Armen Kirakossian has rapidly elevated UCLA men’s golf since being appointed head coach on June 13, 2022. Entering his fourth season in 2025–26, he has guided the Bruins back to national prominence with consistent postseason success and championship-level performances. In 2025, UCLA captured the Big Ten Conference title in its inaugural season in the league, advanced to the NCAA Championships for the first time since 2018, and earned three team victories — its most in over a decade. For his leadership, Kirakossian was named the 2025 NCAA Division I Golf Pride Grips West Region Coach of the Year and Big Ten Coach of the Year, while also being recognized as a national finalist for the Dave Williams Award. His teams have combined for 14 top-five finishes in three years, highlighted by UCLA’s steady return to top-25 contention.
Under Kirakossian, UCLA golfers have produced some of the most successful individual campaigns in school history. Standouts Pablo Ereño and Omar Morales each earned All-America recognition and top-10 PGA TOUR University rankings, while freshman Baylor Larrabee claimed Big Ten Freshman of the Year honors in 2025. Kirakossian’s emphasis on player development and consistency has revitalized UCLA’s competitive edge, with the Bruins finishing consecutive seasons under par as a team — a feat not achieved in over a decade. Before arriving at UCLA, Kirakossian was an assistant and associate head coach at Arizona State, helping the Sun Devils reach four straight NCAA Championships and mentoring 11 All-Americans, including future PGA Tour players. A former collegiate standout at Texas Pan American, where he was later head coach, Kirakossian combines technical insight, recruiting strength, and player-centered leadership to build UCLA into a national contender once again.
