BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Following his best collegiate result with a t-6th finish at the Linger Longer Inviational, Camden Smith has been named the SEC Freshman of the Week, the league office announced on Wednesday afternoon.
Smith becomes the first Bulldog to receive the recognition since Maxwell Ford did so twice during his freshman season – on Feb. 9 and Feb. 17, 2022.
“Winning this award means a lot to me,” Smith said. “It’s something I’ve worked really hard for. I think SEC golf is the best conference with the best players, and I know a lot of teams have been playing this week, so it’s pretty special to be recognized for this award. Now that we’re in the spring and the postseason coming up quickly, it shows that my game is in a really good spot right now.”
The Ponte Vedra, Fla. native carded his first top-10 finish at the Great Waters Course in Eatonton after a seven-under, 209 total. This tied his career 54-hole low, finishing tied for sixth individually with teammate Connor Creasy. The Bulldogs finished with a 26-under-par, 838 total, finishing in third place just three strokes behind Virginia.
Smith began the tournament with a pair of 69s, earning consecutive sub-70 rounds for the first time his career. The freshman’s second round of three-under was the second-best on the team as he bogeyed just one hole. Smith finished tied for the sixth most birdies of anyone in the field with 14, also notching his third-straight top 30 finish.
“I’m excited because this gives me a lot of confidence heading into the next few events,” Smith said. “It is cool for me because I was able to go to a tournament and not only have my first top 10 but also receive this recognition for all the work I’ve put in.”
Georgia’s will next travel to TPC Harding in San Francisco as the Bulldogs will compete at The Goodwin hosted by Stanford on March 28-30.
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