When Lee University golf Coach Jack Souther mailed scholarship papers to Jordan Michael Lawson of Trenton, Ohio, he was well aware that he was recruiting much more than a freshman member of his 2002-2003 golf team.
Academics, not sports, is a Lawson family tradition. Just last year, Jordan’s brother, Adam, was named the valedictorian at Madison High School. Their mother, Karen, walked away with the same honor 28 years ago at Madison.
There was no way Jordan was going to be called the black sheep of the family. When the academic honors were passed out this past May at Edgewood High School, Jordan Lawson was listed as one of the school’s four valedictorians.
From Trenton, Ohio, the latest Lee University golf prospect also made his mark as a student athlete at Edgewood. He earned four letters in golf for Coach Brian Caudill. He fired a 2-under par 70 in the Middletown City Junior Golf championship and averaged 75 strokes during tournament play in high school.
Lawson was his team’s MVP and was named the Player of the Year. Currently, he’s the defending Middletown Junior City champ and the Middletown Junior Match Play champion. He received the Edgewood High sportsmanship, ethics and integrity award. The straight-A student was also named the winner of the Joe Nuxall scholarship, and was a member of the National Honor Society.
Lawson looked at Miami (Ohio) University, the University of Cincinnati, and Wright State University before deciding on Lee. “I really liked the campus,” he said. “My goal is just to play my best and continue to improve. I want to be one of the top golfers on the team and in the (TranSouth) conference. I want to see our team dominate the conference.”
“He’s a big, strong young man who is long off the tees,” said coach Souther. “If all goes well, we could have one of our best overall teams this season. We believe Jordan has the ability to step in and help as a freshman.”
Lawson will major in Finance/Accounting at Lee. The son of Mike and Karen Lawson says he hopes to one day be a successful investment banker and possibly continue his career in golf.