Golf and Football: Sankey's round with Trump; Tulsa's Tre Lamb best head coach handicap

ATLANTA – SEC commissioner Greg Sankey has testified before Congress. He’s completed 41 marathons. He’s commissioner of the most powerful conference in college athletics. 

But nothing could prepare him for June 8 in Bedminster, N.J.

“I’d be lying if I said I didn’t stand up there like ‘holy smoke, I’m on the first tee with the President of the United States,’ ” Sankey told On3. “I don’t know how many Secret Service security, someone with the nuclear launch codes, there was. You’re playing with the sitting president of the United States.”

Sankey, along with Notre Dame athletic director Pete Bevacqua, played with Pres. Trump at Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster, N.J. Trump wanted to discuss the state of college athletics.

Sankey, who doesn’t have an official handicap, finished with a 92, but doesn’t know what Pres. Trump shot. “It was better than me,” Sankey said. “The President’s a good player. I hope I play that well in my 70s.”

While Sankey doesn’t have an official USGA GHIN handicap index, nearly 40 of the 136 FBS head coaches do. At the top of the leaderboard is first-year Tulsa coach Tre Lamb, with a +1.3 handicap index.

Lamb not only is the best golfer among the college football coaches, but he’s among the best amateur golfers in Oklahoma. Lamb qualified for the Oklahoma State Amateur, which begins Monday at his home course, Cedar Ridge Country Club in Broken Arrow. If Lamb wins that tournament, he would qualify for the U.S. Amateur Aug. 11-17 in San Francisco.

However, the 35-year old Lamb would not participate in the U.S. Amateur. It would conflict with Tulsa’s training camp, leading up to his Aug. 30 debut vs. Abilene Christian.

“I’m undefeated here and Tulsa needs as much publicity as it can get,” Lamb said. “I’m not going to deny I play golf. I play 35-50 rounds per year. I’ve raised more money on the golf course than anywhere else. I can hang out with boosters for four hours, get to know them. I just want to be a normal guy, a dude.”

This dude can play.

In May in St. Petersburg, Florida, for the AAC’s spring meetings, Lamb and UAB’s Trent Dilfer, who has the second-best handicap index (0.7) among coaches, played a round at Old Memorial, one of Tampa’s top courses where Dilfer is a member from his days playing with the Tampa Bay Bucs.

Lamb, who had to use rental clubs, shot a 2-over 74, four strokes better than Dilfer’s 78.

Lamb played baseball in high school and didn’t start playing golf until college. At Tennessee Tech, he was the starting quarterback and worked at a golf course. He said, that’s where he “got good.” Lamb had qualified and played in four Georgia Amateur Championships. He has five career hole-in-ones and a career-low round of 62.  

Auburn’s Hugh Freeze is among college football coaches’ best golfers with a 7.6 handicap index. Lamb has never faced Freeze on the golf course, but in 2022 they met on the football field. Lamb, then the head coach at Gardner Webb, nearly upset Freeze’s Liberty team, losing 21-20.

“Before the game at midfield, all we talked about was golf,” Lamb said.

Lamb doesn’t understand why some people – namely Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin – criticize football coaches that play golf.

“I play golf with brain surgeons and heart surgeons,” Lamb said. “They have more important jobs than coaches. If they can play golf, why can’t we?”

Top head football coach USGA GHIN handicap

Tre Lamb, Tulsa +1.3
Trent Dilfer, UAB 0.7
Rhett Lashlee, SMU 4.4
Joe Harasymiak, UMass 5.6
Scott Abell, Rice 6.0
Jason Candle, Toledo 6.6
Hugh Freeze, Auburn 7.6
Lincoln Riley, USC 9.1
Shane Beamer, South Carolina 9.7
P.J. Fleck, Minnesota 11.1
Tony Gibson, Marshall 11.2
Dave Doeren, NC State 11.3
Dan Mullen, UNLV 11.9
Ryan Day, Ohio State 12.3
Bill Belichick, UNC 12.5
Eric Morris, North Texas 12.5
Kirby Smart, Georgia 12.6
Sonny Dykes, TCU 13.9
Brian Kelly, LSU 14.0
Kyle Whittingham, Utah 14.5
Thomas Hammock, NIU 15.4
Joey McGuire, Texas Tech 16.0