Middle Tennesee State University Athletics
Raider assistant coach readying for US Senior Open
6/15/2017 10:00:00 AM | Men's Golf
Briggs will have son, Dallas, on the bag
PEABODY, Mass. – The summer can be a busy season for college golf coaches. With amateur tournaments throughout the nation on any given weekend and recruiting goals that have to be met, coaches often have their free time eaten up watching future talent and organizing visits.
One Middle Tennessee men's golf coach has another upcoming tournament on his mind, though, and this tournament won't have any high school amateurs in the field.
After placing second in the U.S. Senior Open qualifier held at the Brentwood Country Club on June 8, Danny Briggs, the Blue Raiders' director of player development, earned a spot in the upcoming U.S. Senior Open. There he will compete against 156 of the world's best golfers at Salem Country Club in Peabody, Massachusetts, from June 29-July 2.
"I'm excited about the opportunity," he said. "We'll tee it up on that Thursday, and I'm planning to go out there and play the best I can."
Playing in world-class tournaments is nothing new for Briggs. In more than 30 years as a professional, he's played in 173 events on the PGA Tour, 235 events on the Web.com Tour and several on the Champions Tour, including the 2012 U.S. Senior Open in which he missed the cut by two strokes.
This year's U.S. Senior Open will be a little different for Briggs, though.
Before the qualifier at the Brentwood Country Club, the second-year MT coach hadn't played a competitive round of golf in about a year. Recruiting and helping the Blue Raiders reach the NCAA Regional at The Grove Club in Franklin was his sole focus, so he didn't have a lot of opportunities to work on his own game.
Despite not having the time to get on the golf course and hone in on his own skills, Briggs played well enough during the one-day qualifier, earning his spot in the U.S. Senior Open field after having to go to a playoff with Henrik Simonsen.
"Anything can happen in a one-day, 18-hole qualifier," Briggs said. "It takes hard work and you have to fight it out, but I played good enough to make it."
After wrapping up recruiting trips, Briggs and his son and caddie, Dallas, will travel to Boston on June 24. The two will catch a Boston Red Sox game, in which Vanderbilt product David Price is scheduled to battle against the Los Angeles Angels, before making the 30-minute drive north to Peabody. Then, they will go through practice rounds from Monday until Wednesday ahead of Thursday's opening round.
Briggs is hoping the father-son combination can be as effective as it was in the qualifier, in which he shot a 2-under 69.
"My buddy Vince Gill really wanted to caddie for me, but I told him my son earned the right to go up there with me," he joked.
During the practice round, Briggs will have the chance to do more than just get a lay of the land on a course he's never played. He'll also be able to get in a few rounds with friends that he hasn't played with in some years, including Kenny Perry, Billy Andrade, Gene Sauers and Michael Allen.
"We'll make a semi-game plan of what we want to do, but I'm just going to go up there and do what I've done for 30 years," he said. "I'll figure out my strategy to play the golf course and spend a lot of time chipping and putting around the greens and preparing myself for competition.
"It's a big deal. I'm trying to make it seem like it isn't that big of a deal, but I know it is and I'll probably feel that it is when I get up there around the media and around my buddies. But, I'm looking forward to it."
The Salem Country Club, a Donald Ross-designed course that was built in Peabody in 1925, will provide the golfers with a challenge, according to Briggs.
"It's old school and looks fabulous, so I'm really excited about playing it," he said. "Every professional golfer is very familiar with Donald Ross and his style. The beautiful thing that I love about Donald Ross is his golf courses are much older, so they're very playable for the membership. You're not going to have a lot of tricky stuff; everything will be right in front of you. It will be a true test for a championship that it deserves."
As he navigates the course with his friends and fellow competitors, Briggs will do so knowing he represents the Blue Raiders and the Middle Tennessee area as a whole.
He hopes to make them proud by playing well and having fun on one of the Champions Tour's biggest stages.
"I feel fortunate that I'm healthy enough and God's blessed me with the opportunity to represent my employer and golf program and represent the state of Tennessee," he said. "I'll go up there and hopefully have a good tournament."
