KORTAN UP CLOSE

PERSONAL

Hometown: Yankton, South Dakota
Education: New Mexico, 1994

COACHING HISTORY

2009-13: New Mexico (Assistant Coach)
2013-20: Texas A&M (Assistant Coach)
2020-21: Texas A&M (Interim Head Coach)
2021-: Texas A&M (Head Coach)

POSTSEASON EXPERIENCE

2010: NCAA Bremerton Regional
2012: NCAA Athens Regional
2013: NCAA Championship (5th)
2014: NCAA Championship
2016: NCAA Albuquerque Regional
2017: NCAA Sammamish Regional
2018: NCAA Championship (t5th)
2019: NCAA Championship (t5th)
2021: NCAA Albuquerque Regional
2022: NCAA Championship
2023: NCAA Championship
2024: NCAA Championship

The 2024-25 campaign marks Brian Kortan’s fifth season at the helm of the Texas A&M men’s golf program.

In his four three seasons as skipper, the Aggies earned four NCAA Regional bids, made appearances at the NCAA Championships from 2022-24 and advanced to the SEC Championships semifinal round four times. He has also guided the Maroon & White to 10 tournament titles over the span.

The 2023-24 season featured four top-three finishes with a third consecutive win at Louisiana Classics. They also finished runner-up at the Aggie Invitational. Ol’ Sarge’s charges earned two individual titles with Phichaksn Maichon winning the Louisiana Classics by eight strokes with a tournament record 18-under 198 and Jaime Montojo earning his first career victory at the Aggie Invitational.

Texas A&M made a semifinal appearance at the SEC Championship and finished a comfortable third at the Stanford Regional before ultimately finishing 20^th at the NCAA Championships.

Two Aggies picked up PING All-America recognition with Maichon landing on the third team and Daniel Rodrigues earning honorable mention. Maichon, Montojo and Rodrigues earned PING All-Central Region Recognition. Maichon also gained All-SEC Second Team stature.

During the 2022-23 campaign, the Maroon & White rattled off four victories including the Badger Invitational, Blessings Collegiate Invitational, Arizona Thunderbirds Intercollegiate and Louisiana Classics. Texas A&M also boasted four medalists on the year, including William Paysse (Badger Invitational), Daniel Rodrigues (Blessings Collegiate Invitational), Sam Bennett (John A. Burns Intercollegiate) and Phichaksn Maichon (Huntsville Toyota Bearkat Invitational).

In postseason play, Texas A&M finished second in the stroke play portion of the SEC Championships before advancing to the semifinals of match play. The Aggies mounted an epic comeback to erase a 12-stroke deficit in the final round of the NCAA Regional to earn a championship bid with their fifth-place showing. Ol’ Sarge’s charges finished 13^th at the NCAA Championships with Maichon leading the way in 11^th place.

Along the way, Aggie golf received loads of recognition as All-American Sam Bennett earned the Silver Cup as the low amateur at the Masters Tournament.

Maichon and Rodrigues picked up PING All-America Honorable Mention on the season. Bennett, Maichon, Paysse and Vishnu Sadagopan earned PING All-Central Region distinction. Bennett and Paysse garnered All-SEC recognition.

Kortan guided Texas A&M to three tournament victories in 2021-22, including the Marquette Intercollegiate, Louisiana Classics and the Aggie Invitational. The Maroon & White was also runner-up at the Golf Club of Georgia Collegiate.

In postseason play, the Aggies advanced to the semifinal round of the SEC Championships after placing second in stroke play and finished third at the Bryan Regional to earn an NCAA Championships spot. Bennett finished fifth at the SEC Championships and 10^th at the NCAA Championships to kickstart his summer to remember.

The Aggies boasted a pair of PING All-Americans in 2021-22 with Bennett landing first-team honors and Walker Lee named a third-teamer.

Texas A&M golf’s success carried into the summer with Bennett and Lee playing for Team USA at the Arnold Palmer Cup and Bennett put an exclamation point on the year by winning the 122^nd U.S. Amateur Championship.

The Aggies also excelled in the classroom with Michael Heidelbaugh, Lee and Paysse earning Srixon/Cleveland Golf All-America Scholar recognition from the Golf Coaches Association of America.

In 2020-21, the Aggies tallied team titles at the Border Olympics and the Aggie Invitational and placed in the top five at four other tournaments. The Aggies were ranked in the top 15 through the season and peaked at No. 6 after the Border Olympics win and a third-place finish against a stacked field at the Cabo Collegiate.

Under Kortan's guidance, Bennett enjoyed one of the greatest individual seasons in school history. Entering 2020-21 without a collegiate victory, Bennett earned PING All-America First Team after winning three tournament crowns, including the Cabo Collegiate which came with a PGA Tour exemption to the Valero Texas Open. Bennett was 2-0 in match play at the SEC Championship and tallied a runner-up finish at the NCAA Albuquerque Regional.

Bennett, Dan Erickson and Rodrigues received All-SEC recognition, and Bennett and Erickson took PING All-Region honors.

Kortan joined the Texas A&M men’s golf program as an assistant in 2013. Since arriving in Aggieland, he has helped the team earn nine NCAA Regional appearances and advance to the NCAA Championship on six occasions, including top five national finishes in 2018 and '19. The 2020 Aggies missed the championship season due to the coronavirus, but finished the year ranked No. 6 by the Golf Coaches Association of America.

The native of Yankton, South Dakota, has helped the Aggies to 22 tournament victories during his time in Aggieland, including a school-record six wins in 2018 that helped propel the team to the top spot in the national polls. Additionally, the Aggies were victorious in NCAA Regional play in 2018 (NCAA Bryan Regional) and 2019 (NCAA Pullman Regional).

Since the 2013-14 season, Texas A&M has earned 15 All-America citations from nine players with Chandler Phillips leading the way with All-America honors in 2017, '18 and '19. Additionally, Phillips was named Texas A&M's Co-Athlete of the Year in 2019 and Bennett earned Athlete of the Year in 2023.

Kortan came to Aggieland after spending four seasons (2009-13) as an assistant coach at New Mexico. He helped the Lobos advance to match play at the 2013 NCAA Championship and post a fifth-place finish which stood out as the second highest in school history. Along the way, UNM posted wins in five tournaments including the Mountain West Conference Championship and the NCAA Columbus Regional. The Lobos earned an NCAA Regional berth in three of the four seasons with Kortan on staff.

New Mexico produced a trio of All-Americans in his last two seasons, including 2013 Mountain West Player of the Year James Erkenbeck, who claimed first-team honors while Gavin Green earned third-team recognition that same season. In 2012, John Catlin represented the Lobos as an All-America honorable mention.

Prior to joining the UNM staff, Kortan enjoyed a 16-year professional golf career, competing on various levels including the PGA, Dakotas, Hooters, Gateway, Adams and Nationwide tours. He played in the 2008 U.S. Open and notched wins at over 15 professional events throughout his career, including the 2009 Capital One Classic and 2008 New Mexico Open.

Kortan excelled as a collegiate golfer for the Lobos from 1990-94, where he was a 1992 All-American and Western Athletic Conference champion. He notched wins at the 1993 Fox Acres Invitational and was an Academic All-America selection in 1994. Kortan graduated from New Mexico in 1994 with a degree in university studies.

6/2024