West Virginia University Athletics

Clay Bounds joined the Mountaineer program as an assistant coach on July 1, 2019.
 
In 2021-22, West Virginia won the Lake Las Vegas Intercollegiate with a 28-under-par tally, the lowest 54-hole, under-par score in school history. The 271 in the final round at Vegas tied the lowest round team total in school history and the 17-under-par tally in the final round was the lowest round in school history in relation to par. Mark Goetz won the Lake Las Vegas Intercollegiate and Mountaineer Invitational for his second and third collegiate tournament wins, the most in school history. Max Green was co-champion of the East Carolina Intercollegiate, becoming the third different Mountaineer to win a collegiate tournament.

In Bounds’ second season at WVU in 2020-21, Goetz became WVU’s first-ever individual qualifier for the NCAA Regional Championship. He finished second, just missing a spot in the NCAA Golf Championship. After the season, he became the first WVU golfer to earn All-America honors. Goetz then was the stroke-play medalist out of 312 golfers at the 121st U.S. Amateur at Oakmont Country Club, shooting 8-under-par.
 
The Mountaineers finished the 2020-21 season on a strong note. For the third year in a row, West Virginia won the Mountaineer Invitational with Goetz being the only golfer in the field to shoot under par (-12). WVU’s four-day total at the Big 12 Championship tied WVU’s best 72-hole total at the championship, including a 283 in the third round, one shot off its best round in a Big 12 event. Also in the spring, WVU shot a 10-under-par 278 at the Seminole Intercollegiate, the eighth-best round in school history and posted the lowest team score in the three years of competing at the Gators Invitational.
 
Although his first campaign as a member of WVU’s coaching staff was cut short by the COVID-19 pandemic, Bounds helped the Mountaineers make strides in 2019-20. WVU opened the season in a big way, achieving the program’s first-ever top-25 ranking. The Mountaineers also recorded a pair of victories, first at their home tournament – The Health Plan Mountaineer Invitational – in October, and second in a head-to-head matchup against Connecticut in February to open the spring season.
 
He also helped coach WVU to four program records throughout the year, despite the shortened season. Etienne Papineau earned the first record with a program-best 54-hole total of 203 at the Old Town Club Collegiate Invitational, before Logan Perkins earned a new 18-hole record low score at the Florida Gators Invitational. Perkins shot a 62 to finish second overall in the tournament. As a team, the Mountaineers recorded a new 54-hole low round and total versus par at the Ka’anapali Collegiate Classic with an 826 total for 26-under par.
 
Bounds arrived in Morgantown in the summer of 2019 having spent the previous five seasons as an assistant coach at Rice. During his tenure with the Owls, Bounds helped guide the squad to team titles at the 2018 Ryman Hospitality Intercollegiate and the 2017 Jim West Intercollegiate, in addition to runner-up finishes at the 2018 Bob Sutton Invitational and 2016 Lone Star Invitational. The Owls jumped 60 spots in the Golfstat rankings, peaking at No. 86 in 2018 as they advanced to match play at the 2018 Conference USA Championships.
 
While at Rice, Bounds coached a trio of NCAA regional qualifiers in Jake Benson (2019), Mitchell Meissner (2018) and Mario Carmona (2018). Benson claimed medalist honors at the 2019 C-USA Championship, while Meissner was the 2016 Lone Star Invitational medalist.
 
Prior to his arrival in Houston, Bounds spent the 2012-13 season as a student assistant at Mississippi State, helping the Bulldogs to four tournament titles and a pair of runner-up finishes.
 
Bounds started his playing career at Meridian Community College, earning a trio of all-tournament honors as well as a designation on the MCC All-Academic Team. A two-time team captain and the 2008 Outstanding Freshman of the Year, he transferred to Birmingham Southern College, before capping his playing career at Mississippi State. He played 15 rounds for the Bulldogs, qualifying for the 2012 SEC Championship.
 
A native of Meridian, Mississippi, Bounds earned a degree in accounting from Mississippi State. He resides in Morgantown with his wife, Jessica, and children, Chisolm, Indiana and Ryder.