Posted: Nov 16, 2012
SANTA CLARA, Calif. - Earlier this week, Santa Clara University men's golf head coach Rob Miller received a signed National Letter of Intent from one of Arizona's elite young golfers, Tyler Kertson (Paradise Valley, Ariz./Brophy College Preparatory). Following his graduation from Brophy Prep, Kertson will attend the University and play for the Broncos in 2013-14.
"It is really rare to be getting a player like Tyler," Miller said on Friday. "Not only is he one of the best players in the entire class nationwide, he is also one of the best students in this class. He has excelled at the top junior tournaments and I think he has a chance to succeed at the collegiate level right away as a freshman."
Kertson has an impressive prep resume thus far, on and off the course. Most recently, he shared medalist honors at the 2012 Grayhawk Invitational in North Scottsdale, a field comprised of the best players and high school teams in Arizona. He posted rounds of 72 and 68 to place third overall at Arizona's 2012 Division I State Championship in late October. A year ago, as a junior, Kertson went 66-69 at the state championship and finished fourth.
Tournament titles Kertson won this past summer make up an extensive list of premier events, such as the USGA Jr. Amateur Qualifier, the JGAA Mesa City Junior World Qualifier, the Southwest PGA Junior Qualifier and the JGAA Phoenix Metro. Kertson would go on to place 31st at the 2012 Junior PGA Championships and second overall to lead Team Arizona at the 44th Eddie Hogan Cup in Portland, Ore. He would also earn a spot to compete at the 2012 Junior World Golf Championships in San Diego, Calif.
Along with his success in golf, Kerston has received the highest of honors in the classroom as well. Complementing a stellar GPA, Kertson found time to be a part of the National Honor Society and enroll in elite level AP and honors courses.
The addition of Kertson should continue to allow SCU golf to climb in the national rankings. Miller brought in one of the program's best-ever freshman classes last fall. That group has already propelled the Broncos back to contention for a spot in the NCAA tournament field this coming spring.
"We get everybody back next year," explained Miller. "Adding a player like Tyler to the roster will allow us to have an extremely talented and deep team in the years to come."
"It is really rare to be getting a player like Tyler," Miller said on Friday. "Not only is he one of the best players in the entire class nationwide, he is also one of the best students in this class. He has excelled at the top junior tournaments and I think he has a chance to succeed at the collegiate level right away as a freshman."
Kertson has an impressive prep resume thus far, on and off the course. Most recently, he shared medalist honors at the 2012 Grayhawk Invitational in North Scottsdale, a field comprised of the best players and high school teams in Arizona. He posted rounds of 72 and 68 to place third overall at Arizona's 2012 Division I State Championship in late October. A year ago, as a junior, Kertson went 66-69 at the state championship and finished fourth.
Tournament titles Kertson won this past summer make up an extensive list of premier events, such as the USGA Jr. Amateur Qualifier, the JGAA Mesa City Junior World Qualifier, the Southwest PGA Junior Qualifier and the JGAA Phoenix Metro. Kertson would go on to place 31st at the 2012 Junior PGA Championships and second overall to lead Team Arizona at the 44th Eddie Hogan Cup in Portland, Ore. He would also earn a spot to compete at the 2012 Junior World Golf Championships in San Diego, Calif.
Along with his success in golf, Kerston has received the highest of honors in the classroom as well. Complementing a stellar GPA, Kertson found time to be a part of the National Honor Society and enroll in elite level AP and honors courses.
The addition of Kertson should continue to allow SCU golf to climb in the national rankings. Miller brought in one of the program's best-ever freshman classes last fall. That group has already propelled the Broncos back to contention for a spot in the NCAA tournament field this coming spring.
"We get everybody back next year," explained Miller. "Adding a player like Tyler to the roster will allow us to have an extremely talented and deep team in the years to come."
