By J. Daniel Pearson
For the News-Gazette
During the 2012 high school golf season, Harmony’s Tyler Bennett averaged an impressive 36.2 9-hole scoring average and won both the Orange Belt Conference (OBC) and the District 17 championship before falling a few shots short from qualifying for the state tournament. Although Bennett was disappointed that he did not reach his ultimate goal of making the state tournament, his accomplishments were more than enough for him to qualify as the Osceola News-Gazette Male Golfer of the Year.
Bennett may want to reserve some trophy space next to the award. Only a sophomore, he will have two more shots at Player of the Year honors before graduating in 2015.
“About the only disappointment was that I didn’t get a chance to make it to the state tournament,” Bennett said.  “The rest of the year went fairly well.  Our team was pretty focused all season and we went into each match and each tournament with the right attitude.”
Bennett fired a two-under 69 to take medalist honors at OBCs, edging teammate Corey Herman (71) and St. Cloud’s Caleb Sibley (71) by a pair of shots in leading the Longhorns to the team championship.  One week later, Bennett won a playoff over Sibley to take the District 17 title after both golfers posted 2-over 74s.  Bennett’s efforts helped the Longhorns secure a third place team finish.  A week later his season came to an end with an 8-over 80 at Duran Country Club in Viera (Melbourne).
“There wasn’t a lot of pressure on me this season,” Bennett added.  “Everyone sort of accepted their roles and did their jobs.  We had a lot of fun this season.  Obviously I was a little disappointed that I didn’t play better in regionals, it was just one of those days where things didn’t go well.”
A 6-2, 205-pound golfer with a powerful swing and outstanding ball striking abilities, Bennett started playing in junior tournaments as a 9-year-old at Royal St. Cloud Golf Club. Although the athletic Bennett could have succeeded in any number of sports, he chose golf.
After excelling in several junior levels, Bennett earned All-Conference as a freshman and helped the Longhorns win the 2011 OBC Championship.
As for the future, Bennett says improving is his main goal.  “I consider myself pretty good off the tee and a pretty fair ball striker,” Bennett said.  “Putting is something that I really want to get better at, but I guess anyone who has ever played the game can say the same thing. “
Getting better is something Bennett’s swing coach says should not be a problem.  Lake Nona professional Scott Blanchard has been coaching Bennett for almost one year and believes the sophomore can develop into a special player.
“Tyler is a great talent and has an incredible future in front of him,” Blanchard said.  “He has both the physical and mental tools for the game.  Tyler is never too low or too high and always has a willingness to learn.  He’s extremely dedicated to the game and there’s no question he will play at the collegiate level.”
For Bennett, golf is a way of life.  He is currently playing on the fall swing of the ultra-competitive Hurricane Junior Golf Tour, where he has posted a pair of top 20 finishes.
“Basically, when I am not in school, I want to be on the golf course,” Bennett added.  “I never want to slow down.  It’s important to keep playing and keep improving.”