Start Date: June 2022
Year-by-Year Coaching Record
2022-23: 139-51-2 | 4 Team Wins | 2 Medalists | Final Ranking: 41
2023-24: 111-54-1 | 2 Team Wins | 2 Medalists | Final Ranking: 40
2024-25: 79-65-2 | 3 Team Wins | 5 Medalists (3 events) | Final Ranking: 80
Totals: 329-170-5 | 9 Team Wins | 9 Medalists (7 events)
2024-25
- Led the team to three wins, all sweeps including medalist honors: Qubein Cup (Camden Braidech), Bentwater Intercollegiate (Braedon Wear/Ethan Whitaker) & Donal Ross Collegiate (Braidech/Garrett Engle).
- Second time in school history with three straight seasons with multiple wins. Other instance? 2007-09: 3 (2006-07), 4 (2007-08) & 3 (2008-09).
- First time in school history that four different Mocs could claim wins in a season.
- Braidech was the first Moc since A.J. Lintunen in 2020-21 to win multiple times in a season in 2024-25.
- Braidech earning an individual bid to NCAA Regionals marked three NCAA postseason in three years under Woodruff.
- 23-shot winning margin at the Ross was the largest since 30 over South Florida at 2023 Wofford Invite.
- Three All-SoCon honorees: Braidech, Engle & Wear. One All-Freshman: Ethan Whitaker.
- Four SoCon Golfer of the Week honors: Braidech (Oct. 16), Carson Johnson (Oct. 30), Wear & Whitaker (Feb. 12) and Engle & Braidech (March 12).
2023-24
- Finished the season with two teams wins and five runner-up finishes. Won the Marquette Intercollegiate at Erin Hills and the Cincinnati's Bearcat Invitational.
- Two 2023-24 medalists: Samuel Espinosa (Marquette) and Paul Conroy (Furman). 5 runners-up & 10 total top 5s: Espinosa (T1-4-2), Conroy (3-1), Houk (3-T2-T2-2) & Wear (T2).
- One PING All-East Region selection in John Houk. Three All-Southern Conference: Houk, Espinosa & Conroy. One SoCon All-Freshman: Ward Harris.
- Three weekly league awards and two monthly. SoCon Golfer of the Week: Conroy (Sept. 20); Conroy
(Oct. 26); Houk (March 27). SoCon Golfer of the Month: Espinosa (Sept.); Houk (March).
- The squad's 22 par or better team scores (35 rds) broke the record of 20 (39) set in his first season (2022-23).
- Helped Houk set new season (70.60) and career (71.00) scoring records with both marks toppling PGA TOUR winner Stephan Jaeger's '12 numbers.
- Houk’s three cards of 65 or better tied the school season record (Oliver Simonsen/2018-19). Conroy (4), Tripp
Harris ‘10 (2) & Chris Robb ‘14 (2) are the only other Mocs to do it multiple times in their careers. Conroy and
Houk are tied for most in a career (4) with all eight of those instances coming under Woodruff.
- The win at Marquette was the first season opening team win since 2008-09 capturing the 2008 Aldila Scenic City Invitational with a 45-under total of 819.
- Espinosa's win marked the first time opening the season with a medalist since the 2004 Buffalo Rock/Southern Showdown (Bryce Ledford).
- Conroy’s (-8) triumph at Furman was the first time the Mocs took 1-2-3 in an event with Espinosa (-7) & Houk (-6)
right behind. Closest was 1-2-4 at 2012 SoCon Championships: Stephan Jaeger (-9), Chris Robb (+2) & Steven Fox (+3).
- Houk finished 19 under for the season, 23 under for his career. First Moc to complete a career under par. Joins
Jaeger (2011 & 2012) to post back-to-back par or better seasons. Just the sixth total in school history.
2022-23
- Led the Mocs on a 94-spot journey up the rankings from No. 135 at the end of 2022 prior to his arrival, to No. 41 by season’s end.
- Squad earned at large berth to NCAA Auburn Regionals finishing third as the eighth seed. Finished third, three behind host Auburn and two shy of No. 1 Vanderbilt, to advance to the third NCAA Finals team berth in school history and first since 2012. Completed the event in a tie for 23rd beating three two 25 teams.
- Seven Top 25 wins on the year total:
(12) Tennessee at Auburn Regionals (23 shots)
(16) Virginia at Linger Longer (25)
(18) Mississippi State at NCAA Finals (1)
(19) Oregon at NCAA Finals (3)
(22) Colorado State at NCAA Finals (6)
(24) Colorado State at Auburn Regionals (8)
(25) Ohio State at Auburn Regionals (6)
- Four team wins on the season, second-highest total in program history
Wolfpack Invite: 286-289-272-847 (-17) | Medalist – Paul Conroy: 70-74-62=206 (-10)
Furman Intercollegiate: 288-277-273=838 (-14)
Wofford Intercollegiate: 269-275-265=809 (-43) | Medalist – John Houk: 62-67-67=196 (-17)
Hoosier Invite: 293-291-286=870 (+6)
- Two PING All-Region performers in Paul Conroy and John Houk. They are the first honorees since U.S. Amateur champ Steven Fox and Chris Robb in 2013. One of just five schools in the region with multiple honorees: Georgia Tech (5), North Carolina (4), Clemson (2) & Duke (2).
