Photo by: UT Martin University Relations
UT Martin Travels To 2026-27 Season Opener This Weekend At Golfweek Fall Challenge
9/4/2026 9:47:00 AM | Golf
MARTIN, Tenn. – Year Seven of the Austin Swafford Era at the University of Tennessee at Martin begins this weekend as the Skyhawks head to the Golfweek Fall Challenge held at the True Blue Golf Club in Pawleys Island, SC.
The season-opening tournament is the second time in the last four seasons that UT Martin has attended a Golfweek-sponsored event as the Skyhawks also participated in the Golfweek Collegiate Kickoff in Cape Girardeau, Mo. to open the 2023-24 campaign. UT Martin joins Bellarmine, Central Arkansas, Eastern Kentucky, Georgia Southern, Georgia State, Mercer, Missouri State, Murray State, Old Dominion, Presbyterian, Radford, Tennessee Tech, Troy, USC Upstate, West Georgia in the 2026 field.
The Skyhawks are set to play a dozen tournaments in 10 different states in 2026-27. Following this weekend, UT Martin hosts the 23rd annual Grover Page Classic in Jackson, Tenn. on Sept. 14-15 before heading to the SIUE Dolenc Invitational in Madison, Ill. on Sept. 28-29. The fall wraps up with visits to Kennesaw, Ga. for The Scrappy at Pinetree (Oct. 12-13) and Springfield, Mo. for the Twin Oaks Intercollegiate (Oct. 19-20).
The Skyhawks' spring semester opens at the Loyola Intercollegiate in Goodyear, Ariz. on Feb. 28-March 2 before a trip to Boulder City, Nev. for the Jackrabbits Invitational on March 12-13. UT Martin then hosts back-to-back tournaments (sixth annual Carpenter/Chaney Classic on March 20, Skyhawk Invitational on March 22-23) at The Golf Club at Champions Run in Rockvale, Tenn. before rounding out the regular season at the Racer Intercollegiate (April 5-6 in Paducah, Ky.) and Everett Buick GMC Classic (April 12-13 in Little Rock, Ark.).
The 2027 Ohio Valley Conference Championships are set for a new location as the league's nine teams will vie for the title at The Donald Ross Course at French Lick on April 25-28 in French Lick, Ind.
The Skyhawks bring back eight players off a squad that collected a 107-52-2 head-to-head record last season, including a 32-10 mark against OVC competition. UT Martin ranked second in the OVC in scoring average (287.7) and posted seven top-five tournament finishes for the second consecutive season in 2025-26.
Junior Drew Williams (sixth in the OVC with a 72.3 scoring average) and senior Grant Phillips (eighth in the OVC with a 72.5 stroke average) each return after earning All-OVC second team honors a year ago. That pair joins junior John-Gregory Wilson (74.0 scoring average) as Skyhawk returners who played in all 33 stroke-play rounds a year ago.
Returning upperclassmen also include the junior trio of Lucas Herring (73.8 scoring average in six rounds in 2025-26), Luke Beadles (74.1 stroke average while starting in all five fall tournaments last season) and Jaden Morrell (75.5 scoring average with three starts last spring).
Bryce Harmon (74.3 stroke average in three starts, including the 2026 OVC Championships) and Ian Lambert (76.1 scoring average in nine rounds) additionally return after making their collegiate debuts last season.
Three freshmen also join the fold this season as Swafford welcomes Conner Hill (12th in the state of Tennessee in the Class of 2026 according to the Junior Golf Scoreboard), Regan Kueker (part of four straight Kansas 4A team state championships, claiming state individual medalist honors as a senior) and Layton Richey (fifth-ranked prospect in his class in the state of Kentucky by Junior Golf Scoreboard) to the 11-man roster.
"I am excited to get this season going," Swafford said. "Two of our All-OVC honorees are back with us, so that is extremely helpful. We've also got a handful of players that were in the lineup throughout last year so the majority of our players have experience and know how we like to operate on a day-to-day basis. Our new guys have also settled in nicely during this first set of qualifying. I expect the starting lineup to look different each week throughout this fall slate – we are definitely ready to get tournament play started."
