ON APRIL 13, in the vicinity of Johnson City, Tennessee, former East Tennessee State golf coach Fred Warren was fixated on his television screen. He observed Rory McIlroy, the talented young golfer he first encountered in Ireland when McIlroy was only 13, battling to maintain his lead on the back nine of Augusta National.
The intense sequence of birdie, bogey, par, double bogey, bogey, birdie, par, birdie, bogey, leading to a playoff, mirrored the emotional rollercoaster McIlroy had put Warren through before. It had been twenty-one years since Warren almost secured McIlroy for his team, and once again, McIlroy`s performance stirred strong feelings in the veteran coach.
Warren recounted, “He had a five-shot lead after ten holes, and you’d expect him to comfortably finish. Then suddenly, he’s in trouble, and you find yourself completely absorbed in the moment because he consistently delivers such captivating performances.”
The instant McIlroy`s birdie putt secured the playoff victory, Warren`s phone began to vibrate, his inbox quickly filling with congratulatory messages. Weeks after McIlroy`s triumph, Warren chuckled recalling the excitement it generated.
Warren humorously noted, “Within minutes, I was receiving texts saying, ‘Your guy just won!’ Yet, I never actually coached him!”
For a fleeting period, a mere snapshot in a multi-decade career, McIlroy was slated to relocate to a modest Tennessee city nestled among Kentucky, Virginia, and North Carolina. McIlroy’s brief commitment to East Tennessee State is hardly a significant detail in the ongoing epic of one of his generation`s finest golfers. However, in Johnson City, this small segment of history remains vivid.
“He could have chosen any university,” stated Aaron O’Callaghan, who closely observed McIlroy`s rise in Northern Ireland. O’Callaghan was one of McIlroy`s playing partners on that renowned day at Royal Portrush in 2005 – the site of this year’s Open Championship – when McIlroy, at just 16 years old, astonishingly shot a course-record 61. “Things moved incredibly fast for him once he started winning consistently.”
In recent years, the rise of the transfer portal and Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) deals in college sports has diminished the significance of the National Letter of Intent, which formally binds an athlete to an institution. Nevertheless, hanging framed in emerald green within ETSU`s golf performance center is a two-page NLI – a charming piece of documentation that still carries weight.
The document is dated November 15, 2004. While McIlroy’s name and essential details are typed at the top, the signatures at the bottom, one from a 15-year-old McIlroy and the other from his mother, Rosaleen, remain perfectly preserved.
FRED WARREN WAS truly innovative for his era.
The veteran golf coach, who took the helm at East Tennessee State in 1986, quickly recognized the need to adapt his recruitment approach.
“We are a mid-major institution, not a flagship university,” Warren explained. “I realized that since golf is a global sport, I could discover talent beyond the United States. So, I was among the first coaches to recruit internationally.”
O’Callaghan elaborated, “Fred understood he probably wouldn`t attract the top player in Tennessee. But he believed that if he could recruit the best player from Wales, the best from Scotland, and perhaps the top or second-best from Ireland, his team could be truly competitive. And he proved it.”
Warren’s first Irish recruit for the Buccaneers was JP Fitzgerald, who later served as McIlroy`s caddie from 2008 to 2017. Warren didn`t stop there. He continued his travels to various parts of Ireland, Scotland, and Wales, establishing a steady flow of talent from the region to East Tennessee State. His efforts eventually led to commitments from players like Gareth Shaw, who achieved All-American status at ETSU, and Cian McNamara.
McNamara and Shaw (along with O’Callaghan) were members of Ireland`s national boys` teams. Thus, as Warren recruited them and traveled to tournaments across the United Kingdom and Ireland, the name of a younger player consistently arose. “They were the ones who first told me about Rory,” Warren recalled. “I started observing him when he was around 13 or 14. Even then, you could clearly see he had that `it factor,` whatever you want to call it, he possessed it.”
During one of his numerous visits to Ireland, Warren found himself watching a 15-year-old McIlroy at Portmarnock Golf Club in Dublin for the 2004 Boys Home Internationals. McIlroy played alongside O’Callaghan and McNamara – the latter already committed to ETSU – and continued to distinguish himself among older, larger competitors.
