Quick Chat: Connor Creasy
November 04, 2020 | Men's Golf, The Frierson Files
By John Frierson
Staff Writer
Georgia golfer Connor Creasy grew up watching auto racing. His family owns Henderson Motorsports and has had vehicles race in multiple levels of NASCAR over the years. The team currently is racing in the Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series, in a truck sponsored by the family's other business, the Food Country USA grocery store chain in Virginia and Tennessee.
Creasy is no car expert, he said, but seeing the passion that his family has for their interests motivates him to be the best that he can be on the golf course. A sophomore from Abingdon, Va., Creasy earned the second top-20 finish of his career the last time the Bulldogs took the course, placing 15th with a personal-best 7-under 206 in the Vanderbilt Legends Collegiate. The Bulldogs wrap up their fall schedule with the Jerry Pate National Intercollegiate in Birmingham, Ala., on Monday and Tuesday.
During a recent Quick Chat, Creasy talked about golfing during the pandemic, getting a hole-in-one (twice), the auto racing business and much more. Here's some of what he had to say:
Frierson: Playing tournaments this fall, does it feel pretty normal given everything with the pandemic?
Creasy: I would definitely say the tournaments feel pretty normal, honestly. At this previous tournament there were no spectators allowed which was kind of different, but the next one I do believe there are spectators allowed. It is pretty normal for the most part.
Frierson: Did you play a ton of golf during the quarantine when you were back home?
Creasy: When I first got back I played a lot, and then I took a little break, but for the most part I played a lot. I didn't really have much else to do, honestly, and luckily the golf courses were still open.
Frierson: Have you ever had a hole-in-one?
Creasy: Yes, sir, two of them. The first one was in 2016, at one of my home courses, and the next one was in 2017, at my other home course. The first one was an 8-iron and the second one was a 7-iron.
Frierson: Did you see them go in both times or was one of them a blind shot and you only found out once you got to the green?
Creasy: I did, I watched them both go in. It's a very satisfying feeling.
Frierson: Is one of those the best shot you've ever hit or is there another shot that comes to mind that's your best?
Creasy: One of the best shots I think I've ever hit was my senior year of high school, state championship, last hole. It was only an 18-hole shootout and I had 134 (yards) and the wind was blowing really hard, and I knew I needed to make a birdie to win. It was an uphill, kind of a blind shot and I hit it to 5 feet and made a birdie.
I don't know, I feel like that was one of the clutchest shots of my life, for sure.
Frierson: Do you have a creative side? What do you do in your free time away from the game?
Creasy: I like to work out a lot and when I'm back home I like to play basketball a lot during the winter. In the summer, there's a lake right where I live so everyone likes to go there and hang out — sit on the water, swim, hang out. That's what everyone does in the summer where I live.
Frierson: Do you have a favorite Halloween candy?
Creasy: Let's go with the Milky Way.
Frierson: Did you ever have a really cool costume? Did you ever dress up as a golfer for Halloween?
Creasy: No, not really. I think I went as a football player, basketball player, baseball player, stuff like that. I was never a golfer, though.
Frierson: What other sports did you play growing up?
Creasy: I played football until sixth grade, I played basketball until 10th grade and baseball until eighth grade, so I played a lot of different sports. I started to play basketball my senior year, I played a little bit, and then I de-committed from Wake Forest and I had to go through the recruiting process again, so I didn't have time to play basketball and go visit schools. I kind of regret not playing, though.
Frierson: I know your family is in the NASCAR business and also in the grocery store business, so what is like growing up in an auto-racing family? How into it are you?
Creasy: I was definitely into it when I was younger and I'm kind of getting back into now. I think it's very interesting. My grandfather and my mom's side of the family definitely have a real passion for it and they love it, and they like to succeed and do well. It kind of inspired me to go on my own path and do something that I like and try to excel at it.
It's been interesting to see them all come together and work together. It's a very interesting sport that's a little different, and it's very cool to watch and fun to follow.
Frierson: Do you know much about cars?
Creasy: I don't know much, to be honest with you.
Frierson: As a very good golfer yourself, what do you make of Bryson DeChambeau and what he's doing on the PGA Tour? He's bulked up a ton and has taken the power game to places we've never seen before, and he just won the U.S. Open doing it.
Creasy: I think golf is definitely going to more of an athletic style and giving an advantage to people who are more athletic and using their athleticism and strength to hit it far. There are a lot of really good players out there. I think the game is going towards that and I think people will follow him and try to get stronger and hit it farther.
Frierson: What's one course that you haven't played yet that you're dying to play?
Creasy: That's a tough question. I would love to play Pebble Beach, for sure. That's probably number one. That golf course looks amazing so I think it would be an incredible experience.
Frierson: How much do you enjoy the creative side of golf, having to come up with a variety of different shots because you're having to go over or around trouble?
Creasy: That's really fun, I like that a lot. Everybody plays it differently and every day brings something different. You might play the same course but you're probably never going to hit it in the same spot that many times. The pins are different every day and everything is at least a little different every day.
I think that's fun and it's challenging, and there's always a few shots that you hit really good and you're like, dang, I want to do that again. It gets you excited and it makes you want to come back the next day.
Frierson: If you could be great at anything for a day, just to experience it, what would it be?
Creasy: I would want to be a great quarterback. I think that would be so interesting. I think that's the hardest job in college sports. There's a lot going on and I think it would be fun to try that for a day, but I bet it would be very difficult.
(This Q&A was lightly edited for length and clarity.)
