April 29, 2008

TCU head men's golf coach Bill Montigel announced on Tuesday (Apr. 29) that the Horned Frogs have signed six players for the 2011-12 recruiting class to National Letters of Intent.

The Frogs inked a trio of international players in Johan de Beer (South Africa), Alexander Knappe (Germany) and Eduardo Jose Perez (Ecuador) to go along with three stateside players in Eli Cole (California), Jordan Lewis (Illinois) and Ryan Myers (Texas).

"The seven players (along with newly-signed Max Bichsel during the fall season) will add diversity, talent and depth to this already competitive team," said Montigel. "I believe that a few of these players have the potential to make an immediate impact to the program with their level of experience, competition and commitment while others will have the chance to contribute as they continue their development. With the graduation of several players this season and next - it was important to have players who will have the opportunity to gain experience and enhance their game so that program can continue on a winning course without the rebuilding process."

Johan de Beer (Johannesburg, South Africa)
Johan de Beer brings an impressive resume to the TCU men's golf program as the newly-inked Frog captured the South Africa Under-19 stroke play title during the 2007 campaign after firing an 11-under-par score of 277 at Kirugersdorp. In addition - de Beer was the captain of the South African Under-19 team that represented his country at the Toyota Junior World Team Championships in Japan as well as a triangular match against England and Canada at Zebula last season.

During the 2007 campaign - de Beer finished fifth overall at the South Africa Amateur stroke play while capturing the golf medal at the 2006 National Junior Tournament. He also finished 11th overall at the Duke of York Young Champions Tournament during the 2007 season - which only invites junior champions of various countries. De Beer finished second overall at the 2008 Sanlam Cape Province Open at the George Golf Course where he posted a 54-hole tally of 208 (70-68-70).

"The biggest thing that made me choose TCU was probably the gut feeling I had when I was on campus. Everything felt so good, and I knew I would fit right in if I came to TCU. TCU offers the complete package in great sports programs, facilities and overall education. I feel that I can really grow at TCU - not just my golf game - but as a person as well," said de Beer.

Alexander Knappe (Germany)
Alexander Knappe accumulated a standout junior career throughout Europe where the newly-inked Frog was ranked second in the German Amateur Golf Rankings following the 2007 campaign. Knappe earned silver medal honors at the International German Amateur Championships in each of the previous three seasons.

Knappe notched his best finish of the 2008 season at the Dixie Amateur where he finished seventh overall after firing a four-round tally of 286 (77-72-70-67) including a tournament-best score of 67 in the final round of action. He captured eight individual titles during his career - including five consecutive top laurels at the Home Golfclub Championship.

"I choose TCU because of the facilities - which will certainly help me develop my game to a top level. TCU plays in a lot of big tournaments, and this will be an exciting challenge for me because I want to compete against the best competition. It's a great opportunity for me to go a nationally-ranked program," said Knappe.

Eli Cole (Beverly Hills, Calif. / Harvard-Westlake High School)
Cole will come to the Horned Frogs after a stellar junior career where he recorded five consecutive top-10 finishes during the 2007 campaign. A two-time club champion - Cole captured the 2006 Los Angeles City Shootout Championship and notched a score of 141 (72-69) at the U.S. Amateur Qualifying.

Cole recorded his best finish of the 2007 season at the Medicus Preseason Junior Championships in Albuquerque where he tied for 17th overall after notching a three-round score of 225 (76-76-73) to go along with a 29th-place showing at the Houchens Industries Junior Open at The Club at Olde Stone in Alvaton, Ky.

"I'm really excited that I was giving and seized the opportunity to go to TCU. The three main reasons why I chose the school are the strength of the golf program, the quality of my fellow students and faculty as well as the impressive campus. In the future - I hope to work extremely hard and accomplish all my goals while attaining a well-rounded college experience," said Cole.

