(by Don Meador)
The Allen County-Scottsville Patriot golf program witnessed their seventh college signing in the past six years Monday at the high school library. Senior Owen Talbott made the formal commitment to carry his golf game to Lindsey Wilson University.
Talbott has played golf since the fifth grade but his game really improved within the past several seasons---an improvement driven by more time on the course. Monday, his efforts earned him an opportunity at the tradition-rich NAIA (National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics) university in Columbia.
“It feels pretty good to know that the hard work I’ve put in is going to pay off,” Talbott said. “Lindsey is the closest place to me that has a good golf program. I had seen a lot from coach Butler and the team at Lindsey Wilson.”
Since becoming a part of the AC-S program as a seventh grader, Talbott’s game has developed in multiple ways. He also realizes there remains work to be done.
“I have figured out how to play smarter, not to go all out, and keep the ball in play more,” Talbott explained. “Hopefully, I will continue to figure out how to play smarter and score in different ways. My strength is my driver. I can hit the ball pretty far and hopefully that will give myself an advantage."
Patriot golf coach Scott Stamper is excited to see another AC-S player move into the college ranks.
“This is always an exciting time when our kids get the opportunity to play at the next level,” Stamper said. “Owen is a hard worker and we are expecting big things out of him. He has a tremendous set of skills that just needs to be fine-tuned. He can hit the ball a long way. I have not coached too many kids that can hit it as far as he does. It’s been a great pleasure to me to watch him grow.”
Lindsey Wilson features a very strong program highlighted by their 2025 NAIA National Championship. The Blue Raider golf program are 13-time Mid South Champions and six-time Mid-South Tournament Champions. Former Patriot player Rafe Blankenship started his college career at Lindsey Wilson before transferring to Western Kentucky University.
“I’m very familiar with Allen County-Scottsville,” noted Blue Raider golf coach Chris Butler. “This is an amazing community for golf. We are excited to have another young talented player coming to join us. We feel we can provide an opportunity for him and that Owen can provide us with the opportunity to help our athletic program.”
Talbott---the son of James Dean and Lori Talbott---is the second Patriot golfer this year to sign for college. Barton Rutledge will join Blankenship at WKU this fall. Former Patriot golfers to sign and play in college in recent years include Eli Stamper (Midway), Owen Stamper (Middle Tennessee State University), Josh Ford (Pikeville), and Bryson Bonds (Brescia). Blankenship and Eli Stamper are still in college while MTSU graduate Owen Stamper is a professional who has played on the PGA tour. Ford graduated from Pikeville and was recently introduced as the new coach at South Warren. Bonds played for four years at Brescia while earning a business degree.