DeLand, Fla. - Stetson University Head Women's Golf Coach Floyd Kerr is proud to announce the signing of Lauren Cate (St. Augustine, Fla.) to a National Letter of Intent. The eighth-ranked junior player in the state of Florida will join the Hatters for her freshman year this fall.
Cate, the runner-up in her high school district championship tournament and a St. John's River Conference all-league selection, has recorded five top-five finishes in junior tour action around Florida and Georgia over the last year. These include a victory in the Hurricane Junior Golf Tour's stop at Woodmont Country Club (Tamarac, Fla.), where she shot 70-77=147 (+3) to win by four strokes. She is ranked in the top 200 among junior girls in the nation by Golfweek Magazine.
In addition to the win at Woodmont, she captured three second place finishes on various tours: the Jekyll Island Junior Open (HJGT), the Medicus Preseason Junior at Callaway Gardens (American Junior Golf Association) and the University of Florida Open (Future Collegians World Tour) as well as a fourth place finish at the FCWT's TPC Sawgrass event. Cate fired several impressive rounds at these tournaments, most notably a two under par 68 in the first round of the University of Florida Open.
“As a late signee for our '08 class, Lauren is an exceptional find,” Kerr said. “She has flown under the radar of most college coaches but her recent tournament play demonstrates that she has the potential to be a very solid college player. Lauren has the desire, ability and maturity to challenge for playing time in our lineup immediately.”
The 2008 graduate of Bartram Trail HS in Jacksonville intends to major in Business or Finance at Stetson. Cate joins a Hatter team that has placed fourth in the last two Atlantic Sun Conference championships, the best finishes in school history, and returns nearly its entire roster including 2008 Atlantic Sun First Team honoree Danielle Jackson (Seminole, Fla.). Stetson will host the 2009 A-Sun Championships at Victoria Hills Country Club April 12-15.
