Connemara’s Luke O’Neill has signed a Letter of Intent to become the latest Irish International to make the move Stateside to a top U.S. college.
The Kansas State men’s golf team signed two golfers – the 2019 Kansas Junior Amateur and one of the top amateur golfers under the age of 18 in Europe – on the opening day of the fall signing period, as head coach Grant Robbins announced that Andover’s Cooper Shultz and Irish National Team member O’Neill had signed National Letters of Intent on Wednesday.
“This is a great day for K-State Golf,” Robbins said. “Luke and Cooper were both very highly recruited and our ability to sign them is a testament to the great things going on here at Kansas State. These two guys are highly competitive and have both shown the ability to win at a high level. They both will make an immediate impact on our program.”
O’Neill will come to Manhattan as one of the most highly rated prospects in program history. A member of the Irish National team, O’Neill is ranked 8th in the European Golf Rankings among players 18 and under and in the top-50 overall. He’s among the top-500 in the World Amateur Golf Rankings and has been ranked as high as No. 360.
O’Neill has a history of winning, including winning the prestigious German International Boys Amateur last summer as well as the 2018 Connacht Boys Amateur.
“Luke is an exceptional player who has performed very well on the international level,” Robbins said. “He is ranked not only as one of the best players in Ireland, he is regarded as one of the best players in all of Europe. He comes from a great family. His father Hugh is a highly respected golf professional who has helped Luke develop a solid all-around game.”
“What impressed me the most when I first saw him was the speed he is able to generate and a ball flight that will perform in all kinds of weather. He is extremely competitive, knows how to win and will be a tremendous addition to our program.”
Schultz will join the squad after winning the 2019 Kansas Junior Amateur by seven shots, as well as finishing third at both the 2018 AJGA Lockton Junior and 2019 AJGA Kansas Junior.
“We are excited to have Cooper join our program,” Robbins said. “He is a tremendous young man who has developed into a fantastic player. He is very athletic who not only has a great deal of clubhead speed, he has incredible touch around the greens. He is also extremely competitive and has shown the ability to go low and win, which was evidenced by his 7-shot victory at the Kansas Junior Am this summer. Cooper garnered a lot of interest from schools all over the country and we are thrilled that he is a Wildcat.”
This season’s Wildcat squad is set to open up its Spring season February 23-25 at the TPC Dorado Beach course in San Juan, Puerto Rico.
Leave a comment