Golfweek

Davis Bateman of Charlotte, N.C., has given a verbal commitment to North Carolina. Bateman, who attends Providence Day School in Charlotte, is ranked No. 50 in the Class of 2013 in the Golfweek/Sagarin Junior Rankings.

Bateman said he chose North Carolina because of the university’s combination of quality academics and athletics, scenic campus, and history and tradition.

“Once I saw the great practice facilities, and met (head) coach (Andrew) Sapp and (assistant) coach (Andrew) DiBitetto, I knew it was the perfect fit for me,” Bateman said of North Carolina. “To represent such an excellent university is going to be truly an honor.”

Carolina already feels like a second home to Bateman, whose parents attended the school and have taken him on trips to Chapel Hill since he was a child.

Bateman was the 2011 Mecklenburg Player of the Year and is a three-time all-state golfer. Providence Day School won the 2011 state championship, with Bateman was medalist. He finished runner-up in 2012. Bateman also has competed in two consecutive U.S. Juniors.

Henry Do of Ypsilanti, Mich., has given a verbal commitment to North Carolina. Do also considered Harvard, Yale, Northwestern, Stanford, California, Michigan, Houston, Virginia and Tennessee.

Do said his decision to join the Tar Heels was based on several factors, including the quality leadership of head coach Andrew Sapp and assistant coach Andrew DiBitetto.

“Also, I fell in love with the campus during my first unofficial visit and feel like Chapel Hill will be the ideal place for me to succeed at the highest level,” Do said.

Do, No. 6 in the Class of 2013 in the Golfweek/Sagarin Junior Rankings, played in the 2012 Junior Invitational at Sage Valley, where he tied for 39th. He also has competed in a host of AGJA events, including the 2011 Rolex Tournament of Champions, in which he tied for second, and the Randy Wise Junior Open, which in won in 2010 and ’11. Do is also the 2011 Michigan Junior Amateur champion.

Matthew Rushton of Cape Town, South Africa, has given a verbal commitment to Notre Dame. Rushton also made unofficial visits to Virginia, Duke, North Carolina, Northwestern and Auburn.

Rushton said academics, successful athletic record and a committed coaching staff factored into his decision to join the Fighting Irish.

“At Notre Dame, I am confident that I will be able to excel as a student, as an athlete, and as a person,” he said.

Since coming to the U.S. in 2009, Rushton, No. 57 in the Class of 2013 in the Golfweek/Sagarin Junior Rankings, has won multiple IJGT events. Recently, he tied for second in the AJGA Under Armour/Vicky Hurst Championship, tied for 15th in the AJGA at Innisbrook and finished 12th in the Golf West Invitational.

Ryan Celano of Naples, Fla., has given a verbal commitment to Florida. Celano will join fellow commits Ramsey Touchberry and Kristian Caparros, with whom he played junior golf.

Celano also visited and considered Auburn and Wake Forest, but in the end chose Florida in part because of the connection he felt with head coach Buddy Alexander and assistant coach John Handrigan. The other part of Celano's decision was based on Florida’s facilities and history of success.

“It’s a great situation for me,” Celano told the Naples Daily News. “It’s not too close to home, and not too far away. The facilities are great. It’s a good fit.”

In the fall, Celano, of Naples Community School, finished second in the Class 1A state tournament (he tied for 11th in 2010). Celano also won the AJGA’s Under Armour/Steve Marino Junior All-Star in 2011.

Woody Woodward has given a verbal commitment to play college golf for Wake Forest beginning in the fall of 2013. Woodward, of Bridgeport, W.Va., also made unofficial visits to Virginia, Auburn, North Carolina, LSU, Mississippi and Penn State.

Woodward said academics, history and the Wake Forest coaching staff were big reasons why he decided to join the Demon Deacons.

“The golf tradition at Wake Forest is second to none," he said. "The program had everything you look for in a team. The chemistry within the team year in and year out is something I looked for, and Wake Forest does it best.”

