Rams, Buffs, Bears and Pioneers Sign New Recruits

Players hail from across the country and globe.

Prize recruits from across the state (such A.J. Ott, above), country and world recently signed letters-of-intent to play for Colorado’s four NCAA Division I men’s golf programs.

COLORADO STATE RAMS:

Head coach Christian Newton landed the top player in the state, as ranked by the National Junior Golf Scoreboard. Although it took two years of recruiting, he didn’t have to go very far to get him.

AJ Ott of Fort Collins is ranked 43rd in the class of 2016 nationally. He qualified for the 2014 United States Junior Amateur and represented Colorado in the Junior Americas Cup in 2014 and 2015, placing 16th in the 2015 event with a three-round total of 214 (70-72-72). He also finished 13th at the prestigious 2015 Big I National Championship. Within the state, Ott tied for medalist honors at the 2015 State Junior Stroke Play at 208 (67-71-70) and won the Colorado Golf Association Tournament of Champions with a 1-under 141 (74-67). He came in third in the 2015 AJGA Hale Irwin Colorado Junior, finishing at 6-under 207 (70-67-70).  

UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO BUFFALOES:

Head Coach Roy Edwards inked two recruits from California and two from Denmark, homeland of senior Philip Juel-Berg. “We are very fortunate to have this group join an already strong nucleus of guys on the team who will be back next year,” he said, citing CU’s strong worldwide reputation as a golf program within the nation’s strongest golf conference, the Pac-12, as a factor in attracting the quartet to sign with the Buffs.

They are (left to right): Victor Bjorlow, Scott Mitchell, Morton Toft Hansen and “Jack” Li

Victor Bjorlow of Copenhagen, Denmark. He’s lived most of his life in Sotogrande, Spain, home of Valderrama (site of the 1997 Ryder Cup) and the Sotogrande International School, where he maintains a 4.0 grade point average.  He played on the Andalucia golf team that won the 2014 Spanish National State Championship and finished very high in six major European competitions over the course of the last 16 months, including a second place showing in the 2015 Spanish International Championship (which included a career-best 9-under par 63 in the third round).

Scott Mitchell of Santa Rosa, Calif.  “A tremendous ball-striker,” according to Edwards, Mitchell reached the semifinals of the NCGA (Northern California Golf Association) Match Play Championships this summer. He also qualified for the U.S. Junior Amateur (doing so by birdying four his last five holes to finish third with a 3-under 141).  His best career round came last month—a 6-under 66 in the NCGA Fall Series VIII at Poppy Ridge Golf Club.

Morton Toft Hansen of Gilleleje, Denmark. “One of the elite men’s players in Europe,” as Edwards describes him, “Morton has an opportunity to be a key player for us during his career at Colorado.” A member of the Danish National Team that won the European team championship stroke play in 2014 (boys’ team) and finished second this year (men’s team), Hansen notched top-five finishes in events in Belgium, Thailand and Turkey. He also was medalist in the qualifier for the 2015 men’s European team championship stroke play. 

Haoyuan “Jack” Li of Temecula, Calif.   Affectionately described by Edwards as a “’golf rat’—he is always on the course,” Li owned an impressive 70.8 stroke average during his senior year. In 2011, he claimed the HSBC China Junior Open championship. He has twice qualified for the U.S. Junior Amateur, losing this year to the No. 1 seed in the first round of match play.

UNIVERSITY OF NORTHERN COLORADO BEARS

The UNC Bears added CGA Junior Player of the Year Coby Welch to the latest recruiting class in Greeley. Welch is currently a senior at Valor Christian High School in Highlands Ranch, and led the Eagles to three consecutive State golf team championships from 2013-16. Individually, he placed twice in the State tournament and was the a runner-up this year.

Colorado Junior Player of the Year Coby Welch

In a quote from the Bears website head coach Roger Prenzlow said, “While watching Coby play high school and junior golf over the last six to eight months it was evident to me he was the perfect fit to help UNC Bear Golf over the next four years. Even though Coby's scores are some of the best in the Rocky Mountain area it was his competitive spirit that made him our number one target in the recruiting process. As a coach I admire Coby's desire to play every shot to the best of his ability no matter what the circumstances are in the course of a round.” 

Welch's career low-round came at Deer Creek Golf Club in Littleton, Colorado where he shot a 62. During his senior campaign he carried a 66 stroke average.

UNIVERSITY OF DENVER PIONEERS

Golf coaches Erik Billinger and Patrick Kent will welcome two Coloradans and one Washingtonian to a strong lineup that features, among others, the 2014-15 Summit League Newcomer* of the Year Chris Korte and reigning Summit League Male Golfer of the Year Petter Mikalsen (Stavanger, Norway).

They are (left to right): Troy Dangler, Isaac Petersilie and Eric Hagen.

• Isaac Petersilie of Colorado Springs. Colorado’s High School Champion in 2013, he finished as the State HS Runner-Up in 2014; he also won the prestigious Ferguson Buick GMC Springer Tournament in June of this year, shooting rounds of 66, 67 and 68 to win the event by six shot margin, and was the 2015 Colorado Junior Stroke Play Champion. He qualified for the Junior World Golf Championships this past summer and has won multiple RMJGT events, including the New Mexico Colorado Shoot Out and the Experience at the Broadmoor Tournament where he fired a 138 (-4) over the course of two rounds. He is the No. 2-ranked player in his age group by the Colorado Golf Association.

• Troy Dangler of Grand Junction. The Fruita Monument senior won the Warrior Invitational at Grand Junction’s Tiara Rado Golf Course in 2014 as well as the Montrose Invitational in 2015. He also finished second at the 2015 CJGA Tournament of Champions and posted scores of 66 and 63 during competitive play this past summer. A two-time winner of the Daily Sentinel Junior Championship, Dangler is the No. 3-ranked player in his age group by the Colorado Golf Association.

• Eric Hagen of Aberdeen, Wash. He earned a Top 10 finish at the Toyota Tour Cup Soboba Springs in San Jacinto, Calif. earlier this year and finished in the Top 20 at both the FCWT at PGA West in Palm Springs, Calif. and Ryan Moore Championship at Oakbrook in Lakewood, Wash. where he shot a final round of 68 in a field of 100+. He also finished 26th in at the 2015 AJGA Hale Irwin Colorado Junior after shooting a closing round of 70. Hagen recorded a total of 10 tournament rounds at even par or better in 2015 after only beginning his competitive golf career in the summer of 2013.

*Hyperlinks courtesy University of Denver

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