STARKVILLE – Charlie Ewing, considered one of the top rising coaches in golf, was named Mississippi State’s seventh head women’s golf coach, Director of Athletics John Cohen announced Wednesday.

“Charlie has made an instant impact during his three and a half years in Starkville, and it became clear during our search he was the right fit to lead Mississippi State women’s golf,” said Cohen. “He is an excellent teacher, motivator and recruiter, who has been one of the most sought-after rising stars in the sport. Charlie embodies the Bulldog mentality and has a great vision for the future of our program. He brings tremendous experience both as a former student-athlete and as a coach, which will be a huge positive in developing our student-athletes to their greatest potential both on and off the course.”

Ewing had served as the assistant coach for the Mississippi State men’s golf program under head coach Dusty Smith since the 2017-18 campaign, helping to build an active streak of back-to-back NCAA Regional appearances in the first two seasons of Smith’s tenure. He is husband of former MSU women’s golf All-American and current LPGA Tour player Ally McDonald.

“I am thrilled to be the new head coach of the Mississippi State women’s golf program,” said Ewing. “This university, Starkville and the state of Mississippi have treated me so well during the last three and a half years, and my wife much longer than that. Ally and I are very excited to be making a long-term commitment to a place we are very proud to call home. We can’t express enough gratitude toward John Cohen, Dusty Smith, this entire athletic department and the Mississippi State community for believing in me several years back and expressing that belief in me yet again with this great opportunity. I can’t wait to work with the group of young women we have and begin the recruiting process to add many more future Bulldogs to represent Mississippi State University! Hail State!”

Since Ewing joined Smith and MSU men’s golf, the program has experienced growth and improvement on the course every season. The Bulldogs claimed two team titles during the last two years, snapping a winless skid going back to 2014.

In March 2019, State won the Desert Mountain Intercollegiate title, while Garrett Johnson claimed his first-career individual win and became the first Bulldog to medal in an event since 2017. Ewing’s time with the men’s program finished with an individual win by current Bulldog Ford Clegg at the 2020 Jerry Pate National Intercollegiate in November. Clegg tied a school-record 54-hole total 198 (15-under par) for his second-career win.

Clegg, Johnson and former Bulldog Peng Pichaikool, who now plays professionally on the Asian Tour, have all played under Smith and Ewing, and they all recorded single-season stroke averages that ranked inside the top 10 in program history. Johnson’s 70.81 score during the 2019-20 season placed second, while Pichaikool’s 71.40 career stroke average stands as the MSU record.

Mississippi State men’s golf also saw great success in the classroom during Ewing’s time with the program, earning five Golf Coaches Association of America Academic All-America selections over the three completed seasons as well as 10 SEC Academic Honor Roll picks following each of those campaigns.

Ewing, a Dallas, Texas native, was a four-year letterwinner at Vanderbilt under Smith from 2010-14. He was a four-year All-SEC Academic Honor Roll member, while playing 114 rounds and posting a 73.96 scoring average. During his time at Vanderbilt, Ewing claimed one individual title at the Arkansas State Red Wolf Intercollegiate in 2012, four top-five finishes and 10 top-10 finishes.

After graduation, Ewing spent the 2016 postseason as a volunteer assistant at his alma mater and helped the Commodores advance to the quarterfinals of the match play portion in the NCAA Championships.

In the 2016-17 season, Ewing served in the volunteer assistant role for Texas Tech men’s golf on its way to a No. 14 finish in the Golfstat rankings and an NCAA Regional appearance.