Kit Grove Hometown: Superior, Neb. Position: Head Coach Alma Mater: Kansas, 1998

Kit Grove is in his fifth season as head golf coach at Kansas. Grove served as assistant coach to former KU coach Ross Randall for one season prior to becoming head coach in 2007 upon Randall's retirement.

In the 2010-11 season, Grove guided the Jayhawks to a couple of firsts, including the team's first title since it won the All-American Golf Classic Feb. 27, 2007. Three different Jayhawks shot 68 or better in the final round of the Herb Wimberly Intercollegiate to overcome an 11-stroke deficit and claim the team trophy by one shot over UNLV. Grove also saw the team post its best scoring average for a season during his tenure with a three-round mark of 889.6.

In Grove's first season he led a youthful Jayhawk squad to a sixth-place finish at the 2008 Big 12 Championship. The team recorded four top-10 finishes, including a tie for second place at the 2007 Kansas Invitational.

The program utilized a veteran nucleus and many talented up-and-coming young players to continue to build in Grove's second season. The team finished with three top-five finishes, including back-to-back third-place finishes at the Fairway Club Invitational and Kansas Invitational to open the season.

The 2009-10 team produced seven top-five finishes during the year. The Jayhawks recorded three runner-up finishes. The team was led by Nate Barbee, who registered eight of the team's nine top-five individual finishes, including a victory at the Kansas Invitational.

Grove, a Superior, Neb. native, played three years for the Jayhawks (1995-97) under the tutelage of Randall. Grove stayed involved with the Jayhawk program even after his playing days were over, helping Randall with his annual junior summer camps and also serving as a volunteer student assistant coach during the 1997-98 campaign. Randall stepped down from his post as head coach at the conclusion of spring 2007 season to become the director of golf operations. Randall retired from KU athletics in 2009.

Grove began his Jayhawk career as a sophomore after playing his freshman season at New Mexico State. During his first season with KU, Grove competed in both the NCAA Central Regional and the NCAA Championship.

As a junior, Grove completed his best tournament as a Jayhawk, tying for fifth at the 1995 Kansas Invitational highlighted by his second-round score of 68. He competed in 12 tournaments as a junior and turned in two top-10 finishes.

Grove played a major role during his senior season, playing in all 12 events. He finished in the top 25 three times during his final Jayhawk season capped off by his ninth-place finish at the Pacific Coast Intercollegiate.

Throughout his career Grove excelled both on the golf course and in the classroom. In high school Grove was named the valedictorian of Southeast (Lincoln, Neb.) High School and maintained a 4.0 GPA. The academic honors continued for Grove while at Kansas where he was named Academic All-American in 1997. Grove's other academic honors included being named both Academic All-Big Eight and a Big Eight Classroom Champion in 1997.

Since graduating from Kansas in 1998, golf has led Grove all over the world, both as a professional player and golf instructor. After a quick stop in Bend, Ore., as an instructor at a local course, Grove settled in Phoenix, Ariz. at the 500 Golf Club where he served as both an instructor and assistant golf professional.

In 2001, Grove decided to once again take up the game of golf at the professional level. He began his professional career on the Arizona Professional Tour prior to dabbling on the DP Tour in Atlanta, Ga.

Grove decided to take his game to the international level in 2002 when he traveled to South Africa to compete on the Sunshine Tour. He spent one year on the Sunshine Tour before returning to the United States to compete on the Grey Goose Gateway Tour. Grove competed on this tour for four years prior to accepting the assistant coaching post at Kansas.