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Rice University Athletics
Golf Signs a Pair For 2017-18
11/9/2016 12:00:00 AM | Men's Golf
By: Tim Andrzejewski (tim.andrzejewski@rice.edu)
HOUSTON — Rice men's golf coach Justin Emil has announced the signings of Jake Benson (Nottingham, England) and Rishi Kejriwal (Austin, Texas) to national letters of intent for the 2017-18 school year, Wednesday afternoon.
"This is a big day for Rice Owl Golf," said Emil. "Signing day for us is a celebration of the journey recruiting takes Coach (Clay) Bounds and myself on each year and we are so very thankful that we were able to find two quality young men in Jake and Rishi. I truly believe that these two will make an immediate impact on our team both in the classroom and on the course."
Benson, from East Leake Academy in Loughborough, England, is averaging 73.16 strokes so far in his senior season. Benson won the Carris Trophy, the English Boys Under 16 Championship. He finished runner-up at the 2015 Regional Notts Men's Match Play and the 2014 Regional Midlands Under 21 championships. He also took home third-place at the 2015 Scottish under 16 Boys Championship.
Benson was selected by England's national team to participate in the under 16 championships against Wales, Scotland and Ireland in 2014 and 2015, as well as the England Boys Elite under 18 team in 2015 and 2016.
Added Emil, "Jake is one of the best players in all of the UK. He has succeeded on some of European golf's biggest stages and brings a lot of high-level golf experience with him to our program. His strengths are elite level ball striking and a strong composure, which are comparable to those at the highest level of the professional ranks. He has excelled in the classroom as well and has already been through a similar schedule with his schooling that he will experience in college."
Kerjriwal carded a 76-71-71 to finish in 10th-place at the Southern Junior Amateur. He has runner-up finishes at the Aggie Shootout and the Texas Legends Junior Tour's (TLJT) Texas Cup Invitational. He is the 124th-ranked player by Golfweek and 127th by Junior Golf Scoreboard.
"Rishi might be the single most involved young man I have ever recruited," said Emil. "He is constantly giving back his time and service to the community. He has excelled at an elite level in the classroom and the course. He has proven that he can compete at this level and I believe his best golf is ahead of him. He has a great smile and it's on his face the majority of the day. He is such a joy to be around."
Players Mentioned
