Virginia Commonwealth University Men's Golf

Tyler Schmutz was named has been named head coach of the VCU Golf program on July 18, 2024.   “We are excited to welcome Tyler home to the Commonwealth to lead our golf program,” said VCU Vice President and Director of Athletics Ed McLaughlin. “His coaching experience at the highest level and head coaching tenure combined with his experience in professional golf made him an excellent fit for us. He has a track record of developing golfers at the highest level for NCAA championship-caliber success, and we fully expect him to continue the upward trajectory of our nationally-elite golf program.”   Schmutz assumed the reigns at VCU following two standout seasons as assistant coach at Big Ten stalwart Indiana, where he helped the Hoosiers to a pair of NCAA Regional berths and the program’s best conference championship finish in a decade, among other accolades.    “I'd like to thank Ed McLaughlin, Noah Strebler and the rest of the search committee for giving me the opportunity to be the next head men's golf coach at VCU. I could not be more excited to get to work and continue to build upon the tradition of success that the program has had. I'd like to thank the head coaches I have been fortunate to work with in my career, and I look forward to taking what I've learned forward in leading the Rams. Our program will compete hard and excel on the golf course and in the classroom.,” Schmutz said.   In Schmutz’s first season in Bloomington in 2022-23, Indiana placed fourth at the Big Ten Championships and received an at-large bid to the NCAA Auburn Regional. Last season, the Hoosiers captured two tournament victories and placed in the top three on five occasions on the way to another NCAA Regional appearance.   During his Indiana tenure, two Hoosiers earned All-Big Ten Conference honors, including Drew Salyers, who also received a PING All-America Honorable Mention nod in 2023.   Prior to Indiana, Schmutz spent the 2021-22 campaign at Maryland. The Terrapins placed third in the Big Ten that season, just two strokes behind league champion Illinois.   From 2019-21, Schmutz served as head coach at Division III Wabash College, where he steered the Little Giants to program records for team scoring average and single-round team scoring, while two players garnered All-Conference honors.   Schmutz also served as an assistant coach at Division II Regis University from 2017-19, and was previously a Director of Client Management at GSE Worldwide, where he managed logistics for players on the PGA and Korn Ferry tours.   A 2014 graduate of Huntingdon College in Montgomery, Ala., Schmutz added a Master of Science in Organizational Leadership from Regis in 2019. As a player, Schmutz earned Cleveland Golf Srixon Scholar All-America honors in 2013, as well as a PING All-Central Region selection in 2011 at Parkland College in Champaign, Ill.  

Ball has seen golf from all sides. Hes played, hes been a club professional, a teaching pro and hes currently VCU's golf coach, a position he's held since 1999. In that job, all the skills he learned come into play along with some new ones. What I really enjoy, Ball said, is seeing kids do better as a group than they thought they could do. Thats where Balls ability to multi-task comes into play. He calls himself a dad, a sports psychologist, a counselor, a coach. You name it. Golf is unique in that it is an individual sport as well as a team sport. One player can be crowned champion in a tournament. If his teammates dont do well, the team wont finish well. Keeping an eye on individual and team progress is a trick Ball has to ingrain in his players. A native of Fredericksburg, Va., Ball has two sons Matthew Jr., who played for the Rams from 2010-14, and Adam, who captured five individual tournament titles as a Ram from 2013-16 and owns program records for single-season and career scoring average. MATT BALL Career Highlights Two-time CAA Coach of the Year (2008, 2009); Two-time A-10 Coach of the Year (2014, 2015)

Josh Hill joined VCU as assistant golf coach in August of 2024.    Hill spent the 2023 and 2024 seasons as head coach at Division III Sewanee University. In 2024, he led the Tigers to an NCAA Championship berth, as well as the No. 10 spot in Scoreboard’s NCAA rankings. Three Sewanee golfers finished 2024 ranked individually in the final GolfStat rankings: Pearse Lucas, Grayson Maddox, and Ryan Demit. Lucas later earned All-American honors and SAA Player of the Year, while Maddox was named All-Conference. Maddox also claimed All-America honors after the 2023 season under Hill’s tutelage.   Before his tenure at Sewanee, Hill served as the men’s head golf coach for Wabash College (Ind.). He led Wabash to fifth place in the North Coast Athletic Championship and coached golfer Brayden Weiss to a fourth-place finish, earning First Team All-NCAC honors.   Prior to Wabash, Hill served an assistant coach for his alma mater, Guilford College, from 2020-21. In 2021, the Quakers placed third at the NCAA Division III Championship and captured an Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) Championship.   During his playing career at Guilford College, Hill earned three All-American selections and led the Quakers to a trio of NCAA Championship appearances. Guilford placed inside the top five all three years, including a national runner-up finish in 2017.   Hill ended his playing career as a three-time ODAC First Team selection and was a semifinalist for the Jack Nicklaus Award, given to the nation’s top collegiate golfer, in 2018 and 2019.  

Phillips is in his fifth season at VCU overall and his third as assistant coach.   Prior to this position, Phillips served as the teams volunteer assistant coach in 2013-14 and graduate assistant coach in 2012-2013. In Phillips time with the Rams he has shaped himself into a top recruiter, helping to sign in some of the best talent from around the world. Phillips serves as the Rams recruiting coordinator, handling evaluations and on-campus visits. Phillips also serves as tournament director for the annual Janney Invitational and organizes the Rams fundraising tournaments. Additional duties include coordinating team travel, administrative duties and assisting Coach Matt Ball in player development. Since joining the program, Phillips has assisted in five team tournament victories, five medalist honors, 11 All-Conference awards and four All-American Scholar selections, as well as three straight Atlantic 10 Conference Championships and NCAA Tournament Appearances.    As a player, Phillips was a four-time All-Old Dominion Athletic Conference selection and guided Bridgewater College to the 2010 ODAC team title and an appearance in that year's NCAA Division III Championship. A two-year captain, Phillips was named a Cleveland/Srixon Academic All-American in 2011 and 2012. Phillips is also a product of the VCU Center for Sport Leadership. He received his master's in Sport Leadership from the program in 2013.