Following Valspar, Georgia’s Lee McCoy focused on college title run before turning pro

Lee McCoy has attended the Masters as a spectator before.  

But you won’t see Georgia’s top golfer walking around the Augusta National course watching the pros play in the 80th edition of the tournament this week.

McCoy, one of the best college golfers in the nation, is obviously a lifelong fan of the sport. But after a 4-under 280 fourth-place showing at the PGA Tour’s Valspar Championship last month in Palm Harbor, Florida – in which he finished ahead of defending Masters champion Jordan Spieth – he is no longer considered an up-and-comer.

He’s now arrived, with still some time remaining in his final collegiate season at Georgia. That’s why it would hurt for McCoy to stand and watch at one of the sport’s premier events.

"After being inside the ropes so recently and getting to mix it up with those guys, I just don’t want to go watch," McCoy said. "It’ll make me itch a little bit. That’s something I want to do."

That one tournament performance raised McCoy’s profile where he’ll have his pick of sponsorships when he turns pro following the season. He’ll have to stay patient until that time arrives, however. Following next week’s SEC Championship, McCoy and the rest of the Bulldogs will wait another month before the NCAA regional tournament, with the NCAA Championship concluding on June 1.

McCoy has a plan in place for when it’s time to go from amateur to pro, something he even considered a year ago. But he's not ready to think about it too much yet.

Part of the reason he came back was to chase a national championship with his teammates, which is something the Bulldogs have only done twice in history and haven’t accomplished since 2005.

Thanks to McCoy and fellow senior Sepp Straka returning for their final years of eligibility, Georgia will be very much in the hunt next month.

"I think the chance to win a national championship was huge," Straka said. "With both of us coming back we have such a good chance. We have four of the best players in the country on the same team. That’s just a big driving factor. I also think he wanted to improve some aspects of his game as well. Obviously, he had a great season last year and he’s done it again this year. He’s a really great player. I feel like in golf you can never improve too much."

But another factor was the fact McCoy figured out on his own last summer that he wasn’t ready to turn pro yet.

In the moment, everything about his golf game felt right. He was hitting and putting well, and felt he was putting a complete package together. Yet at the 2015 John Deere Classic, McCoy barely made the cut and finished 69th with a 2-over 286, despite the confidence he felt about his play. He returned to Georgia as a result, which is a decision he’s very much pleased with.

"I knew if I felt that confident in my game and was only able to make the cut on the number and make what would have been $15,000 – that’s not going to cut it," McCoy said. "You can’t do that over and over and keep your tour card. You got to be throwing in top-fives and top-10s."

Georgia has been blessed with top-notch golfers under head coach Chris Haack’s watch. At this week’s Masters, Bubba Watson, Harris English, Chris Kirk and Kevin Kisner will all be participating. Russell Henley did not qualify for this year’s Masters after playing in it the previous three years.

In the near future, McCoy could add to the list of former Georgia golfers succeeding on the PGA Tour.

"He’s got a few things on his plate that he’s trying to achieve and maybe leave here as the most decorated guy we’ve had in quite a while," Haack said. "I know he’s got some lofty goals. As far as his ability, I wouldn’t be surprised to see him do it. He’s a pretty darn good and I think he’s going to be a good one at the next level."

Life has been a bit different for McCoy since returning from the Valspar Championship last month. After excelling in front of over 10,000 people on site, McCoy has gone back to the friends-and-family crowds of college golf. Expectations about his pro career have since risen, with McCoy doing his part to stay grounded in his approach.

Since he was an amateur at the Valspar Championship, McCoy was unable to collect a six-figure sum by finishing fourth.

"To be exact, it was $292,800," McCoy said.

But that wasn’t the most disappointing aspect about doing so well at an amateur at a professional tournament.

"The stuff that hurts more than that, honestly, is I didn’t get the FedEx Cup points, which would have exempted me almost fully for the Web.com Tour," McCoy said. "I didn’t get that became I was an (amateur). I didn’t get to do the next event, finishing in the top 10. I would have been in the Puerto Rico Open and it wouldn’t have wasted one of my sponsor exemptions, you only get seven. It was frustrating but obviously, I put myself in a better position than I was a month ago. It’s hard to be anything but grateful."

It won’t be long before McCoy is a professional, working his way up to be the next Georgia great on the PGA Tour. But even McCoy, with a big dream soon to be realized, isn’t ready to jump all-in on what’s to come just yet.

"I still have stuff to do here," McCoy said. "I still have stuff I’m focused on. It’s warm here again which is great. I can come out here and work on my game. I’m still trying to get better every day and maybe I can help my teammates get better in the process. We still have to win a championship before I’m done here. As much as I want to look forward, I have to stay in the moment. There’s still a lot more I can accomplish."

This story was originally published April 6, 2016 at 5:21 PM with the headline "Following Valspar, Georgia’s Lee McCoy focused on college title run before turning pro."