- Four honored All-SoCon with Conroy and Houk joined by Garrett Engle and Samuel Espinosa. Just the second time in school history with four honored in the same season (2007-08).
- Conroy & Houk broke PGA Tour pro Stephan Jaeger’s record for par or better rounds (22) with 23 apiece. The team recorded 101 such rounds with 40 in the 60s, both school records.
- Team shot 44 under with a school-record 285.03 average. First Mocs squad to complete a season at par or better. Conroy (-8) and Houk (-4) became the fourth and fifth all-time to do it individually.
- 568 birdies on the counting cards for the season is a school record with five different student-athletes record 100 or more – Houk (139), Conroy (136), Espinosa (136), Engle (113) & Braedon Wear (100). Houk, Conroy and Espinosa all bettered the school record of 132 set in 2007-08 by volunteer assistant Derek Rende ’10.
Prior Experience
- Pepperdine, Associate Head Coach, 2018-22
- Wisconsin, Assistant Coach, 2016-17
National Championships
PGA TOUR Golfers
- Sahith Theegala (Pepperdine)
- Joe Highsmith (Pepperdine)
- William Mouw (Pepperdine)
PGA TOUR Winners
- Sahith Theegala (Pepperdine)
- Joe Highsmith (Pepperdine)
- William Mouw (Pepperdine)
Presidents Cup Team
- 2024 USA: Sahith Theegala (Pepperdine)
Korn Ferry Tour Golfers
- John Houk
- Clay Feagler (Pepperdine)
- Josh McCarthy (Pepperdine)
- RJ Manke (Pepperdine)
- Dylan Menante (Pepperdine)
- Joey Vrzich (Pepperdine)
PGA Tour Americas
- Paul Conroy
- Griffin Barela (Pepperdine)
- Derek Hitchner (Pepperdine)
- Sam Anderson (Wisconsin)
- Jordan Hahn (Wisconsin)
- Coalter Smith (Wisconsin)
Haskins Award (National Player of the Year)
- 2020: Sahith Theegala (Pepperdine)
Hogan Award (National Player of the Year)
- 2020: Sahith Theegala (Pepperdine)
Nicklaus Award (National Player of the Year)
- 2020: Sahith Theegala (Pepperdine)
NCAA Tournament Appearances
Regionals Team: 2018, 2019, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024
Individual: 2025 (Braidech)
Finals Team: 2019 (11th),
2021 (1st), 2022 (Final FORE), 2023
Conference Championships
West Coast Conference (Pepperdine): 2018, 2019, 2021, 2022
WCC Medalist: 2018 (Clay Feagler), 2019 (RJ Manke), 2021 (Clay Feagler)
All-America
- 6 GCAA and 8 Golfweek All-America nods at Pepperdine
PING All-Region
- 2024: John Houk
- 2023: Paul Conroy, John Houk
- 15 at Pepperdine
All-Conference
- 2025: Camden Braidech, Garrett Engle, Braedon Wear | Ethan Whitaker (All-Freshman)
- 2024: Paul Conroy, Samuel Espinosa, John Houk | Ward Harris (All-Freshman)
- 2023: Paul Conroy, Garrett Engle, Samuel Espinosa, John Houk
- 18 at Pepperdine
All-American Scholars
- 2024: Paul Conroy, Samuel Espinosa
- 2023: Paul Conroy, Samuel Espinosa
- 4 at Pepperdine
Team Titles
- Nine as a head coach
- 19 wins at Pepperdine as an assistant
Medalists
- Nine as a head coach (seven events)
- 19 at Pepperdine as an assistant
Personal
Wife: Katie (Mitchell) Woodruff | Son: Maverick
Hometown: Acworth, Ga.
Alma Mater: South Carolina ’14 (Bachelor’s in Business Adm.) | ’15 (Master’s in Human Resources)
- 2021 & 2022 Jan Strickland Award Finalist (Assistant Coach of the Year)
- Wisconsin’s ranking at his time of hire (168) rose to 86th from beginning of spring 2016 to end of fall 2017 prior to his departure to Pepperdine
- Pepperdine was No. 48 when he arrived in Malibu (Fall 2017) and rose to No. 1 in final 2020 ranking prior to COVID cancelling remainder of the season
- High school teammate of former Mocs golfer J.T. Clendenin (Harrison H.S.)
- 2020 Harrison High School Hall of Fame Inductee
- Wife Katie also coached golf as an assistant at Pepperdine and USC and was a standout student-athlete graduating from Louisville in 2016
Playing Career
- South Carolina student-athlete: 2011-15
- Played in 25 career college tournaments, earning five top 20 finishes with a career scoring average of 74.79
- Gamecocks Team MVP: 2011
- SEC Honor Roll all five years
- U.S. Amateur Qualifier: 2011, 2012
- 2008 U.S. Junior qualifier
- 2-time Georgia PGA Player of the Year: 2005, 2006
- 2009 Marietta Daily Journal Golfer of the Year
- Harrison Golf MVP and team captain (2007-10)
- State Championships in 2008 and 2010
