SMC California Athletics

Scott Hardy enters his 24th year as head coach of the Saint Mary's men's golf program. During his tenure, Hardy has been named the West Coast Conference Coach of the Year eight times, has led the Gaels to the NCAA Regionals ten times and the NCAA National Championship twice.

During the 2023-24 season, Saint Mary's won two team titles including the Nick Watney Invitational tournament (Fresno State) and the El Macero Classic (UC Davis). At the WCC Championships, the Gaels finished fourth after the first three rounds to earn a spot in Match Play but eventually fell to tournament champions San Diego. The Gaels last NCAA Regional appearance came in 2021 when Hardy helped veteran Blake Hathcoat qualify as an individual where he finished t-15th at 4-under-par. 

Hardy, who was named SMC's golf coach in the fall of 2000, has helped earn 33 First-Team All-WCC selections, one GCAA All-American, ten GCAA All-America Scholar-Athletes, three WCC Golfers of the Year, and one WCC Freshman of the Year. He has also coached nine individuals to 16 tournament titles. 

Under Hardy, the Gaels have won 24 tournaments, the most by any coach in the college’s history. In 19 of the last 21 years, Hardy has led the Gaels to a fourth place finish or better at the West Coast Conference Chamapionships, taking home the conference title in 2012, 2013 and 2016. 

Under his leadership, Joe Lanza became the first Saint Mary's golfer to make the NCAA Tournament field, when he was selected as an individual in 2004. With Lanza as a senior in 2004-05, Hardy guided the team to a 2005 NCAA Western Regional selection, marking the first team appearance for Saint Mary's in school history.

Hardy was one of the top ranked amateurs in California. He has collected more than 20 amateur victories, has been invited to participate on numerous NCGA and Seaver Cup teams, and is an active participant in USGA events nationwide. A 1998 graduate of Saint Mary’s, he was a four-year letter winner in golf. He also served as the team captain for the Gaels during his junior and senior seasons.