Jordan Lewis (Marion, Ill. / DLGA High School)
Jordan Lewis comes to the TCU men's golf program from Marion, Ill., where he earned Future Collegian World Tour first team All-American honors following the 2006 campaign. The newly-signed Frog recorded a trio of victories on the FCWT - including golf medal laurels at the Gambit Cup, Jackson County Invitational and AJGA's True Temper/David Gossett Junior Championships where he notched a score of 222 (74-75-73) at the TPC Southwind in Memphis, Tenn.

In addition to a pair of victories on the International Junior Golf Tour - Lewis recorded a ninth-place outing at the Lockton/Capitol Federal Kansas City Junior Championships along with a 10th-place showing at the Mizuno Junior Championships at Chateau Elan during the 2007 season. Lewis finished 11th overall at the Nike Golf Junior Championships at Colonial presented by Mississippi Farm Bureau as well as 14th at the Natural Resource Partners Bluegrass Junior Championships.

"I'm greatly looking forward to my future at TCU. I'm very grateful for the opportunity to further my collegiate golf career and to be a part of such a great team. I plan on making my future years as a Horned Frog great ones," Lewis said.

Eduardo Jose Perez (Quito, Ecuador)
Perez brings a tremendous international resume to the table as the newly-signed Frog has captured several championships as a junior competitor on the local and national level as well as in Open Division competition. Perez was an Ecuador Amateur Team that competed in the South American Open Championships on four occasions as well as a member of the Open Team that competed at the World Amateur Championships in Puerto Rico.

Individually - Perez claimed the gold medal at the Club Champion at the 2008 President's Cup at the Quito Tennis & Golf Club and captured the 2007 Ecuador Junior Open title. He also claimed top honors at the U.S. Kids World Championships as well as the 2004 Peruvian Junior Championships to go along with a handful of runner-up showings at the South American Junior Championships, Doral Public Open and Colombian Junior Arturo Calle Championships.

"TCU is a great place to further my studies as well as my golf game, and I'm looking forward to enjoying the wonderful weather that Texas has to offer," said Perez.

Ryan Myers (Flint, Texas / Odessa College)
Ryan Myers comes to the TCU men's golf program from Odessa College where the newly-inked Frog was selected by the Golf Coaches Association of America as a first team NJCAA Ping All-American. In addition to helping Odessa College capture their second consecutive Texas Junior College Golf Championship - Myers also guided the Wranglers to a third-place showing at the 2007 NJCAA National Championships.

The Tyler, Texas, native was selected to play for Team USA at the World University Golf Championships in South Africa this upcoming September. During his career - Myers captured three Texas Junior Golf Tour Tournaments along with earning victories at the NTPGA Tournament of Champions, FCWT Woodlands Tournament and IJGT Brookhaven Tournament. During his prep career at Robert E. Lee High School - Myers was a four-time All-District 12-5A performer for the Red Raiders.

"I chose TCU because of the great academic programs, and I believe the golf program can help to bring my game to the next level. Also - I think that my talent and competitiveness can help bring continued success to an already nationally-ranked program," said Myers.

The seven newly-signed players that will make up the 2011-12 recruiting class for the Frogs will all join the program in the Fall of 2008. In addition to the newly-inked golfers - the Frogs will return a veteran crew that will lose only one senior to graduation and recently came off their best finish at the Mountain West Conference Championships with a second-place showing.

The Purple and White captured a pair of tournament team titles during the 2007-08 season at the MacDonald Cup and National Invitational Tournament while posting eight top-10 finishes.

"TCU is fortunate to have the accessibility to great courses in a city with great golf traditions. This is why it's important to recruit players with the capability to bring another level of competition and intensity to our program and challenge our current team as well as elevate our program to the next level. I believe that with the addition of our new golfers along with our current team that we will be able to reach our goal to be competitive with the top programs in the country while maintaining a level of excellence that will make TCU proud," said Montigel.

The Frogs will be looking to appear in their 19th consecutive NCAA Division I Regional Championships on May 15th.

TCU Athletic Media Relations