Conquering Autism: Troy Athens Senior Led Team to Undefeated Season

By Tom Lang

I have been around high school and Junior golfers for almost 30 years, watching and reporting on their joys and their struggles, their victories and their heartache. 

And I must honestly say, one of the most inspirational young men I have met in those three decades was the last high school golfer I got to know this summer.

He is Bennett Lewis.

In many ways Bennett is how a typical, good high school golfer would be viewed. He scores well. He studies the game and makes improvements.

He is not typical, however, in that he was diagnosed with Asperger’s Syndrome, which is firmly planted on the Autism scale.

Bennett recently graduated from Troy Athens, with Summa Cum Laude honors and as a member of the National Honor Society.

He co-led the team to the Division 1 Regional title to qualify for the state finals for the school’s first time in nearly 30 years, and to the program’s first unbeaten record in a season for almost 40 years.

He made the All-Oakland County honorable mention team. He averaged 39.8 for 9 holes, 75.2 for 18 holes, to lead the team in total-season scoring by a few fractions over teammate Nate Hazen, the now graduated Athens football quarterback who was neck and neck with Bennett all season.

Bennett is known as very fun-loving, but also very talkative person who moved around a lot with boundless energy his first two years on the high school team. Those traits sometimes got in the way of playing competitive golf where a quiet persona is paramount in respect for others playing the game. During his sophomore season, he figured out why his energy level was higher than most – the Asperger’s. His energy remains high today, but as he has adjusted and matured; he maintains control better now.

“When I first found out I thought to myself, ‘oh, that makes sense, that’s why I act like that,’” Bennett told me. 

Athens head coach Dan Cooper knows about people with special needs. He has a family member in a similar situation. He didn’t know Bennett had Asperger’s when he joined the team, but Cooper still knew from the first of his four years playing varsity golf that Bennett would hold a special place on the team despite his outward actions that other players didn’t understand upon first meeting him.

“All I had to do was coach those kids to look at Benny, smile, and tell him it was time for their shot and could he please stand still for a minute,” said Cooper, who calls him Benny. “And Benny would go statue on them. He wouldn’t move a muscle.”

A fellow golfer that Bennett admires and respects is PGA Tour player Billy Mayfair, a five-time pro winner on Tour including a Buick Open in 1998 – plus the 1987 U.S. Amateur champion. Mayfair was recently diagnosed in 2019 with Autism – had it his entire life and didn’t know it. But he has learned how to handle it, how to thrive on the PGA Tour Champions and had 2 top-5 finishes and a T15 at the Ally Challenge just the past couple of months.

I introduced the pair after Mayfair’s second round this summer at Warwick Hills. Mayfair was very attentive to Bennett and gave some great advice and encouragement as they shared their commonality.

“I was in denial a very long time,” Mayfair said of his own diagnosis. “My wife kind of saw it, she felt it. Other friends saw it. I thought everyone else was wrong, that it’s everyone else that’s different. And then I read the doctor’s report that was about 20 pages long, and things started clicking for me. And we knew we could use this to our advantage, to help me – not just to being a better golfer but to being a better father, being a better husband and just being happier in life.”

To help Bennett understand more about their shared situation, Mayfair told him:

“We are a very unique breed. We’re very picky, we’re very anal in a way, and we’re perfectionists; that’s why you’re so good at golf. I can tell you’re good with your studies, too. I can just tell by talking with you the last five minutes…you’re going to do things your way, and you should. Don’t let anyone else tell you differently. You’ll figure things out your way. Your brain works one way, and you know how it works.”

Although Bennett has had many lightbulb moments in recent years, Mayfair provided the latest.

“When he took the time to establish his message that we’re a very special breed, I don’t think he (Mayfair) could have summed it up any better,” Bennett said. “I think Asperger’s Syndrome hinders you in a lot of respects, but it also makes you stronger in other aspects. Sometimes with Asperger’s you’re a little too deep and too honest around other people. And I’m not saying honesty is a bad thing, but sometimes you can get a little too personal and it makes others a little uncomfortable. 

“But at the same time, Asperger’s gives you the ability to relate to other people when they feel the same way, because you feel that way all the time. You feel awkward. You feel left out, and you can relate with them and tell them how you’ve dealt with it. And I think that’s what makes Asperger’s Syndrome more of an advantage in the world instead of a limitation.”

Bennett has taken advantage of the opportunities golf has brought to his life. His next goal is to get accepted into the PGA management program at Ferris State. He also creates fantastic videos of some of his rounds of golf, with full commentary and a funny, unique perspective: https://m.youtube.com/channel/UCDB6gN4TvuGj314-xMvDPnQ

“Benny was so good about getting everybody pumped and getting everyone involved,” Cooper said about the team’s interaction. “And I don’t even know if he realized how much of a positive affect he had.

“He is the most diverse person we’ve had on the team. We have a very wide variety of students at Athens, and he’s one that shows everyone a different perspective. He looks at things differently and he’s so good at expressing himself, he doesn’t even know he’s doing it and he’s teaching people how to be better as a person. The team wanted to be around him. He made us better. He is responsible for making us better people, and that turned into positive results on the course.”