University of Georgia golfer Russell Henley is trying to follow in the footsteps of another Bulldog who went it alone and won a national championship.
Playing in the final group Tuesday at The Honors Course, Henley shot a 1-under-par 71 in the first round, good enough for a tie for 25th on the leaderboard. Henley, No. 1 in the latest Golfweek rankings and the Southeastern Conference player of the year, put himself in position to post a low score in the favorable afternoon conditions, but the putts didn’t fall.
Many were within 10 feet.
“It’s golf and I’m not too worried,” Henley said. “I’ve played a lot of rounds like that. Everything feels great, though, so I’m not too worried about it.”
Georgia coach Chris Haack said Henley was solid for most of the round, but his score could have been much lower.
“It really could have,” Haack said. “He played well enough to shoot 4 or 5 under. A couple of three-putts hurt him, and (the missed fairway on No. 18) was really the only bad drive he hit all day.”
The Georgia team didn’t make it to the Honors this week, missing out on the NCAA championship tournament for the first time since 1997. Henley qualified as an individual by earning medalist honors at the South Central Regional.
Of the six players competing as individuals, his opening round was the best. He made four birdies and shot a 3-under 33 on the front nine before miscues on Nos. 10 and 18 left him at 1 under for the round, three shots back of the leaders.
“I feel great about my game, and it’s not time to change anything,” Henley said.
Even though the team title is the ultimate goal, Henley might find some inspiration from Chelsey Gullickson of the UGA women’s tennis team. The Lady Bulldogs lost in the second round of the NCAA team tournament last month, but Gullickson won the NCAA singles championship Monday in Athens.
“I’m playing to win; I play every tournament to win. It’s just unfortunate that the team’s not here,” Henley said. “That’s in the past, and I’ve just got to keep going.”
Georgia, which won the team title in 1999 and 2005 and has had dozens of All-Americans, has had just one NCAA individual champion: George Hamer in 1946.
June will be a busy month for Henley. After chasing a national championship this week in the 54-hole NCAA individual tournament, the Macon resident will set his sights on qualifying for the U.S. Open. Henley will play in the sectional qualifying in Atlanta next week.