Rob Bennett had been coaching golf at ACU for three seasons before getting the opportunity of a lifetime: coaching at a Power Four program.  

Bennett became an assistant coach for the University of Louisville for the 2021-22 season. With high-end facilities, big-name sponsors and increasingly competitive golf, the big school appeal was there. 

“Going to Louisville was a dream come true,” Bennett said. “I got to see what that level of golf looks like. I was actually pretty surprised at how normal it looked.”

Bennett had not realized how present those big-ticket items already were in Abilene. 

“We were really good, but it was just like ‘Man, this is not really what I thought it was going to be,’” Bennett said. “I think it’s a lot easier to be this good than people think if you have the right things go for you, right?” 

Bennett, who previously had served as assistant coach under men’s head golf coach Tom Shaw, was named the ACU women’s golf head coach in July of 2022. This was just the beginning of a process that has led to immediate success. 

While being at a Power Four school was Bennett’s end goal, he soon realized the opportunity to come back to ACU was one he should take. 

“You’ve got to build a good team, you have to have the right girls and the right culture,” Bennett said. “It really allowed me to see that. When the opportunity came to come back to ACU, I knew I had to take it.”

In just two short years, the Wildcats’ women’s golf program has already built an impressive legacy, earning back-to-back conference runner-up finishes and securing consecutive individual NCAA regional appearances.

The Wildcats’ first season came in the fall of 2023, during which they were victorious in their first-ever tournament at the A-Ga-Ming Invitational in Kewadin, Michigan. The Wildcats would go on to win three tournaments in their inaugural season, along with five top-two finishes, while landing outside the top five in only one tournament.

The program’s first appearance at the Western Athletic Conference championship ended two strokes short of victory as Seattle University won as a team while Ryann Honea won the WAC individually. Honea’s victory qualified her for the NCAA regional tournament, where she competed as the first Wildcat to do so.

Honea, junior from San Angelo, has led the way for the young program on the course, while Bennett has instilled a winning and Christ-centered atmosphere throughout. 

Honea took a risk to transfer from Louisville to a brand-new program. The risk paid off as she won three tournaments individually on her way to receiving First Team All-WAC honors in her first season as a Wildcat. While Honea was recruited to Louisville by Bennett, the move to Abilene meant more than that. Honea, a San Angelo native, felt like she was “coming home.”

“I thought it was really cool to kind of come back to my home roots and be around people I grew up with,” Honea said. 

A key piece in starting the women’s golf program was the already established facilities on campus. The Byron Nelson Clubhouse and surrounding facilities, including a driving range and an outdoor par-three course with two different types of greens, provided a foundation for the program to grow and develop at a rapid pace.

“Adding a women’s golf program expanded our sport offerings, leveraged incredible facilities already in place, and created opportunities for more women to participate in athletics here at ACU,” said Paul Weir, deputy athletic director and chief operating officer.

While the facilities provide a foundation for existing Wildcats, they also serve as a key resource in recruiting. 

“I talk to the recruits and say, ‘If you want a top-level golf experience at a school that actually cares about you, we’re a legitimate alternative to a power four school,’” Bennett said. “So now I’m battling those schools… The Baylors, TCUs and Oklahoma States… I have a legitimate shot at getting girls that might otherwise go to those schools.”

While also competing with larger schools during recruiting, Bennett and the Wildcats have taken down seven Power Four programs throughout the two seasons.

This aggressive recruiting has also contributed to the Wildcats’ immediate success. In the first year of recruiting before the inaugural season, Bennett signed three freshmen and three transfers to the program. 

“I’m a builder by nature… I knew facilities-wise, we’ve got some of the best in the entire country,” Bennett said. “The weather is really good, and junior golf in Texas is the best in the country, too. So if we have all those ingredients, … then I felt like we could be successful.” 

During the 2024-25 season, the Wildcats received significant contributions from several key underclassmen, including a sixth-place finish at the WAC Championship by Marissa Loya, freshman from San Antonio.

“I knew that Coach Bennett wanted to build a team that not only wanted to win and was really competitive on the course, but he really cared about having good team chemistry,” Loya said. “I really believe that building the foundational belief that our faith and our identity isn’t on the golf course. It’s in Christ.” 

The team chemistry and culture were a key focus as Bennett built the program from the fairway up. The opportunity to create a new program with a group of good golfers, using good facilities, at a university that is committed to its faith commitment was unique and something that the players have taken full advantage of.

“I think all of our girls are all super super close,” Honea said. “Coach Bennett did a really great job of recruiting girls who not only are good golfers but are great people outside of the golf course… Just people who will fight for you at your lowest, and I think that’s all of us.” 

The chemistry and care that the team displayed translated to the scorecard throughout the 2024-25 season, including the team’s win at the inaugural West Texas Classic, the first tournament that took place in Abilene. 

As the program continues to grow and compete, the ultimate goal for Bennett is to be a premier program in the state of Texas – and in the country. 

“There are steps and goals,” Bennett said. “One is we’re going to be the best mid-major in the state. One is we’re going to be a Top 50 program. And another is we’re going to be the best mid-major in the country.” 

Additionally, Bennett wants to win a WAC Championship and qualify for the NCAA regional tournament as a team and look to compete in the national championship. 

“We will have a team that is going to make the national championship,” Bennett said. “We just need our girls to keep improving, and it is my job to help with that.”