Whitten Joins Wolverine Program as Assistant Coach
5/18/2006 12:00:00 AM | Men's Golf
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- University of Michigan men's golf coach Andrew Sapp announced today (Thursday, May 18) the hiring of Chris Whitten as the assistant coach for the Wolverine program.
"We are very excited for Chris to join our staff," said Sapp. "His background and wealth of knowledge not only with collegiate golf but the overall game of golf will have a deep impact on our program."
Whitten
"I am excited and thankful to become the assistant coach at the University of Michigan," said Whitten. "This school is one of the most recognized in the country and it is an honor to be a part of that. I am also grateful for the opportunity to work with Andrew. He has always been a class act and has a vast reputation for developing talent. I look forward to working with him and helping this program become one of the tops in the Big Ten Conference."
Whitten has spent the last year serving as an assistant golf professional at the prestigious Inverness Club in Toledo, Ohio. While there he focused primarily on membership instructional programs, clinics and group lessons. He also assisted with tournament operations for more than 90 summer golf events, including the University of Toledo's Inverness Intercollegiate Invitational during the fall.
Prior to his work at Inverness, Whitten served as an assistant coach at his alma mater, Notre Dame, for two seasons (2003-05), helping the Fighting Irish win their first Big East Conference championship in more than seven years during the 2003-04 season. In addition to his general assistant duties, he helped oversee the program's recruiting as well as establishing the formation of the Irish Golf School in 2004. He also served as the assistant tournament director for the 2003 and 2004 Big East Men's Golf Championships and the 2004 NCAA Central Regional Preview tournament.
A 2002 graduate of Notre Dame, Whitten earned Notre Dame's Varsity Monogram Award as well as the Knute Rockne Scholar Athlete Award in 2002. He helped Notre Dame to two runner-up finishes at the Big East Championships in 1999 and 2002 and held a 78.00 career scoring average while playing in 13 career events. In his final year he led the Irish at the Earl Yestingsmeier Invitational with the best round of his career, an even-par 72. He graduated with degrees in computer applications and English and was named to the 2002 National Golf All-Scholar Team.
A native of Rockford, Mich., Whitten has been involved in golf all of his life. He is the son of Buddy Whitten, the club professional at Blythefield Country Club in Rockford. Buddy played on the PGA Senior Tour in 1997 with Chris serving as his caddie. Buddy was elected to the Michigan Golf Hall of Fame in 1993.
Whitten and his wife, Dr. Amy (White), who will graduate from the University of Michigan Medical School in 2006, reside in Farmington Hills, Mich.
Contact: Tom Wywrot (734) 763-4423
