Matt Wernecke was named UTSA head men’s golf coach on Aug. 2, 2022, and he is entering his third season at the helm of the program.
Wernecke (pronounced WER-neh-key) guided the Roadrunners to eight top-10 team finishes in his first season. UTSA placed sixth at The Clerico and posted a 7-under-par 857 to finish seventh at the Jim Rivers Intercollegiate. The squad also ended up 5-under par (859) at the Trinity Forest Invitational for seventh place.
Individually, Hunter Bott and Christian Fanfelle were named to the All-Conference USA Third Team, while Brayden Bare landed on the C-USA All-Freshman Team. Bott, Fanfelle and David Harrison all were named Golf Coaches Association of America All-America Scholars, while the Roadrunners were named an GCAA All-Academic Team. Additionally, Fanfelle earned a spot on the C-USA All-Academic Team and Harrison was tabbed Academic All-District by College Sports Communicators and a 2023 C-USA Spring Spirit of Service Award recipient.
Wernecke's second season at the helm saw UTSA log seven top-10 team finishes, while Bott capped a record-breaking season with an NCAA postseason appearance. The Roadrunners placed in the top five four times, including a third-place showing at the Bentwater Invitational and a tie for fourth at the rain-shortened Dorado Beach Collegiate in Puerto Rice with a 24-under 552 (278-274).
Bott earned All-American Athletic Conference accolades and a spot in the NCAA Austin Regional in a senior season that saw him break the program's single-season scoring average record with a 71.94 mark. He tied for 37th at the Austin Regional after carding a 4-over-par 217 and his 67 in the second round and 54-hole total both established school records for an NCAA event.
Wernecke came to San Antonio following a two-year stint as assistant men’s golf coach at Louisville, where he helped lead the Cardinals to back-to-back NCAA postseason appearances including a ninth-place finish at nationals in 2021.
A Texas high school coaching veteran of more than a decade, he helped guide Louisville to a pair of top-40 final rankings, while five Cardinals earned All-America Scholar accolades during his tenure.
In his first season at Louisville, he was key in guiding the Cardinals to the best finish NCAA finish in program history, tying for ninth place at the 2021 NCAA Championship. Louisville earned its spot in Scottsdale following a fourth-place finish at the Noblesville Regional, advancing to the final event for the fifth time in school history.
In 2021-22, Wernecke helped lead the Cardinals to the NCAA postseason yet again. Louisville finished seventh at the Norman Regional behind Chris Francoeur, who tied for 11th, and All-ACC performer Jiri Zuska, who placed 28th.
While at Louisville, he coached 2021 Palmer Cup member Matthias Schmidt and 2021 Walker Cup member John Murphy.
Prior to his time at Louisville, Wernecke spent 11 seasons as the head coach of the boys' and girls' golf programs at Vandegrift High School in Austin.
One of the most successful coaches in the state of Texas, he guided the Vandegrift boys program to 11 state championship appearances, winning three consecutive state championships in 2014-16. He was named the 2016 State Coach of the Year by the National Federation of High School Coaches. The Vipers also posted state runner-up finishes during the 2018 and 2019 campaigns, while also placing third in 2013 and 2016.
Collectively, his teams won 23 team championships and boasted 25 individual champions, while sending 18 players on to play collegiate golf including current Roadrunner Jack Wehman.
Wernecke guided the Vandegrift girls program to five state tournament appearances, earning runners-up honors in 2016 and a third-place finish in 2015. The Vipers won 24 team titles, recorded six individual champions and had 11 players continue their careers in collegiate golf.
Wernecke was a four-year letterwinner at Sam Houston, where he graduated with a bachelor’s degree in kinesiology in 2001.
A native of Austin, Wernecke is married to Amy Willis. He has three daughters, Avery, Masyn and Evy.