Dec. 7, 2006
NOTRE DAME, Ind. – Notre Dame head men’s golf coach Jim Kubinski announced Thursday that four talented high school student-athletes have decided to continue their academic and athletic careers with the Irish, each signing a National Letter of Intent to attend Notre Dame beginning in the fall of 2007. Connor Alan-Lee (Solana Beach, Calif./La Jolla Country Day School), Jeffrey Chen (Walnut, Calif./Los Altos HS), Tyler Hock (Ocala, Fla./Forest HS) and Dustin Zhang (Calgary, Alberta/Bishop Carroll HS) all made their official commitments to the Irish during the early signing period, which concluded late last month.
“I’m excited about our signees again this year,” Kubinski said. “While classes are often finalized in terms of verbal commitments over the summer months, we took our time this season and I feel it has paid off. All four players have had success in junior golf and all four will be ready to step in and compete for a spot in our lineup immediately. They’ll give us great depth next season and, hopefully, star quality play in the years beyond. Better still, they’re all what I like to call `Notre Dame’ guys. They work hard, compete hard, take care of their business on and off the course, and go about things with class and integrity.”
Alan-Lee (6-1/170) is a two-time all-Coastal League selection and won the league title as a freshman at La Jolla Country Day School. A two-year team captain, he is the all-time match play medalist at Country Day and was the first California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) first-team selection in school history. In addition, he carded a seven-under par 29 during a nine-hole match play event during his rookie season and has been ranked among the top 200 players in the country during the past two years. What’s more, Alan-Lee has registered a 74.73 stroke average on the America Junior Golf Association (AJGA) tour, with a pair of top-10 finishes in five events this year — he tied for fifth at last summer’s Fidelity Investments Junior Classic (219, +3), and earned a share of seventh at the TEE UP Junior Challenge in September, carding a six-over par 222.
Alan-Lee was born on June 2, 1988, in San Diego, Calif., and is the second of three children of Lauri and Brett Alan-Lee. He also comes from an athletic family — his brother, Taylor recently completed his junior season as a member of the Dartmouth soccer team, while his father, Brett played tennis at San Diego State and his uncle, Scot Brewster, was a football player at Dartmouth.
“Connor has enormous upside,” Kubinski said. “He’s a bit of a late bloomer in terms of his results at the national level, but has developed a great deal over the past two years. Of course, he has grown several inches and now possesses the type of frame that leads me to believe he’s just scratching the surface. Connor is another one of `our guys.’ He didn’t play games during the recruiting process. He wanted to be a part of our program, made us his top choice and we moved in that direction. We’re extremely pleased to have him join our program.”
Chen (5-11/160) is a three-time first-team all-Miramonte League selection, garnering that circuit’s Most Valuable Player hardware in 2005. Last season, he went undefeated and won the Miramonte League title, and he has served as team captain three consecutive years. Chen has been ranked among the top 200 in the nation and currently stands at No. 152, according to the Golfweek junior rankings (86th among the Class of 2007). On the junior golf circuit, he has posted six top-10 finishes on the AJGA tour, including a runner-up placement at the 2005 Lockton Kansas City Junior and a third-place outing at the Corsemax/Philadelphia Runner Junior last summer.
An outstanding student, Chen also has been twice lauded as an AJGA/HP Scholastic All-American. He is a member of the California Scholarship Federation, Future Business Leaders of America (treasurer) and the Science Olympiad. In addition, he was tapped for a pair of all-star events — the 2005 and 2006 AJGA Polo Golf Junior Classic and the 2005 AJGA/HP Boys Junior Championship.
Chen was born on June 14, 1989, in Fontana, Calif., and is the younger of two children of Juney and Daniel Chen. Hoping to major in dentistry, Chen hails from the same part of the country as current Irish freshman (and Tustin, Calif., native) Doug Fortner.
“Jeffrey brings a number of significant accomplishments with him,” Kubinski said. “I was so proud of his inclusion on the AJGA Scholastic All-America Team once again this year. It shows his commitment to academics and golf. He is certainly someone who pushes himself in every way and that’s something all college players can benefit from. Of course, I’ve also been impressed by his consistency on the golf course. He’s never really out of a round. He has knack of staying composed and posting quality scores.”
Hock (5-10/175) is a four-time all-conference and all-city selection out of Forest High School. He also has been named Most Valuable Player four years running, twice earning accolades as the North Suncoast Junior Golfer of the Year (2002 and 2003), as well as the 2006 Marion County Golfer of the Year. He holds school records for low nine-hole score (32) and won three large-field (100-player) men’s tournaments in the central Florida area during his prep career.
In addition, Hock has been a regular face on the junior golf circuit, rising to No. 62 in the current Golfweek rankings (34th among this year’s senior class). He also posted a 73.71 stroke average and finished among the top 10 four times in seven events last year on the Florida Junior Golf Tour. In 2005, his second-round 64 at the Florida Junior Boys Golf Championship was the second-lowest score ever posted in the history of that event.
A National Honor Society member, Hock was born on Nov. 15, 1988, in Ocala, Fla., and is the only child of Linda and Thomas Hock. Intending to major in American studies, Hock is the latest in a long line of Florida golfers to come to Notre Dame, with Irish freshman Carl Santos-Ocampo (Naples, Fla.) currently the program’s standard-bearer for the Sunshine State.
“Tyler is also a very impressive player,” Kubinski said. “His enthusiasm really came through during his visit. It just seemed like he was our man. He hits the ball a long, long way and has posted some great scores in several key Florida events. We’re fortunate to have him as a future leader. He certainly impressed (assistant coach Steve) Colnitis on the recruiting trail. I feel Tyler can have an impact early on, as he keeps working. He’s very talented.”
Zhang (5-9/145) will be the first Canadian golfer to join the Irish program in 50 years, following a stellar prep career in Alberta. He is a three-time winner of the Alberta Juvenile Championship (16-and-under), as well as a three-time victor at the Royal Canadian Golf Association (RCGA) Future Links Championship (Bantam Division). In the amateur ranks, he twice has qualified for the Canadian Amateur Championship (advanced to the second round of match play in 2006) and played his way into the 2006 U.S. Junior Amateur Championship with a dramatic rally in qualifying, carding birdies on six of his last eight holes, including the first playoff hole.
A standout on the junior circuit, he presently stands 14th on the CN Future Links Junior Order of Merit. Zhang temporarily relocated to La Quinta, Calif., for the winter season and made a splash in his first tournament on the Future Collegians World Tour (FCWT), tying for first (falling in a playoff) at the Escena Classic last weekend with an eight-under par 136 (66-70). In limited action, he already has risen to No. 164 in the Golfweek rankings, including a No. 95 standing among the Class of 2007.
Looking to major in business, Zhang was born on Sept. 9, 1989, in Calgary, Alberta, and is the older of two children of Jen Yu and Charles Zhang.
“Dustin has earned a number of honors in his young career already and, with continued hard work, should become a top collegiate player,” Kubinski said. “He is a very talented ball striker and is working hard to become as accomplished in the short game areas. I love his work ethic and dedication.”
— ND —