In his first tournament of 2024 at the Puerto Rico Classic, Connor Creasy led the team by tying his career 54-hole low to seal Georgia’s win at the event.
Creasy finished the tournament tied for third individually, his career-best finish with a 14-under, 202 total. He was one of two golfers in the event to record multiple eagles. This team win marked the team’s first since NCAA Bath Regional in May 2023.
Creasy followed this up with his second-straight top-10 finish at the Southern Highlands Collegiate this past weekend, tying for eighth.
“The biggest thing I learned about myself last year is that my good is good enough to compete with the best in the world,” graduate student Creasy said.
The Abingdon, Va. native earned SEC Golfer of the Week after the career performance in Puerto Rico, marking his first time winning the award and becoming the first Georgia golfer to receive the honor since 2022.
Creasy has shown exponential improvement since the fall. His top individual finish in the fall was 38th, but has since recorded consecutive top-10 finishes for the second time in his career. Over the four tournaments in the fall, Creasy averaged 71.7 per round and is now down to 70.3 in the spring semester.
“As he’s gotten older, we keep preaching to him to just believe in himself and go out there and play like there’s no tomorrow,” head coach Chris Haack said. “He’s someone who has embraced that. Connor plays with a lot more confidence now.”
Creasy’s “no-brainer” choice to come to Georgia five years ago has caused him to become a team leader, as he has served as co-captain since 2022. Fast forward through eight semesters in the Classic City, the decision to return for a fifth year was an easy one for him.
Creasy is the only men’s golfer who has spent all five years of his eligibility at Georgia. His leadership style has been developed because of the time he’s spent with Coach Haack and Associate Head Coach Jim Douglas.
“I more so lead by example,” Creasy said. “I’m not extremely vocal around the guys.”
Coaches and teammates’ opinions on Creasy’s leadership reflect his.
“He’s just a good calming influence on everybody because he is such a good guy and has such a good demeanor,” Coach Haack said. “He’s just always a good example for anybody to emulate.”
Taking that extra year to learn from the coaches and his teammates has been the best way for him to get better before professional play. Although golf is an individualized team sport, Creasy believes each individual can help the team by just having fun with the game. Each year he has learned something new about himself and his team.
Creasy’s goal for the team for his final collegiate season is to get a little better each week. He wants the team to learn more about themselves as individuals and as a team. The ultimate goal is for the team to peak at the SEC Championship, NCAA Regionals and the NCAA Championship.
Raised on a golf course in his hometown, Creasy just got the itch to go out and hit some balls when he was younger. It has now turned into a career. After this season, Creasy hopes to follow in the footsteps of many other Bulldogs and play professionally.
“I have to raise the bar to compete at such a high level often,” Creasy said.
Next up, the Bulldogs will take a short trip to Greensboro to compete in the Linger Longer Invitational from March 17-19. The tournament will be held at the Great Waters Course at Lake Oconee.