Coaches
Justin Smith
Head Coach
One of the most decorated players in the history of the Minnesota men's golf program, Justin Smith was named head coach of the Gophers on June 24, 2019.
"Justin is the right person for the job," said Minnesota Director of Athletics Mark Coyle. "He has a relentless work ethic that dates back to his playing days when he was an All-American and national champion. I know he will be a tireless recruiter and will give everything he has to our students and men's golf program. I'm excited for him to lead our team and know he will do a terrific job."
Smith, who is the program's ninth head coach, spent the past two seasons as the program's associate head coach after being named assistant coach at his alma mater in September 2014.
"It is such an honor to be the head coach of our men's golf program," said Smith. "This program means so much to me dating back to the days I was a student-athlete in the early 2000s, as well as the past five years serving as the assistant coach and associate head coach.
"We look forward to creating an experience for our student-athletes that is the best in college golf. I want to thank Mark Coyle and our administration for the trust they have in me to lead this program to incredible heights yet to be seen. I'm so excited for the future of our program. Go Gophers!"
Since Smith's addition to the staff, Minnesota has earned on Big Ten Individual Title, a top-three finish at the Big Ten Championships, four PING All-Region honorees, three NCAA Regional participants and a pair of All-Big Ten selections.
With no fall competition due to COVID-19 and safety precautions put in place for the health and sake of the program and public alike, the 2020-21 season was unlike any other. In the spring, the team struck pay dirt and won the Git R Done Husker Invitational, hosted by Nebraska. It was the first team victory since the Macdonald Cup in the in the fall of 2019, while Flanagan won his second tournament in a row. As a team, Minnesota posted a 5-under 279 in the final round, its lowest team score of the season, to equal Kansas State for the team title with an even-par 852. The entire team finished in the top 20 with Johnson in ninth, senior Thomas Longbella and Ben Warian in a tie for 13th and sophomore Connor Glenn finishing 20th. Flanagan, meanwhile, shot a 5-under 66 in the third round to win back-to-back medalist honors. He became the first Gopher to win consecutive tournaments since Jose Mendez won the Rutherford Intercollegiate and then the Big Ten Championship in the spring of 2014.
At the Big Ten Championships, Minnesota recorded its lowest round of the weekend in round three to move up one spot and finish in ninth place, equaling the team’s result from 2019, which was its best since 2015. Minnesota’s top finisher for the second straight championship was Flanagan. Looking to defend his 2019 medalist title, he ended in a three-way tie for 13th. Flanagan earned a trip to the NCAA Noblesville Regional. Competing in his second NCAA postseason event, Flanagan finished his Gophers career tied for 38th, his 21st straight top-40 finish.
Led by Smith, Angus Flanagan once again highlighted the campaign for the Gophers during the 2019-20 season.. Flanagan posted a 69.33 stroke average through five tournaments in the fall season. He tallied three top-10 finishes including medalist honors at the Macdonald Cup while also placing second at the Jerry Pate Intercollegiate just over one week later. In addition to his scoring average, the Woking, England, native led the Golden Gophers this fall in percentage of scores counted (96.7), rounds under par (11), tournaments leading the team (4), top-10 finishes (3) and top-20 finishes (3). Flanagan went 2-0 in the Big Ten Match Play event in early February before the spring season was halted on March 12, 2020, when the Big Ten and NCAA announced they were ceasing competitions and championships because of COVID-19 public health concerns.
The 2018-19 season was highlighted by sophomore Angus Flanagan tying for the Big Ten individual title and earning an individual spot in the NCAA Regional. On the season, Flanagan recorded a scoring average of 71.67 which led the team by nearly two strokes and ranked as the third-best in program history for one season. In addition to being named All-Region, he was named to the All-Big Ten Second Team and to the Big Ten All-Championship Team. His 65 in the first round of the Big Ten Championship set a conference meet program record.
Smith's third year in 2016-17 saw senior Justin Doeden record a 71.79 stroke average, the fourth-best in program history. Doeden played in the NCAA Stanford Regional and earned PING All-Midwest Region honors. Freshman Thomas Longbella was one shot off the program's 18-hole record with a 63 in a fall tournament, then tied Minnesota's Big Ten Championships record with a 66 in the first round.
