honors at the NCAA Tempe Regional.
With their third-place finish at the C-USA Championship, the Knights finished their time in the conference as most dominant team in C-USA since Wallor took over the program. UCF was a top-three finisher in each of those four years, including two championships. Meanwhile, no other Conference USA team had more than two top-three finishes during that span.
Wallor coached Eason to first-team All-America honors, Conference USA Player of the Year accolades, All-C-USA First Team recognition and all-region honors in 2012-13. Eason also took the individual title at the NCAA Tempe Regional, becoming the first Knight ever to win an NCAA Regional Championship.
In 2011-12, the Knights enjoyed one of the finest campaigns in program history. UCF won three tournament titles, spent the entire year in ranked among the top 25 nationally and after a fifth-place finish at the NCAA Regional in Stanford, Calif., moved on to the NCAA Championship in Pacific Palisades, Calif. The championship appearance was the fifth in school history for the Knights, who tied for 19th at the tournament.
The Knights participated in 12 tournaments during 2011-12 and had nine top-five finishes. Wallor’s team opened the campaign by taking the title at the Northern Intercollegiate in Illinois and then followed up by finishing first at the Adams Cup of Newport in Rhode Island. After the two victories, UCF moved to No. 6 in the national rankings. Brad Schneider, Gouveia and Jose Joia were all selected to the PING All-Southeast Region team. Gouveia was named the C-USA Newcomer of the Year, and joined Schneider on the all-league first team. Joia and Eason, who took medalist honors at the conference championship, were named to the All-C-USA Second Team.
Wallor’s team shined in 2010-11, winning three tournament titles, including the crown at the C-USA Championship in Texarkana, Ark. UCF enjoyed success from the start of the campaign, taking the title at its second tournament of the year, the Adams Cup of Newport in Rhode Island. In addition to the league championship, the Knights also finished first at the Rio Pinar Invitational in Orlando during the spring. As a result of claiming the C-USA title, the Knights received the league’s automatic berth to the NCAA Regionals. The Knights earned the No. 6 seed at the regional in nearby Ocala.
UCF was led by an impressive rookie and a talented veteran during the year. Wallor helped Eason develop into one of the top young golfers in the nation. The C-USA Freshman of the Year, Eason played in all 11 tournaments and had seven top-10 showings. A native of England, he took medalist honors at the Adams Cup of Newport and placed second at the league championship. He was also selected to the All-C-USA Second Team and the league’s all-freshman squad. Eason, who tied for 17th at the NCAA Regionals, was UCF’s top finisher in all seven spring events. Connor Arendell, one of two juniors on the Knights, was selected to the All-C-USA First Team. Arendell recorded eight top-20 finishes, and also won an event in the fall. He took medalist honors at UCF’s first tournament, the Wolf Run Intercollegiate in Zionsville, Ind.
Wallor’s first campaign at UCF was a success in 2009-10. His team, which featured several new contributors, came together at the right time, playing its best golf at the end of the 2009-10 season. The Knights won their home tournament in March, posted a dominating performance in winning the Conference USA Championship title and concluded the year with a strong showing at the NCAA Regionals in Santee, Calif. UCF used a total team effort and hard work to achieve its success. Six different Knights recorded top-10 finishes during the campaign and three different golfers garnered individual accolades from C-USA for their play.
UCF finished the year with an impressive performance at the regionals. In its fourth-straight postseason appearance, the team finished sixth out of 13 squads in California. Devin Spies, who tied for 14th, and Schneider, who tied for 18th, posted top-20 showings. Both Henriques and Schneider were named to the All-C-USA Second Team following the league championship. Reid Martin was also recognized by the conference when he earned all-freshman team honors.
Wallor took over the helm of the UCF program after five successful seasons as an assistant coach at Tennessee. During his time with the Volunteers, Wallor helped the program make five trips to the NCAA Regionals, with the squad advancing to the NCAA Championship on three occasions. In 2009, the Vols placed second at the NCAA Northeast Regional and then finished 12th at the NCAA Championship. In July 2008, Wallor was promoted to Tennessee’s director of instruction/player development by head coach Jim Kelson. Tennessee claimed eight tournament championships during Wallor’s tenure, including the Southeastern Conference title in 2007. In 2008-09, the Vols recorded five top-three finishes. The team concluded the year ranked 11th in the Golfstat NCAA Head-to-Head Standings. A pair of Tennessee golfers - David Holmes and Chris Paisley - earned PING All-America honors. Wallor mentored five All-America golfers at Tennessee.
After the 2007-08 campaign, he was selected as a finalist for the Jan Strickland Award, which is presented to the top assistant coach in the nation by the Golf Coaches Association of America. In 2009, Wallor was a semifinalist for the award. From 2000-02, Wallor served as the head coach at Connecticut, where he helped the Huskies improve 47 spots in the national polls. He also worked as an assistant coach at Davidson from 1999-00.
Before starting his collegiate coaching career, Wallor was the director of golf instruction at the Narragansett Country Club in Narragansett, R.I., and the Highland Ridge Golf Center in Mansfield, Conn. Additionally, he served as the teaching professional at the Dana Radar Golf Institute in Charlotte, N.C., and as an assistant professional at the Lake Nona Golf and Country Club in Orlando. Wallor also spent time as a sales representative for the Golfers’ Warehouse in Cranston, R.I.
Wallor was a student-athlete at Rhode Island from 1993-98, helping the Rams qualify for the NCAA East Regionals four times. He was team captain as a senior and took medalist honors at the 1997 Bob Toski Invitational. Wallor, who worked as a volunteer assistant coach at Rhode Island in 2002-03, graduated with a bachelor’s of arts in communications in 1998.
After concluding his collegiate playing career, Wallor won the 2002 Rhode Island State Open and competed on the 2003 New England Professional Golf Tour.