The Dogs have it: UGA keeps pumping out pros for Masters field

Chris Haack, Georgia’s golf coach since 1996, has worked with all of them and said there’s one common denominator that has helped push them toward success. He makes it a challenge to earn the position – regardless of reputation.

“You know, every one of those guys out there are hard workers,” Haack said. “I think at some point in our system of making them qualify and have to play for traveling, it just made them tournament tough and made them comfortable being in pressure situations.”

Credit: Ken Sugiura

Credit: Ken Sugiura

Haack requires his returning players to qualify every year. The low five that emerge from the qualifying process earn a spot in the starting lineup. Players who finished among the top 10 at each tournament are exempt from qualifying for the next event, but have the option to go through qualifying again and bank their exemption for a later date.

“It always kept guys on edge and trying to win and trying to play well,” Haack said. “In all my years, I’ve only had four guys (Henley, Harman, Kevin Kisner and Trent Phillips) that never missed a tournament based on the qualifying we did. Everybody else would miss here and there.”

By learning how to handle the pressure to keep their spot in the starting lineup, players developed their survival skills. After facing a five-footer to hold their position on the team, the notion of doing it on the PGA Tour to make a cut isn’t as daunting.

“It made them comfortable in pressure situations,” Haack said. “That’s what they told me, is that they look back on and say that’s what helped them get ready for the Tour.”

Henley, the highest-ranked Bulldog at No. 7 in the world, will be making his ninth Masters start and has made the cut in his last seven appearances, with a career-best T-4 in 2023. Henley has finished among the top 25 in five the last eight major championships and played on the 2024 Presidents Cup team. He recently won the Arnold Palmer Invitational and is currently No. 3 on the PGA Tour’s FedEx Cup points list. The Macon native was a four-time All-America at Georgia.

Credit: Jason Getz

Credit: Jason Getz

Straka, a native of Vienna -- Austria, not Georgia -- will make his fourth start at the Masters. He has made the cut in each previous visit and had a career-best T-16 showing in 2024. He was a member of the 2023 European Ryder Cup team. This season he has a victory at the American Express and is No. 3 on the FedEx Cup points list. He is ranked No. 13 in the world.

Harman, a Savannah native, will make his seventh Masters start. His best finish was T-12 in 2021. Harman won the 2013 U.S. Junior Amateur and went on to become a three-time All-America at Georgia. After winning the Claret Jug at Royal Liverpool, Harman played on the 2023 Ryder Cup team. He is ranked No. 47 in the world.

English, a Valdosta native, is playing in his sixth Masters. He has emerged as a big-event performer with top-10 finishes in three of the last five U.S. Open Championships. English won the Georgia Amateur when he was 18 and went on to become a four-time All-America at UGA. His best Masters finish was a T-21 in 2021. He is No. 38 in the world rankings.

Kirk, a Woodstock native, will be playing in the Masters for the sixth time and has top-25 finishes the last two years. He finished T-16 in 2024 and his third-round 68 was the low score of the day. Kirk was a three-time All-America for the Bulldogs. He is ranked No. 73.

Thompson, born in Atlanta, will make his Masters debut. The three-time All-America was the No. 1-ranked amateur in the world for eight weeks before turning pro. He qualified by winning the 2024 John Deere Classic, when he set a tournament scoring record.

Credit: Louie Favorite / lfavorite@ajc.com

Credit: Louie Favorite / lfavorite@ajc.com

Watson will be starting for the 17th team and won the event in 2012 and 2014, making him the only Bulldog with a green jacket. He has missed the cut the last two years.

“Those guys are all grinders,” Haack said. “They were all guys that wanted to beat each other’s brains out, but at the end of the day, they’re all teammates and buddies and they just learned to play hard.”

It also ensures a Bulldog camaraderie whenever a new UGA players appears on Tour.

“I’ve always said that we have one of the best golf fraternities ever,” Haack said. “And one of the things I’m most proud of is when we get a new guy out on Tour, all the guys, they know who he is and they’ll immediately start helping them, maybe having practice rounds together or helping them find a house. They do a pretty good job of taking the younger ones under their wings and showing them the ropes.”