The UT Martin Skyhawks golf team has been stellar in their two tournaments so far this season, the Golfweek Fall Challenge and the Grover Page Classic.
At the Golfweek Fall Challenge, the Skyhawks finished tied for fifth in a field of 16, with a total score of 868 (+4).
Following the Golfweek Fall Challenge, the Ohio Valley Conference (OVC) named Drew Williams the OVC golfer of the week on Sept. 10, 2026, his first time receiving the award.
Williams had the lead in his hands after day one with 66 (-6). He followed round one with a day two score of 73 (+1), then fired a 67 (-5) during the final round. The five-under final round helped Williams jump six spots and brought his cumulative score to a 206 (-10).
Williams was honored to be recognized as the OVC golfer of the week.
“On the last hole, I definitely felt a little bit of pressure, I was 9 holes ahead of the guy that was leading before me…so I knew where I was at and how I was playing, just get in safe in the club house and post a number where the guy had to beat,” said Williams. “I knew I had a pretty good chance.”
“I’m honored that all my work has been showed off and that everyone can see it, and being awarded this is just a way for my hard work to be shown to everybody,” said Williams.
Williams has been a starter for UT Martin since he was a freshman and started nearly every week his sophomore season.
“This was Drew’s first win, and first wins are always the most difficult, but he’s also had eight top 10s in his career, so now it would be nine, but he has been a starter for us pretty much his whole career,” said Head Coach Austin Swafford. “He was in and out as a freshman, but last year was in almost every week…so I’m not surprised because of how steady he is, and with his work ethic, you kind of feel like one would come at some point.”
Williams followed up the Golfweek Fall Challenge by shooting even at the Grover Page Classic, though Grant Phillips was the star for the Skyhawks, being named OVC golfer of the week on Sept. 17, 2026.
Phillips fired rounds of 69-73-70, totaling a 212 (-4), tied with four other golfers for the overall lead in the 68-man field. Phillips capped off his final day score card with back-to-back-to-back birdies to finish -2 on the day.
“…I didn’t actually know I was near the lead until I hit my tee shot on the last hole,” said Phillips. “I had just come off of making two birdies in a row, so I was feeling good. I had some sense that maybe I could be close, but all I was trying to do was just finish out the round well. I was honestly more concerned about the team, just making sure we finished off winning the tournament.”
The Skyhawks did just that, finishing first with a total score of 858 (-10).
“Grant had won two collegiate events earlier in his career over the first three years, so now that he’s in his fourth year, he’s got a lot of experience,” said Swafford. “Anyone who knows Grant’s game would not be very surprised.”
When asked about Phillips’ raw execution versus his mental maturity, coach Swafford had praise to give on both ends.
“…A lot of it’s execution just because he’s hitting the shots, but I also think the mental maturity part…it’s late in the day, and he understands that you got to be a little patient because you never know when you’re going to make three in a row, and in this case he did,” said Swafford.
This is Phillips’ second time being named OVC golfer of the week, with his first coming on Mar. 26, 2026, where he earned co-medalist honors at the Austin Peay Intercollegiate.
On top of these awards, the two have impressive resumes with accolades for their play and outstanding academics.
Grant Phillips:
- All-OVC Second Team (2025-26)
- OVC All-Tournament Team (2025-26)
- Cobalt Golf All-American Scholar (2025-26)
- Six-time Athletic Director’s Honor Roll
- Three-time OVC Commissioner’s Honor Roll
Drew Williams:
- All-OVC Second Team (2025-26)
- Cobalt Golf All-American Scholar (2025-26)
- Four-time Athletic Director’s Honor Roll
- Two-time OVC Commissioner’s Honor Roll
- Two-time OVC Medal of Honor (4.0 GPA)
Swafford had high praise for both Phillips and Williams both on and off the green.
“They’re good players, but more than that, they’re just good guys…that starts with their character and who they are as people,” said Swafford. “I know what I’m going to get because I know who they are. That makes it pretty easy to coach them. It makes it pretty easy to come up with a strategy that benefits their game.”
