State Amateur champion Payne Denman accepted a position as assistant men's golf coach at Tennessee on Sunday
photo by Tennessee Golf Association
This has been a whirlwind summer competitively for Payne Denman, and now things are about to get even more hectic professionally.
Denman, the current Tennessee State Amateur champion after his win at Tennessee National Golf Club in June, has been preparing for his participation in next week’s U.S. Amateur Championship to be held in Minnesota at Hazeltine National Golf Club.
But that’s not the only preparation plans on Denman’s calendar. He will soon be relocating from Murfreesboro to Knoxville as Sunday he was named an assistant coach for the University of Tennessee men’s golf team.
Denman spent the past two seasons as an assistant coach at Middle Tennessee State University, where he competed for the Blue Raiders from 2012-15 after starting his collegiate career at Florida.
“I’m definitely very excited to be a Tennessee Vol and be a part of a program that is succeeding at the highest level,” Denman said. “I grew up in a family of Vol fans and went to a lot of their sporting events growing up. I’ve always thought it was a special place and have always been a fan.
“I’m very thankful for the opportunity Coach (Brennan) Webb has given me. He’s one of the best college golf coaches in the game and I’m excited to learn from him.”
Webb previously coached at MTSU prior to assuming the head coaching job at Tennessee seven years ago.
"We are excited to add Payne to our staff," Webb said in a press release. "As a world class amateur player who still competes at the elite levels of amateur golf, Payne brings a unique perspective to our program that will be a tremendous resource for our players.
"As well, Payne's familiarity with our players and staff will allow him to fit seamlessly into our program and allow him to hit the ground running."
Denman’s win at the State Amateur allowed him to become the first golfer in Tennessee Golf Association history to receive exemption into the U.S. Amateur for his state championship victory.
He also made a quarterfinal run at the U.S. Amateur Four-Ball with partner Brett Patterson and most recently finished runner-up in the Tennessee State Amateur Four-Ball at Bear Trace at Harrison Bay while playing alongside Tennessee Golf Foundation president Whit Turnbow, his college coach while playing for MTSU.
Oddly enough, Denman and Turnbow lost in the finals to a tandem of current Blue Raider golfers, Sheldon McKnight and JJ Zimmer.
“It’s definitely difficult to leave a place that has meant so much to me,” Denman said. “There are so many memories here and it’s been awesome being a part of MTSU as a player and a coach. I’ll always be grateful for everything this school has done for me.”
Paul Payne can be emailed at paulpayne6249@gmail.com