Colorado University Athletics
Edwards Signs "Foursome" To Men's Golf Team
November 21, 2007 | Men's Golf
BOULDER - University of Colorado men's golf coach Roy Edwards has signed an impressive recruiting class, his first at the school where he had advantage of the full recruiting cycle.
Signing letters-of-intent, confirmed through CU's compliance office, were Johnny Widmer, from the Cayman Islands via Bradenton, Fla.; Kevin Kring from Springfield, Mo.; Josh Creel, from Cheyenne, Wyo., and Jason Burstyn, of Miami, Fla.
Widmer is listed as the No. 66 junior in the Golfweek/Titleist rankings, with Kring rated No. 99 and Burstyn No. 120; Creel did not have enough events to be ranked, but did very well in local and regional tournaments in the Rocky Mountain region.
"We are very excited about this class," Edwards said. "With a tremendous amount of hard work, a commitment to their teammates' success, and a belief in oneself, this group can be the cornerstone for a lot of our future success at CU. The 2008 high school graduating class is one of the deepest we have ever seen. We expect several of these guys to have an immediate impact on our golf program."
Edwards was named head coach in July 2006, well into the junior amateur season. Thus, this was his first class where he could take a full year to scout and evaluate talent.
Widmer has been playing internationally for the Cayman Islands Men's Team while attending the Pendleton School in Bradenton, where he was coached by Shane Reiser of the IMG Academies. He has an impressive list of amateur accomplishments, which include Caribbean Junior Championships medalist honors in both 2002 and 2006. He has numerous Future Collegians World Tour (FCWT) top 20 finishes, including a win in the 2005 St. Petersburg event and a ninth place showing in the 2007 Doral Silver. He has two runner-up finishes in the Optimist International Championship (2003, 2006), and has fared well in the few American Junior Golf Association (AJGA) events he has played, including second in the 2006 First American meet.
He was the Cayman Islands Men's Champion in 2004, 2005 and 2006, and is a five-time member of the Cayman Islands Men's Team. He was the Caribbean Amateur Champion last summer and helped the Western Islands win the Caribbean Cup, a Ryder's Cup style format. Most recently, in the last week of October, he finished eighth in the Golfweek Invitational in Orlando (at the New Course at Grand Cypress), recording a 6-under 68-70?138 scorecard. The top 100 junior golfers in the magazine's rankings were the only ones invited to participate in the tournament, which took place four days after his 18th birthday.
"Johnny immediately bonded with our guys on his visit and he fell in love with Boulder and CU," Edwards said. "Johnny generates a ton of club-head speed and plays his best golf on long, tough golf courses, something that will serve him well in college golf."
Creel was a first-team all-state (4A) performer his freshman, junior and senior years at Cheyenne Central High School for coach Mike Lepore, and was a FCWT All-American for the 2005-06 season. The Cheyenne native won an FCWT event at the age of 15, and also qualified and played in the U.S. Junior Amateur. He finished second in the state meet as a senior (76-78?154); his scoring average for his senior season was a healthy 70.6.
"Josh is a local guy who can make a lot of birdies and really light up the scoreboard," Edwards said. "He is at the top of a very strong high school class from Wyoming and we look forward to him developing into a solid player for us over the years."
Kring, who was ranked No. 74 in the American Junior Golf Association this past summer, set the Missouri state high school record for low score, recording a 63 to win the All City Invitational at the Twin Oaks Country Club. That round was one short of the overall course record of 62 set by Arnold Palmer in 1961 and tied the amateur course record as well. Kring was featured in Sports Illustrated's "Faces in the Crowd" in its May, 15, 2006 edition. He was the first commitment in CU's recruiting class, and is Springfield Central's first golfer to ever sign to play Division I golf.
He owned a 72.3 scoring average per round in high school under coach Bob Kinloch, and averaged 36.1 for 9-hole matches. He finished second in the state championship as a freshman and junior (he led the tournament with holes remaining as a frosh before taking runner-up honors). Kring was named the PGA Midwest Section Player of the Year (2005) when he was a Midwest Section Junior Golf Team Member; that same 2004-05 season, he was selected as the FCWT Central Player of the Year and as a first-team All-American. He won three FCWT events with three runner-up finishes in 14 events, nicely matched with eight top 10 AJGA finishes, including four top five efforts. In his most recent amateur tournament, he won the Oklahoma Junior Golf Association Whitehawk Shoot-Out in Bixby with a 66-74?140 scorecard.
"Kevin is one of the most decorated players in the history of the Missouri high school golf," Edwards said of the Springfield native. "With some further development and seasoning from our veterans next year, Kevin has the chance to be an immediate contributor and a leader on our team."
Burstyn, a Miami native who prepped at the city's Palmetto High School under coach Mike Klekotka, was selected to the 2005 and 2006 Miami Herald All-Dade County golf teams in the talent rich area. Owning an even par high school scoring average (36.0 for nine holes), he had several top amateur finishes, including a fourth-place finish at the 2007 AJGA Midwest Players Championship; a runner-up effort at the 2007 FCWT Innisbrook Open; an eighth place finish at the 2006 AJGA Fidelity Investments Junior at Trump National; a fifth-place performance (3 under par) at the 2005 Press Thornton Future Masters; and a seven place showing (playing to even par) at the 2005 FCWT National Championship
"Jason is a guy who is very committed to being a success on the course and in the classroom," Edwards said. "He was overlooked by many schools and is the type of player who was focused on becoming a Buff. We are very excited about his commitment."
The class of four completes CU's recruiting for the 2008-09 season.
