Middle Tennessee State University Athletics
Former Farragut teammates setting the foundation
2/6/2018 4:00:00 PM | Men's Golf
Thomas and Johnson playing key roles
MURFREESBORO - On Nov.11, 2015, Middle Tennessee's new head golf coach Brennan Webb reeled in his first two commitments at the helm of the program in Farragut High School teammates Chip Thomas and Tyler Johnson.
On that unseasonably warm winter day, Webb mapped out his vision for the program.
"I believe these are two players we can build around in the future as we strive to achieve our goal of becoming one of the top programs in the country," Webb said.
Just two years down the road, the Knoxville natives have played an important role in Middle Tennessee's recent success.
At the end of the 2016-17 season, Thomas earned a spot on Conference USA's All-Freshman team after delivering five top-20 finishes. He also collected C-USA Freshman of the Week honors after two consecutive 3-under par performances at the Puerto Rico Classic and the Lamkin Grips SD Classic.
Coming off a redshirt season, Johnson joined Thomas on the course once again this fall and finds himself neck and neck with Thomas and Marcus Byrd among the top three on the team leaderboard.
The duo's road to their success in Murfreesboro has been as up-and-down as the mountainous East Tennessee terrain they grew up on.
After former head coach Whit Turnbow stepped down, Thomas re-opened his commitment and took time to weigh his options.
"After Coach Turnbow stepped down, I was kind of lost," Thomas said.
Webb quickly went to work on the recruiting trail, making it evident early on that he wanted the former TSSAA All-State recipient in blue.
"My first day on the job, I got my phone at 8 a.m. and the first thing I did was call Chip at 8:01," Webb said. "I'd seen him play when I was at Georgia Tech and wanted him to be a Blue Raider."
The former TSSAA All-State recipient bought into Webb's vision for the future and became the first player to commit to MT under the new head coach.
"He came to my house and had dinner with my family and talked about what he wanted the program to be about," Thomas said. "I wanted to be a leader, and I believed in what Coach Webb wanted for the program, and it's worked out really well so far."
On the way to earning a commitment from Thomas, a 5-foot-8 teammate of his was also quickly catching Webb's eye.
"I was at one of Chip's high school tournaments, and I was at the first tee and heard a kid hit the ball on the second tee, and when I asked who it was they said 'that's Tyler Johnson,'" Webb said.
"Coach Webb called me and asked, 'What's up with this Tyler Johnson kid?'" Thomas said. "I told him, 'This kid's got talent, he's going to be really good if you give him a shot.'"
Johnson immediately jumped at the opportunity.
"(Getting to join Chip) was a big deal," Johnson said. "I didn't get recruited much in high school, so to have the opportunity was complete chance. I think getting to play four more years of golf with (Chip) is really cool."
Since hitting the links together for the first time at the Memphis Intercollegiate this past fall, the two haven't skipped a beat.
Johnson has made an immediate impact after his redshirt season. At the Memphis Intercollegiate, he carded a team-low 3-under-par 213 for the tournament. Then, just over two weeks later, he led the team to a fourth-place finish by shooting 3-over in a talented field at the Franklin American Mortgage Intercollegiate at the Grove Club in College Grove, Tennessee.
He followed with a career-best 9-under-par performance at the Quail Valley Collegiate, placing Johnson in a tie for 10th individually.
Thomas was nipping on Johnson's heels' at Quail Valley, tying a career-best 6-under-par performance that he set at the Bearcat Invitational a few weeks earlier, where he joined Byrd as the only Blue Raiders in the top 10 on the individual leaderboard.
Heading into the Puerto Rico Classic, Johnson holds a slim .3 stroke average lead over Thomas (71.2-71.5). The former TSSAA state champions stand tied for second on the team with eight rounds at par or better apiece.
"We definitely feed off each other," Thomas said. "It's a friendly competitiveness to see who can play the best. Competing against each other is what it's all about."
As for Webb's aforementioned vision for the future, both Johnson and Thomas are proving to be the building blocks centered on one of the more successful men's golf teams in school history.
