ATLANTA – Ket Preamchuen Vanderpool, a former assistant coach and professional golfer has been named Georgia State’s new assistant women’s golf coach as announced by head coach Jessica Steward on Thursday.
Preamchuen Vanderpool spent two seasons as a graduate assistant coach for her alma mater Kennesaw State from 2015-17 after playing professionally. During that time, she was directly involved with recruiting both domestically and internationally as a member of coach Rhyll Brinsmead’s staff.
In her first season as an assistant she guided Kennesaw State to a win at the Terrier Intercollegiate and seven top 10 finishes, including five top 5 results while watching multiple Owls earn ASUN postseason honors.
Before returning to Kennesaw State in a coaching capacity, Preamchuen Vanderpool played professionally on the Symetra Tour.
She was a four-year standout for the Owls from 2009 to 2013 and established herself as one of the top players in program history. A three-time first-team All-Atlantic Sun Conference and National Golf Coaches Association (NGCA) All-America Scholar honoree, she led the Owls in stroke average, top 20 finishes, top 10 finishes and rounds of par or better during her first three seasons in Kennesaw State.
Preamchuen Vanderpool helped lead the Owls to the program’s first-ever Atlantic Sun Conference Championship and NCAA Regional appearance in 2012. She was also selected as the “Dr. Dave Waples Total Person Award” by the Kennesaw State Athletics Department in 2013. The award is presented to an upperclassman who exemplifies all the qualities that are wanted in a Kennesaw State student-athlete, including athletic and academic achievement, character, leadership, and community service.
For her career, the Chachoengsao, Thailand native totaled 20 top 20 finishes, 14 top 10 finishes and 22 rounds of even par or better and wrapped up her time as an Owl with a 75.73 career stroke average, good for fourth-best in KSU history.
She recorded 15 tournaments as KSU’s top scorer and her 120 career rounds holds the record for most rounds played in program history.
“I’m thrilled to have Ket join our program and am so excited about all of the ways she can be an asset to Georgia State women’s golf,” Steward said. “First and foremost, Ket has a tremendous amount of successful competitive experience that she can utilize to help our players improve. In addition, she was recognized as being a model student-athlete during her time at Kennesaw State, so I know she will serve as an excellent role model and mentor for the team.
Ket’s recruiting experience and international ties will help us attract the best young golfers from around the world to our university, and her event-management work experience can help us ensure the continued success of our home event. Welcome to the family, Coach Ket!”
On the administrative side Preamchuen has worked as an intern with both the American Junior Golf Association and the Georgia State Golf Association.
“I am very excited to join this talented team,” said Preamchuen Vanderpool. “I have been watching the program grow and I am thrilled to be part of it. I am confident that my experience in both professional golf and amateur golf will be a great asset to the team and I look forward to helping bring new levels of success to this program. I want to thank head coach Jessica Steward and the Athletics Department at Georgia State University for giving me this opportunity.”
She recently regained her amateur status and is still an active competitor. She finished tied for second in the Georgia Women’s Amateur last July with scores of 78-68-76, then advanced to the match play Round of 16 in the USGA Women’s Mid-Amateur in September. She has plans to compete in the Women’s South Atlantic Amateur Golf Championship in Florida in January.
Georgia State recently finished a busy four-tournament fall season. The Panthers will return to action for the Amelia Island Collegiate Feb. 17-18.