BATON ROUGE – The sixth-ranked LSU men’s golf team carried the momentum from an outstanding fall campaign into a successful recruiting season in November as head coach Chuck Winstead announced the signing of three nationally-ranked recruits for the Class of 2011.
Curtis Thompson of Coral Springs, Fla., will enroll at LSU in January for the 2011 spring semester, while Stewart Jolly of Birmingham, Ala., and Myles Lewis of New Orleans have also signed with LSU and will be eligible to compete with the Tigers beginning next fall.
Winstead has inked one of the premier signing classes in the country again this season as each new recruit is ranked among the nation’s Top 50 prep prospects for the signing Class of 2011.
“This is an exciting day for our program as we welcome three quality young men who are sure to make an impact on this program and this great University during their time here at LSU,” Winstead said. “With the senior class we have representing our team this season, it was necessary for us to bring in a class with this kind of quality to ensure that we continue in the tradition that is LSU Golf.
“We’re excited that Curtis will be joining us in the spring, which will give him time to make the transition toward competing at this level. And we certainly look forward to Myles and Stewart coming in next fall.”
Thompson signs with LSU as the No. 16-ranked recruit in the country for the signing Class of 2011 in the current rankings by the National Junior Golf Scoreboard. He is also ranked No. 24 nationally in the Golfweek Junior Rankings and No. 51 in the Polo Junior Golf Rankings.
Thompson emerged as one of the most highly-recruited prospects nationally after winning the stroke play competition and earning the No. 1 seed in the match play tournament at the 2010 United States Junior Amateur Championship held at Egypt Valley Country Club in Grand Rapids, Mich.
He fired rounds of 4-under 68 and 6-under 66 for a 36-hole score of 10-under par 134 to win the medalist honor before advancing to the Round of 32 during the match play competition.
An experienced member of the American Junior Golf Association, Thompson was named an AJGA Rolex Junior Honorable Mention All-American following the 2009 campaign. He has earned one win along with four top-10 finishes in 23 career starts as a member of the AJGA. He was a co-medalist at the 2009 AJGA Polo Golf Junior Classic held at the PGA National Resort in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.
Like Thompson, Jolly signs with LSU as one of the Top 30 recruits in the country for the Class of 2011 as he is ranked as high as No. 16 nationally in the Golfweek Junior Rankings. Jolly is also the No. 28-ranked recruit according to Polo and the No. 29-ranked recruit by the NJGS for the 2011 signing class.
Jolly has flourished as one of the top junior golfers in the country while competing with the AJGA during his prep career in which he was named a 2010 AJGA Rolex Junior Honorable Mention All-American.
A product of Mountain Brook High School who is considered the No. 1-ranked recruit in Alabama by the Golfweek rankings, Jolly has earned three top-10 finishes in seven career starts as a member of the AJGA in recent years. He is also a star on the Southeastern Junior Golf Tour with which he boasts three victories with six top-five finishes and eight top-10 finishes in nine career starts.
Jolly most recently captured medalist honors at the 2010 SJGT Vestavia Junior Classic after his 10-under 134 helped earn him Golfweek Junior Player of the Week honors on June 9.
By signing Lewis as a part of this year’s recruiting class, the Tigers have also added the top-ranked junior golfer in the state of Louisiana regardless of class and one of the nation’s Top 50 recruits for 2011 as he is the No. 45-ranked recruit in the Polo Junior Golf Rankings and the No. 50-ranked recruit by the NJGS.
Lewis is also an accomplished member of the AJGA as he has earned a pair of tournament victories in his prep career with his most recent title coming at the 2010 AJGA Elbit Systems of America Junior Championship held at Southern Oaks Golf Club in Fort Worth, Texas. He has also earned five top-10 and seven top-20 finishes in 13 career starts as a member of the AJGA.
A three-time defending Class 5A individual state champion at Jesuit High School, Lewis qualified for the 64-player match play competition at the 2009 U.S. Junior Amateur Championship.