J. Paul Leslie III was hired as the head coach for both LeTourneau men's and women's golf programs on July 11, 2018. The 2025-26 season will be his eighth.
FAST FACTS
- Years at LeTourneau: 7 (2018-present)
- ASC Men's Golf Championships: 1 (2024)
- ASC Men's Golf Coach of the Year: 1 (2023)
- NCAA Men's Championships appearances: 3 (2023, 2024, 2025)
PROGRAM ACCOLADES UNDER LESLIE (M)
- 2024 ASC Tournament champions
- 3 NCAA Championships appearance (2023, at-large selection; 2024, automatic berth; 2025, at-large selection)
- 1 GCAA/PING All-American (Corbin Barton, 2025)
- Highest national ranking in program history (2024-25: No. 7, Scoreboard/Clippd, Bushnell/Golfweek)
- Top 25 ranked all season (2023, 2025)
- 2 ASC Golfer of the Year honors (Kaiden Schneider, 2024; Corbin Barton, 2025)
- 24 All-ASC selections
- 3 GCAA/PING All-Region honorees (Reed Fisher, 2020; Bryson Thurston, 2023; Corbin Barton, 2025)
- 2021, 2025 ASC Championships runner-up finishes
- 54 ASC Academic All-Conference selections
PROGRAM ACCOLADES UNDER LESLIE (W)
- 1 ASC Newcomer of the Year (Brittany Taylor, 2019)
- 10 All-ASC selections
- Program's first two players to shoot under par in a round (Hannah Newell/Isabella Ferreira, 2023-24)
- Top four team scoring average seasons in program history
- Nine of the top 10 team low rounds in program history
- 2 ASC Golfer of the Week honorees
- 21 WGCA All-American Scholar honorees
- 3 WGCA All-Scholar Team GPA Awards (all in top 25 national GPA)
- 38 ASC Academic All-Conference selections
SEASON HIGHLIGHTS
For a third straight season, Leslie's men's team earned a berth into the NCAA Championships in 2024-25. During the season, LeTourneau was ranked inside the top-10 for most of the year -- climbing as high as No. 7. The YellowJacket men captured four tournament titles and boasted a program-record scoring average of 292.44. LeTourneau placed second in the ASC Tournament. Corbin Barton became the first Division III All-American and was the ASC Golfer of the Year. He ranked as high as No. 4 nationally. Five men earned All-ASC honors.
The women set a program scoring record for a third straight year and finished ranked 58th nationally. A record four players earned All-ASC honors and Isabella Ferreira ended her career holding the program's career scoring average record.
Another record-breaking year for Leslie's teams in 2023-24. The men's team captured the program's first ASC title and earned a second straight trip to the NCAA Championships. Four men's players earned All-ASC honors, including the program's first ASC Player of the Year in sophomore Kaiden Schneider. The YellowJacket men were ranked in the Top 25 nationally for much of the season, topping out at No. 19. The men's team claimed four tournament wins.
The women's team in 2023-24 also set the bar even higher as a program. The women finished tied for third at the ASC Championships, marking the top finish in program history. Hannah Newell and Isabella Ferreira both earned All-ASC honors. Those two also became the first two players in program history to shoot under-par in a round as Ferreira shot a 69 in the fall season and Newell set a record for low 36-hole tournament score at 147. Ferreira also became the first player in over a decade to finish first in a tournament. As a team, the YellowJackets broke a program record for scoring average and had the top four low rounds (to par) in program history during the season.
The 2022-23 season saw new heights for both programs. The men's team climbed into the national rankings and stayed there the entire season, achieving a top-10 ranking in both national polls, on its way to earning an at-large berth to the NCAA Championships. Bryson Thurston earned first team All-ASC and was an All-Region selection after garnering two wins and being ranked No. 25 in the nation at one point. The YellowJackets had three team victories and garnered the program's first trip to the NCAA Championships. Four players earned All-ASC honors, the most since 2019, and Leslie earned ASC Coach of the Year honors.
The women's team in 2022-23 placed two players on All-ASC teams and recorded the program's best finish at the ASC Championships (fourth). Baylee Van Houten placed 10th at the conference tournament, while Macy Rutland and Hannah Newell were All-ASC selections.
In 2019-20, the YellowJackets men's team won the American Southwest Conference Preview in the fall. They also tied for first at the Tempest Intercollegiate, and finished second at the Pinecrest Intercollegiate. Reed Fisher received the program's first Golf Coaches Association of America All-West Region honor. The Jackets were ranked 63rd in NCAA Division III in the Golfstat rankings. The women's team finished sixth at the ASC Preview, and took second in two other tournaments.
In his first season with the YellowJackets, Leslie helped coach the LETU men to a fourth place finish at the 2019 ASC Championship, and had five golfers named all-conference. LeTourneau won the Louisiana College Fall Classic, and finished the season ranked 56th among all NCAA Division III, schools according to Golfstat. The LeTourneau women would also improve throughout the season under the watch of Leslie, with two players earning All-ASC honors including ASC Newcomer of the Year, Brittany Taylor.
PRIOR TO LETOURNEAU
Leslie joined the YellowJacket family after spending two years as a teacher and head men’s golf coach at New Diana High School, where he led the Eagles to a fourth place finish at the UIL Class 3A state meet in 2017 before leading the Eagles to a third place finish at the UIL class 3A state meet in 2018. The third place finish was the first time in school history that any New Diana athletic program had medaled at state competition.
Leslie has a vast amount of experience working in the golf profession and has served the past 28 years as a PGA Professional. A majority of his time was spent as Head Golf Professional for The Country Club of New Canaan in New Canaan, Connecticut, which is one of the top 100 oldest golf clubs in the United States. While with The Country Club of New Canaan, Leslie restructured all golf shop operations, developed and launched new golf programs and increased participation by 350 percent from junior golfers, 300 percent from female golfers, and 200 percent from male golfers.
In addition to being a lifetime member of the PGA of America, Leslie is also a nationally recognized instructor, was a US KIDS Top 100 US Instructor from 2005-08, and was a US KIDS Top 50 US Junior Instructor Nationwide in 2004.
A graduate of Nicholls State University in Thibodaux, La., Leslie golfed collegiately for the Colonels, and was part of a high school state championship team.
FAMILY
A father of four, Leslie is married to his wife Kimberli, and is actively involved in the Diana community.