To follow along with live scoring from this weekend's Golfweek Fall Challenge, click on the link above.
The season-opening tournament is the second time in the last four seasons that UT Martin has attended a Golfweek-sponsored event as the Skyhawks also participated in the Golfweek Collegiate Kickoff in Cape Girardeau, Mo. to open the 2023-24 campaign. UT Martin joins Bellarmine, Central Arkansas, Eastern Kentucky, Georgia Southern, Georgia State, Mercer, Missouri State, Murray State, Old Dominion, Presbyterian, Radford, Tennessee Tech, Troy, USC Upstate, West Georgia in the 2026 field.
The Skyhawks are set to play a dozen tournaments in 10 different states in 2026-27. Following this weekend, UT Martin hosts the 23rd annual Grover Page Classic in Jackson, Tenn. on Sept. 14-15 before heading to the SIUE Dolenc Invitational in Madison, Ill. on Sept. 28-29. The fall wraps up with visits to Kennesaw, Ga. for The Scrappy at Pinetree (Oct. 12-13) and Springfield, Mo. for the Twin Oaks Intercollegiate (Oct. 19-20).
The Skyhawks' spring semester opens at the Loyola Intercollegiate in Goodyear, Ariz. on Feb. 28-March 2 before a trip to Boulder City, Nev. for the Jackrabbits Invitational on March 12-13. UT Martin then hosts back-to-back tournaments (sixth annual Carpenter/Chaney Classic on March 20, Skyhawk Invitational on March 22-23) at The Golf Club at Champions Run in Rockvale, Tenn. before rounding out the regular season at the Racer Intercollegiate (April 5-6 in Paducah, Ky.) and Everett Buick GMC Classic (April 12-13 in Little Rock, Ark.).
The 2027 Ohio Valley Conference Championships are set for a new location as the league's nine teams will vie for the title at The Donald Ross Course at French Lick on April 25-28 in French Lick, Ind.
The Skyhawks bring back eight players off a squad that collected a 107-52-2 head-to-head record last season, including a 32-10 mark against OVC competition. UT Martin ranked second in the OVC in scoring average (287.7) and posted seven top-five tournament finishes for the second consecutive season in 2025-26.
Junior Drew Williams (sixth in the OVC with a 72.3 scoring average) and senior Grant Phillips (eighth in the OVC with a 72.5 stroke average) each return after earning All-OVC second team honors a year ago. That pair joins junior John-Gregory Wilson (74.0 scoring average) as Skyhawk returners who played in all 33 stroke-play rounds a year ago.
Returning upperclassmen also include the junior trio of Lucas Herring (73.8 scoring average in six rounds in 2025-26), Luke Beadles (74.1 stroke average while starting in all five fall tournaments last season) and Jaden Morrell (75.5 scoring average with three starts last spring).
Bryce Harmon (74.3 stroke average in three starts, including the 2026 OVC Championships) and Ian Lambert (76.1 scoring average in nine rounds) additionally return after making their collegiate debuts last season.
Three freshmen also join the fold this season as Swafford welcomes Conner Hill (12th in the state of Tennessee in the Class of 2026 according to the Junior Golf Scoreboard), Regan Kueker (part of four straight Kansas 4A team state championships, claiming state individual medalist honors as a senior) and Layton Richey (fifth-ranked prospect in his class in the state of Kentucky by Junior Golf Scoreboard) to the 11-man roster.
"I am excited to get this season going," Swafford said. "Two of our All-OVC honorees are back with us, so that is extremely helpful. We've also got a handful of players that were in the lineup throughout last year so the majority of our players have experience and know how we like to operate on a day-to-day basis. Our new guys have also settled in nicely during this first set of qualifying. I expect the starting lineup to look different each week throughout this fall slate – we are definitely ready to get tournament play started."
To follow along with live scoring from this weekend's Golfweek Fall Challenge, click on the link above.
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