Overall Seasons as NYU Head Coach: 8 (including 2025-26)
NCAA National Championships: 1 (Women 2019)
NCAA Women’s National Championship Appearances: 5 (2017-19, 2024-25)
NCAA Men's National Championship Appearances: 2 (2018-19)
Women's Coach of the Year Honors: 2 (UAA 2019, Liberty League 2019)
Brad Johnson, who originally served as the head coach of New York University’s men’s and women’s golf programs from 2016-21 and led the women to the NCAA Division III National Championship in 2019, returned as head coach of both teams in August 2023.
In his first stint as head coach, Johnson led the women's team to three NCAA Championship appearances and guided the men to a pair in his first three years at the helm. The 2020 NCAA Championships were canceled due to Covid-19 and NYU did not compete at all in 2020-21.
The women were ranked among the top teams in the nation prior to that 2019 NCAA Championship. Despite entering the final round in second place eight strokes off the lead, the Violets shot a tournament-record-tying 294 and edged out Williams College to capture the first-ever national title in the history of NYU's women's golf program.
Johnson again led the women’s team to the NCAA Championship in 2024-25 (an 18
th-place finish), with the Violets securing an at-large bid following a second-place finish at the Liberty League Championship. The campaign also included a victory at the Jack Leaman Invitational and second-place finishes at the Williams College Invitational and the Max and Susan Stith Invitational.
Individually, Tiya Chowdary and Naomi Tan were selected Women’s Collegiate Golf Association (WGCA) Honorable Mention All-American, while Nalinda Wanikpun and Srishti Dhurandhar made All-Liberty League First Team. Wanikpun was also the Jack Leaman Individual Champion and earned College Sports Communicators (CSC) Academic All-District honors.
On the men’s side, the Violets finished third at both the Liberty League Championship and the Dr. Tim Brown Invitational. Kevin Kim and Jomyuth Luangtana-anan were both All-Liberty League First Team selections, while Luangtana-anan also received PING All-Region III honors, was the individual champion at the Dr. Tim Brown Invitational and earned CSC Academic All-District honors.
Both squads also made their marks in the classroom, as a total of seven players earned University Athletic Association (UAA) Spring All-Academic honors and eight received Liberty League All-Academic accolades.
In the first season of his return in 2023-24, Johnson led the women’s team back to the NCAA Championship and the Violets finished 12th in the nation. His return season also included a victory at the Liberty League Championship, which automatically qualified NYU for the NCAA Championship.
During the season, the Violets also recorded second-place finishes at the George Phinney Classic, the Capital Hill Classic and the Martin and Wallace Invitational.
Many of Johnson’s players earned individual honors in 2023-24. Wanikpun, the Martin and Wallace Individual Champion, was selected All-Liberty League First Team along with Chowdary and Michelle Zhou, while Kexin Guan made Second Team. Five players received UAA All-Academic honors, while Wanikpun and Summer Yang were named CSC Academic All-District.
The men’s team won the Farmingdale State College Spring Invitational in ’23-24, placed second at the Bowdoin Invitational and third at the UAA Championship.
Luangtana-anan had an outstanding freshman season for Johnson’s Violets. He was the Bowdoin Invitational Champion, Liberty League Rookie of the Year, made the UAA All-Tournament Team, was Second Team All-UAA and All-Liberty League, and was selected PING All-Region 2. Drew Clark captured the Farmingdale State Individual Championship, Kim was another PING All-Region 2 and CSC Academic All-District honoree, while four players were UAA All-Academic.
Johnson's women’s team won six tournaments during that 2018-19 Championship season, including both the UAA and Liberty League titles for the fourth- and fifth-straight years, respectively.
Individually, there were numerous accomplishments and accolades produced by Johnson's players. Arshia Mahant, who was the National Championship Runner-up, was a WGCA Honorable Mention All-American and the Liberty League Rookie of the Year. Jessica Wu finished ninth at the NCAA Championship and was also named WGCA Honorable Mention All-American. Navika Kuchakulla won the Jekyll Island Invitational and the Liberty League Championship and was named UAA Co-Player of the Year (along with Patty Treevichaphan).
Johnson's men's team also had an outstanding season in '18-19, winning its second consecutive Liberty League Championship and finishing 27
th nationally. During the season, the Violets captured the St. Lawrence Invitational, placed second at the NYU Spring Invite and posted three third-place tournament finishes.
Johnson, along with his assistants Todd Kolean and Eric Tarakjian, were named both UAA and Liberty League Coaching Staff of the Year that season. Joseph Burlison was a breakout performer, earning Liberty League Co-Rookie of the Year and First Team honors while also being named to the Golf Coaches Association of America (GCAA) All-Freshman Team and Division III Ping All-Northeast Region. Robbie Keyes was also named Division III Ping All-Northeast Region and Chris Lee received First Team All-Liberty League honors.
After Johnson left NYU, he went on to become the head coach of the men's and women's teams at LaVerne University (2021-22) and Lewis and Clark College (2022-23). He also served as the women's coach at Division I Hofstra University during the 2023 spring season and led the Pride to a victory at the Long Island Cup.
Prior to becoming head coach of the Violets, Johnson served as an assistant for both teams during the 2012-13 season.
In between his stints at NYU, Johnson was the head coach of the men's and women's golf teams at Millsaps College. During his tenure with the Majors, Johnson helped the men's team to its highest-ever national ranking (#23) and to a championship at the Pinnacle Trust Open. He also led the women's squad to its first-ever tournament victory, the Hiwassee Fall Invitational.
A 1996 graduate of the University of Northern Colorado with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Journalism and a minor in English, Johnson was a three-year member of the men's golf team after transferring from Colorado State University. He received his Master of Business Administration from the University of Phoenix in July 2009.
Johnson also has extensive experience as a golf professional, including at courses such as Oakmont Country Club in Glendale, CA; Riviera Country Club in Palisades, CA; and TPC of Scottsdale in Scottsdale, AZ.
A member of the PGA since 2005, Johnson is a native of Colorado Springs, CO, and resides in the Bronx, NY.
