Golfweek

Katie Sharp of Kendallville, Ind., has verbally committed to Michigan State for the fall of 2013. Sharp, a junior at East Noble High School, is the No. 5-ranked girl in Indiana, according to the Golfweek/Sagarin Junior Rankings.

Before deciding on Michigan State, Sharp also made unofficial visits to Iowa, Indiana, Kansas State, Illinois, Xavier, Ohio State, Evansville, Kentucky and Wake Forest.

“I was fortunate to make several visits to some outstanding universities, but in the end the coaches, golf program and academic opportunities at Michigan State was the best fit for me.”

Sharp won the 2011 Hoosier Junior Championship, and was medalist at the Indiana Girls Junior. She was runner-up medalist at the Women’s Western Junior and qualified for the 2010 PGA Junior.

Kacie Komoto, ranked No. 26 in the Class of 2013, has given a verbal commitment to play college golf at Northwestern.

Komoto, who is from Honolulu, made unofficial visits to Northwestern, Washington and Oregon.

“Coach (Emily) Fletcher, Coach (Beth) Miller, academic advisers and the team . . . all made me feel confident that I would be able to meet both my academic goals and golfing goals there,” Komoto said.

Komoto, who attends Punahou School in Honolulu, qualified for the U.S. Women’s Amateur in 2010. She competed in the U.S. Girls' Junior in 2010 and 2011, advancing to match play. She won the 2011 AJGA Webb Simpson Championship.

Jordan Ferreira has given a verbal commitment to play college golf for Notre Dame. Ferriera also made unofficial visits to Wake Forest, Northwestern, North Carolina, California, Virginia, Ohio State and Vanderbilt. Her final decision was between Notre Dame and Wake Forest.

Ferreira, of University Place, Wash., said she was most attracted to Notre Dame because of the academics, and had the opportunity to meet coaches Susan Holt and Kyle Lynne Veltri along with teammates and professors during her campus visits.

“The tradition at Notre Dame is unrivaled, and to be able to attend (Notre Dame) is such a privilege,” she said. “Coaches Holt and Veltri have assembled great recruiting classes the past few years and I cannot wait to go to South Bend and compete.”

Ferreira was named the 2011 Junior Girl Player of the Year by the Washington State Golf Association. She also finished T-7 or better in all five AJGA starts last year and qualified for the U.S. Women’s Amateur. Most recently, Ferreira finished T-14 at the AJGA Annika Invitational.

Sammie Lee of Winter Park, Fla., has given a verbal commitment to play college golf at Georgia. Before deciding to become a Bulldog, Lee also made unofficial visits to Vanderbilt, Florida and Tulane.

After the visits, Lee decided that Georgia “had the best of everything.”

“I love the coaches, the girls on the team, the town, the campus and the golf facilities,” she said. “I know that I will have a wonderful experience at Georgia, while also getting a good education and playing on one of the top teams in the nation.”

Lee, who attends Lake Highland Prep in Orlando, Fla., recently finished eighth at the AJGA’s Annika Invitational. She won the Lockton Kansas City Junior over the summer, and had three other top-10 finishes in AJGA events in 2011.

Gabriella Then has given a verbal commitment to USC. Then, a junior at Upland High School in Rancho Cucamonga, Calif., also made unofficial visits to Duke, UCLA, Arizona and North Carolina.

Then, a Rolex first-team All-American, said a big reason for her choosing USC was its location. The campus is close to home, and Then said she wasn’t too interested in leaving Southern California weather.

“As I was touring the campus and taking in the scene, it suited my personality well: big city, lots of people, etc.,” Then said. “I felt as though I would make a good candidate for the women’s golf team and make a difference.”

Then won the Rolex Tournament of Champions last year and qualified for the U.S. Women’s Open. She advanced to the quarterfinals at the U.S. Girls’ Junior before falling to eventual champion Ariya Jutanugarn.

Samantha Wagner of Windermere, Fla., has given a verbal commitment to play college golf for Florida. Wagner took no other unofficial visits, and the 15-year-old said she has been interested in playing for the Gators for about five years.

Wagner, who has her eye on an eventual professional golf career, chose Florida because she thinks it will help her reach that goal.

“I picked Florida because I really like Coach Jan (Dowling) and Coach Emily (Bastel),” she said. “I know they will help me excel in my golf game and achieve everything that I want to achieve. I love the golf and training facilities at Florida.”

Wagner recently transferred from Windermere Prep to Florida Virtual School, and she hopes to graduate high school a year early, in 2014.

Wagner finished T-14 at the AJGA’s Annika Invitational in January, where a second-round 67 gave her a share of the lead entering the final round. She has five other career top-5 finishes in AJGA events, including one win in 2009. Wagner also qualified for the 2011 U.S. Women’s Amateur, and was the next alternate for the U.S. Women’s Open.

Sophia Chen of Newbury Park, Calif., has given a verbal commitment to play college golf at Boston College.

Chen made unofficial visits to Boston College, Georgetown, Penn, Princeton, Michigan and North Carolina, and was receiving interest from many others.

“I am so grateful to be studying at one of the top academic institutions in the country,” Chen said. “I am also excited that I will be able to compete in the ACC, one of the strongest conferences in the country. Boston College has a beautiful campus as well as a fantastic athletic training facility. The coaching staff and teammates are great.”

Chen posted a pair of top-10 finishes in AJGA events this past summer including a fifth place showing at the Coca-Cola Junior Championship at Boyne Highlands. Chen also won an FCWT event.

Maggie Neece of Colleyville, Texas, has given a verbal commitment to play college golf at Oklahoma. Neece also made unofficial visits to SMU, Arkansas and TCU before deciding to become a Sooner. 

