Awards piling up for former SPHS golfer Patrick Martin
The accolades have racked up quickly for Vanderbilt University golfer Patrick Martin in his two seasons in Nashville.
The Spain Park High School alumnus burst onto the scene in the 2015-16 season and immediately made an impact, pulling in All-Freshman team honors along with a selection to the All-SEC second team.
This past season, the honors were even more impressive. Martin was a first team All-SEC player and a Golf Coaches Association of America first team All-American. He was also named one of five finalists for the Jack Nicklaus Player of the Year Award, given nationally to the top Division I golfer in the NCAA. He led the Vanderbilt team with a 70.34 stroke average, the second lowest in program history.
“Looking back, it’s awesome, but it wasn’t a goal of mine going into the year,” Martin said. “That kind of stuff, you put your head down and play to the best of your ability, and if that comes as a result of your play, it’s an honor.”
Martin said he began to feel like he had a chance to be nominated for the award as the season went on. He was able to sustain a high level of play and credited coach Scott Limbaugh, who was named the GCAA national coach of the year, for keeping the whole Vanderbilt team “locked in” all season.
“It’s a great honor,” Martin said. “I’m blessed to have gotten it. I had a really solid year, and it’s an honor to have been a recipient.”
The awards this spring capped off a great season for Vanderbilt, as the Commodores advanced to the NCAA Championships for the fourth consecutive season. They placed first in the stroke play portion and reached the Final Four of match play. Vanderbilt also ended the season with the No. 1 ranking in the coaches poll.
“Overall, it was a really good year that we can look back on and be proud of,” Martin said.
After an illustrious high school career, one that included an individual state championship in 2015, Martin wasn’t sure what to expect once he arrived at Vanderbilt.
“It was a great team when I first got to school ,and I didn’t even know if I was going to play,” he recalled.
Martin did play, and said that he focused on being solid and playing within himself. That yielded 10 rounds in the 60s and a solid 71.18 stroke average for the season.
“After a good year, I started to realize that I belonged and I knew I could play with the best,” Martin said. “Coming into my sophomore year, there was a difference knowing I had the opportunity to be a part of the best team in the country and display really good play on an individual basis.”
Martin’s current level of play raises the question of his future. Despite the flurry of success he has experienced in the past two years, he is not budging on his future plans. He plans to see his tenure at Vanderbilt all the way through.
“I’m going to stay to graduate,” he said. “I came to Vanderbilt to get my degree. Even right now, I’ve gotten the question a couple times. I’ve got a couple friends that are turning pro. The PGA Tour sounds great and will be great one day and it’s what I want to do.”
Martin said he enjoys college, and still has objectives to achieve, including winning the national title at Vanderbilt.
“Until then, I’ve got certain goals I want to accomplish in college and I’m going to work to do that,” he said.