MOBILE, Ala. – The University of South Alabama men's golf program doubled the size of its 2016-17 recruiting class on Thursday when head coach Ben Hannan announced that both Rasmus Karlsson and Spencer Arnold have signed National Letters-of-Intent and will enroll in school in the fall.
Karlsson — who hails from Åminnefors, Finland — is the fourth-ranked amateur in the country and a member of the national squad, while Arnold will join the program after helping St. Luke's Episcopal School to a pair of state championships in the last three seasons. The duo will pair with junior-college transfer Sylas Elliott and Yannick Schüetz of Germany as newcomers on the roster next season.
Karlsson has finished in the top 15 at 10 of the 14 events he participated in this year, highlighted by reaching the finals of the Finnish Junior Match Play Championship. He placed second at the Estonian Amateur Open, fourth at the Niitvalja Karikas tournament and tied for fourth at the Finnish Stroke Play Championship, where he opened with a 4-under-par 67 and closed with a 69 while posting a 1-under-par 283 72-hole score. In addition to making the quarterfinals of the Finnish Match Play event, Karlsson tied for ninth at the Finnish Under-21 Stroke Play Championship following a 71 in the final round.
He carded a 70 in the second round of the Turkish Amateur Open Championship, and recorded scores of 72 at the second event of the season on the Audi Finish Tour — where he would finish in eighth place — as well as on the first day of both the Finnish Amateur Championship and the K-Supermarket Kamppi Open. Karlsson also posted rounds of 69, 72 and 72 for a 3-under-par 213 total to tie for 15th at the Master Promo Championship, finishing in the same position at the Audi Tour Final with back-to-back 72s to close.
At the 2014 Audi Finnish Tour Final Karlsson had a 1-under-par 71 on the first day en route to a top-20 finish.
"We're very excited about Rasmus joining the program next fall," stated Hannan. "He is a player whose game has really matured in the last few years as he has excelled in several international events over the last two summers of competition. His consistent play and success was rewarded by being selected as a member of the Finnish National Team. Rasmus is mechanically very sound and is an excellent ball striker whose work ethic gives him an outstanding chance to succeed at the highest collegiate level."
Last spring, Arnold posted a 1-under-par 71 in the second round — the team's lowest 18-hole score of the day — to help the Wildcats claim the state 1A-2A title, finishing eighth in the individual standings. As a freshman, he was part of a St. Luke's squad that won the state championship by a 25-stroke margin while tying for 13th place individually. In between, Arnold tied for second with a two-day 2-under-par 142 score after an opening-round 70 as the Wildcats finished second as a team his sophomore season.
He is ranked eighth in the Class of 2016 in Alabama, and is among the top 20 overall in the state, in the junior golf rankings. During the 2015 campaign Arnold competed in nine events, placing among the top 20 each time including placing fourth out of 54 competitors at the Southeastern Junior Golf Tour Baytowne Junior Classic following a 71 in the first round and fourth in a field of 48 at the SJGT Magnolia Grove Junior Classic with a 36-hole 145 total.
Arnold posted a season-low 68 in the first round of qualifying for the United States Golf Association Junior Boys Championship in June, also closing with a 70 at the SJGT Willow Point Junior Classic that month.
"To be able to recruit and sign a top player from the area like Spencer is very exciting for us," Hannan said. "Spencer has played a key role in helping St. Luke's win multiple state team championships, so he'll bring a winning mentality with him. He is a strong player who has a ton of speed and a lot of upside. I believe with his competitiveness in this environment that his game will only get better. He is also academically very strong and a great fit for our program.
"Both Rasmus and Spencer round out a very solid 2016 signing class that will add depth to our young and talented team."
USA's spring season will open on Feb. 22-23, when the Jags play host to the Mobile Sports Authority Intercollegiate at the Magnolia Grove Crossings Golf Course.
For more information about South Alabama athletics, check back with www.usajaguars.com, and follow the Jaguars at www.twitter.com/USAJaguarSports. Season tickets for all Jaguar athletic events can be purchased by calling (251) 461-1USA (1872).
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