BATON ROUGE — The LSU men’s golf team has received National Letters of Intent from three of the nation’s top junior golfers who will be eligible to compete for the Tigers in the 2007-08 season, it was announced by head coach Chuck Winstead on Thursday.
Andrew Loupe of Episcopal High School in Baton Rouge, John Peterson of Paschal High School in Fort Worth, Texas, and Clayton Rotz of Chambersburg Area Senior High School in Chambersburg, Pa., comprise one of the nation’s top recruiting classes for the Class of 2007.
“We’re very excited about this group of young men joining our program next fall,” Winstead said. “They’ve proven to be among the very best junior golfers in the country with their play on the course, and I’m confident that their futures here at LSU will be bright. They come from terrific families and will certainly represent LSU in the way we expect.”
Loupe is the top-ranked player in the state of Louisiana for the Class of 2007 and will continue his career at LSU after a successful junior campaign highlighted by a pair of appearances in the United States Junior Amateur Championship and being a second alternate for the field in the 2005 U.S. Open Championship at Pinehurst No. 2.
The Baton Rouge native is set to complete one of the most prolific high school careers in the history of the state as he was named the 2006 Baton Rouge Advocate High School Athlete of the Year and is a two-time defending Class 2A state champion and the winner of the 2005 Louisiana Junior Amateur Championship.
Loupe, who has been ranked as high as the 19th-ranked player in the Class of 2007 by the National Junior Golf Scoreboard, earned a fourth-place finish at the 2006 Louisiana Amateur Championship at the Country Club of Louisiana with a four-round total of 8-under par 280, including an 8-under 64 in the final round.
“Andrew is an extremely talented player who is very long off the tee and has shown the ability to post some very low scores in the past,” Winstead said. “I look forward to working with him over the next few years and help him realize just how good he can become. His potential is tremendous.”
Peterson is the 28th-ranked player in the Class of 2007 by both the NJGS and Golfweek and is also considered the No. 1 high school senior in the state of Texas by the NJGS as he led Paschal High School to the Class 5A state championship in 2006 while finishing in third place in the individual competition.
Peterson has competed against a difficult national schedule that includes extensive tournament experience in the prestigious American Junior Golf Association and an appearance in the match play competition at the 2006 U.S. Junior Amateur Championship. He has earned four Top-10 finishes in the AJGA and has never missed the cut in an AJGA event.
The Forth Worth, Texas, native has been a three-time first-team all-district selection during his distinguished high school career and earned first-team all-state honors in 2006. He has been a two-time selection to the Fort-Worth Star Telegram Boys Super Team, while also being a first-team member of the Dallas Morning News Boys All-Area Team.
“John has had tremendous success throughout his junior golfing career, and I’m excited about adding a player of his caliber to our roster,” Winstead said. “John has all the tools to be an impact player for us here at LSU and with his national tournament experience should be ready for the challenge.”
Rotz is one of the more accomplished juniors in the country on the amateur circuit as he earned the right to compete in the 2005 U.S. Amateur Championship as a high school sophomore while also making an appearance in three straight U.S. Junior Amateur Championships.
Rotz, who competed in this year’s U.S. Open sectional qualifying round at Woodmont Country Club in Rockville, Md., is considered the top junior golfer in his home state as he captured the Pennsylvania Junior Amateur Championship in July with a three-round score of 3-under 141, including a 5-under 67 in his final round.
The Chambersburg native has also competed against a difficult national schedule highlighted by first-place finishes in both the International Junior Masters and Future Collegians World Tour National Championship in 2004 and being the U.S. Champion in the 2003 World Junior Golf Cup. In addition, he has earned a pair of Top-10 finishes as a participant in the AJGA.
“Clayton’s game is very polished,” Winstead said. “He comes from the state of Pennsylvania, which is the home of many former LSU greats like Greg Lesher, Bob Friend, Emlyn Aubrey and Wayne DeFrancesco, who was a First-Team All-American in his days here and is Clayton’s mentor and teacher.”