University of Minnesota golf coach Brad James resigned on Tuesday to become the high performance director of Golf Australia and the Australian Institute of Sport.
He will oversee the men's and women's national teams and also be responsible for developing his country's young talent.
James has served as the Minnesota men's coach since 2001 and has presided over both the men's and women's teams as the university's director of golf for the past 2 1/2 seasons.
He guided the men's team to the 2002 U.S. college championship and has four U.S. college finals appearances on his resume.
``I am so thankful for everything the University of Minnesota has done for me,'' James said in a statement. ``I've been here 17 years and in that time I not only received my degree but developed as a person and a coach. I owe this university everything and I could not be more grateful.''
The plan is for James, who also attended Minnesota and served as an assistant golf coach before being promoted to head coach, to finish out the school year and depart for Melbourne this summer.
``Looking back it really is remarkable what Brad accomplished here and frankly he deserves the credit,'' Minnesota athletic director Joel Maturi said in a statement. ``He has a knack for developing players and helping them peak at just the right time and we all enjoyed the fruits of his labor.''
The 2002 college title was the high point, with Minnesota becoming the first team from the northern United States to win the golf championship in 23 years.
