By Ryne Rickman, UT Martin Sports Information Director
CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. – Freshman Grant Phillips shot 1-under par over the final two rounds of the Golfweek Collegiate Kickoff Event to pace the University of Tennessee at Martin in its season-opening tournament held at Dalhousie Golf Club.
Hailing from Marietta, Ga., Phillips produced a remarkable collegiate debut as he finished 22nd in a deeply competitive field of 72 participants. He shot a 71 with one birdie and the Skyhawks’ lone eagle of the tournament in Round 2 before carding an even-par 72 with a team-high four birdies (all coming in a six-hole stretch on the front-nine) during today’s action. Overall, he shot a 219 (+3) while ranking sixth in the event in par-4 scoring average (3.93, -2).
The day began with the resumption of Round 2 after Mother Nature halted the action yesterday. Ethan Ray finished the second round with a score of 74 (sinking a team-best four birdies) while Dax Isbell tallied three birdies on his way to a 76. Jonathan Xoinis’ 79 wrapped up the countable scores while Luke Caldwell (80) managed three birdies in Round 2.
Ranking behind Phillips’ even-par performance today was Isbell (75, 14 pars including a bogey-free front-nine). Ray accounted for a pair of birdies while shooting a 78 while Caldwell’s 79 concluded the team scoring in Round 3. Xoinis tapped in a pair of birdies today before finishing with an 82.
For the tournament, Isbell was responsible for a team-best 35 pars on his way to a 224 (+8). Ray accumulated a team-high 11 birdies while also guiding UT Martin in par-5 scoring (4.67, -4) as part of a 227 (+11). Caldwell topped the Skyhawks in par-3 scoring (3.17, +2) while shooting a 232 (+16) while Xoinis ended his tournament with a pair of countable scores and a 234 (+18) overall.
On the team leaderboard, UT Martin finished 11th in the strong field with a total score of 898 (+34). After posting a 294 in Round 1, the Skyhawks followed with scores of 300 (+12) in the second round and a 304 (+16) during today’s final round.
UT Martin returns to the links on Sept. 18-19 as the Skyhawks will play host to the Grover Page Classic in Jackson, Tenn.
Graphic courtesy of UT Martin Sports Information
