E-mail the Coach

Mike Phillips, Head Coach

Phillips, a nine-time conference "Coach of the Year," has been the only varsity golf coach in school history. He has guided the program from infancy in the 1983-84 school year to national status, including an NCAA individual national champion in 1991 and 13 appearances in the NCAA team championship including a streak of six consecutive berths to nationals.

The most recent appearance came in 2008 when the Eagles recorded a 15th-place finish. The came on the heels of a 14th-place showing in 2007. In 2006 Emory turned in an impressive ninth-place performance.

The team finished in the top 10 at the national championships four consecutive years (1997-2000). The Eagles were fifth at the NCAA championships in 1997, 10th in 1998, sixth in 1999, 10th in 2000, 15th in 2003, and fifth in 2004.

In its 2007-08 edition, Golf Digest ranked emory 29th in the nation among all NCAA schools and was the second-ranked Division III program in the “Balanced” ranking, which measures students who place equal emphasis on academics and sports.  Categories that were taken into account in the “Balanced” ranking included team adjusted scoring average, player growth, academics, climate and facilities and coaching.  Over 790 schools were analyzed in this category with the top 400 earning a ranking.  According to Golf Digest, the “Balanced” ranking is the best indicator for the majority of young men heading off to college

Emory was ranked 23rd out of the 146 schools (all divisions) surveyed in the “Academics First” ranking which applies to students who are focused on education but still desire to play competitive golf.  Emory was the No. 3-ranked Division III program.

In its 2005-06 edition, Golf Digest named Emory the best collegiate golf program in the country – all NCAA schools included – for academics. The magazine’s rankings were calculated with academics counting for 70 percent, golf performance 20 percent and coach/facilities and climate factoring five percent each.

In 2008, Emory brought home the University Athletic Association (UAA) championship for the 12th time in 16 years, posting a decisive 24-stroke win over runner-up Carnegie Mellon. The Eagles' opening round of 286 at the UAA's was the squad's low score of the 2007-08 season and represented the lowest score in school history at the UAA Championship.

The Eagles won a conference-record six consecutive UAA championships from 1995-2000. Emory claimed the top five places in the individual standings at the 1998 UAA tournament, a first in conference history. Phillips has been voted UAA "Coach of the Year" in 1993, 1995, 1996, 1997,1999, 2002, 2003, 2007 and 2008.

Phillips came to Emory in 1975 as its first full-time intramurals director. He became the golf coach in 1983. Other duties at Emory have included facilities coordinator and assistant men's basketball coach.

He served as the NCAA Division III national representative to the Golf Coaches Association of America national advisory board. Phillips was a district representative on the GCAA national poll advisory committee. He was the chair of the GCAA All-America Scholar selection committee and served on the selection committee for the GCAA all-district teams. Phillips is a member of the United States Golf Association and the National Golf Foundation.

Phillips holds an undergraduate and master's degree from Colorado State University. Prior to Emory, he coached basketball for eight years in Colorado and Kansas and golf for two years in Kansas.

Updated June, 2008