Nov. 21, 2008

Highly ranked prep golfers T.J. Vogel from Cooper City, Fla., Sam Smith from Turlock, Calif., and Martin Trainer from Palo Alto, Calif., have all signed letters of intent with USC, Trojan men's golf head coach Chris Zambri announced on Friday (Nov. 21).

"It is exciting to bring in a class of guys who have accomplished so much in their young careers," Zambri said. "They will make great Trojans and will help to continue the momentum the program has gained in recent years."

Vogel, from Heritage High in Cooper City, Fla., is No. 2 ranked prep golfer in the 2008-09 class. He put together an incredible summer, finishing near the top of the leaderboard in many national events, including a second at the Western Junior, making the round of 16 at the U.S. Junior and posting top 10 finishes in prestigious events like the AJGA Footjoy and the AJGA HP Classic. He was the 2007 South Florida Sun-Sentinel Boys' Golfer of the Year as a junior.

Smith, who preps at Turlock (Calif.) High, has put together a strong junior career and is the No. 1 ranked 2008-2009 prep golfer in California. Smith has played in the last 2 U.S. Juniors and also qualified to play in the 2008 U.S. Amateur, making match play. He was the 2008 Sacramento Bee boys' Golfer of the Year.

Trainer attends Gunn High in Palo Alto, Calif. He has qualified for four USGA events over the past two summers, including the U.S. Junior twice as well as the 2007 U.S. Public Links and the 2007 U.S. Amateur. Martin also qualified for and made match play in the 2008 California State Amateur and just missed qualifying for the 2008 U.S. Open. Also in 2008, Martin won the prestigious San Francisco City Amateur against a field of the best amateur players of all ages in Northern California. At 16 at the time, he was the youngest player to win the event in its 92-year history.