Woodward, now No. 29 in Golfweek’s Junior Rankings for the Class of 2013, began the 2011 season with no status after sitting out a year and a half while recovering from shoulder surgery. Playing for Hilton Head Preparatory School, Woodward recently won the SCISA Class 3A Individual High School while leading Hilton Head Prep to the team title. Woodward also won the 2011 West Virginia Junior Match Play and was fifth at the Junior PGA Championship.

Max McGreevy has given a verbal commitment to play for Oklahoma in the fall of 2013.

McGreevy, who is No. 47 in the Golfweek/Sagarin Junior Rankings in the Class of 2013, joins No. 35 Emilio Maurer of Puebla, Mexico, in committing to the Sooners.

McGreevy made unofficial visits to Oklahoma State, Kansas and Wichita State. The Sooners were the first to make an offer, and McGreevy accepted.

“Oklahoma has a fantastic golf program, with a coach who is almost like a father figure for the players. He always wants the best for his players,” McGreevy said. “Every time I went to see Coach (Ryan) Hybl, he was always so excited, and you can tell he loves to do what he does but puts the hard work in to become the best.”

McGreevy, who is a junior at Edmond (Okla.) Santa Fe High School, won the Sooner Junior Major Championship at OU’s golf course, was runner-up in the Texas Cup Invitational and runner-up in stroke play and match play of the Oklahoma Junior Boys Championship.

One of the most intriguing prospects in the 2013 class is heading to L.A.

Gavin Hall, who won the AJGA Junior Players Championship in October, gave a verbal commitment to UCLA earlier this week, he told Golfweek. The sixth-ranked player in the 2013 class, Hall plans to sign his National Letter of Intent in November.

“UCLA has a great combination of academies and athletics,” said Hall, of Pittsford, N.Y., who also considered Stanford, Georgia Tech, Alabama, Auburn and Oklahoma State.

“I built a solid relationship with head coach Derek Freeman, and felt like the school, golf program and competitive schedule was a great fit for me. I am very fortunate to have this opportunity at UCLA.”

Hall, 17, underwent surgery in January to repair ligament damage in his right wrist, an injury that has bothered him off-and-on for the past two years. It was his second surgery in the past nine months; in March, after high-school basketball season, he underwent an arthroscopic procedure to clean up “wear and tear.” When he returned six weeks later, at the Junior PGA Championship, a horde of college coaches followed him the first two rounds. “Gavin Hall could miss the next two ...

Jimmy Stanger of Tampa, Fla., has given a verbal commitment to play for Virginia in the fall of 2013. Stanger also considered Wake Forest, Auburn, Vanderbilt, Liberty, Harvard and Yale.

Stanger, the No. 3-ranked Floridian in the Class of 2013, based his decision on Virginia’s coaching staff and golf facilities.

“The 170-yard short-game facility is the best and most beautiful in the country,” he said. “I can’t wait to spend four years there.”

Stanger also referenced Virginia’s strong academic reputation, and “Mr. Thomas Jefferson’s influence in founding the university and the incredible history of the school in accordance with the history of America.”

Stanger recently earned top-5 finishes in the Jones Cup Junior and the AJGA Puerto Rico Championship. He won the Florida Junior Championship in 2010 and was co-medalist again in 2011.

Danny Ochoa of San Diego has given a verbal commitment to play college golf at USC. Ochoa, ranked No. 67 in the 2013 class, is having a good 2012 after missing most of 2011 with a broken arm.

Ochoa made unofficial visits to UCLA, Stanford, Arizona State, San Diego State and Oregon. Ochoa also had an offer from his hometown Aztecs.

The Torrey Pines High School junior selected USC because of “a first-class education, great coaches, a world-class golf program and the opportunity to win a national championship.”

In Ochoa's last 15 tournament rounds, his scoring average is 71.8. Ochoa finished third at the 2012 Golfweek West Coast Junior Invitational, won the 2011 California State High School Championships, won the FCG Callaway Season Championships and tied for fifth in the 2010 Callaway Junior Worlds.

