Wood Off to Solid Start at SECs
April 23, 2025 | Men's Golf
By Brigette Ramirez
UGA Sports Communications
Georgia sophomore Grayson Wood, playing in his first SEC Championships, got off to a solid start in the opening round Wednesday on the Seaside Course at Sea Island Golf Club in St. Simons Island, Ga. The transfer from VCU shot a one-over round of 71 on the first of three days of stroke play.
Wood, from Richmond, Va., is tied for 40th after the opening 18 holes while the No. 31-ranked Bulldogs shot a combined 4-under and are in sixth place. The top eight teams after 54 holes advance to the match play competition this weekend. Georgia's Buck Brumlow paced the Bulldogs with a 4-under 66 and is tied for fifth.
As a freshman at VCU last year, Wood was named Atlantic 10 Golfer and Freshman of the Year following his first season. He has found similar success at Georgia. Heading into the SEC Championships, Wood had a 69.8 scoring average in 27 rounds played and improved his national ranking from No. 141 to No. 60. He's also recorded a pair of runner-up performances on the season.
Going from VCU and the Atlantic 10 to Georgia and the SEC has meant a big step up in competition, Wood said Tuesday.
"It's very different. The competition and the tournaments that we play are a lot better," he said. "It's kind of a clarification that I can compete with the best players in college because we're playing against them consistently."
Wood enters the conference championship coming off a runner-up finish in The Ford Collegiate at The Ford Field & River Club in Richmond Hill, Ga., on April 16, falling to Brumlow in a playoff after finishing the tournament 5-under par.
The sophomore now looks to continue to build on that success at Sea Island as the Bulldogs take on a stacked field that features 10 of the top 20 teams in the country.
"There's a lot of good players in the tournament, so it's going to be really tough to finish well, but I think I have what it takes, and coming off of a good week definitely helps with that," Wood said. "I got some good prep, so I'm feeling good. We're hopefully going to try and win this thing."
Georgia is chasing the program's 30th SEC title and will likely need to go low to do so. Led by Texas A&M's Michael Heidelbaugh's tournament-record 9-under 61, 29 players shot under par Wednesday. Along with Brumlow's 4-under, Georgia got a 3-under round from Carter Loflin. Auburn shot 16-under to lead the team competition by seven strokes.
When the team arrived at Sea Island on Tuesday, the Bulldogs were joined by former Georgia standouts and current PGA Tour members Davis Thompson and Harris English. English was a member of Georgia's back-to-back SEC Championship teams in 2009 and 2010 before turning pro in 2011. The Bulldogs last won the SEC title in 2016.
The SEC Championship has been played on the Seaside Course for 22 of the last 24 years, including when both Thompson and English competed in the tournament.
"It's nice to have some of the UGA alumni come back, practice with us, play around with us, and kind of give us tips and tricks," Wood said. "It's nice to have that access to those guys and get to talk to them about stuff whenever we want. That's a really big help."
Wood said Tuesday that he has his sights set high for his individual performance and the performance of the team.
"I obviously would like to win," said Wood. "That'd be fantastic. I'd set my expectations at a win because I believe I have what it takes, but I think I'd personally be happy with a top-15 finish."
For the team, Wood hopes to reach match play and have a chance to compete for the title on Saturday and Sunday.
Beginning postseason competition, Wood reflects on his first season at Georgia with gratitude toward his coaches and teammates and for the opportunity to continue to compete and perform at the highest level.
"I'm very grateful for the opportunity that the coaches have given me to play here because it's been awesome," Wood said. "It's been everything I could ask for."
You can follow the action online on the Golfstat website: https://results.golfstat.com/public/leaderboards/gsnav.cfm?pg=team&tid=29403
UGA Sports Communications
Georgia sophomore Grayson Wood, playing in his first SEC Championships, got off to a solid start in the opening round Wednesday on the Seaside Course at Sea Island Golf Club in St. Simons Island, Ga. The transfer from VCU shot a one-over round of 71 on the first of three days of stroke play.
Wood, from Richmond, Va., is tied for 40th after the opening 18 holes while the No. 31-ranked Bulldogs shot a combined 4-under and are in sixth place. The top eight teams after 54 holes advance to the match play competition this weekend. Georgia's Buck Brumlow paced the Bulldogs with a 4-under 66 and is tied for fifth.
As a freshman at VCU last year, Wood was named Atlantic 10 Golfer and Freshman of the Year following his first season. He has found similar success at Georgia. Heading into the SEC Championships, Wood had a 69.8 scoring average in 27 rounds played and improved his national ranking from No. 141 to No. 60. He's also recorded a pair of runner-up performances on the season.
Going from VCU and the Atlantic 10 to Georgia and the SEC has meant a big step up in competition, Wood said Tuesday.
"It's very different. The competition and the tournaments that we play are a lot better," he said. "It's kind of a clarification that I can compete with the best players in college because we're playing against them consistently."
Wood enters the conference championship coming off a runner-up finish in The Ford Collegiate at The Ford Field & River Club in Richmond Hill, Ga., on April 16, falling to Brumlow in a playoff after finishing the tournament 5-under par.
The sophomore now looks to continue to build on that success at Sea Island as the Bulldogs take on a stacked field that features 10 of the top 20 teams in the country.
"There's a lot of good players in the tournament, so it's going to be really tough to finish well, but I think I have what it takes, and coming off of a good week definitely helps with that," Wood said. "I got some good prep, so I'm feeling good. We're hopefully going to try and win this thing."
Georgia is chasing the program's 30th SEC title and will likely need to go low to do so. Led by Texas A&M's Michael Heidelbaugh's tournament-record 9-under 61, 29 players shot under par Wednesday. Along with Brumlow's 4-under, Georgia got a 3-under round from Carter Loflin. Auburn shot 16-under to lead the team competition by seven strokes.
When the team arrived at Sea Island on Tuesday, the Bulldogs were joined by former Georgia standouts and current PGA Tour members Davis Thompson and Harris English. English was a member of Georgia's back-to-back SEC Championship teams in 2009 and 2010 before turning pro in 2011. The Bulldogs last won the SEC title in 2016.
The SEC Championship has been played on the Seaside Course for 22 of the last 24 years, including when both Thompson and English competed in the tournament.
"It's nice to have some of the UGA alumni come back, practice with us, play around with us, and kind of give us tips and tricks," Wood said. "It's nice to have that access to those guys and get to talk to them about stuff whenever we want. That's a really big help."
Wood said Tuesday that he has his sights set high for his individual performance and the performance of the team.
"I obviously would like to win," said Wood. "That'd be fantastic. I'd set my expectations at a win because I believe I have what it takes, but I think I'd personally be happy with a top-15 finish."
For the team, Wood hopes to reach match play and have a chance to compete for the title on Saturday and Sunday.
Beginning postseason competition, Wood reflects on his first season at Georgia with gratitude toward his coaches and teammates and for the opportunity to continue to compete and perform at the highest level.
"I'm very grateful for the opportunity that the coaches have given me to play here because it's been awesome," Wood said. "It's been everything I could ask for."
You can follow the action online on the Golfstat website: https://results.golfstat.com/public/leaderboards/gsnav.cfm?pg=team&tid=29403
Players Mentioned
Georgia Men's Golf SEC Championship - Quarterfinals - Postmatch Interview - Coach Haack
Saturday, April 26
Georgia Men's Golf SEC Championship - Round 3 - Video Recap
Friday, April 25
Georgia Men's Golf SEC Championship - Round 2 Video Recap
Thursday, April 24
Georgia Men's Golf SEC Championship - Round 1 Video Recap
Wednesday, April 23
