Thumond Signs Three To National Letters of Intent
November 11, 2015 | Men's Golf
SEATTLE – Washington head coach Matt Thurmond is pleased to announce that three players have signed National Letters of Intent. Joining the Huskies for the 2016-17 season will be Shamu Bodhidatta, Henry Lee and Sam Warkentin.
The three-player class will bring an immediate impact to the Washington program that has established itself as one of the elite in the nation over the past decade. All three new Huskies have been top junior players and will bring different strengths to the Montlake.
“Each class of recruits has its own personality and responsibility,” said Thurmond. “Like every group that comes in, we expect this group the leave our program better than they found it. That is their task. They've already connected as classmates and look forward to being teammates and part of the larger Husky Golf Family. We will expect a lot of them and know they will stand on the shoulders of giants and add to the legacy of those that have gone before them.”
Bodhidatta comes the Seattle from Thailand where he attended the American School of Bangkok. There, he placed second individually at the World Schools Golf Challenge in April, 2013, while also leading his team to the title.
“To become a Husky is one of the best experiences of my life,” said Bodhidatta.
Bodhidatta has several impressive wins to his name, claiming the 2015 Mercedes-Benz Junior Golf Championship in Kabinburi, Thailand and the 2013 PTT Blue Innovation A-Class Championship in Imperial Lake, Thailand. He also represented Thailand at the U.S. Kids Golf Teen Championship at Pinehurst back in 2011 and tied for fifth at the FCG International Championship at Sycuan resort in San Diego back in 2013.
“Shamu is our first player ever from Thailand,” said Thurmond. “He has a calm and comfortable presence. His game is characterized by his big power. He'll immediately be the longest hitter on our team. Everyone will really enjoy Shamu and we hope he'll be a great player for us.”
Lee continues the tradition of great players from British Columbia to come to Washington. He has great experience both in Canada and the United States at the junior level.
“I am extremely humbled by the opportunity to play for the University of Washington,” said Lee. “To play golf for such an incredible school is a dream come true and I will forever wear purple and gold with pride and honor. Go Dawgs!”
Lee won the 2013 America Junior Golf Association Open at Sun River and the 2012 British Columbia Golf Association Juveniles, followed by a runner-up finish in 2013. Lee qualified for the 2014 U.S. Amateur Public Links and finished third at the 2013 AJGA All-Star at Centennial. Back in Canada, Lee won the 2015 B.C. AAA High School title, while finishing third at the 2015 Canadian Junior Boys and ninth the previous year. He also finished tied for fourth at the 2015 BCGA Junior Boys Championship and tied for sixth in 2012.
“Henry brings an infectious energy and enthusiasm to our team,” said Thurmond. “He is a very hard worker with big goals and dreams. He plays with passion and loves to win. He's got a background full of success and joins a long list of players from B.C. that have made a mark on our program.”
Warkentin is a local product from Bainbridge Island, Wash where he is a two-time Washington Junior Golf and Washington State Golf Association Player of the Year. Warkentin currently ranks as the No. 17 recruit nationally in the Class of 2016 by Golfweek. He won nine times in 2015, including the WJGA State Championship, which was his second consecutively. He also led Bainbridge HS to the 2015 WIAA 3A State title, while also capturing the individual crown.
"Being from Washington, it gives me great pride to be a Husky,” said Warkentin. “Coach Thurmond and Coach Wilson run a great program, and I can't wait to see what my teammates and I can accomplish. Go Dawgs!"
Warkentin was also the 2015 Puget Sound Amateur Champion and the 2015 Pacific Northwest Golf Association co-medalist, a year after winning that same title. Other top finishes included a tie for third at the Junior America's Cup in 2015 and a tie for seventh in 2014, along with five top-20 finishes in AJGA event in 2014 and '15.
“Sam has dominated junior golf in the Northwest over the past two years. He's obsessed with improving and will do anything possible he can to get a little bit better all the time. He's got a quiet and steady demeanor, but inside he is a sneaky tough competitor. He's relentless. His match play record shows this. It's always great for us to add the top local talent and we look forward to seeing Sam do big things here at UW.”
The recruiting class punctuates a great fall for the Huskies that ended with a dominant victory at the Gifford Collegiate hosted by UCLA. The Dawgs won by nine strokes over runner-up No. 5 Stanford, while Corey Pereira and Chris Babcock tied for the individual title.
“This is always such a fun day for our program,” said Thurmond. “It represents lots of effort and energy from our staff. It represents so much thought and strategy about who we bring into our program. We are only as good as the people in the program. We don't bring in just anyone and these guys have been carefully selected because of who they are. It's a thrill to add this caliber of person and golfer. I'm really proud of these guys and today is such a fun day to celebrate. Over the next four-plus years they'll give all of themselves to making our program better and building their own future day by day. They will have teammates and staff that will welcome them and help them grow in every way possible and hopefully they'll all say it was the best four years of their lives.”
