The second year under head coach Austin Phillips starts with highly ranked tournaments for the University of North Alabama men’s golf team.
On Sept. 16, the season starter at Wolfpack invitational hosted by North Carolina State University was canceled during its first day due to weather conditions, but not before the Lions could assume leadership ahead of 12 other schools.
UNA proceeded to Oneonta, Ala., to play the GMAC Invitational hosted by UAB. It was the second time UNA played in this tournament, with the first being in 2023 when the Lions finished top-half. This year, they finished top 1, a tie with Louisiana Monroe, with junior Xing Luo finishing first at player leaderboard with 16-under-par.
The Oneonta invitational took place from Sept. 22-24, and UNA finished 834, leading the first round at -13. The second and third rounds were concluded at -8 and -9, breaking UNA’s Division I three-round team record.
On Sunday, Sept. 22, the Lions’ 13-under-par 275 lead set a new Division I single round record. Luo and Andrew Ferworn were tied at second place with a condor each.
On the second day, UNA kept its lead with 21-under-par 555, with ULM and Lipscomb one stroke from the lead. Luo managed a six-under par 66 and stayed in third place.
Phillips told UNA Athletics that the team struggled at times but had a great opportunity to manage a win in the third and last round.
The Lions started the third day strong, but dropped to fourth place in the middle of the round, until a recovery brought the team back to No.1 and Sebastian Bengtsson and Ferworn moved up to tie at 10th.
In his first ever player leaderboard win, Luo broke UNA’s Division I record for three round score.
“[Luo] didn’t play too much his freshman year, but last year he really took a step forward,” said Phillips. “He [placed] 13th as conference player. You can tell that this year something is different. He is ready to go and, I mean, this first tournament he finished 16-under, which is just unbelievable. He has a lot more confidence in his game than he did before.”
The head coach said his leadership is based on encouraging players to develop a culture of responsibility, accountability and confidence in their game. Phillips explained that his “laid back” position is meant to generate self-management and personality.
“I give players confidence,” Phillips said. “I give them the ability to believe in their own games and believe they can do some crazy things.”
Phillips’ approach is showing its fruits as player growth is seen in numbers and classrooms. He explained that in every year of coaching he sees at least one player arrive as a non-starter and become an all-conference player by the next year.
“That’s about having a coach that believes in them and that wants them to do well,” Phillips said.
The team’s practices are well centralized on individual focuses. Phillips said the coaches measure each player’s weaknesses and strengths and work together on those.
Up to last year’s season, the coach claimed punting was a hole in the team’s performance. With those training techniques, the ability has gotten much better for the current season.
The mixture of confidence and attention to technique marks the team’s personality.
“We play bold,” Phillips said. “We’ve been trying to be aggressive on the golf course. We hit the ball very well, and we play our way around the course.”
On Oct. 7, the team participated in the Cullan Brown Collegiate in Lexington, Ky., a longer, more country-club-style course in comparison to the last two. The head coach claimed the course’s size and weather difference were aspects the team was preparing for.
“Expectations are to have the ability to win,” Phillips said. “It’s going to be tough to beat Kentucky on their home course but there are some really good teams there and it will be a good tape measure of where we are currently.”
On Oct. 14, the team will play at home for the Turtle Point Invite, which has the head coach in high hopes of winning, given the players’ familiarity with the course and their motivation.
“I really want us to be competitive in every tournament and compete with some of the top teams in the country,” Phillips said in relation to the team’s future. “We have a possibility this year to make NCAA postseason and be the first at any sport in North Alabama. I really think we have the ability to be a NCAA regional team every single year from now on and start making some NCAA championships. If the guys keep doing what they’re doing, we have a chance to do so.”
