Irene Boehm, Sports Editor
“The second one had me in denial… I couldn’t believe it was true until I had a ball in my hand.”
Over fall break, the tiger’s own Niel Phillips made history. The sophomore had two holes-in-one on the same day while competing at the Chick-fil-A Invitational in Rome, GA.
On Oct. 19, Sewanee’s fifth in the nation golf team drove down to Stonebridge Country Club in Rome, Ga. With two rounds on the docket for Monday, Phillips began his hole-in-one run on Stonebridge’s eighth hole, a par three measured out to about 182 Yards. The sophomore chose a 6-iron, swung, and stunned all with a hole-in-one, the second of his life.
“I didn’t know it went in until I got up to the hole and I was just in shock. My coaches were there waiting for me at the hole and we had a little celebration.”
But there was still much more golf to be played. Phillips described his celebration as brief; he had to remain locked in for the entire tournament. After finishing off an even-par round of 72, Phillips headed back to the eighth tee to begin his second round of competition.
“The second time around,” he said, “obviously people were like, ‘do it again! – jokingly, knowing it will never happen in a million years.”
With the cool and damp morning air giving way to a warm fall afternoon, Phillips opted to switch to a 7-iron. And once again, he delivered perfection.
Once more, Philips went to retrieve his ball. The walk to the hole was more of a float for Phillips, who said he could have sworn he was dreaming. Finally, his touch-grass moment: he held his golf ball, a Titleist with a Sewanee tiger logo. It was at that moment that he knew he had done not only the improbable but the impossible: a tournament hole-in-one that even pro golfers dream of, and doing it twice the same day. As he glanced from his golf ball to the surrounding spectators, he saw that his father had arrived just in time to see his second 182-yard ace. Then Phillips calmly returned his focus to the rest of his round, a testament to his true love of the game.
To put Phillip’s feat into perspective, several top-50-ranked professionals on the PGA Tour have never had a hole-in-one. In fact, according to the NBC Channel Golf Pass, only 1-2% of golfers get a hole-in-one in their lifetime. 19-year-old Phillips now has three.
In the days following the tournament, Phillips appeared on several Major US news outlets, including The New York Times, NBC Sports, and was interviewed live on Fox News “Fox and Friends”. The Louisiana native has also been featured across international news, including UK-based golf magazine “Bunkered”, Irish Golfer Magazine, and Golf Channel Latin America.
It is easy to get swept up in media spotlight, especially at such a young age. But Phillips has conducted himself with humility and decorum. Men’s golf head coach Keenan Hickton sees Phillips manifest these traits daily, on and off the links
“Niel Phillips is the type of kid who is almost embarrassed by the attention and wishes it had happened for a teammate instead.”
During a Fox News live-shot from the Mountain at just after 4 am central, Phillips showed his controlled, understated sportsmanship. “Two good swings…some good luck,” he told the Fox hosts. “It’s pretty crazy. I just had two good shots and they went in.” When asked about his reaction to round two, he said, “The coaches probably celebrated more than I did, because I still had to focus on the tournament and be respectful to the guys I was playing with.”
Despite the global buzz surrounding Phillips’ feat, he remains focused on improving his game and balancing his busy schedule as a student-athlete.
“I am leaving for another tournament this weekend, so I have to focus right back in and get all my work done and submitted”.
Humble, dedicated and talented, Phillips is the embodiment of a true Sewanee student-athlete. YSR.