Meet Hickory's Grayson Baucom, the world's top Class of 2028 golfer, according to AJGA
Hickory rising 11th grader Grayson Baucom knew June 15 — the first day college coaches could officially contact him — was going to be a big day, but still he turned his phone off that night and didn't look at it until the next evening.
Baucom was playing a qualifier that morning, so he didn't want the distraction. When he finally turned his phone back on with his family that evening, he had more than 25 messages from NCAA Division I coaches.
Grayson Baucom works on his game at his home course, Lake Hickory Country Club Catawba Springs Course.
"It was a cool experience later that night seeing all those messages, phone calls and emails," he said. "You always hear about June 15 for years and then when the day comes, you don't really believe it's there, but then you see all those messages and you say, 'Man, this is not even a real feeling'."
Those messages included coaches from some of the top schools in the nation, including several from the ACC and the SEC.
Rising to the top
Baucom was already having a big year before the contacts and offers started pouring in.
He won the Amateur Junior Golf Association (AJGA) Simplify at Carlton Woods played in the Woodlands, Texas, on Feb. 13, beating out some of the top junior amateurs, including No. 1 Miles Russell. That win gave him the No. 1 ranking in the world among Class of 2028 juniors in both the AJGA rankings and the Junior Golf Scoreboard Rankings (JGS). He is ranked No. 5 in the world among all junior amateurs according to AJGA.
He has more big plans for the rest of the year, as well. Baucom is playing a tournament at Pinehurst No. 2 this weekend after a tournament on the Bethpage Black course June 22-26. Later this summer, he will compete in the AJGA Junior Players in Ponte Vedra, Florida at TPC Sawgrass- The Players Stadium Course. He will also be representing the United States in the Juniors Presidents Cup, which pits the top amateur U.S golfers against others from around the world. That tournament will take place at Medinah Country Club in Illinois, Sept. 17-20.
Grayson Baucom practices his putting at the Lake Hickory Country Club Catawba Springs Course.
For all his accolades, though, his father, Mark Baucom, said, the things college coaches are saying about his character mean the most.
"It has been a very humbling and exciting experience to have a lot of coaches talk to his mother and myself in this recruiting process," Mark said. "Of course, they talk about the golf and his rankings, but what's more important to us is most of the coaches are saying, 'We watch you, we've done that for years and we love what we see in terms of you always supporting other players. ... You have a great attitude, and you approach the game with a high level of integrity and character.' ... That means more to us than his golf game."
It takes a village
Baucom's big win at the Woodlands took place right after a series of winter storms left the Hickory area covered in ice and snow for nearly two weeks. Baucom said there was a monthlong period when he wasn't able to get out on the course.
Mark Baucom caddies for 9-year-old Grayson at the Charlotte Local U.S. Kids Golf Tournament.
Brad Munday, who owns the Tour Truck Golf Shop, let him come out and practice during the winter weather.
"I'm super thankful to have the Tour Truck Golf Shop in Hickory as a resource," Grayson said. "Brad fits me for my clubs and gets all my bags. So, it was super nice being able to go there as much as I wanted. ... It helped me so much because, when I got there, I was prepared even though I hadn't hit a ball outside in a month ... I'm also thankful for Jason Harris with A Plus Roofing for all of his support."
Mark said it is a prime example of the community effort it takes to support someone competing at the top level of amateur junior golf.
"It takes a team of coaches and community around Grayson," he said. "It takes all of this to help sustain him at this level."
The following interview with Grayson has been edited for length and clarity:
How did you get started in golf?
My dad would come out here and play these Thursday night shootouts, and he'd let me drive the cart. I got to watch him and be out here around all these guys.
Grayson Baucom swings at a ball at age 7 at Lake Hickory Country Club.
These guys took an interest in me. I could swing the club pretty good when I was little and it was just a lot of fun. Then I'd come out here and play with some of my friends and it's all history from there.
What were some of the early moments you realized you could be really good at golf?
I won the Future Masters. That was a crazy moment because I was so young and it was such a big trophy I couldn't even really hold it. ...
Grayson Baucom hoists his Junior Masters Trophy after winning the competition at age 10.
Then I was on the PGA Junior League North Carolina team in Arizona when I was 12. I made a 25-footer on the last hole for us to get tied for the lead after the first round. We ended up winning it as a team.
What is it like playing on some of these courses most people only read about?
It's really good what the AJGA has done and how they have made a way for us juniors to be able to play these tour courses and get experiences with tough courses and the conditions in which tour pros play. I'm definitely super thankful to be able to play all these great courses and learn so much.
Tell me about the mindset that it takes to compete with some of the top young golfers in the world?
You can see it in the way a kid like Miles Russell handles himself. You hear a lot of people say he looks like a mini tour pro out there. Everything he does is so focused.
The mindset is just different. You have to be confident in yourself, definitely not cocky to other people. They can see it, but you have to believe that, 'Hey, I'm here for a reason and I can beat all these guys, or I can compete, at least'."
Tell me about the mental aspect of the sport.
It's almost more mental than it is physical. I know a lot of guys that are better than me physically, but my mental game is strong.
What is it like coming back to Lake Hickory Country Club as one of the top-ranked junior golfers in the world?
It's so welcoming. I come out here and play the Thursday night shootouts, and there are so many people who have supported me since I've been a little kid, and they have always believed in me. It's so cool coming back. ... Everybody here is so nice, and we have such a great community here.
It sounds like the people you have met are a big part of the appeal of the game to you.
Almost all my buddies that I play with on these tours are my best friends. I get to see them every week and meet guys from across the country and the world. It's such an awesome experience to be able to play such top tournaments and meet other kids and see their life and their background.
Are you still having fun?
Oh yeah. The other day, we got back from Bethpage late. We had a flight that night and got back at 10:30 p.m. I was out at (Lake Hickory Country Club) at 6:30 a.m. hitting balls. I didn't want to be at home; I wanted to be out here teeing off at 6:30. It's definitely still all for the love of the game. It's just like with these experiences, everything is finally paying off, and you get this far and that makes me just want to see how far I can get.
Jason Koon is the Sports Editor for the Hickory Record and can be reached at jason.koon@lee.net.
