One of the most prolific players in Arizona men’s golf history, Chris Nallen is in his eighth season as assistant coach after joining the staff in August 2013.
Nallen has taken his skills as a four-time All-American at Arizona to help assist Head Coach Jim Anderson in the everyday operations of the program.
In 2018-19, the Wildcats won their second straight Arizona Intercollegiate and advanced to NCAA Regional play for the second consecutive year. Nallen has had a significant hand in developing several of Arizona's golfers, including David Laskin, Briggs Duce and Brad Reeves, who all shined as juniors for the Wildcats in 2018-19. Laskin played all 40 rounds for the second straight season with a pair of top 10 finishes at the Huntsman Springs Invitational and the St. Mary's Invitational. Additionally, sophomore Trevor Werbylo posted a single-season scoring average of 70.73, which is third-best in program history. Nallen holds the school record for single-season scoring average himself, posting a 69.79 average in 2003-04.
The 2017-18 season saw Nallen helped guide to the Wildcats to a standout season as UA won the Arizona Intercollegiate and make the NCAA Regionals for the first time since 2013. Improved play by underclassmen was coupled with the record-breaking season of George Cunningham. The senior finished the season with a 70.40 scoring average, the second lowest season mark in UA history. Freshman Trevor Werbylo’s season mark of 72.80 was ranked fifth in school history for freshmen.
In 2016-17, Nallen assisted with a squad that saw five top-10 finishes and 15 top-20 finishes. Junior George Cunningham added a pair of top-10 finishes to have eight throughout his career. Fellow junior Jordan Gumberg added a top-10 finish and three top-20 finishes in his junior season. Freshmen David Laskin and Brad Reeves saw top-20 finishes in the Pac-12 Championships while fighting extreme conditions.
Nallen was key in aiding UA to success in 2015-16 on the course. Jordan Gumberg earned Pac-12 Honorable Mention honors after the sophomore finished in second at the Pac-12 Championships in Salt Lake City. Gumberg’s eight under par was tied for the eighth best performance in school history, tying Nallen himself. Fellow sophomore Jacob Kreuz also posted a strong showing for UA in the conference championship tournament tallying a top 15 finish. Gumberg earned a victory earlier in the season with a co-championship run in the Wyoming Cowboy Classic.
In 2014-15, Nallen assisted a young squad that regularly saw multiple freshmen in the starting lineup. One of those freshmen, George Cunningham, distinguished himself by earning second-team All-Pac-12 honors and finishing the season as an NCAA Regional qualifier. Cunningham posted a 71.6 strokes per round average, which tied for second on UA's freshman single-season list and tied for 10th on the all-time single-season list. Senior Alex McMahon, the squad's number two player, earned Pac-12 Men's Golf Scholar-Athlete of the Year honors and was a Capital One Academic All-District selection. In addition, the men's golf program notched the highest GPA out of the department's men's programs for the fourth straight year.
In his first season coaching, Nallen helped two individual Wildcats to the NCAA San Antonio Regional. Arizona also earned runner-up finishes at the Arizona Intercollegiate and Del Walker Invitational. The Wildcats earned numerous awards during the season including two All-Pac-12 honors and academic awards.
A four-time All-American at UA from 2001-04, Nallen helped lead the Wildcats to three top-10 finishes at the NCAA Championships, highlighted by third-place finishes in both 2001 and 2004. He was also named a Freshman All-American by the Golf Coaches Association of America (GCAA) in 2001.
Nallen won six individual medals during his collegiate career, claiming first-team All-Pac 10 honors in each of his final three seasons at UA. He was selected to represent the United States on the Walker Cup team in 2003 and at the Palmer Cup in both 2003 and 2004.
The Queens, N.Y., native was a semifinalist for the 2004 U.S. Amateur, after which he joined the professional ranks. He won the 2004 Gila River Classic in his first Nationwide Tour start, becoming the first player in tour history to win his first-career start in wire-to-wire fashion after qualifying on Monday. Upon entering the coaching ranks, Nallen ranked 82nd all-time on the Web.com Tour (formerly the Nationwide Tour) in career earnings.
Nallen graduated from UA in 2004 with a degree in Economics.