“There are three things you look at while looking at colleges: coaches, team and the university,” Neece said. “Oklahoma had all three of those.

“The coaches (head coach Veronique Drouin and assistant Gerrod Chadwell) believed in me from the very start of the recruiting process. They work so well together, and they will both help to excel in my golf game as well as mental and physical strength. It's such a privilege to be able to play for Oklahoma, and I can’t wait to see what the future has in store for me there. With the amazing facilities, coaching staff, team and university, I can only improve.”

Neece has qualified for two U.S Girls’ Juniors and has four top-10 finishes in AJGA events.

Alexandra Kaui of Las Vegas has given a verbal commitment to Oklahoma. Kaui also made unofficial visits to UNLV, Arizona and Oregon before deciding to become a Sooner.

Kaui said she thinks playing collegiate golf at Oklahoma will help prepare her for a career as a professional golfer. She was attracted to all aspects of the school.

“What drew me to Oklahoma University was the great academic program, with excellent facilities, nearby home course, separate practice range and short-game facility, brand new dorms, and last but not least the coaching staff,” she said.

Kaui is a Rolex All-American, and she won two AJGA events in 2011: the Las Vegas Junior Open and the Genesis Junior Championship.

Sloan Shanahan has given a verbal commitment to play for Clemson in the fall of 2013. Shanahan, of Suwanee, Ga., also took unofficial visits to Auburn, Wake Forest and Kentucky before choosing Clemson.

“My big draw to Clemson was the rest of the team Coach (J.T.) Horton had already put together, Coach Horton himself, the facilities, the high academic standards Clemson holds for its students, and fun environment the Clemson campus offers,” she said.

Shanahan said Clemson’s facilities and the opportunity to work with Horton every day were especially attractive in her college search.

Shanahan has qualified for two U.S. Girls’ Junior Championships, one Junior PGA Championship and has four career top-10 finishes in AJGA events.

Sierra Sims of Austin, Texas, has committed to play for the University of Florida after graduating in 2013.

Sims also made unofficial visits to Wake Forest, Miami, Virginia, North Carolina, Ohio State, Georgetown, Texas A&M, TCU, Texas, Duke, California, Stanford, Tulane and SMU.

“I am really excited to be a Gator,” Sims said. “Coach Jan (Dowling) is awesome, and I was really impressed with the golf and other athletic facilities as well as the training staff. I think I can really excel athletically and academically at Florida.”

Sims recently won the Texas Junior Golf Tour’s Traditions at Texas A&M for the second time. She has won four other times on the TJGT, and is the reigning 2011 Texas 5A high school state champion. She won the AJGA Junior Invitational in 2009 and was an honorable-mention AJGA All-American for 2011. 

Andrea Unson of Murrieta, Calif., has given a verbal commitment to play college golf at Pepperdine in the fall of 2013. Unson considered a long list of schools, including Notre Dame, Northwestern, Oklahoma State, Texas A&M, TCU, UCLA, Denver, Florida, Indiana, Michigan, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Oregon, USC, Virginia, Wisconsin and Wake Forest.

“The primary factor I considered was location,” Unson said. “I want four years of pleasant golfing weather year-round, and California is the best for that.”

Unson also was sold on working with Pepperdine head coach Laurie Gibbs.

“She didn't hesitate to show her eagerness and enthusiasm to have me be a part of her team ever since I visited her,” she said.

Unson has one career AJGA victory, and earned two more top 10s in the past year.

Jessica Hoang of North Augusta, S.C., has given a verbal commitment to Clemson for the fall of 2013, when the school launches women's golf. Hoang also made unofficial visits to Furman, Ole Miss and Auburn.

Hoang was sold on many aspects of Clemson, including playing for head coach J.T. Horton, the golf facilities, the campus and the quality of a Clemson education. The school also is close to her home.

“My feelings for being on the first Clemson women's golf team are ecstatic,” she said. “I cannot wait to be up there playing with the people I have grown up competing against the past several years. I feel that with our team, we are going to make history for the years to come.”

Hoang won the Ballantyne Junior Open this year, and also the Beth Daniel Junior Azalea. She had three top-3 finishes in AJGA events, including the Vaughn Taylor Championship.

Courtney Hooton has verbally committed to play college golf at Harvard in the fall of 2012. Hooton, of Del Mar, Calif., also made official visits to Yale, Princeton and Penn.

Hooton felt Harvard was the perfect fit because of her future teammates and coach and the campus.

“It has been my dream to play for Harvard for as long as I can remember,” Hooton said. “I first visited the coach with my sisters when I was 9 years old.”

Hooton played in her 12th straight Callaway Junior World Championship this summer, and her second U.S. Women’s Amateur. She won the Rochester Junior Championship for her second career AJGA title.

Ashlan Ramsey of Milledgeville, Ga., has given a verbal commitment to Clemson. Ramsey will join Mackenzie Talbert in the fall of the 2013, the first season the Tigers can compete after adding a women’s golf program earlier this year. Lauren Salazar and Ashlan’s older sister Taylor already have signed letters of intent.

Ramsey also took unnoficial visits to Georgia, USC, Tulane, Arizona, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Texas A&M and Auburn before deciding on Clemson.

“I fell in love with the campus on my first visit to Clemson nearly two years ago, and now with Coach J.T. Horton leading its women’s golf program, it’s like the perfect storm,” Ramsey said. “I’m excited to be a part of their first Women’s Golf Team and I’m expecting our team to be competitive right away.”

Ramsey finished third at two AJGA invitationals in 2011 (third at the Thunderbird International and fourth at the Ping Invitational), and was third at the Sally Amateur. She also was a member of the Junior Solheim Cup team and made it to the Round of 16 at the U.S. Girls’ Junior.