Former South Carolina golfer Blaine Woodruff was hired as Wisconsin's assistant men's golf coach in January of 2016.
In his first full season with the Badgers, Woodruff helped guide the team to a fourth place finish at the Big Ten championships as well as the fifth-best stroke average in school history.
On the individual side, sophomore Jordan Hahn recorded five top-15 finishes and his average of 72.77 strokes per round was good for third-best in program history.
Woodruff graduated with honors from South Carolina in 2014 with a degree in business administration. The four-time All-Southeastern Conference Academic honoree played four years for the Gamecocks and was their scoring leader as a freshman earning MVP honors with his 74.11 scoring average.
He had his top tournament finish that year, taking second place in his second collegiate event, shooting a career-best 7-under 69-67-70=206 at the Mason Rudolph Championship. His 54-hole score of 206 tied for the 10th-best total score in South Carolina school history. Woodruff had five top-20 finishes in his collegiate career playing in 25 tournaments and achieving a career, scoring average of 74.79;
While at South Carolina, Woodruff was tutored in golf by his personal instructor, Scott Hamilton, one of the premier instructors on tour right now, and Bill McDonald, the head coach at South Carolina. Both men helped provide Woodruff with a wealth of golf knowledge.
Michael Burcin talked about Woodruff’s college resume. “Not only was Blaine a standout junior golfer out of Atlanta and member of a perennial top-10 college program, but he was also a tremendous student in the classroom while being extremely organized and balanced within his golf and academics.
As the former assistant coach at South Carolina Burcin said, "I remember having conversations with Blaine about getting into coaching when he was a freshman in college so I know he is coming to Madison with a passion for the coaching business and the game of golf. Our players and alumni will enjoy working with Blaine!”
A native of Acworth, Georgia, the former two-time Georgia PGA Junior Player of the Year set the school record for scoring at Harrison High School with a 71.4 average in 2009. He helped the Hoyas to a AAAAA state championship in 2008 and 2010, and runner-up honors in 2009 while serving as the team captain and earning MVP honors.
As a prepster, Woodruff qualified for match play at the 2008 U.S. Junior Amateur and was the three-time Atlanta Junior Player of the Year. He was medalist in the 2009 Georgia State Amateur qualifier with a 66 and also qualified for the 2009 Georgia Open. He finished second in the 2009 Georgia PGA Junior Championship at 8-under.
Woodruff said of his first coaching position, “I am thrilled to join the University of Wisconsin-Madison as the assistant men’s golf coach. Being around the game for so many years has taught me how to become the person I am today, and I am excited to be able to return that favor with some of the top collegiate golfers in the nation.
“Through my experience as a collegiate golfer, I found out the impact that coaches have on you as a player. I look forward to being an additional resource for the players on the team that can hopefully make a difference in their career, or ultimately, their life. The facilities, academics and community available to Badger student-athletes are among the top tier in the NCAA. I thank Coach Burcin for the opportunity he has given me, and I look forward to helping Wisconsin men’s golf become a contender not only in the Big Ten, but also at a national level.”
Golf Honors: 2005 and 2006 Georgia PGA Player of the Year, 2009 Marietta Daily Journal Boy’s Golfer of the Year, Harrison High School Boy’s Golf MVP and Captain (2006-2010)- led the Hoyas to State Championships in 2008 and 2010, University of South Carolina Men’s Golf Team MVP (2010-2011), Southeastern Conference Honor Roll (2010-2015), Team SAAC Representative 2011-15
Academic: Bachelor of Science in Business Administration (GPA 3.7-Cum Laude) May 2014, Awards: Athletic (Golf) Scholarship, McKissick Academic Scholarship / MOORE SCHOOL OF BUSINESS, University of South Carolina Columbia, SC USA , Master of Human Resources (MHR) (GPA 3.86) December 2015
