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Rudolph's Promotion Signals VU's Golf Push

July 15, 1997

Vanderbilt Director of Athletics Todd Turner has promoted current men's golf coach and longtime touring professional Mason Rudolph to the newly created position of Director of Golf and Assistant to the Director of Athletics.

Turner, who is a member of the NCAA Division I Golf Committee, created the new position with the goal to develop nationally competitive men's and women's golf programs.

"We want to develop championship golf programs at Vanderbilt," Turner says, "and it is most important to have the right leadership in place to help us achieve that goal. We wanted someone who has played golf at the highest level, someone with outstanding teaching skills, someone with excellent public relations abilities. That person is Mason Rudolph."

Rudolph, a 21 year veteran of the PGA Tour with six tour victories and Walker and Ryder Cup experience, has been one of the state's foremost golf ambassadors for many years.

"This opportunity is the icing on the cake as far as my golf career is concerned," Rudolph says. "I have spent a lifetime in the sport -- playing at the junior, collegiate, amateur, and professional levels and then coaching collegiately. Now I will be able to utilize that experience in helping Vanderbilt golf compete on a national level."

Rudolph will assist Turner in developing needed facilities to support the Commodore golf teams, including the possibility of building a University golf course somewhere in the Nashville area.

Turner says Rudolph's golf responsibilities will also include administering fund-raising events, assisting the men's and women's coaches by providing instruction to their team and serving as a spokesperson for both programs.

Rudolph has been Vanderbilt's men's golf coach since 1993 after serving as the professional at Springhouse Golf Course at Opryland. A native of Clarksville, Rudolph was just 16 when he won the USGA Junior Nationals and played in the U.S. Open, the youngest player to compete in the national championship.

Rudolph played in 15 Masters and 16 U.S. Open Championships and was the PGA Tour Rookie of the Year in 1960. He is a charter member of the Tennessee Golf Hall of Fame and in 1995 was inducted into the Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame.

A national search for a men's golf coach will begin immediately.