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Staff Writer
Georgia golfer Connor Creasy grew up watching auto racing. His family owns Henderson Motorsports and has had vehicles race in multiple levels of NASCAR over the years. The team currently is racing in the Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series, in a truck sponsored by the family's other business, the Food Country USA grocery store chain in Virginia and Tennessee.
Creasy is no car expert, he said, but seeing the passion that his family has for their interests motivates him to be the best that he can be on the golf course. A sophomore from Abingdon, Va., Creasy earned the second top-20 finish of his career the last time the Bulldogs took the course, placing 15th with a personal-best 7-under 206 in the Vanderbilt Legends Collegiate. The Bulldogs wrap up their fall schedule with the Jerry Pate National Intercollegiate in Birmingham, Ala., on Monday and Tuesday.
During a recent Quick Chat, Creasy talked about golfing during the pandemic, getting a hole-in-one (twice), the auto racing business and much more. Here's some of what he had to say:
Frierson: Playing tournaments this fall, does it feel pretty normal given everything with the pandemic?
Creasy: I would definitely say the tournaments feel pretty normal, honestly. At this previous tournament there were no spectators allowed which was kind of different, but the next one I do believe there are spectators allowed. It is pretty normal for the most part.
Frierson: Did you play a ton of golf during the quarantine when you were back home?
Creasy: When I first got back I played a lot, and then I took a little break, but for the most part I played a lot. I didn't really have much else to do, honestly, and luckily the golf courses were still open.
Frierson: Have you ever had a hole-in-one?
Creasy: Yes, sir, two of them. The first one was in 2016, at one of my home courses, and the next one was in 2017, at my other home course. The first one was an 8-iron and the second one was a 7-iron.
Frierson: Did you see them go in both times or was one of them a blind shot and you only found out once you got to the green?
Creasy: I did, I watched them both go in. It's a very satisfying feeling.
Frierson: Is one of those the best shot you've ever hit or is there another shot that comes to mind that's your best?
Creasy: One of the best shots I think I've ever hit was my senior year of high school, state championship, last hole. It was only an 18-hole shootout and I had 134 (yards) and the wind was blowing really hard, and I knew I needed to make a birdie to win. It was an uphill, kind of a blind shot and I hit it to 5 feet and made a birdie.
I don't know, I feel like that was one of the clutchest shots of my life, for sure.
Frierson: Do you have a creative side? What do you do in your free time away from the game?
Creasy: I like to work out a lot and when I'm back home I like to play basketball a lot during the winter. In the summer, there's a lake right where I live so everyone likes to go there and hang out — sit on the water, swim, hang out. That's what everyone does in the summer where I live.
Frierson: Do you have a favorite Halloween candy?
Creasy: Let's go with the Milky Way.
Frierson: Did you ever have a really cool costume? Did you ever dress up as a golfer for Halloween?
Creasy: No, not really. I think I went as a football player, basketball player, baseball player, stuff like that. I was never a golfer, though.
Frierson: What other sports did you play growing up?
Creasy: I played football until sixth grade, I played basketball until 10th grade and baseball until eighth grade, so I played a lot of different sports. I started to play basketball my senior year, I played a little bit, and then I de-committed from Wake Forest and I had to go through the recruiting process again, so I didn't have time to play basketball and go visit schools. I kind of regret not playing, though.
Frierson: I know your family is in the NASCAR business and also in the grocery store business, so what is like growing up in an auto-racing family? How into it are you?
Creasy: I was definitely into it when I was younger and I'm kind of getting back into now. I think it's very interesting. My grandfather and my mom's side of the family definitely have a real passion for it and they love it, and they like to succeed and do well. It kind of inspired me to go on my own path and do something that I like and try to excel at it.
It's been interesting to see them all come together and work together. It's a very interesting sport that's a little different, and it's very cool to watch and fun to follow.
Frierson: Do you know much about cars?
Creasy: I don't know much, to be honest with you.
Frierson: As a very good golfer yourself, what do you make of Bryson DeChambeau and what he's doing on the PGA Tour? He's bulked up a ton and has taken the power game to places we've never seen before, and he just won the U.S. Open doing it.
Creasy: I think golf is definitely going to more of an athletic style and giving an advantage to people who are more athletic and using their athleticism and strength to hit it far. There are a lot of really good players out there. I think the game is going towards that and I think people will follow him and try to get stronger and hit it farther.
Frierson: What's one course that you haven't played yet that you're dying to play?
Creasy: That's a tough question. I would love to play Pebble Beach, for sure. That's probably number one. That golf course looks amazing so I think it would be an incredible experience.
Frierson: How much do you enjoy the creative side of golf, having to come up with a variety of different shots because you're having to go over or around trouble?
Creasy: That's really fun, I like that a lot. Everybody plays it differently and every day brings something different. You might play the same course but you're probably never going to hit it in the same spot that many times. The pins are different every day and everything is at least a little different every day.
I think that's fun and it's challenging, and there's always a few shots that you hit really good and you're like, dang, I want to do that again. It gets you excited and it makes you want to come back the next day.
Frierson: If you could be great at anything for a day, just to experience it, what would it be?
Creasy: I would want to be a great quarterback. I think that would be so interesting. I think that's the hardest job in college sports. There's a lot going on and I think it would be fun to try that for a day, but I bet it would be very difficult.
(This Q&A was lightly edited for length and clarity.)
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Assistant Sports Communications Director John Frierson is the staff writer for the UGA Athletic Association and curator of the ITA Men's Tennis Hall of Fame. You can find his work at: Frierson Files. He's also on Twitter: @FriersonFiles and @ITAHallofFame.
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