Braidech Ready To Represent UTC At NCAA Golf Regionals

With the exception of the nearby Phoenix Zoo, one would be hard-pressed to find a flamingo within thousands of miles of the Sonoran Desert surrounding Scottsdale, Ariz. But that didn’t deter Camden Braidech from becoming fascinated with the flamboyant wading birds as a toddler.

That early fixation with flamingos still persists today with Braidech, who just completed his sophomore year as an all-Southern Conference golfer at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. Just like the highly-social waterfowl are known for their dazzling pink plumage and unmistakable appearance, Braidech has made a similar splash in his inaugural season with the Mocs.

Braidech is affectionately known as “Mingo” among his UTC teammates, and his golf bag has featured a flamingo head cover since his earliest days. The transfer from Liberty University also meticulously uses a pink sharpie to draw his favorite animals on his golf balls during competition.

“The flamingo has been my favorite animal pretty much since I started playing when I was three,” Braidech said. “I’ve always had a flamingo head cover, but they eventually wear out and have to be replaced. This one is going on four years now, so it’s definitely seen its better days.”

The soft-spoken Braidech who has shown flashes of brilliance this season with two individual wins will represent the Mocs next week at the NCAA Regional in Auburn, Ala. While UTC wasn’t selected to participate in the regionals for the first time in head coach Blaine Woodruff’s three seasons, Braidech will be competing as an individual at Auburn University Club in the 54-hole event that commences on Monday.

Host team Auburn will join 12 other schools and ten individuals in the three-day tournament hoping to advance to the NCAA Championship at the Omni La Costa Champions Course in Carlsbad, Calif. scheduled for May 23-28. The low five teams and low individual from a non-advancing team will receive bids.

Also earning an invite to Auburn is former Chattanooga Christian golfer Jonathan Xoinis, who is a redshirt senior with UT-Martin.

“I’m feeling more excitement than pressure to play in regionals,” Braidech said. “For me, it's an opportunity to play one more tournament representing the Mocs this year. I think I'm more excited than anything to be able to potentially carry on this program’s tradition and to represent this university which I love.”

Braidech’s play has proven to be a highlight for Chattanooga this season. He was the low scorer for the Mocs in his first three tournaments last fall, picking up his first collegiate win in his third outing at the Qubein Cup at Sedgefield Country Club in Greensboro, N.C. after posting a 3-under 207 while leading UTC to the team title.

Braidech snagged his second win in March at the Ross Collegiate in Southern Pines, N.C., sharing medalist honors with senior Garrett Engle with a total of 7-under 209 as the Mocs also captured the team laurels. He finished the year with an average score of 72.39 in 11 tournaments including one other Top 10 placement and a low round of 66.

“I’m really proud of Cam’s year,” Woodruff said. “He was our rock in what was kind of an up and down year for us as a team. We played really, really well at points, and our bad was pretty bad honestly. But he was steady the entire season. Winning in college golf is hard, and for him to do it twice in one season is really impressive.”

It didn’t take long for Braidech to carve his own unique niche in his first season in Chattanooga. In addition to his flamingo fixation, his curly blonde locks that tumble beneath his hat created a distinctive flair that is as captivating as the wizardry he displays when it comes time to stick a peg in the ground and compete.

“He mentioned that a couple coaches told him when he was in the portal that he'd have to cut his hair if he came there,” Woodruff said. “One of the first questions he actually asked me was if I was okay with his hair. I told him, ‘Yeah, I'm fine with your hair.’  So that was kind of a funny start to our relationship.”

Braidech arrived at UTC hoping to earn a spot in the lineup after making six starts at Liberty where he had a pair of Top 20 finishes. He felt an immediate connection to his teammates which eased his transition.

“I didn't have a whole lot of expectations at first, to be honest,” Braidech said. “I think one of the things going into Liberty was I had a lot of high hopes and those weren't really met. When I got here, the guys were super welcoming. Coach kind of took me under his wing and helped build me over the first few weeks, and I was just excited to get back into college golf and into kind of what college golf is meant to be, which is a group of guys working towards a goal.”

Braidech was in contention entering the final round before faltering in his second tournament at Kentucky. But the occasion provided a chance to learn and grow.

“After Kentucky I sat down with Coach and we kind of talked about how that week will help build me towards the next moment that I'm in contention,” Braidech said. “We weren't really expecting it to be that very next week.”

Woodruff also recalled how well Braidech was able to process and learn from his disappointment.

“We talked about the feelings that he felt and what he would do differently if he was in that position again,” Woodruff said. “I told him, ‘You're going to be in this position again, so let's use this moment.’ Funny enough, he ended up winning the very next week. To see that growth from him was really cool for me as a coach, and a lot of that is just a testament to him buying in.”

This is the fourth straight year UTC has been represented in the NCAA Tournament. Paul Conroy had an individual appearance in 2022, before the team entries the last two seasons. The 2023 squad that advanced to the NCAA Finals earned their spot by finishing third at the regional staged at the same Auburn University Club course Braidech will be playing.

Braidech is the fifth individual to earn a regional bid, joining Neil Connolly (1993, 1994), Wes Gosselin (2016) and Conroy (2022).

“It is bittersweet because as a team it’s not our plan to be home at this point and not competing in regionals,” Woodruff said. “But the rewarding part is I know that Cam has earned it, and so to be able to go with him this week and to experience that with him, it does make it a little bit easier to swallow.”

Paul Payne can be emailed at paulpayne6249@gmail.com