“One quality I noticed in Rory, which he still possesses, is that watching him is like opening a bag of potato chips,” Warren mused. “You intend to have just one or two, but then you keep going back for more. Similarly, I would plan to watch him for a few holes, but end up watching the entire round because he was so captivating.”
Even then, it was clear to Warren that McIlroy`s time in college golf would be brief. However, if there was any chance McIlroy and his family would consider playing for just a year or two, Warren believed he had as good a shot as anyone. After all, some of McIlroy`s closest friends were already destined for Johnson City.
That day at Portmarnock, Warren walked the course with Gerry McIlroy, Rory`s father. As they reached the parking lot, Warren finally made his pitch. This, he thought, was his prime opportunity to convince the McIlroys about East Tennessee State.
What Warren didn`t realize at the time was that Gerry had already done his research. The McIlroys had already spoken with McNamara and Shaw, and their parents too, discussing Johnson City and why ETSU was the ideal fit for Rory. Still, Warren gently approached the subject.
“Would Rory be interested in playing college golf?” Warren inquired.
“Yes,” Gerry replied. “And he’d like to play for you.”
IF YOU HAIL FROM Holywood, Northern Ireland, where the population barely exceeds 11,000, Johnson City’s population of over 73,000 might seem like a significant cultural shift. However, the town`s charming simplicity was precisely what made it an easy choice for many junior players from abroad seeking to refine their game in the United States. The picturesque scenery also contributed to its appeal.
“Johnson City closely resembles Ireland in its terrain, with rolling hills and cattle,” O’Callaghan observed. “The people are incredibly welcoming, and they genuinely love their golf here; the small-town atmosphere is very inviting.”
“It’s simply not the sort of place a top American golfer would typically choose. But for us guys from overseas, we don`t really have a deep understanding of college golf,” Shaw explained. “When you see the tournaments, the schedule, and then when I first arrived and saw the practice facilities, it was astounding, truly unbelievable.”
Beyond the familiar face of Warren, a practice facility designed by Tom Fazio that was, at the time, exceptionally rare for a college program, and an outstanding schedule, what drew Irish and Northern Irish players like Fitzgerald, McNamara, and Shaw was also what brought McIlroy to East Tennessee State for an official visit in the fall of 2004.
“Being in a larger city would have been a major deterrent for players like myself and Rory,” O’Callaghan commented. “Here [in East Tennessee], the facility is only about a kilometer from where the players would reside.”
Warren`s most effective recruiting method was word-of-mouth among players in the UK, so by the time McIlroy arrived in Johnson City, very little persuasion was needed.
“I believe the appeal stemmed from the opportunity to join a program with teammates he already knew and enjoyed being around, and he could clearly see it was a place where he could develop his game for professional golf,” O’Callaghan stated. “It ticked all his boxes.”
Even as McIlroy turned away other coaches and remained loyal to Warren and ETSU, he couldn`t escape the inevitable: the more McIlroy played, the clearer it became to everyone, including himself, that he was ready – not just for college golf, but for the professional circuit. This is why O’Callaghan, Warren, and Shaw are not surprised by the golfer McIlroy has become.
“He was four and a half years younger than me, so at that stage when I was 18 or 19, we were relatively on par,” Shaw recalled. “He could hit it the same distance, but he could hit it lower, draw it more, and fade it more. He was an exceptionally confident young person.”
They all vividly recall the distinct sound of his ball strikes during practice when they first met him at 12 years old. O’Callaghan remembers being unable to sleep because, at 15, he was scheduled to compete against a 12-year-old McIlroy in a match he feared he might lose. The legendary 61 at Portrush, which seemingly drew the entire town to the course, remains an unforgettable memory for them.
“I remember some parts of it, but not all,” McIlroy said recently when asked about that round. “It was certainly the first time I had ever felt completely `in the zone.`”
O’Callaghan particularly recalls a moment in 2006 when he witnessed McIlroy put together four nearly flawless rounds of golf, which secured him the European Amateur title in Italy.
“There was a PGA Tour event happening that week [the 2006 Buick Open], and Tiger Woods won by shooting 66 every round,” O’Callaghan recounted. “I remember us celebrating Rory’s win, and him seeing Tiger’s score and comparing it to his own. He was already aiming to chase down Tiger when he was just 16.”
