NEW ORLEANS, La. – The University of Tennessee at Martin authored another successful tournament finish today as the Skyhawks wrapped up a busy day at the Gulf Coast Collegiate held at the English Turn Golf and Country Club.
After darkness cut yesterday’s Round 2 short, UT Martin finished out its final 3-4 holes before completing the third and final round. The Skyhawks recorded a 282 (-6) in Round 2 and followed that with a 292 (+4) in Round 3, finishing the event with a cumulative tally of 880 (+16) to place fifth out of 18 teams. That marked UT Martin’s fourth consecutive top-five tournament finish dating back to the fall semester.
“It was a solid, steady performance from the guys, especially considering the travel the last two weeks,” Skyhawk head coach Austin Swafford said. “We didn’t handle the weather conditions during the first nine holes of the tournament well at all and today we threw away a few shots in simple areas. However, I’m very proud of our response in Round 2 and how we hung in there to finish well today in the final round. We are playing well – we just need to clean up a few areas.”
Garrett Chumley claimed the second top-10 finish of his UT Martin career as the senior from Murfreesboro, Tenn. placed sixth out of 96 competitors with a 215 (-1). Competing in his fourth event of the 2024-25 campaign, he ranked in the top-10 in the tournament in par-3 scoring (2.92, fourth), birdies (12, sixth) and par-5 scoring (4.67, ninth).
“I’m super proud of Garrett,” Swafford said. “He handled himself well all week, especially in Round 1 with the weather conditions. A top-10 finish on that course is a great performance.”
Jonathan Xoinis ended Round 2 this morning with the best score of any UT Martin representative, carding a 69 that included six birdies. Chumley (six birdies), Drew Williams (four birdies) and Ethan Ray (four birdies) each finished with 71’s to give the Skyhawks four countable scores under par. Luke Caldwell sank a pair of birdies on the way to a 77 as the final member of UT Martin’s lineup.
Chumley’s even-par 72 led the way in Round 3 as his scorecard included one eagle and one birdie. Caldwell (three birdies) posted his best score of the tournament with a 73, a number that was matched by Williams (two birdies). Xoinis followed right behind with a 74 that included a pair of red scores. Ray tied Caldwell for the most Round 3 birdies (three) on the team before finishing with a 77.
Overall, Williams placed 25th with a score of 221 (+5), tying Chumley for fourth in the field in par-3 scoring (2.92, -1) while leading the Skyhawks with 36 pars. He was followed by Xoinis (225, +9), Ray (227, +11) and Caldwell (228, +12), who managed the best par-4 scoring performance (4.10, +3) on the squad.
Freshman John-Gregory Wilson took part in the tournament as an individual, generating a Round 2 score of 75 (four birdies) before finishing out Round 3 with a 79 (two birdies). The southpaw completed the event with a total score of 232 (+16).
UT Martin will take a well-deserved break from competition before resuming its spring slate on March 13-15 at the People’s Golf Championship, hosted by Western Carolina at Sea Palms Golf Club in St. Simons Island, Ga.
