Phillip Hatchett is on a roll as both a team coach and an individual golf instructor.
Saturday the star player on the WKU men’s team that Hatchett coaches, Billy Tom Sargent, was medalist of Houston’s Border Olympics among 85 college golfers.
Earlier in the week, one of Hatchett’s star pupils, Lady Topper Mary Joiner of Franklin, was named Conference USA Co-Women’s Golfer of the Week by the league office after tying the second-best 54-hole score in program history Tuesday, finishing third individually at North Florida’s UNF Collegiate.
Joiner finished with a 4-under 212 (69-73-70) total at the par-72, 5,926-yard Jacksonville Golf and Country Club, tying her own career low previously reached in September at the USA Intercollegiate.
The 212 tally was just one stroke off Ellinor Haag’s program record of 211 set in 2014. Joiner now owns three of the top four 54-hole scores in Lady Topper history.
This is the fourth top-three performance of her career.
Hatchett has been her individual golf instructor since she was very young. Before becoming the WKU coach, he taught most of his lessons at Rolling Hills Golf Course in his hometown, Russellville.
Sargent used the best 54-hole score by a Hilltopper since 2009 to record the third tournament victory of his career Saturday at Houston’s Border Olympics.
The redshirt junior fired a 12-under 204 (67-70-67) tally at the par-72, 7,125-yard Laredo Country Club, holding off Campbell’s Pontus Nyholm by two strokes.
The 204 beat Sargent’s previous career low by two shots and is the best 54-hole score by a Hilltopper since Neil Horsley completed a 203 at the Renaissance Invitational on Nov. 3, 2009.
“I just tried to stay patient,” Sargent said. “You’ve hit every golf shot so many times. Just because you’re at the top of the leaderboard doesn’t really change how the shot is. I hit the ball well today, hit some good tee shots, putted well and chipped pretty good. I was able to stay positive, stay calm and execute my shots.”
This is the third tournament win for Sargent in the last two seasons. He also won the Sam Hall Intercollegiate and Kenny Perry Invitational last season as a sophomore.
“I’m really proud of the fight Billy Tom showed today,” Hatchett said. “He’s been in the hunt for a long time, and it’s good to see him finish one. Nobody really understands the amount of work this young man has put into aspects of his game that leans on constantly and consistently.”
WKU finished strong and placed sixth as a team out of 17 programs with a 6-under 858 (286-291-281) total. Campbell won the title at 843.
The Hilltoppers now take a month off before returning to action in Lipscomb’s Ryman Hospitality Intercollegiate from April 9-10 in Nashville, Tenn.
“We took everybody’s score and had a lot of under-par scores,” Sargent said. “It was a lot better than we’ve been doing in the past, and I think we’re really close to shooting some really low numbers. We just have to keep practicing hard, stay positive and stay focused on the goals.”
Border Olympics Final Results
1. Billy Tom Sargent (67-70-67-204)
T56. Linus Lo (73-76-71-220)
T61. Stuart Easton (74-74-73-221)
T61. Crimson Callahan (80-71-70-221)
T78. Tom Bevington (72-78-75-225)