Otte leading the way for golf team
For a 10-year-old Preston Otte, golf was just another recreational activity to do with his dad and brother.
Now, a senior at USU dual-majoring in entrepreneurship and human recourses, Otte has parleyed golf into the perfect college pastime. Otte was red-shirted as a freshman, and after one semester on the team, he took a few years off to travel overseas.
Apart from golf, he enjoys the outdoors, hunting and fishing with his family. A native of Burley, Idaho, Otte has given the USU golf team its best finish, at the Idaho Fall Classic, since Cody Huot in the spring of 2004. Shooting a cumulative 210 for three rounds, he came in third overall.
Scoring a 225, nine shots under par, to open the season at the Gene Miranda Invitational in
Colorado Springs, Colo., tied Otte for 67th. A few days later at the Purple and Red Golf Invitational, he jumped to a 14th-place finish.
Match play against Southern Utah University in 2005 at the Logan Golf and Country Club gave Otte an 11 under par advantage, scoring a 60 on an 18-hole, 71-par course.
“That was probably my best round ever,” Otte said.
Getting ready to compete against SUU once again on Oct. 21 and 22 at the Southern Utah Duel in Cedar City, Utah, Otte hopes to maintain his current season average of 72.44.
The Aggies will have another two weeks before heading south for the head-to-head tournament.
Preparation before course play, for Otte, consists of hitting shots he knows he will be hitting on the tournament course. Growing up close to the University of Idaho gave him an
advantage when he was gearing up to compete in Moscow, Idaho; he knows the bump and run of the course.
“In any tournament, when I prepare I just always focus on the first three holes,” Otte said. “If I can play well on the first three holes, it will force me to get in the zone.”
Golfing in Hawaii or California has always sparked Otte’s interest. Since the Aggie golf team’s funding cannot take the players to Hawaii, he will have to settle, at least for now, for their road trip to Northridge, Calif., for the Countrywide Loans Invitational on Oct. 30 and 31.
A fan of Jim Furyk and Tiger Woods, Otte would like to continue to be involved with college
athletics in the future. He also intends to do business on the golf course after he graduates in the
spring. Some free time will certainly be welcome after graduation, Otte said.
As for teammates, Otte enjoys the individuality that each player, whether freshman or senior,
brings to the game, giving the example of Aggie golfer Jared Rose. He also praises Coach Dean
Johansen on his skills as a leader.
“Our coach is incredible,” Otte said. “He’s really what makes this program.”
Named athlete of the week by a state media panel for the week of Oct. 1, Otte joins fellow athletes Vance Twitchell, cross country, and Marcus Cross, football, as USU honored athletes of 2006.
Otte said he is looking forward to seeing how the team will continue to develop throughout the season. The travel schedule is really giving the team something get excited about, Otte said. He’s just keyed up to be playing here and seeing what the rest of the fall and spring have in store.
-eawads@cc.usu.edu