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The 2009 Conference USA Coach of the Year, John Thomas Horton wasted little time in re-establishing the Tulane women's golf program as the top team in Conference USA as well as a national contender. In his first year, he has led the Green Wave to two tournament titles, including the C-USA Championship and the Ole Miss Lady Rebel Intercollegiate, a fifth place finish at the NCAA East Regional and a 20th place finish at the NCAA Championships. Five of his six first-year players were named to All C-USA first, second or third teams, and Linn Gustafsson was tabbed the Conference USA Player and Newcomer of the Year while freshman Daniela Holmqvist captured the C-USA championship individual medalist honors en route to earning the league's Freshman of the Year honors. Horton may have set the bar high in his rookie season, but has firmly planted Tulane's women's golf team as a enduring program on the national scene and begins his second season in 2009-10 with five returners and two true freshmen. Horton was named the head women's golf coach at Tulane on July 4, 2007, and inherits the challenge of returning the Green Wave to among the nation's elite programs. A two-time All-America as a student-athlete at Berry College in Rome, Ga., (1995-99), John Thomas (J.T.) Horton joined the Green Wave family following two years at Georgia Southern where he served as an assistant coach for the Eagles' men's golf program. Upon Horton's hiring, Athletic Director Rick Dickson said "We are certainly pleased to have the services of John Thomas to rebuild our golf program," Dickson said. " One of things that attracted us to John Thomas was his energy, enthusiasm and his passion. He helps fill our goal of helping rebuild Tulane University as well as its athletic department. He really fits the model we have used here to hire head coaches - a former elite player with a passion for the game who has the innate ability to teach the next generation of collegiate golfers." While at GSU, Horton helped the Eagles win the 2006 Southern Conference Championship, where all five Eagle golfers finished in the Top 25 individually and the team won the title by 12 strokes over College of Charleston. The team also advanced to the NCAA East Regionals finishing one spot out of qualifying for NCAA National Championship. During the 2006-07season, GSU posted four top five team finishes including a runner-up showing at the Southern Conference Championship. As the program's lead recruiter, Horton helped Georgia Southern ink one of the top recruiting classes in school history in 2007. He also oversaw the team's player development, workouts and physical conditioning, as well as serving as the liaison to the director of student-athlete services for academic progress. A four-year letterman at Berry College, Horton was a first-team NAIA All-America as both a junior and senior and claimed first-team All-TranSouth Conference honors all four years, including Scholar Athlete honors in 1998 and 1999. He helped the Vikings win the conference title from 1996-1999 and capped off his career as a member of the NAIA National Championship team in 1998. Individually, Horton won six collegiate tournaments, including TranSouth Conference medalist honors in 1997 and 1998. He was selected to represent the U.S. in the 1998 World University Golf Games in San Lameer, South Africa. Following his successful collegiate career, Horton played professionally on several mini-tours for five years. In 2002, he won his first professional event, The Harbor Club Classic Championship, on the DP Tour with a 19-under par 269 (63-70-71-65). He was an exempt member of the NGA Hooters tour from 2000-2004 and reached the second stage of PGA Tour Qualifying School in 2000 and 2001. As a pro, Horton worked with renowned golf instructors Rob Akins, Todd Anderson and Dave Pelz, as well as sports psychologists Dr. Rick Jensen and Dr. Jack Llewellyn, and fitness guru Randy Myers. Prior to joining the GSU staff, he served as the head golf professional and assistant general manager at Horseleg Plantation County Club (Rome, Ga.). At Horseleg, Horton managed all golf operations and assisted the general manager in supervising department heads and employees for golf, swimming, tennis and fitness. Horton developed and oversaw a Ladies Golf Association and Junior Golf Academy in addition to managing the Men's and Senior's Golf Associations. "I'm very happy to be a part of the Green Wave family," Horton said, of being hired. "To have the opportunity to be a head coach at a university that has had so much success is a blessing. I look forward to the rebuilding of a nationally prominent and successful program. New Orleans and Tulane University are rich with tradition. I am extremely excited and I can not wait to get started." A native of Clayton, Ga., Horton graduated with a business degree from Berry in 1999. He is married to the former Sydnie Brianne Ruland of Rome, Ga., and is a member of the Golf Coaches Association of America.
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