In the 2015-16 season, the Gophers claimed top-three finishes at two tournaments, and eight top-10 individual finishes by seven different players. Sophomore Rúnar Arnórsson claimed the individual title at the Barona Collegiate Cup, becoming the first Gopher golfer to win a tournament since the 2013-14 season. He opened the tournament with a 62, which broke a 17-year-old program record. Senior Jon DuToit finished 27th at the Big Ten Championships, marking his fourth year finishing in the top-30 at that event.
As a collegian with the Gophers (2000-04), Smith was a key figure in perhaps the most-storied time of the program. The Gophers advanced to the NCAA Finals three times (2001, 2002, 2003) and won back-to-back Big Ten titles in 2002 and 2003.
During the Spring of 2002, the Gophers were the talk of the collegiate golf world and Smith, a sophomore, was in the middle of it all. The Gophers rallied on the final day of the Big Ten Championships to take their first conference title in 30 years. The following week, Smith earned medalist honors at the NCAA West Regional and helped the Gophers advance to the NCAA Finals with a fourth-place showing.
At the NCAA Championships, Minnesota barely made the cut after 36 holes and moved to fourth place after three rounds with the only under-par round. The Gophers stormed in front late in the final round and Smith rolled in the clinching putt on the 18th hole to cap a final round 69 as Minnesota pulled off its first, and only, national title. The Gophers became the first northern team since 1979 to win the men's golf national crown.
For his collegiate career, the Franklin, Pa., native was named to the All-America Third Team once and honorable mention twice. Smith also finished in the top 10 of three Big Ten Championships and earned All-Big Ten and All-Big Ten Championship Team honors in both 2003 and 2004, years in which he served as team captain. Smith posted the third-best career scoring average in program history upon graduation (73.16), playing in 143 rounds as a Gopher. His season scoring averages during his final three seasons all ranked in the top 11 all-time at that time.
Smith was inducted into the 'M' Club Hall of Fame in 2018, becoming just the ninth player in program history to get the Hall of Fame nod.
Following his collegiate career, Smith enjoyed success on the NGA and Web.com Tours. He won the NGA Tour's 2005 Players Turf Classic, 2006 Touchstone Energy Open and 2007 Guatemala International Open. Smith's top Web.com Tour finishes included second place in the 2009 Miccosukee Championship, ninth in the 2009 Christmas in October Presented by Kansas City Crusaders and 10th in the 2010 Chiquita Classic.
Smith and his wife, Trisha, have a daughter, Eleanor.
Robert Bell
Assistant Coach
A native of Pierz, Minnesota, Robert Bell was hired by Head Coach Justin Smith in January 2022. He returns to the Gophers where he was a four-year letter winner playing from 2009-2013.
"Robert will bring a passion and energy that will impact our program and student-athletes in many ways," Smith said. "Robert's playing and teaching experience will be such an asset for all of us to learn from. I am thrilled to welcome Robert back to Gopher golf to elevate our program back to a national power."
Most recently, Bell served as an Assistant Golf Professional at Tonto Verde Golf Club in Rio Verde, Arizona. He was responsible for the execution of men’s golf events along with private club fittings. In addition, he provided elite golf lessons as the Director of Instruction at Eagle's Landing Golf Club in Fort Ripley, Minnesota.
An honor student at Pierz Healy High School, Bell allocated seven high school letters, five in golf and two in basketball. Bell was a decorative junior golfer in the state of Minnesota. He was named all-conference five times (three titles), a two-time section champion, and was named all-state following his junior and senior seasons. A runner up finish in his junior season at the Class A State Championship left Bell hungry for more during his senior campaign. Over the span of his junior summer, Bell earned Minnesota Junior PGA Player of the Year honors heading into his final season. Entering his senior year, Bell medaled in 12 of his 14 events before capping off an illustrious high school career winning the State Class AA Championship by 3 strokes. Following his victory, he kept the ball rolling by adding two more victories at the MGA State Junior Boys Championship and the Minnesota PGA Junior Boys Championship. Bell finished off his senior summer with a Top-5 finish in the Minnesota State Amateur before beginning his career as a Gopher.
