After garnering SEC Player of the Year and First-Team All-American honors as a junior, expectations are understandably high for golfer Chris Kirk.

A graduate of Etowah High School in Woodstock, Kirk saw his Golfweek ranking rise as high as second in the country in his junior year, and begins this season fourth.

Shooting 65, 66, and 64 to win the All-America classic by five strokes could be a sign of equally great things to come in the spring half of Kirk’s senior year.

“(The All-America) was a great tournament for me,” Kirk said. “I had kind of an up-and-down fall, and the team did as well, so to end on a high note and to play so well against a field like that really gave me a lot of confidence.”

Men’s golf coach Chris Haack echoed his senior’s sentiments.

“Last year was a tremendous year for (Chris), and he’s off to a great start this year. He’s a great talent and his self confidence bodes well for the rest of the team,” Haack said.

While Kirk looks to continue his record-setting career as a senior, there still is an obvious focus on competing for another team national title. Georgia won the National Championship in 2005 and finished sixth in 2006.

Even in an individual sport like golf, the two Bulldog seniors, Kirk and Brendon Todd, have managed to demonstrate qualities of team leadership.

Coach Haack said of the two, “They lead by example. They’re the two hardest workers on the team. They’re not in-your-face kind of guys, but they have earned respect for what they’ve accomplished.”

Haack said he is careful not to place too much pressure on Kirk.

“I don’t necessarily set goals for him. Golf is so different in that you can’t put additional pressure on yourself. We want to be the underdogs,” he said.

The men’s golf team opens its spring season on Sunday at the Puerto Rico Classic, which concludes on Tuesday.