E-mail: justin.emil@vanderbilt.edu
Bio:
2010-11: Since joining the Commodore staff in the summer of 2006, Assistant Coach Justin Emil has played a key role in building the Vanderbilt men[apos]s golf program.
The Commodores have won three team championships — the Samford Intercollegiate, the 2009 Seminole Intercollegiate and the 2008 Kauai Collegiate Cup — and boasted four individual medalists while earning postseason berths in both 2007 and 2009.
Emil and Coach Shaw were busy from day one in Nashville. In their first season, the Commodores advanced to the prestigious 27-team field at the 2007 NCAA Championships. Both Luke List and Jon Curran would earn All-America recognition following the season.
Emil strongly believes in the power of fitness, placing part of his focus with the team[apos]s physical conditioning. He participates in most group workouts and pushes the team in every session. Vanderbilt[apos]s conditioning has played a major factor in late-season surges over that past three years.
On the course, Emil still keeps his game finely tuned. He competes throughout the off-season, including making the cut on his way to finishing 31st at the 2009 Tennesseee State Amateur, and finishing 6th in the Tennessee State Mid-Amateur in the fall of 2009. In May of 2009, Emil regained his amateur status after five years of professional golf.
He finished second in the Tennessee PGA Section Assistants Championship (74-67) in 2007, qualifying to play in the Taylor Made/adidas PGA Assistants Championship.
Emil also has played a big role in the development of Vandy Golf Day, which has raised over $150,000 for the golf programs in four years. He also helped introduce the Mason Rudolph Award, a special honor for service to Vanderbilt golf which honors former PGA Tour star and Commodore Golf Coach Emeritus Mason Rudolph.
A native of Gulfport, Miss., Emil came to Nashville after a stellar collegiate playing career at the University of Southern Mississippi, where he was a four-year letterwinner. He earned Conference USA Freshman of the Year honors in 2000, and was named second-team All-Conference following his senior season in 2003. Emil qualified for the United State Amateur Championships in 2002 (Oakland Hills) and 2003 (Oakmont).
Emil earned his bachelor[apos]s degree in sports administration from the University of Southern Mississippi in 2002. He continued his education at Southern Miss, earning a master[apos]s degree in sports management in 2004 while working with Golden Eagle golfers as a graduate assistant.
Justin and his wife Amber, a first-grade teacher at Nannie Berry Elementary School in Hendersonville, TN, reside in Nashville.