At the University of Minnesota, Bell graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Sports Management paired with a minor in Business Management through the Carlson School of Business. Bell appeared in 26 tournaments in his career for a total of 78 rounds. He recorded a career-low round of 68 and a career-low 54-hole score of 212 at the 2013 U.S. Intercollegiate. He finished in a tie for fifth place at the 2011 Fighting Irish Classic, the top finish of his career that earned him BIG Ten Athlete of the Week honors. Over his final two-seasons as a Gopher, Bell played in 21 events recording a scoring average of 74.92, which was second best on the team behind Erik Van Rooyen. Bell was also a two-time BIG Ten Sportsmanship Award winner.
After graduating from the University of Minnesota in 2013, Bell moved to sunny Scottsdale, Arizona with the promise of playing professional golf. As a professional, Bell competed in over 100 events with 12 wins to date. He was a PGA Tour member on the Canada Mackenzie Tour in 2015 and competed in two PGA Tour Korn Ferry events via Monday qualifying. He is a three-time U.S. Open local qualifier, two-time U.S. Open Sectional top-10 finisher, and a two-time Korn Ferry Q-School Stage Two participant. Bell missed getting to Final Stage of Korn Ferry Q-School by 1 stroke in 2019.
“Playing professional golf for eight years has taught me a great deal of knowledge that I wish I could have understood when I was a younger player. As a result, I know precisely what a student-athlete needs mentally and emotionally when they experience the never-ending turbulence that is golf. I understand how paramount it is to create the right learning environment for students and to instill sportsmanship, goal setting, self-discipline, teamwork, and confidence onto players. I look forward to working alongside Coach Smith and the rest of our staff to become the greatest asset to this team I can possibly be.”
During the summer months, Bell would migrate back to the Midwest to beat the Arizona heat and play on the Dakotas Tour to prepare him for the rigors of Q-School. Over his last three seasons, Bell competed in 15 events holding a scoring average of 69.13 and accumulated seven Top-5 finishes. He holds course records at the Forest Highlands - Meadow Course (Flagstaff, AZ), Camelback Golf Club - Padre Course (Paradise Valley, AZ), Spencer Golf and Country Club (Spencer, IA), Eagle's Landing Golf Club (Fort Ripley, MN) and the Pierz Municipal Golf Course (Pierz, MN).
"I am overjoyed to be back to the University of Minnesota,” Bell said. "It's been a vision of mine to get into coaching and now being able to return full circle to my alma mater feels like a dream and a perfect fit with Coach Smith. I look forward to helping enrich the lives and skills of future Gopher golfers the same way mine was."
Larry Bobka
Volunteer Assistant Coach
The University of Minnesota men’s golf program has announced that Larry Bobka will join the coaching staff as a volunteer assistant coach. A 35-year golf-industry veteran, Bobka has extensive experience in golf instruction and equipment management.
“We are thrilled to have Larry come onboard to help with the development of our student athletes,” head coach Justin Smith said. “We want to build a program that trains at a PGA Tour level and Larry will help us do that in so many ways. Larry is one of the most respected putting instructors in golf and we are so fortunate to have him a part of our program.”
Bobka currently is a Master Club Fitter at 2nd Swing Golf, and the longtime Titleist Tour rep is well known in the golf industry. His experience includes serving as the Vice President of Golf Club Promotion and Golf Club Design Advisor at Titleist, where he was responsible for equipment needs of the professional tours, as well as collegiate and junior golf. Most notably, Bobka was trusted with designing and working on clubs for Tiger Woods. Bobka also gained experience as Vice President of Technical Services for UST Mamiya, where he oversaw the development of new graphite golf shafts and golf club design.
Beginning his career as the PGA Tour liaison for Wilson Sporting Goods, Bobka designed and developed new golf clubs and fitting systems, including for PGA Tour players. He also has been a golf course owner and golf professional.
“I’m thrilled to be a part of the men’s golf program,” said Bobka. “The opportunity to pass along my years of knowledge and experience to these players is truly an honor. Go Gophers!”