Featured Story /// Golf with Jim Riek


Out of the Woods with International Flair


Story by: Jim Riek Photography by: WWU Athletics


Remember, readers, I’m always looking for an interesting angle in my golf articles. Here it is. “Here at William Woods, we have 17  Clearly, the William Woods program is mirroring the PGA and LPGA


As a lifelong journalist, I still poke my nose into things that seem peculiar. I play most of my golf at the Tanglewood course in Fulton, where I live. Recently, I discussed with my fellow golfers about the large contingent of William Woods University players we see daily. Considering I’ve known the school’s golf coach for more than 20 years, I had to ask Aaron Murphy about his large squad. My inquisi- tive curiosity is the reason for this story.  “We are the largest golf team in the country, that’s a neat fact,” boasted Murphy. So, how large is large? There are 38 golfers on the men’s team and nine golfers on the women’s team. “We provide a unique playing opportunity. For example, at Columbia’s tournament,  so on,” Murphy explained. “The opportunity to play as a freshman  most teams carry from 15 to 30 guys.”


108 /// May 2026


 tries are playing on the men’s tour. And, 30 countries are represent- ed on the LPGA tour.


“Recruiting is a huge part of the job; it’s never-ending. It’s the most stressful, but it’s also the most rewarding,” said Murphy. And with a global recruiting territory, “I might have a call at 6 in the morning with a kid from Australia, and it’s 9 o’clock in the evening there. It’s very time-consuming.” As an avid Tanglewood golfer, I keep an eye on one particular William Woods player. He’s tall, swings left-handed, and hits the ball out of sight! His name is Spencer Worley. The lefty is from Walsall, England.


“He’s been number-1 since I got here,” explained Murphy. “He’s going to pursue a professional game after this. Great kid, great work ethic, great family. He’s going to be successful at whatever he does because he has so many great attributes about him.”


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