St. John's University Athletics
Phil Wildermuth Named Head Coach of St. John’s Men’s Golf Program
6/16/2022 1:30:00 PM | Men's Golf
PGA professional and experienced Division I head coach will take the reins of the Red Storm
QUEENS, N.Y. – A seasoned PGA professional with over two decades of experience in the New York metropolitan area and the leader of the Manhattan College men's golf team for the past four seasons, Phil Wildermuth has signed on to be the next head coach of the St. John's men's golf program.
"Having been a golf professional at Pelham Country Club for the last 14 years, I have gotten to know St. John's alumni, players, and coaches," said Wildermuth. "Their love for St. John's and the golf program was contagious, so contagious that I felt a part of the program for the last 14 years. Now that I am officially part of the St. John's men's golf program, I feel a tremendous desire to help it succeed for the current players, former players, coaches and alumni."
"Phil is a well-regarded golf professional in the metropolitan area who brings more than two decades of experience to St. John's," said Director of Athletics Mike Cragg. "His commitment to compete for championships, coupled with his energy and passion for the sport will help our student-athletes reach their highest potential. We are thrilled to welcome Phil to the St. John's Athletics family."
Wildermuth is currently the assistant golf professional at Pelham Country Club in Pelham Manor, N.Y., where he has learned under the leadership of St. John's Athletics Hall of Famer and 2021 Met PGA Professional of the Year Mike Diffley. In this capacity, Wildermuth is a key part of the club's instructional staff that has a long track record of turning skilled juniors in top-flight amateur and professional players.
"I have been fortunate to work with Phil for 14 years as a fellow golf professional and watched him as a college coach for the past four years," said Diffley. "His passion for golf and helping others improve to get the best out of themselves is evident every day. Phil is respected and beloved by the membership of Pelham Country Club. His constant search for improvement and growth, as well as his love of metropolitan area golf makes him the perfect fit for St. John's!"
"As a former member of the St. John's men's golf team, I am hugely passionate about the direction of the program," said four-time PGA Tour winner and 2011 PGA Champion Keegan Bradley. "Phil's resume speaks for itself, as does his reputation within the Northeast golf community. I have no doubt that he will take the program forward."
Inducted into the St. John's Athletics Hall of Fame in 2020, Bradley is currently ranked 35th in the 2022 FedExCup Standings. The Woodstock, Vt., native was a member of the U.S. team at the 2012 and 2014 Ryder Cups, as well as the 2013 Presidents Cup. Bradley is currently competing in his 10th career U.S. Open, played June 16-19 at The Country Club in Brookline, Mass.
Ryan McCormick, a fellow St. John's alumnus and 2014 BIG EAST Champion who is currently playing on the Korn Ferry Tour, developed a relationship with Wildermuth while working with Diffley at Pelham.
"As an alum, I'm so excited for the future of the St. John's golf program under Phil Wildermuth," said McCormick. "He's an impressive teacher, coach and has a passion for helping younger players. Phil is well respected in the New York golf community. I have no doubt that he will have a great impact on the legacy and reputation of St. John's Men's Golf."
Prior to joining the staff at Pelham, Wildermuth spent five years working at Centennial Golf Club in Carmel, N.Y., after serving two years as a tournament coordinator with the New Mexico State University PGA Golf Management program in Las Cruces.
Since 2018, Wildermuth has served as the head coach of the Manhattan College men's golf team. Under his tutelage, several Jaspers earned individual honors, including a pair of back-to-back medalist accolades for Sam Taraian and Preston Shortell to close the Fall 2019 season before COVID shut down the Jaspers for the remainder of the academic year and greatly affected their participation in 2020-21.
"On behalf of our entire athletic department, I would like to thank the Men's Golf Search Committee for their tireless effort and commitment to conducting a thorough national search for the benefit of our student-athletes and University community," said Cragg. "We appreciate the dedicated work of committee chair John Diffley, Ambry Bishop-Santillo, Stephen Dombroski, Allie Sachs and Nick Vendikos."
"Having been a golf professional at Pelham Country Club for the last 14 years, I have gotten to know St. John's alumni, players, and coaches," said Wildermuth. "Their love for St. John's and the golf program was contagious, so contagious that I felt a part of the program for the last 14 years. Now that I am officially part of the St. John's men's golf program, I feel a tremendous desire to help it succeed for the current players, former players, coaches and alumni."
"Phil is a well-regarded golf professional in the metropolitan area who brings more than two decades of experience to St. John's," said Director of Athletics Mike Cragg. "His commitment to compete for championships, coupled with his energy and passion for the sport will help our student-athletes reach their highest potential. We are thrilled to welcome Phil to the St. John's Athletics family."
Wildermuth is currently the assistant golf professional at Pelham Country Club in Pelham Manor, N.Y., where he has learned under the leadership of St. John's Athletics Hall of Famer and 2021 Met PGA Professional of the Year Mike Diffley. In this capacity, Wildermuth is a key part of the club's instructional staff that has a long track record of turning skilled juniors in top-flight amateur and professional players.
"I have been fortunate to work with Phil for 14 years as a fellow golf professional and watched him as a college coach for the past four years," said Diffley. "His passion for golf and helping others improve to get the best out of themselves is evident every day. Phil is respected and beloved by the membership of Pelham Country Club. His constant search for improvement and growth, as well as his love of metropolitan area golf makes him the perfect fit for St. John's!"
"As a former member of the St. John's men's golf team, I am hugely passionate about the direction of the program," said four-time PGA Tour winner and 2011 PGA Champion Keegan Bradley. "Phil's resume speaks for itself, as does his reputation within the Northeast golf community. I have no doubt that he will take the program forward."
Inducted into the St. John's Athletics Hall of Fame in 2020, Bradley is currently ranked 35th in the 2022 FedExCup Standings. The Woodstock, Vt., native was a member of the U.S. team at the 2012 and 2014 Ryder Cups, as well as the 2013 Presidents Cup. Bradley is currently competing in his 10th career U.S. Open, played June 16-19 at The Country Club in Brookline, Mass.
Ryan McCormick, a fellow St. John's alumnus and 2014 BIG EAST Champion who is currently playing on the Korn Ferry Tour, developed a relationship with Wildermuth while working with Diffley at Pelham.
"As an alum, I'm so excited for the future of the St. John's golf program under Phil Wildermuth," said McCormick. "He's an impressive teacher, coach and has a passion for helping younger players. Phil is well respected in the New York golf community. I have no doubt that he will have a great impact on the legacy and reputation of St. John's Men's Golf."
Prior to joining the staff at Pelham, Wildermuth spent five years working at Centennial Golf Club in Carmel, N.Y., after serving two years as a tournament coordinator with the New Mexico State University PGA Golf Management program in Las Cruces.
Since 2018, Wildermuth has served as the head coach of the Manhattan College men's golf team. Under his tutelage, several Jaspers earned individual honors, including a pair of back-to-back medalist accolades for Sam Taraian and Preston Shortell to close the Fall 2019 season before COVID shut down the Jaspers for the remainder of the academic year and greatly affected their participation in 2020-21.
"On behalf of our entire athletic department, I would like to thank the Men's Golf Search Committee for their tireless effort and commitment to conducting a thorough national search for the benefit of our student-athletes and University community," said Cragg. "We appreciate the dedicated work of committee chair John Diffley, Ambry Bishop-Santillo, Stephen Dombroski, Allie Sachs and Nick Vendikos."
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