"Tyler is as good physically as anyone I've coached, including some guys that are on the PGA Tour now," Webb said. "Chip is a mature guy, and that translates into how he carries himself on the golf course. Both guys have been some great gets for this program."
On that unseasonably warm winter day, Webb mapped out his vision for the program.
"I believe these are two players we can build around in the future as we strive to achieve our goal of becoming one of the top programs in the country," Webb said.
Just two years down the road, the Knoxville natives have played an important role in Middle Tennessee's recent success.
At the end of the 2016-17 season, Thomas earned a spot on Conference USA's All-Freshman team after delivering five top-20 finishes. He also collected C-USA Freshman of the Week honors after two consecutive 3-under par performances at the Puerto Rico Classic and the Lamkin Grips SD Classic.
Coming off a redshirt season, Johnson joined Thomas on the course once again this fall and finds himself neck and neck with Thomas and Marcus Byrd among the top three on the team leaderboard.
The duo's road to their success in Murfreesboro has been as up-and-down as the mountainous East Tennessee terrain they grew up on.
After former head coach Whit Turnbow stepped down, Thomas re-opened his commitment and took time to weigh his options.
"After Coach Turnbow stepped down, I was kind of lost," Thomas said.
Webb quickly went to work on the recruiting trail, making it evident early on that he wanted the former TSSAA All-State recipient in blue.
"My first day on the job, I got my phone at 8 a.m. and the first thing I did was call Chip at 8:01," Webb said. "I'd seen him play when I was at Georgia Tech and wanted him to be a Blue Raider."
The former TSSAA All-State recipient bought into Webb's vision for the future and became the first player to commit to MT under the new head coach.
"He came to my house and had dinner with my family and talked about what he wanted the program to be about," Thomas said. "I wanted to be a leader, and I believed in what Coach Webb wanted for the program, and it's worked out really well so far."
On the way to earning a commitment from Thomas, a 5-foot-8 teammate of his was also quickly catching Webb's eye.
"I was at one of Chip's high school tournaments, and I was at the first tee and heard a kid hit the ball on the second tee, and when I asked who it was they said 'that's Tyler Johnson,'" Webb said.
"Coach Webb called me and asked, 'What's up with this Tyler Johnson kid?'" Thomas said. "I told him, 'This kid's got talent, he's going to be really good if you give him a shot.'"
Johnson immediately jumped at the opportunity.
"(Getting to join Chip) was a big deal," Johnson said. "I didn't get recruited much in high school, so to have the opportunity was complete chance. I think getting to play four more years of golf with (Chip) is really cool."
Since hitting the links together for the first time at the Memphis Intercollegiate this past fall, the two haven't skipped a beat.
Johnson has made an immediate impact after his redshirt season. At the Memphis Intercollegiate, he carded a team-low 3-under-par 213 for the tournament. Then, just over two weeks later, he led the team to a fourth-place finish by shooting 3-over in a talented field at the Franklin American Mortgage Intercollegiate at the Grove Club in College Grove, Tennessee.
He followed with a career-best 9-under-par performance at the Quail Valley Collegiate, placing Johnson in a tie for 10th individually.
Thomas was nipping on Johnson's heels' at Quail Valley, tying a career-best 6-under-par performance that he set at the Bearcat Invitational a few weeks earlier, where he joined Byrd as the only Blue Raiders in the top 10 on the individual leaderboard.
Heading into the Puerto Rico Classic, Johnson holds a slim .3 stroke average lead over Thomas (71.2-71.5). The former TSSAA state champions stand tied for second on the team with eight rounds at par or better apiece.
"We definitely feed off each other," Thomas said. "It's a friendly competitiveness to see who can play the best. Competing against each other is what it's all about."
As for Webb's aforementioned vision for the future, both Johnson and Thomas are proving to be the building blocks centered on one of the more successful men's golf teams in school history.
"Tyler is as good physically as anyone I've coached, including some guys that are on the PGA Tour now," Webb said. "Chip is a mature guy, and that translates into how he carries himself on the golf course. Both guys have been some great gets for this program."
Players Mentioned
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Blue Raider Breakdown Postgame Show - October 8th
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