Prep golf | Lakewood Ranch?s Ramsey Touchberry commits to Florida

LAKEWOOD RANCH -- Though he?s just a sophomore, Ramsey Touchberry already has his college picked.

The Lakewood Ranch High golf standout has verbally committed to play for the University of Florida. Gators head coach Buddy Alexander made the decision easy for the 2011 Herald Boys Golfer of the Year.

?Before I had seen UF, I went to meet with Auburn coaches and Wake Forest,? Touchberry said. ?And then I went to UF, and the practice facilities don?t really stand out as a strong point. ... But the one thing that was far above the other two was the coach. Buddy Alexander, who?s the head men?s coach at UF, is phenomenal and has been there some 20 years. He?s played in the Masters, and he?s won the U.S. Am, and he has so many experiences.?

Touchberry also is impressed with the players Alexander has produced, including PGA Tour star Camilo Villegas.

?Almost half the people he coaches go on to be some kind of pro,? Touchberry said. ?And when I met with him, the information that he had to give me was so much more than what other coaches had to offer.?

Touchberry?s announcement comes on the heels of fantastic summer and fall seasons. Individually, he medaled in a local qualifier before firing a 295 total to tie for 31st in the Florida State Amateur.

He also finished eighth in the 57th Florida Boys Junior Amateur Championship this past summer.

Then Touchberry led the Mustangs to the Class 2A state title, the first for a Manatee County public high school. He fired a team-best 151 at the two-day, 36-hole state final on a difficult El Campeon course at the Mission Inn Resort & Club and tied for fifth overall. He shot a 3-under par 69 in the 2A-Region 5 tourney at Bent Tree Country Club.

?I?ve been playing good for awhile now, and it does pay off,? he said. ?It?s a great way to close out a good year.?

Most recently, Touchberry battled against seasoned college players and top-notch amateurs at the prestigious Dixie Amateur. The event concluded in late December with Touchberry posting a 291, good for 48th.

?I was 1-under through three rounds, which I was very happy with,? he said. ?The last day I kind of faltered a bit. ... t was similar to the Florida Am, but it had a lot better competition.?

With his future lined up, though, Touchberry isn?t letting himself get complacent.

?You have to worry about not letting it slip, because you already know you are going there,? Touchberry said. ?But also, it helps in relieving some of the pressure that if you have a bad tournament here or there, you aren?t going to fall off someone?s radar.?

For now, Touchberry said he plans to play Florida Junior Tour events prior to a summer schedule that includes trying to qualify for the Florida Amateur and U.S. Junior, among other tournaments.

Source: http://www.bradenton.com/2012/01/09/3774370/ranchs-touchberry-commits-to-florida.html

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