The writing was already on the wall for ETSU. O’Callaghan and McIlroy`s other friends knew he was committed to Warren; they also understood that at that point, he was destined for greater achievements. Back in Johnson City, Warren also wondered if McIlroy would actually make his way over. Then, he finally received a call from McIlroy, who, Warren says, delivered a message to the long-serving coach: “I’m still coming, but you can give my scholarship to someone else.”
Warren read between the lines and understood then that McIlroy would likely never wear an East Tennessee State uniform. There was disappointment, certainly, but also a profound understanding. McIlroy was a rising star, destined for the top.
“There were no hard feelings,” Warren affirmed. “He was such a kind person, and I completely understood the situation.”
A few days after McIlroy`s call, Warren met with one of the school’s compliance directors and explained the circumstances. McIlroy was no longer coming to ETSU. As the director prepared to close McIlroy`s file, Warren made one final request.
“Do me a favor: don’t get rid of that letter,” he told her. “I believe that young man is going to become No. 1 in the world.”
A Lasting Legacy
MCILROY NEVER ARRIVED in Johnson City, yet in the annals of East Tennessee State golf, he remains an indispensable figure. The ripple effects of both his decision to sign there and his subsequent choice not to play there resonate even today.
Back in 2005, Jordan Findlay was content to remain in Scotland for another year, awaiting the opportune moment and ideal program for his collegiate commitment. Then, Warren called.
The ETSU coach knew that Findlay, the winner of the 2004 British Boys Amateur Championship, was keen on moving to the States, but there was a hurdle: Warren had no available spots. However, once McIlroy seemed set to stay abroad and eventually turn professional, Warren reconnected with Findlay and his family. He couldn`t offer the full scholarship McIlroy was slated to receive, but he could provide a place on the roster that fall.
With little more than hearsay about Warren and the program, and never having visited Johnson City, the Findlays turned to a familiar acquaintance for guidance.
“My dad was fairly good friends with Gerry, Rory’s dad, so he actually called him and sought his advice,” Findlay explained. “We knew Rory had been on a recruiting visit there, so we made the decision blindly, trusting their judgment.”
The decision proved fortunate. Findlay not only ended up playing for ETSU, but he also remained there, continuing to work and reside in Johnson City to this day. “I’ll give you one guess why,” he offered, before answering his own question. “I met my wife during my first week here.”
The following season after McIlroy`s unofficial decommitment, Warren utilized the scholarship spot left vacant by McIlroy to help recruit and bring in another player from Ireland: Seamus Power.
“You bring in one person, and it can attract a dozen more. I think the familiarity of having people from a similar or the same country was appealing,” stated Findlay, who grew up in a Scottish town of 15,000. “It just became known among Scottish and Irish people that it was a welcoming environment.”
“It truly felt like a home away from home,” Shaw remarked. It was fitting, then, that when Warren retired last year, Power knew exactly whom to recommend to replace the Hall of Fame coach. The two-time PGA Tour winner and East Tennessee State alumnus was on the putting green at the Memorial Tournament in Ohio when he called O’Callaghan, inquiring if he would be interested in the Buccaneers’ head coaching position.
O’Callaghan never played under Warren (he ultimately attended Southeastern Louisiana), but he observed ETSU’s growing reputation in his home country and admired Warren’s program from afar. The connection between him and Power, him and McIlroy, and how all their stories intertwined their home island with this small Tennessee town, made the decision effortless.
“To be able to lead a program that means so much to your friends, people you grew up playing with, competed with, and represented Ireland with,” O’Callaghan expressed. “It’s a tremendous honor for me.”
These days in Johnson City, the strong link between the school’s golf team and the part of the world that nurtured McIlroy persists. O’Callaghan has continued to follow Warren’s successful recruitment strategy; the current team includes six players from various European nations.
The roster features a senior from Denmark, a junior from Germany, a redshirt sophomore from England, a redshirt senior from Scotland, and two young freshmen – Gavin Tiernen from Dublin and Ben Oberholzer, who grew up in Belfast, just a few miles from Holywood.
“It has truly come full circle,” O’Callaghan reflected. “It`s a very unique situation.”
On Monday, McIlroy arrived at Royal Portrush early and played a solo practice round. As he navigated the golf course he once mastered as a teenager, a large crowd followed, fans eager to welcome home their Grand Slam champion. Standing among them, intently watching every shot, was Oberholzer.
