O'Keefe tabbed Georgia Regents golf coach

Years ago, Jack O’Keefe played alongside Vaughn Taylor on the Hooters Tour and even wished his old friend luck during a 2007 Masters Tournament practice round.

Now, O’Keefe is working at Taylor’s former stomping grounds.

At a Monday morning news conference, the former Mississippi assistant coach was announced as the new Georgia Regents men’s golf coach. O’Keefe, 44, replaces Kevin McPherson, who departed in September to become the Coastal Carolina men’s coach.

O’Keefe started his new job immediately after the news conference, stating recruiting will be a top priority – he said he only plans to bring in a few players the next couple of years instead of making a mass overhaul. Also, he said he wants to assess the Jaguars this week and give his players a game plan for individual work.

“I’m going to hit the ground running,” he said. “I’m already working on the schedule for next fall. Recruiting is now my next little battle.”

O’Keefe began his professional golf career in 1993, winning the Hooters Tour money list two years later and playing one year on the PGA Tour in 1997.

O’Keefe retired from the Hooters Tour at the end of the 2002 season and became the head golf pro at Hot Springs Country Club in Arkansas. In 2006, he began working as an assistant golf coach at the University of Central Arkansas. Four years later, he moved to Ole Miss, where he assisted head coach Ernest Ross in recruiting, short game fundamentals, swing analysis, player development and other aspects of the program.

Now, O’Keefe takes over a program that won consecutive NCAA Division I national championships in 2010 and 2011. The Jaguars have failed to win a golf tournament or make the national championships in two seasons since then.

Currently, Georgia Regents is ranked No. 67 in the nation, according to Golfweek. Also, the Jaguars are 21 wins below .500 – the qualifying mark for making postseason play.

“We’ve got some work to do on the golf end,” O’Keefe said. “Our ranking is down a little bit and our .500 record we have to make some improvement. We’re going to have to work hard, we’re going to have to work fast and we’re going to have to work smart.”