One Middle Tennessee men's golf coach has another upcoming tournament on his mind, though, and this tournament won't have any high school amateurs in the field.
After placing second in the U.S. Senior Open qualifier held at the Brentwood Country Club on June 8, Danny Briggs, the Blue Raiders' director of player development, earned a spot in the upcoming U.S. Senior Open. There he will compete against 156 of the world's best golfers at Salem Country Club in Peabody, Massachusetts, from June 29-July 2.
"I'm excited about the opportunity," he said. "We'll tee it up on that Thursday, and I'm planning to go out there and play the best I can."
Playing in world-class tournaments is nothing new for Briggs. In more than 30 years as a professional, he's played in 173 events on the PGA Tour, 235 events on the Web.com Tour and several on the Champions Tour, including the 2012 U.S. Senior Open in which he missed the cut by two strokes.
This year's U.S. Senior Open will be a little different for Briggs, though.
Before the qualifier at the Brentwood Country Club, the second-year MT coach hadn't played a competitive round of golf in about a year. Recruiting and helping the Blue Raiders reach the NCAA Regional at The Grove Club in Franklin was his sole focus, so he didn't have a lot of opportunities to work on his own game.
Despite not having the time to get on the golf course and hone in on his own skills, Briggs played well enough during the one-day qualifier, earning his spot in the U.S. Senior Open field after having to go to a playoff with Henrik Simonsen.
"Anything can happen in a one-day, 18-hole qualifier," Briggs said. "It takes hard work and you have to fight it out, but I played good enough to make it."
After wrapping up recruiting trips, Briggs and his son and caddie, Dallas, will travel to Boston on June 24. The two will catch a Boston Red Sox game, in which Vanderbilt product David Price is scheduled to battle against the Los Angeles Angels, before making the 30-minute drive north to Peabody. Then, they will go through practice rounds from Monday until Wednesday ahead of Thursday's opening round.
Briggs is hoping the father-son combination can be as effective as it was in the qualifier, in which he shot a 2-under 69.
"My buddy Vince Gill really wanted to caddie for me, but I told him my son earned the right to go up there with me," he joked.
During the practice round, Briggs will have the chance to do more than just get a lay of the land on a course he's never played. He'll also be able to get in a few rounds with friends that he hasn't played with in some years, including Kenny Perry, Billy Andrade, Gene Sauers and Michael Allen.
"We'll make a semi-game plan of what we want to do, but I'm just going to go up there and do what I've done for 30 years," he said. "I'll figure out my strategy to play the golf course and spend a lot of time chipping and putting around the greens and preparing myself for competition.
"It's a big deal. I'm trying to make it seem like it isn't that big of a deal, but I know it is and I'll probably feel that it is when I get up there around the media and around my buddies. But, I'm looking forward to it."
The Salem Country Club, a Donald Ross-designed course that was built in Peabody in 1925, will provide the golfers with a challenge, according to Briggs.
"It's old school and looks fabulous, so I'm really excited about playing it," he said. "Every professional golfer is very familiar with Donald Ross and his style. The beautiful thing that I love about Donald Ross is his golf courses are much older, so they're very playable for the membership. You're not going to have a lot of tricky stuff; everything will be right in front of you. It will be a true test for a championship that it deserves."
As he navigates the course with his friends and fellow competitors, Briggs will do so knowing he represents the Blue Raiders and the Middle Tennessee area as a whole.
He hopes to make them proud by playing well and having fun on one of the Champions Tour's biggest stages.
"I feel fortunate that I'm healthy enough and God's blessed me with the opportunity to represent my employer and golf program and represent the state of Tennessee," he said. "I'll go up there and hopefully have a good tournament."
A look back: 1965 and 1985 Undefeated Blue Raider Football Teams
Wednesday, September 17
True Blue Testimonials - Caroline Macander MTSU Volleyball Setter - Presented by MMC
Tuesday, September 16
MTSU Football at Nevada cinematic recap – 9/13/25
Tuesday, September 16
Derek Mason LIVE: Presented by The Boulevard Bar & Grille Week 4
Tuesday, September 16
