Top Texas men’s golf player going pro a year early
By Steve Lansdale
AUSTIN, Texas — University of Texas golfer Beau Hossler, the top-ranked player in Golfweek magazine’s men’s amateur rankings this week, announced Friday that he intends to skip his final season of eligibility at UT and turn professional.
"After months of weighing options and discussing with my loved ones, I have decided to turn professional and forego my senior year at the University of Texas,” Hossler said in a statement released through the UT athletic department. “I have been preparing to become a professional golfer and have dreamed of this day for more than 10 years. I am blessed to have surrounded myself with some of the greatest people in the world. Without each one of their contributions, I would not be in this position today.
“If I told you about all my experiences at the University of Texas, it would take about a month. My teammates during these three years are some of the most special golfers I have seen, but more importantly, they are some of the highest character people I have been around. Their playing records speak for themselves as golfers, but the most impressive parts are those that you don't see on paper. Coach Fields has been an incredible asset in my life the past three and a half years, since I stepped on campus. He has treated me and my teammates like his own sons and cares about our careers at and after Texas.”
Hossler’s decision means that Texas head coach John Fields is losing his team’s top player before his eligibility expires, but the Longhorns’ coach said that Hossler appears ready to succeed at the game’s highest level.
“We are so happy that Beau is taking the next step and giving himself the opportunity to play at the next level. I have no doubt that he will go out and accomplish his goals at the next level. He had three and a half amazing years at the University of Texas and finished his collegiate golf career at a high status. We are extremely excited about his next step and his future as a professional golfer and will always be proud to call him a Texas Golf alumnus."
Hossler is a two-time first-team PING All-America nominee and the recipient of the 2016 Fred Haskins Award, which is given annually to the nation’s premier golfer.
