The members of Georgia's men's golf team have proven they can win as individuals. But can they win as a team?
That's the primary question facing the 12th-ranked Bulldogs after they received an NCAA Tournament bid on Monday. Georgia found out it will compete in the West Regional at the Colorado National Golf Club in Erie, Colo., on May 19.
Russell Henley leads the Bulldogs into the regionals after shooting 12-under to become only the second amateur in history to win a Nationwide Tour event on Sunday in the Stadion Classic at UGA. But can his play shake loose the Bulldogs from what has been a lackluster season?
"Sure, I think it can," said Henley, still basking in the glow of his victory on Monday. "Golf's a lot about confidence. I feel like I've got my confidence up and I feel like Harris [English] had a good tournament, too. I think it's something everybody's going to feed off of. Watching somebody else on the team win makes you want to go out there and win, too."
English, who also played the Stadion on a sponsor's exemption, shot 4-under par to finish in 18th place.
Georgia has had individuals play well all season, but it hasn't been able to put it together as a team. Its only team victory came back in October at the Brickyard Collegiate Golf Championship in Macon. Since then the Bulldogs have recorded just one third-place finish and came in a disappointing fourth when they attempted to defend their 2010 SEC Championship at Sea Island.
That's well below expectations for a team that featured three seniors who have earned All-America honors (English, Henley and Hudson Swafford).
"My expectations for this team were pretty high, almost to the point where I probably had too many expectations for these guys," coach Chris Haack said. "Yeah, we thought we'd be better. But we know we need to be jelling when it comes time for the NCAAs."
Traditionally, the Bulldogs have done that. They have finished in the top 10 five of the past six seasons, including winning the title in 2005.
"The thing about golf is there are only two tournaments that really mean anything: the SECs and the NCAAs," Haack said. "Everything else is really just practice and preparation. So you want to make sure you're peaking at the right time."
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