MOBILE, Ala. - University of South Alabama women's golf head coach Matt Luther announced Thursday that two international students – Siti Shaari (Subang Jaya, Malaysia) and Caroline Berge (Stavanger, Norway) – have signed National-Letters-of-Intent and will join the program for the 2017-18 season.
"They're two kids with international experience and world ranking points," Luther said of the two future Jaguars. "They've both played around the world and have played at levels of competition that's different from what they would get regionally in junior golf in the United States. They've been on national teams and programs as well as being parts of national development programs. They're going to be big game-changers for us."
Shaari attended the USJ National Secondary School and played for the Malaysian National Team where she accumulated multiple top honors. This past June, Shaari won the 2016 Negeri Sembilan Amateur. In 2015, the South Alabama signee placed second in the Selangor Amateur, fifth in the Malaysian Amateur, forth in the Tan Sri Muhyiddin (TSM) Challenge and eighth in the Thailand Amateur.
"Siti is a hard worker and really athletic with a lot of speed," Luther said. "She has a lot of room to grow as a player, which is a good thing. She's a really cheerful kid and just generally excited to come here and get going."
Berge will come to South Alabama from Wang Toppidrett High School in Oslo, Norway, the first of the four WANG system schools that focuses on academics and preparing students for careers in sports. Berge's highlights include the 2016 Titleist Tour Order of Merit winner, the 2016 Norwegian Cup Order of Merit Ladies winner and participated in the Girl's British Amateur Championship.
Berge also won the 2016 Norwegian Cup Final and the 2016 Titleist Tour 8.
"Caroline has played all over Europe," Luther said. "She's tall and also has a lot of speed and she hits the long balls well. She's really done well and has proven she can win. Both have won big tournaments and have really proved they can compete at a national level."
Both signees will join the program in the fall of 2017 and have four years of eligibility.
"These two players fit the mold of what we want to do," Luther said. "They're both good kids and are hard workers. They bring experience and the ability to shoot low scores."
For more information about South Alabama athletics, check back with www.usajaguars.com, and follow the Jaguars at www.twitter.com/USAJaguarSports. Season tickets for all Jaguar athletic events can be purchased by calling (251) 461-1USA (1872).
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