Shane Howell has led the Bobcats through conference realignment and is in his 18th season (2024-25) at the helm of the Bobcat men’s golf program.
Texas State has been a part of the Southland, WAC and now the Sun Belt.
The 2023-24 season saw the Bobcats record four top five finishes that included claiming the Mobile Bay Intercollegiate title. They qualified for match play in the Sun Belt Conference Championship for the first time in team history after tying for third in the 72-hole stroke play portion and three Bobcats – Sakke Siltala (2nd team), Jack Burke (3rd team) and Marcelo Garza (3rd team) – were named All-Sun Belt Selections.
The 2022-23 team won three team championships at the Tempest Collegiate, Craft Farms Intercollegiate, and at the National Golf Invitational postseason event. The Bobcats finished seven-under 857 in two of their three team championships. When not winning tournaments, Howell led his team to seven top-10 finishes this season. Howell coached his players to five top-5 finishes, three top-15 finishes, and Tom Roed Karlsen capturing the individual championship at the Tempest Collegiate. Texas State opened the season at the Allstate Streamsong Invitational 28-under 836. Kasper Nyland was named to the All-Sun Belt Third Team at the end of the season.
Howell led the Bobcats to many accomplishments during the 2021-22 season. Halfway through the season, Texas State defeated 13 teams to win the 2022 Jackrabbit Invitational recording a season-low four-under par, and all Texas State golfers finished in the top-15 to propel the team to the top. At the Graeme McDowell Invitational, they finished third shooting one-under for their second best tournament. The Bobcats finished seventh at the Sun Belt Conference Championship, and senior Evan White won the individual championship and earned a spot at the NCAA Regionals. This was the second time for Howell and fourth time overall that a Texas State golfer won the conference individual championship and advanced to NCAA Regionals. White tied for eighth out of 10 individuals competing at the Bryan Regional, and was selected to the All-Sun Belt Second Team.
The 2017-18 season saw the Bobcats record six top 10 team finishes including a victory at the James S. Litz Memorial held in San Antonio. The win was the program’s first since the 2014-15 campaign. Also at the Incarnate Word hosted tournament, Logan Lockwood earned his first career individual title with an even-par 213.
Calvin Ross set a new TXST record since 1993 for low round and versus par score with a 64 and 7-under par, respectively, in the first round of the Price’s Give ‘Em Five Invitational. He went on shoot 206 in the tournament for the lowest 54-hole total in school history. Logan Davis went posted the second lowest 54-hole score at 205 on his way to a runner-up finish at the Golden Nugget Invitational.
Rounding out the year was Alvaro Carol Estrems with a ninth-place finish at the Sun Belt Conference Championships. It was the fifth consecutive year that a Bobcat golfer recorded a top 10 finish at the conference tournament since joining the SBC.
The 2016-17 season ended with Texas State just missing out on qualifying for match play at the Sun Belt Championships by a stroke. Anthony McGeorge paced the individual Bobcat finishes with a tie for 10th. David Faraudo finished the year by being named a Srixon/Cleveland Golf All-America Scholar for the second year in-a-row by the Golf Coaches Association of America (GCAA).
In the 2015-16 campaign, Ambrose was selected as an All-SBC Honorable Mention as a true freshman after leading the team with a 74.3 scoring average. Both Justin Newby and Faraudo were named Srixon All-America Scholars by the GCAA. Faraudo tied for the individual title at the UTSA Oak Hills Invitational with a 212 after shooting a 69 in the final round.
Howell had the Bobcats' burst on the scene as he coached Stuart Smallwood to the 2014 Sun Belt Conference Individual Championship. As a team, the Bobcats picked up momentum towards the end of the year, posting their eighth best 54-hole score all-time with an 870 at the Jim West Intercollegiate in McKinney.
In 2011-12 Howell led the Bobcats to their best scoring season on record. Texas State averaged 292.30 strokes per round as a team, more than three strokes better than the previous school best. The Bobcats also tied the school record for most rounds of par or better with eight. The best round of the year came in the season’s first tournament, as the Bobcats set a new school record for relation to par, with a seven-under-281 at the Golfweek Program Challenge.
