May 17, 2001

Columbia, Mo. - University of Missouri Head Women's Golf Coach Tom Loyd will retire after three years as MU's head coach, as announced today by Senior Associate Athletic Director Gene McArtor.

Loyd, 50, has been associated with the women's golf program for nearly 10 years. He joined the staff as interim head coach in 1992, and was an assistant from 1993 under former Coach Mary Scott until taking over as head coach in July of 1998. Under his direction, Missouri qualified for three straight NCAA Regional Tournament appearances, and recently finished a school-best 12th at the 2001 regional.

Loyd's most notable understudy, departing senior Amelia Moses, developed into the top golfer in Tiger history. She became MU's first-ever conference champion when she won the 2000 Big 12 individual title, and set school records for single-season and career stroke averages.

"I feel that the time is right for me to step aside," said Loyd. "I'm at a point in my life where I want to have a little more free time in my schedule. Even so, this was a tough decision to come to. I'm very proud of what we've been able to build here, and I look forward to seeing the program progress even further in the future. There are a lot of excellent candidates out there, and I'm excited for the potential," he said. Loyd plans to focus his efforts on teaching the game of golf through private lessons.

A native of Carthage, Mo., Loyd has been closely associated with collegiate golf at MU since 1969. He was a four-year letterman for the Tiger men's team from 1969-72, and after serving in the U.S. Army from 1972 through 1974, he returned to MU.

He began assisting the Tiger men's golf team in 1977, and continued to work with former men's coach Richard Poe until 1997. From 1977-90, Loyd also served as the Assistant Golf Professional at the Country Club of Missouri, and was the club's head pro in 1991.

"We are very grateful for Tom's efforts," said McArtor. "He's given a majority of his life to the University of Missouri, and he's done an outstanding job taking the program to a new level of success," he said.

Loyd will stay on as coach until mid-July, and a national search for his successor will begin immediately.