University of Southern Mississippi Athletics
Golden Eagles Sign Pair of Golfers
5/13/2002 12:00:00 AM | Men's Golf
Golden Eagles Sign Pair of Golfers
HATTIESBURG, Miss. - Head Coach Steve Johnson has added a pair of outstanding golfers to his 2001-02 signing class, Will Taylor of West Point, Miss., and Austin Brown of Jackson, Miss.
The two join Daniel Dennis of Collierville, Tenn., who signed with the Golden Eagle program during the fall signing period. Southern Miss loses five players off this year's team, including All-C-USA and All-Tournament performer Tim Yelverton, who recorded the lowest single-season individual average ever for a Golden Eagle golfer and who recently was selected to play in the NCAA tournament that starts May 16 in Roswell, Ga.
Johnson says the new signees will help keep the Golden Eagle program moving in the right direction. "I'm excited about having both these players, who are quality students and golfers, as members of our program," Johnson said. "We've made great strides in recruiting top golfers in the state of Mississippi, and we look forward to adding Will's outstanding national-level tournament experience over the past two years, as well as having a player of Austin's calibre become members of our team."
Brown played at Terry High School, where he was a member of the 1999 State 4-A championship team. He also was a member of the 2001 Mississippi Cup Team, was the Mississippi Junior Player of the Year as well as the Gulf States Section Junior Player of the Year, both in 2001. He earned five varsity golf letters, is a member of the National Honor Society and graduated with honors.
Taylor is a native of West Point, Miss., and is coming to Southern Miss following an outstanding career at Shelton State Community College in Tuscaloosa, Ala., where he earned an impressive array of honors. Those include winning 2001 Regional and All-American honors. He also finished first in the 1999 State Amateur Junior Tournament.
Both players show personal best rounds of six-under-par 66.
The Eagles are coming off a solid third-place finish in the recent Conference USA Championships, one that saw the Golden Eagles post their lowest team score and best league finish in recent history. In addition to Yelverton, Johnson loses four other members of this year's squad, Andy Jacobson, Bo Lee, Jake Pasch and Chris Speight.
