Lawton Announces Men's Golf Signees
7/25/2008 12:00:00 AM | Men's Golf
July 25, 2008
Spartanburg, S.C. - Coming off an outstanding first season playing on the NCAA Division I level and faced with losing a strong group of seniors after the 2008-09 season, USC Upstate head men's golf coach Todd Lawton has added two new players to the team in an effort to propel the Spartans up the D-I and Atlantic Sun Conference ladder.
Joining the Spartans for the 2008-09 season are Tyler Comer and Bryan Otis.
Comer is a local product out of Pacolet Mills, S.C., and a graduate from Broome High School. He was a member of the Broome squad since the eighth grade, playing No. 2 on the team as an eighth grader and moving to the No. 1 position as a freshman. He earned Region II-2A All-Region honors as a freshman and finished 12th in the region tournament. As a freshman and sophomore, he won the Spartanburg County Junior Amateur Championships before moving up to play in the Men's County Amateur as a junior and senior.
Comer came into his own his junior year. He was named the Region II-2A Player of the Year and was an all-region, all-state and Coaches All-State selection with a 38.2 nine-hole scoring average. He won the Region II-2A individual tournament championship, finished fourth in the 2A Upper State Tournament and finished fourth in the 2A State Championship playing as an individual representative from Broome. Playing on the junior circuit, he claimed top 10 finishes at the South Carolina Junior Amateur Qualifier in McCormick, the Shark Shootout (9th) in Myrtle Beach and the Blade Junior Classic (10th) in Greenville. He finished 15th in the 2007 Spartanburg County Men's Amateur Championship. He lowered his scoring average to 37.8 his senior season and earned his second straight all-state and Coaches All-State selection, while earning his third all-region honor. He also earned all-state honors from the South Carolina High School Sports Report and was a member of the North/South All-Star Cup Matches. He claimed a second-place finish in the 2A State Championship by just one stroke, was fourth at the 2A Upper State Tournament and was a second-place finisher in the Region II-2A Tournament. He won three points for the North team in the North/South All-Star Cup and led the squad to a 16 1/2 to 3 1/2 victory over the South.
"Tyler is a dynamic golfer," said Lawton. "He is a left-hander who can hit every shot and desires to improve his game through hard work and practice. He has been successful in South Carolina junior golf and knows how to compete in tough competition. I know he will be a strong player for us in both the short and long term. I am excited he has become a Spartan."
Otis moved with his family to Fort Mill, S.C., from Yarmouth, Maine, prior to the start of his senior year. Despite playing just one year with Fort Mill, he made an impact on the squad. He helped lead the Yellowjackets to a 10th-place finish in the 4A State Championship, turning in a 77 in the first round at Furman University's course while playing with an injury. He led Fort Mill to a 23-0 head-to-head record during the regular season, claiming the Region III-4A championship. He has qualified to play in the AJGA Fidelity investments Classic. He made the all-tournament team with a ninth-place finish at the 2008 TW Memorial hosted by Dorman. Playing in Maine, he finished in a tie for fourth in the 2007 New England Junior Invitational which pitted the top seven-ranked players from each of the six New England states. He participated in the 2006 New England Junior Invitational.
Otis has played junior golf on the Future Collegians World Tour. He claimed top 15 individual finishes at the University of Florida Open and the Amelia Island Open in 2007. In 2006, he finished tied for 17th at the Red Tail Open.
"Bryan is an excellent player who has played well locally and nationally," said Lawton. "He is talented in every aspect of the game and I look for him to make an immediate impact and compete for a traveling spot this year. I am confident that he will work hard every day in the classroom and on the course."
