Jan. 20, 2015
SAN DIEGO - San Diego State men's golf head coach Ryan Donovan has announced the recent signing of Otto Vanhatalo to a National Letter of Intent. A native of Espoo, Finland, Vanhatalo is currently a senior at Torrey Pines High School and will join the Aztecs next fall in time for the 2015-16 campaign.
"Otto is an exceptional student-athlete who possesses a high level of confidence as well as accuracy," Donovan said. "He is a fierce competitor who is committed to his technique, and his strong work ethic will fit right in with our program."
As a junior in 2014, Vanhatalo garnered first-team all-section honors by the San Diego Hall of Champions after helping Torrey Pines High capture a record fifth consecutive CIF San Diego Section championship at the Admiral Baker North Course. The talented Finn was part of a Falcon squad that established a CIF record with a team score of 10-under par 710 and was one of four Torrey Pines players to finish the tournament below par, tying for fifth on the individual leaderboard at 3-under 141.
Vanhatalo has also excelled on the European stage, placing second at the Finnish International Junior Under-18 tournament in June of 2013, followed by a third-place tie three months later at the European Boy's Challenge in Skalica, Slovakia. That same year, he also landed in a four-way tie for the sixth position at the Sir Henry Cooper Junior Masters in Kent, England.
In addition, Vanhatalo recorded a pair of top-15 placements this past fall at the Finnish Amateur Championship (t-11th) and the Audi Finnish Tour Final (t-14th), where he tied for third among amateur golfers.
Vanhatalo has also made his presence felt in junior competition around southern California, highlighted by a seventh-place tie at the 2013 San Diego Junior Amateur Championships at Steele Canyon Golf Club. In 2014, he tied for eighth at the Future Champions Golf (FCG) Western States Players Cup at Menifee Lakes Country Club before finishing in the ninth spot at the AJGA Junior at River Ridge Golf Club in Oxnard.
San Diego State resumes its 2014-15 schedule next month when it plays host to the Barona Collegiate Cup, Feb. 9-10, at Barona Creek Golf Club in Lakeside, Calif.
2015-16 SDSU Men's Golf SigneeName Hometown (School)Otto Vanhatalo Espoo, Finland (Torrey Pines High School)