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.

Make that a pair of top players announcing their intention to play college golf at Arizona State this week.

Ki Taek Lee has joined Nicolo Galletti in committing to play college golf at Arizona State beginning in the fall of 2013. Lee, who attends La Quinta (Calif.) High School, is ranked No. 13 in the 2013 class. Galletti is No. 12.

"I chose ASU because I was very impressed with the facilities Arizona State has, and I really related to both of the coaches, Tim Mickelson and Michael Beard," Lee said. "With the help and guidance of the coaching staff and the access to these world-class practice facilities, I truly believe it gives me the best opportunity to take my game to the next level. The university offers numerous majors that I have interest, and coach Mickelson's past success had a major roll in my decision."

Arizona State was the first unofficial visit Lee took.

"After that first visit, I knew it was the place for me," Lee said.

Lee's junior record includes a victory at the 2012 Golfweek West Coast Junior Invitational and a T-7 at the 2011 Callaway Junior Worlds.

Nicolo Galletti of Pleasanton, Calif., has given a verbal committment to play college golf at Arizona State.

Galletti, who is ranked No. 10 in California, had taken visits to UCLA, USC, SMU and San Francisco before deciding to become a Sun Devil.

“I chose Arizona State because I feel that Coach (Tim) Mickelson is one of the best coaches and guys out there,” he said. “I also feel like ASU has the best facilities and gives me the best opportunity to help me reach my full potential in golf and hopefully help prepare me for the PGA Tour.”

The 2011 AJGA Wyndham Cup participant placed second at the AJGA Heather Farr Classic, fourth at the Western Junior Championship and posted a final-round 67 to finish seventh at the HP Boys Invitational.

Matthias Schwab of Schladming, Austria, has given a verbal commitment to play for Vanderbilt beginning in the fall of 2013.

Schwab also made unofficial visits to Arizona State, Texas, Texas A&M and Texas Tech.

"After careful consideration, I chose Vandy because I want to be a part of a team that is going to be built up in the next years to become a national championship team," Schwab said. "Of course, I am also very enthusiastic about the great academics at Vandy."

Schwab has twice played the Austrian Open on the European Tour, finishing T-32 in 2010 and T-45 in 2011. He also won the International Under 16 Championship in 2010.

Earlier this year, Schwab finished T-29 at the European Nations Cup in Sotogrande, Spain.

Adam Wood, the No. 4 ranked player in the 2014 class, has given a verbal commitment to play college golf for head coach Jamie Green at Duke.

Wood, who is the top player in the state of Indiana, also made unofficial visits to Duke, Ohio State, Indiana, Purdue, Illinois, Alabama, Stanford, UCLA and Georgia Tech.

“While I would have been honored to play for every one of these schools, I can only pick one and Duke is the best fit for me,” Wood said. “I especially like the academic environment and the campus and Coach Green’s golf program. There is a long tradition of great golf at Duke University and in the community.”

The sophomore at Zionsville High School in Zionsville, Ind., won the AJGA Stonehenge Junior Open and the placed second at the AJGA Coca-Cola Junior Championship at Boyne Highlands last summer.

Mark Reilly of Babylon, N.Y., has given a verbal commitment to play college golf at Richmond. Reilly made unofficial visits to Richmond, Loyola-Maryland, Wisconsin, Notre Dame and North Carolina State.

“Coach (Adam) Decker is a big reason why I chose to go to Richmond,” said Reilly. “He’s a great guy, a great golfer and he really cares about his players. Plus Richmond has a top-notch golf practice facility and program, is a prestigious academic school and the campus is beautiful. It is the perfect place for me to develop as a golfer and a student.”

Reilly, who is a junior at St. John the Baptist High School, is ranked No. 130 in the 2013 class, but ranked No. 4 overall in New York. He won the 2011 Francis Ouimet Junior and is the 2011 Honors Junior Golf Association Player of the Year. Reilly also won the Metropolitan Golf Association Boys Championship and the Long Island Boys Championship.