The latest in a long lineage of Bulldog golfers to turn pro might owe his opportunity to make a living playing the sport he loves to a sibling rivalry.

Senior Brendon Todd started on the driving range as a five-year-old.

“My dad would come home and take (my brothers and me) to the golf course,” he said, “and we’d go out there to the range and hit balls. It became sort of a passion for us, and over the next five years, we all started playing more and more.”

Todd’s brothers, Tyler, 24, and Stewart, 26, were the catalysts as teenagers for Brendon’s improvement, vaulting him into prominence on the junior golf circuit.

“There was always kind of a sibling rivalry,” said Todd. “I was the youngest and always wanted to beat them. I was always trying my heart out. By the time I was 13 or 14, I could consistently play with my older brother and beat him once in a while.”

Because they went to different high schools, Brendon got the chance to compete against Tyler.

“We played a lot together in the same group, and by that time, I would beat him every time, so that was kind of interesting. I didn’t feel bad, but at the same time, I kind of did.”

Though Tyler and Stewart did not pursue golf in college, they received degrees from Appalachian State and UNC-Chapel Hill respectively, partly inspiring Brendon to attend college and stay all four years.

“For me, I always wanted to go to college,” said Todd. “Both my older brothers went to college, had a really good time, got their degrees, and I always wanted to go and get a nice college degree to have something to fall back on in case going pro didn’t work out.”

Four years, two SEC championships and one NCAA championship later, Todd stands ready to make the leap to playing the sport he loves professionally.

He is mindful, however, of the rest of his career at the University.

Todd, who will graduate May 12, will play in the NCAA Regional May 17-19 and upon qualification, will participate in the NCAA Championship May 30-June 2. The rest of Todd’s summer will include a slate of amateur tournaments that may give him a chance to represent the United States in the Walker Cup, an international amateur competition.

“Amateur golf is a great option to continue playing against some of the best players in the country and continue to make a name for myself,” Todd said. “There’s always sponsorship dollars on the line, even in amateur golf.”

Todd’s stellar career at the University of Georgia places him at the gateway to a successful professional career, following in the footsteps of former Bulldogs such as Justin Bolli, Erik Compton and Paul Claxton.

“There’s a lot of competition and uncertainty, but with a positive attitude and just knowing that I’ve had a lot of success, I have the mindset to go out and do pretty well,” Todd said. “That would be the ultimate fantasy for me, to get out on the PGA TOUR real quick and make that my living year in and year out.”