Earning honors following the year were Juan Diego Plasencia and Stuart Smallwood. Plasencia was named Southland Conference Newcomer of the Year, while Smallwood was named Honorable Mention All-Southland Conference. Plasencia tied the school record for lowest round, shooting a 66 in the second round of the Jim West Intercollegiate. Smallwood tied for 11th at the SLC Tournament, by virtue of his final round 70.
In 2010-11 Howell’s players had set the previous lowest scoring average in school history, with a mark of 294.9 per 54 holes. That is just 7.58 strokes over par, also tops on the Bobcat record books. Texas State captured the Bob Hurley ORU Shootout, marking the third straight season, the team has won at least one tournament. In 33 rounds, the Bobcats had a score of par or better in eight of them, 24%, the best of any Bobcat team.
Following the year Alastair Jones and Tom Moore received All-Southland Conference Honorable Mention. Between the two players, they had three rounds of 67 between them. That is just one off the Bobcat record of 66 done three times. All three 67’s were five-under-par, one off the school record of six-under, accomplished twice. Moore had a 211 in the UTSA Oak Hills Invitational, three off the all-time record of 208 done three times.
During the 2009-2010 campaign, Howell led the team a 11 Top 10 finishes, including two tournament titles. In the fall, the Bobcats claimed the Bob Hurley Auto ORU Shootout for the second consecutive season and in the spring, Texas State followed up with a title-worthy performance against a top-ranked field at the 59th Annual Border Olympics. Howell led the team to a four-stroke victory over Oklahoma, Lamar, UT Arlington, Auburn and 2008 National runner-up Arkansas among others at the tournament.
Senior Michael Carnes paced the Bobcats at the Border Olympics with a third-place finish after firing a (+8) 224. Carnes ended the season with five Top 20 finishes and earned All-Southland Conference Third Team honors.
Carnes joined former Texas State golfers Corey Roberson and Jeff Gerlich in postseason honors under Howell. In 2009, the trio helped claim tournament titles at the Bob Hurley Auto ORU Shootout and the Carter Plantation Invitational. Texas State also finished in the Top 15 in each of its 11 tournaments during the 2008-2009 season, claimed five Top 5 finishes and three Top 10 finishes.
Gerlich, who led the 2008-2009 team with a 73.0 stroke average, was named the Southland Conference Newcomer of the Year and earned All-SLC First Team honors, while Roberson, who was second on the team with a 73.5 stroke average, was named to the All-SLC Third Team.
Both Gerlich and Roberson showcased outstanding individual talent at the 2009 SLC Championship Tournament and earned bids to compete at the 2009 NCAA Men’s Golf Regional Championships in Austin, Texas. This marked the first time in school history an individual had been selected to compete at the event.
The 2007-08 season marked Howell’s first season as head coach at Texas State. He led Texas State posted six Top 5 finishes, including a second-place showing at the Southland Conference Championship Tournament. The runner-up prize was the best finish by a Texas State men’s golf team since 1998 and junior Roberson who finished the season with a 74.5 stroke averaged was named to the All-SLC Third Team.
Prior to being named head coach at Texas State, Howell served as an assistant coach at the University of Virginia.
During his time at Virginia, he was responsible for many of the day-to-day operations of the program. In addition to focusing on full swing and short game instruction with the Cavaliers, he recruited junior golfers both nationally and in Europe, scheduled practice and qualifier rounds and handled travel arrangements for the program.
Howell also assisted with fund-raising efforts, was the assistant tournament director for the Cavalier Classic Golf Tournament and was co-director of the NIKE U.S. Sports Golf Camp.
Prior to joining the Virginia staff, he worked four years as an assistant golf professional at Glenmore Country Club in Keswick, Va., where he worked with one of the top golf instructors in the country, Kandi Comer.
A native of Beaumont, Texas, Howell played two seasons at Lamar University and earned his bachelor’s degree in 1999. He also played two seasons at Temple College and earned Division II Junior College All-American honors in 1995.
Following graduation, he worked at the New Orleans Country Club as an outside assistant. At the legendary country club, he supervised the caddie program as well as helped coordinate the club’s junior golf camp.
Howell married his wife Carrie in June 2012. The couple resides in north Austin and had their first child, Will in June of 2014.
