Penley Adds Three Signees

Clemson, S.C.—Head Coach Larry Penley has announced the signing of three future Clemson golfers to National Letters of Intent on Friday. The new Tigers will join the program in August of 2017.

The three signees are Colby Patton of Fountain Inn, S.C., Turk Pettit of Auburn, Ala., and Kyle Cottam of Knoxville, Tenn.

 Pettit is a two-sport starter at Lee Scott Academy in Auburn, Ala.   He is the No. 38 junior player in the country according to the Junior Golf Scoreboard after winning a pair of tournaments this past summer. He won the 100th Alabama State Amateur in mid June with a 72-hole score of 278. He gained the one-shot victory at the Country Club of Birmingham. Two weeks later Pettit captured the Future Masters in Dothan, Ala. thanks to a six-under par score 204, including a final round 66.  

In April of 2016 he led his high school to the Alabama State Championship, as he won medalist honors with a 15-under par 129 for the 36-hole event thanks to scores of 64-65.

Pettit is also the starting quarterback on the Lee Scott football team. He has helped the program to the state playoffs as a junior and a senior. The team is still alive in the 2016 playoffs.

Cottham won the Tennessee State Championship last month with a six-under-par score of 138, five shots ahead of his nearest competitor. His performance led his Knoxville Catholic team to a second-place finish. Cottham also led his team to the regional championship with a fourth-place finish in September. He was also fifth at the 2014 state tournament when he played as an individual.

On the amateur circuit, Cottham has eight top 11 finishes in the last two years on the Sneds Tour. He finished fifth at the AJGA Junior All-Star at Innisbrook in 2015 and has three top 10s on the AJGA circuit for his career. He is a three-time Tennessee Junior Cup player and was Most Valuable Player this year.

From an athletic family, Cottam’s mother played basketball at Memphis, his dad played baseball at Memphis and his Kole is a sophomore catcher on the University of Kentucky baseball team.

Patton was a U.S. Junior Amateur qualifier this year when he finished second at the qualifier at Santee National where he shot 141 over the 36 hole. He also finished second at the South Carolina Junior Golf Championship with a two-under-par score of 214. He is ranked sixth in the class of 2016 on the South Carolina Junior Golf rankings.

In high school competition, the Hillcrest High School product won the 4A Regional at Cherokee National in Gaffney, S.C and tied for first at the 4A Upper State Tournament. He finished fourth at the 4A Upperstate tournament in 2015 and has finished in the top 25 of the state 4A tournament each of the last three years. He won the South Carolina 4A Upperstate tournament in 2014.

Patton is the son of former Clemson three-time All-American Chris Patton, the only Clemson golfer the win the United States Amateur (1989).