Long Beach State University Athletics
LBSU Signs Highly Ranked Recruiting Class For 2009-10
11/14/2008 12:00:00 AM | Men's Golf
Nov. 14, 2008
LONG BEACH - First year Long Beach State men's golf coach Bill Poutre has announced the signing of a talented trio to join the 49ers for the 2009-10 season. Philip Chian (Covina, Calif./Los Altos HS), Benjamin Lein (Diamond Bar, Calif./Los Altos HS) and Raymond Ho (Cerritos, Calif./Cerritos HS) will have an immediate impact to a team returning its top seven players.
Raymond Ho is currently ranked the No. 4 recruit in the state of California and No. 56 in the world rankings by juniorgolfscoreboard.com (the leader in junior golf rankings). Raymond was the Suburban League Most Valuable Player during his sophomore year and has been selected for All-League honors in all three of his high school seasons. He was also named to the Long Beach Press-Telegram Dream Team in 2007. Raymond's home course is Ironwood Nine in Cerritos, Calif. and boasts a low competitive round of 67 at the Trilogy Golf Course.
"Raymond is very athletic and has an extremely competitive mindset," stated Poutre. "He has a great move and as he learns to manage the course more effectively he will be very tough to beat."
Philip Chian, currently ranked the No. 9 recruit in the state of California and No. 82 in the world rankings by juniorgolfscoreboard.com. He is a three-time MVP of the Miramonte League heading into his senior season and finished among the top five amateurs in last week's California Open.
"Philip is a great ball striker and is mature beyond his years," said Poutre. "He has successfully competed at the highest levels of junior golf. His finish at the California Open, on a tough Saboba Springs golf course, proves he is ready to compete on the most difficult golf courses against top talent."
Benjamin Lein, currently ranked the No. 16 recruit in the state of California and the No. 117 recruit overall according to juniorgolfscoreboard.com. Lein's lowest competitive round came during the first round of this year's AJGA event at Tijeras Creek with an eight-under round of 64 featuring 10 birdies.
"Ben is a very good putter and can really take it low," Poutre stated. "He is a natural leader and his game will grow a great deal with access to our great practice facilities. He will have an immediate impact on our program."
The three incoming freshmen will join a current Long Beach team which continues to improve and currently holds the school's single season scoring average record and recorded its best finish at this year's Del Walker Intercollegiate Golf Classic since the 2000 season and has improved by nearly 50 spots in the national rankings.
