Author: Alex Nieves
Andrew Larkin ‘12, head coach of Occidental College’s men’s and women’s golf teams, competed in the PGA Tour Canada Q-School tournament last week and played his way to a 3-over finish in the three-day tournament. Larkin’s finish put him just four strokes off the qualifying mark for the Canadian Tour, which was set at 1-under. While Larkin narrowly missed the mark necessary to join the tour, the tournament proved that he has come a long way from where he was just 11 months ago when he was still a student-athlete at Occidental.
During his career at Occidental, Larkin was a highly decorated and passionate student-athlete. As the captain of the men’s golf team, Larkin was a four-time All-SCIAC performer, being named twice to both the First- and Second- Teams. He was also able to notch two tournament wins during his career.
Larkin’s talent extended beyond the golf course; he also excelled as a goalie for the soccer team and as a student. He was twice named an NCAA Academic All-American and was president of the Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) group on campus.
Now, almost a year after his graduation, Larkin is wrapping up an exciting first season as a collegiate head coach.
“[Coaching] has been a learning experience for me,” Larkin said. “It’s definitely been a lot of fun and I can’t imagine doing anything better right out of college.”
For a college athletic director, handing over a program to a person who just graduated from it can be a daunting task. But in the case of Larkin, it was a decision that came easily for Occidental Director of Athletics Jaime Hoffman. After watching Larkin step up as a leader on and off the course during his career, she felt confident giving him the job.
“[Larkin] has demonstrated a different level of maturity for all the years that I’ve known him,” Hoffman said. “I was giddy when he left my office at the thought that we might have a perfect fit in the coaching ranks.”
For senior captain Rammi Hazzaa, having a former teammate take the helm of the program has been well received as the natural order of Larkin’s dedication and leadership abilities.
“Having Andrew as the head coach has actually been pretty normal even though we were teammates the past three years,” Hazzaa said. “He has always been a good leader and going from teammate to head coach has been a natural transition.”
Although he may be a new face at the helm of a sport, Larkin is attacking the position with the same mindset he displayed throughout his time as a Tiger. He has very high expectations for both men’s and women’s Occidental golf teams and vows that both squads will put in the work to meet his lofty goals.
“I would like to get both the men’s and women’s teams into the National Title talk,” Larkin said. “That is the reason why I came on board. I have a big sense of unfinished business with the program.”
Hazzaa recognizes Larkin’s internal drive for both himself and his teams and feels that the young coach is steady and consistent in preparing his athletes for making strides to the next level.
“Andrew’s expectations for both teams stems from his competitive demeanor,” Hazzaa said. “He expects everyone to give their best effort during each practice and tournament and keeps reiterating that progress is a process, you have to take the necessary steps to reach excellence.”
As for his professional golf career, Larkin is ready for his shot at the big stage, but is not looking too far ahead of himself.
“The end goal is to make the PGA Tour, get in the majors and play in the big stuff,” Larkin said. “But, I am going to have to do it slowly and surely, taking small steps at a time.”
Larkin will not get much of a break this offseason as he will continue the ever-hectic processes of recruiting and program building. He will also seek to accomplish one of his major personal goals: winning his first professional tournament.
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