Dec. 23, 2011
SAN DIEGO - San Diego State men's golf head coach Ryan Donovan announced the signing Friday of Kevin Ko (Coquitlam, B.C.), James Holley (Chatsworth, Calif.), Riccardo Michelini (Sassuolo, Italy) and Brian Song (Beverly Hills, Calif.). A junior college transfer from College of the Canyons, Holley will join the Aztecs for the upcoming spring campaign, while Ko, Michelini and Song, who are currently high school seniors, are slated to come to campus in the fall of 2012.
"With five seniors on this year's roster, I knew that this would be a very important recruiting class for our Aztec men's golf program," Donovan said. "All four of these guys have experience competing on the national or international levels and I expect them to immediately compete for playing time once they arrive at SDSU. They will allow us to continue to contend for a conference and a national title on an annual basis."
Ko attends Gleneagle Secondary in Coquitlam, B.C., where he helped lead the Talons to the school's first British Columbia provincial title in June, placing second in individual stroke play with an even-par 142. This past summer, he competed at the Callaway Junior World Golf Championships at Torrey Pines, finishing in the top 55 and returned to the San Diego area in August to tie for ninth place at the American Junior Golf Association (AJGA) Genesis Junior Championship held at Sycuan Golf Resort in El Cajon.
Ko won the Canadian Junior Golf Association Puma Challenge and the Nike Golf Junior Series/Stephen Ames Cup Qualifier this past March, while taking first at the K12 AJGA qualifier in August 2010. He also was the runner up at Euro Junior Golf Cub in March 2011 and at a pair of tournaments in British Columbia in June 2010.
A member of his school's honor roll from 2006-11, Ko also plays badminton and the violin and is active with the debate squad.
Holley is transferring to San Diego State from College of the Canyons in Santa Clarita, Calif., where he played one year after graduating from Chatsworth High in 2010. He was an all-conference honoree in his lone campaign with the Cougars, carding a season stroke average of 73.63 and helping the squad to a league title and a fifth-place performance at the Southern California championships.
More recently, Holley claimed medalist honors at the San Clemente City Amateur in mid-October and won the Simi Valley City Championship in late August with a 36-hole score of 132, including a final-round 65. He also tied for second at the Santa Barbara County Golf Championship at La Purisima Golf Course, Oct. 22-23, with a 152.
Michelini has been a member of the Italian boys' national golf team since 2007, but currently resides in Spain where he has attended the Sotogrande International School the last two years. In 2011, he has represented Italy in the Turkish International Championship and recorded two top-15 performances at the Danish Youth Championship and at the Carris Trophy event in England. Michelini helped the Italians to fourth place at the 2010 European Boys' Team Championship and a win at the 2010 quadrangular event between Italy, Sweden, Scotland and host France.
The 6-foot-3 Michelini earned his first major tournament victory in 2010 at the Italian under 18 match-play championship at Gardagolf and that same year was also second at the under 18 stroke-play tournament and had three top-15 finishes on the Italian Amateur Tour.
Song has been a four-year letterwinner in golf at Beverly Hills High School under head coach Jason Newman. He is a two-time Ocean League MVP and was named the freshman athlete of the year in 2009. He also represented Southern California at the California State junior championships in 2010.
Over the last year, Song has finished first at the Future Collegians World Tour event at PGA West in January and at the PGA of Southern California Toyota Tour Cup in Rancho San Marcos in November. He participated in the 2011 U.S. Junior Amateur Championship in Bremerton, Wash., after finishing second in the qualifier at Spring Valley Lake in Victorville with a 6-under 138. Song is currently the 19th-ranked boys' golfer in the state of California by Golfweek/Sagarin.
The Aztecs, who ended the 2011 fall campaign ranked as high as 18th nationally by golfstat.com, resume action on Feb. 13-14, when the team plays host to the San Diego Intercollegiate Classic at San Diego Country Club in Chula Vista, Calif.
2011 Aztec Men's Golf Fall Signees
Name Hometown (High School/Last School)Kevin Ko Coquitlam, B.C. (Gleneagle Secondary)James Holley* Chatsworth, Calif. (Chatsworth HS/College of the Canyons)Riccardo Michelini Sassuolo, Italy (Sotogrande International School (Spain))Brian Song Beverly Hills, Calif. (Beverly Hills HS)*=Will join the Aztecs for 2012 spring semester