MONROE, La. – ULM director of golf and head men's golf coach Tim Baldwin has announced the signing of Hayes Hamilton and Holden Hamilton for the 2022-23 golf season.
"I am very pleased to add Hayes and Holden to our roster," Baldwin said. "They bring experience and toughness that will immediately make us more competitive. They have great attitudes that are a joy to be around."
The brothers from Texas City, Texas, join the Warhawk program after spending the 2021-22 season at Arkansas Tech. Both will be juniors this season at ULM.
Hayes Hamilton played in 39 rounds for the Wonder Boys in 2021-22, placing in the Top 10 twice and the Top 5 once. His 74.82 stroke average ranked fifth on the team. He shot a low-round of 4-under-par 68 in the first round of the Argonaut Invitational on April 4 and shot a 3-under-par 68 in the second round of the NSU Classic on Sept. 20. He added a round of 3-under-par 69 in the third round of the Battle for the Belt on Oct. 5 to post three rounds in the 60s on the season. He had four rounds under par on the season.
Hayes Hamilton finished tied for fourth at the 113th Texas Amateur from June 16-19, shooting 12-under-par 272 (66-68-69-69), two shots behind the champion.
"I'm really excited to be a Warhawk," Hayes Hamilton said. "Coach Baldwin and the facilities really showed the care that ULM puts into its golf team. I hope to help the team to a conference championship and take us deep into the postseason. I'm really excited to bring my college golf experience to the team."
Hayes Hamilton played his first two collegiate seasons at McLennan Community College. As a first-year sophomore in 2020-21, he was an honorable mention All-American, placing 14th at the NJCAA Division I Men's Golf National Championship at The Rawls Course in Lubbock, Texas, shooting 4-over-par 292 (71-77-70-74), as McLennan finished sixth as a team. He finished tied for fourth at even-par 216 (74-68-74) at the NJCAA Southwest Championship. He finished second at the Texas JUCO Triangular.
As a freshman in 2019-20, he competed in four tournaments and a dual match for the Highlanders, picking up a pair of Top-20 finishes in the COVID-19 pandemic-shortened season. He was a NJCAA All-Academic Second-Team Award winner.
Holden Hamilton played in 21 rounds for Arkansas Tech in 2021-22, placing in the Top 10 twice and Top 5 once. He posted a 75.90 stroke average on the season. He tied for fifth in the stroke play portion of the NCAA Division II National Championship at TPC Michigan in Dearborn, Michigan, shooting a 2-over-par 218 (72-70-76). He shot a low round of 2-under-par 70 twice, doing so in the second round of the Great American Conference Men's Golf Championship on April 11 and again in the second round of the NCAA Division II National Championship on May 17.
"I feel like ULM is a great environment with elite facilities, a great coach and a team that has unlimited potential," Holden Hamilton said. "With this year being my fourth year in college golf, I know I will be ready for any situation and that I can compete with the best players in the country."
Like his brother, Holden Hamilton played his first two collegiate seasons at McLennan Community College. As a first-year sophomore in 2020-21, he was named the winner of the 2021 Jimmy Russell Award, which annually recognizes the NJCAA's Student-Athlete of the Year in men's golf who exemplifies academic excellence, good citizenship and outstanding play over the course of his NJCAA career. He was named to the NJCAA Division I PING District II All-District Team by the Golf Coaches Association of America. He competed in nine tournaments in his second season at McLennan, picking up six Top 20 and three Top-5 finishes, helping the Highlanders to a sixth-place finish at the NJCAA National Championship. He won the Andrews Tournament and was second at the Platinum Pipe Invitational and Claude Jacobs Invitational.
As a freshman in 2019-20, he competed in six tournaments and a dual match for McLennan, picking up four Top-10 finishes before the season came to an end due to the COVID-19 pandemic. He was a NJCAA All-Academic Second-Team Award winner.
