Golf: UL’s golf team nabs Austrian standout

Daily Advertiser, July 20, 2012

LAFAYETTE, La. – The Ragin’ Cajuns golf team added to its 2012-13 signing class as Marcel Walzl signed a National Letter of Intent, head coach Theo Sliman announced on Thursday.

“Marcel, like his two countrymen before him (Phillip Fendt and Chris Weninger), is a very solid player and will bring experience to a team that will have to replace three starters from last year,” Sliman said. “I look forward to seeing him in action.”

Walzl joins Ross Davis (Baton Rouge, La.) and Christian Verrougstraete (Reunion Island) to make up the 2012-13 signing class.

The Seefeld, Austria native was ranked one of the top five players in Austria by the age of 13 after earning on spot Austrian ‘B’ Team. Walzl went on to win four of five Austrian Junior Tour events including the Austrian Junior Championship by the age of 15.

The championship win found Walzl atop the U16 Austrian Rankings and later that year Walzl finished 24th at the European U16 Championships.

By the age of 16 he was named a member of the Austrian ‘A’ Team and added two more Austrian Junior Tournament wins.

A member of The Austrian Men’s Team since 2010, Walzl made an appearance in the U18 European Team Championships and finished 12th at Doral Junior Tournament in 2008.

“Marcel has been competing on a global scale for more than seven years now, and his maturity and experience will help our squad tremendously,” Sliman added. “He isn’t like a normal freshman coming in having spent his required six months serving in the military. I will have high expectations of Marcel.”