Nov. 10, 2016
SAN DIEGO -- San Diego State men's golf head coach Ryan Donovan announced the signing Thursday of high school seniors Puwit Anupansuebsai, Zihao Jin, Ryan McCoy and Steve Sugimoto to National Letters of Intent. All four players are slated to join the Aztecs in time for the 2017-18 campaign.
"We are excited about the chemistry and depth these student-athletes will provide our program," Donovan said. "They have played against one another over the past four years and are highly competitive. They also bring a wealth of tournament experience with them, and their work ethic and commitment to win championships will continue to keep everyone here competitive. It will be exciting to see the different lineups throughout the course of the year next season."
A native of Nakhon Phanom, Thailand, who attends Anaheim Discovery Christian School, Anupansuebsai has excelled on the Southern California junior golf circuit, posting a one-shot victory over fellow SDSU recruit Ryan McCoy in the Future Champions Golf (FCG) Western States Players Cup at Menifee Lakes Country Club in February 2015, before logging another triumph later that year in the Toyota Tour Cup's Corey Pavin Invitational at the Westin Mission Hills in Rancho Mirage. He has also recorded eight other top-10 placements in TTC series events over the past two years, including back-to-back runner-up finishes at Oak Valley Golf Club and La Costa Resort in the spring of 2016.
In addition, Anupansuebsai tied for second in the stroke-play phase of the 2015 California Amateur Championship with a 5-under 139 at Lake Merced Golf Club in Daly City, Calif. Other notable performances include a victory at the Thailand Golf Association-Singha Junior Qualifier in April 2014, following a second-place showing at the CMS Nepal Amateur Open. He currently resides in Huntington Beach, Calif.
Meanwhile, Jin and Sugimoto are both teammates at Rancho Bernardo High School in San Diego, where they helped the Broncos capture the past two Palomar League titles to go along with a runner-up finish in the 2016 CIF San Diego Section Championships.
A native of Beijing China, Jin collected first-team all-CIF honors in the last two seasons and was also a member of the Rancho Bernardo team that finished in a tie for second at the CIF state championships as a freshman in 2014.
In addition, Jin has also witnessed success in recent junior events, claiming medalist honors at the FCG World Championship last summer at Pala Mesa Resort in Fallbrook, Calif., where he shot a 4-under-par 216, following a fourth-place result at the Rolex Tournament of Champions in Greensboro, Ga.
In 2015, Jin emerged with a thrilling sudden-death victory in the boys' division of the AJGA Golf Performance Center Junior Championships in Redding, Conn., before finishing the year with a strong second-place effort at the San Diego Junior Amateur Championships split between Sycuan Resort and Steele Canyon Golf Club.
McCoy is no stranger to the winner's circle himself, posting four victories as a junior competitor in 2015, highlighted by a sizeable seven-shot triumph in the 55th California State Junior Amateur Championship at the Country Club at Soboba Springs in San Jacinto, Calif. Earlier that year, he also captured medalist honors in three Toyota Cup Series events at Twin Oaks, Monarch Beach, as well as the TTC Qualifier at Menifee Lakes.
Not to be outdone, McCoy has also emerged triumphant as a prep, winning the Southwestern League individual title as a junior last spring for Great Oak High School in Temecula, Calif., before helping his Wolfpack teammates claim their second straight CIF Southern Section Eastern Team Divisional Championship. In addition, McCoy competed in the stroke-play phase of U.S Junior Amateur Championship last July.
Sugimoto, meanwhile, earned first-team all-Palomar League honors as a junior at Rancho Bernardo High last spring after receiving second-team recognition in 2015. The San Diego native is coming off an impressive win at the Southern California Amateur Championship last month at Industry Hills Golf Club, where he shot a 66 in the opening round.
In addition, Sugimoto posted a pair of victories on the Toyota Tour Cup Series in 2015, winning the Fallbrook qualifier at Whittier Narrows before taking home the top prize at the Bridgestone Tournament of Champions at the Vineyard in Escondido. He also completed a pair of top-five performances at TTC events earlier this year, landing in the runner-up position at Oak Valley in July, following a third-place tie at Morongo in May.
Sugimoto also participated in the U.S. Junior Amateur Championships this past summer after tying for second at the Woodland Hills qualifier in May.
San Diego State, which is ranked 19th nationally after claiming two team titles during the fall schedule, returns to competition for its 2017 spring opener at The Prestige at PGA West, Feb. 20-22, in La Quinta, Calif.
San Diego State Men's Golf 2017-18 Fall Signing Class
Puwit Anupansuebsai (Nakhon Phanom, Thailand/Anaheim Discovery Christian School)
Zihao Jin (Beijing, China/Rancho Bernardo HS)
Ryan McCoy (Temecula, Calif./Great Oak HS)
Steve Sugimoto (San Diego, Calif./Rancho Bernardo HS)