Senior Bethany Calvo tied for first after opening round at Ping/ASU Invitational
Amy Bush enters her second season as head coach of the UNLV women's golf program, taking over the reins of a perennial competitor in June of 2010.
Bush helped guide the Rebels to their 10th straight NCAA Regional berth, posting nine top-10 finishes in 11 events during the 2010-11 season. UNLV posted top-5 finishes at the Dale McNamara Invitational, Dr. Donnis Thompson Invitational and at the Mountain West Conference Championship Tournament, finishing runner-up to TCU.
Under Bush's guidance, senior Therese Koelbaek became the fourth women's golfer to earn Mountain West Player of the Year honors. The Denmark native dominated all season, racking up 10 top-10 finishes in 11 events, including winning the MW Tournament Championship by a record-tying seven stroke margin. Koelbaek became the first golfer in program history to earn All-MW honors four straight years and collected a slew of post-season accolades, including the 2011 Mountain West Female Scholar Athlete of the Year and a CoSIDA Capital One Academic All-America First Team selection.
The 2010-11 squad also earned the program's first top-25 finish in the nation in team GPA, tying for 24th on the National Golf Coaches Association's top 25 listing. UNLV was the highest nationally ranked team to appear on the list.
Bush had spent the previous three years as the top assistant to former head coach Missy Ringler. During that time the Rebels made three consecutive appearances in NCAA Regional competition and one trip to the NCAA Championships, where they turned in a program-best finish of 16th overall in 2008. Since 2007, the program has posted 25 top-10 finishes in regular-season tournament play.
"Amy is the perfect person to follow Missy in leading the UNLV women's golf team," Livengood said. "She has prepared very well for this opportunity and will be an outstanding head coach. Our student-athletes will be well served by Amy's leadership."
Prior to joining Ringler's staff, Bush was the Chapter Coordinator for the Southwest Section PGA, where she was responsible for the overall operations for Las Vegas from 2005 to 2007. She was the tournament director for numerous events, including the PGA Junior Series, Arizona Open and the Southwest Section Championship. She earned the 2006 Las Vegas Chapter Golf Professional of the Year while working at the Southwest Section PGA.
Bush served as the assistant golf professional from 2001-05 at SouthShore Golf Club at Lake Las Vegas Resort, working on the day-to-day operations at the course. She also served as an assistant golf professional for the TPC at Summerlin where she assisted with a PGA Tour event and a Champions Tour event.
Bush graduated from New Mexico State in 2000 with a bachelor's degree in business administration with a specialization in professional golf management, from a program that is sanctioned by the PGA. In 2007, Bush completed her Master's Degree in Sports and Leisure Management from UNLV. Bush graduated from the NCAA Women's Coaches Academy in Denver, Colo. in June 2008. In 2010, she also attended the NCAA Women's Coaches Academy Dimension 2 which was held in Boston, Mass. In 2011, Bush attended the NACWAA Institute in Denver, Colorado.
In 2009, Bush was once again honored by the PGA and was named the 2009 Bill Strausbaugh Award winner for community service. Currently, Amy serves as the President of the Southern Nevada Chapter of the Southwest Section PGA, the first woman to be elected to that post.
Bush has more than 12 years of experience as a golf professional and is a Class A member of the PGA of America. In addition to coaching, Bush is active with the PGA, serving as the President for the Southern Nevada Section PGA and also a board member for the Southwest Section PGA. She has also presented at the PGA Fall Expo Main Stage and serving on the boards of The First Tee and Southern Nevada Golf Association.
Bush was married to Kendall Herzer on August 7, 2010. The couple resides in Las Vegas, NV.
