BATON ROUGE — The LSU men’s golf team has received National Letters of Intent from a pair of top prospects for the 2006-07 season, it was announced by first-year head coach Chuck Winstead on Tuesday.
Bryant Lach of The Woodlands, Texas, joins Thomas Galloway of Covington, La., as a pair of highly recruited players who will look to make an immediate impact on the program.
“We’re very excited about both Bryant and Thomas joining our program,” Winstead said. “They both have terrific potential and should have their best golf in front of them. They come from great families and are the type of individuals that we want representing our program here at LSU.”
Lach is an active participant in the prestigious American Junior Golf Association and was named a 2005 Rolex Junior All-American for his play this year. He fired a score of 11-under in three rounds to capture the title at the Lessing’s AJGA Classic in East Meadow, N.Y., while also earning a fourth-place finish at the AJGA Fidelity Investments Junior Championship in Humble, Texas.
He concludes a successful high school career in 2006 after guiding The Woodlands High School to the state championship in Class 5A last season.
“Bryant Lach is one of the best juniors in the country,” Winstead said. “He is an experienced guy with a lot of success in junior golf. He has a great set of skills and is a hard worker, and I expect that he will have a major impact on our program right away. His success at the national level has readied him for the collegiate game.”
Galloway is widely considered the top high school senior in Louisiana this year after capturing the Louisiana Junior Amateur Championship in 2004 and earning a runner-up finish in 2005 to local phenom Andrew Loupe with a three-round score of 5-under.
A four-year letterman at St. Paul’s High School, Galloway earned first-team all-district, all-region and all-state honors as both a sophomore and junior.
“I’m very excited about Thomas playing for the Tigers,” Winstead said. “He is also a hard worker with tremendous potential and ability who will be a great addition to our team. He has been at the top of Louisiana junior golf for the past couple of years, and if he makes the jump from high school to collegiate golf quickly, he could be an impact player for us.”
Winstead said the make-up of this year’s class is indicative of what he hopes for the future of the LSU men’s golf program. He believes in signing not only national-level recruits from outside the state of Louisiana, but also the top in-state player each year as well.
“We obviously want the top players in the country to continue their careers at LSU,” Winstead said. “As a rule, I would also love for the best player in the state to stay at home and play for the Tigers.
“I want the juniors of this state to know that the best player from our state always has a spot on this team. As they are growing up playing junior golf in the state of Louisiana, they know one of the rewards for being the best player in the state will be one day representing LSU.”