Higgins Signs Trio of Golf Standouts
Nov 13, 2003 | Men's Golf
November 13, 2003
Robert Gates, Jr., of Gainesville, Fla., Martin Piller of Duncanville, Texas, and Matt Van Zandt of Houston have signed national letters-of-intent to play college golf at Texas A&M, head coach J.T. Higgins said Thursday.
"This is one of the strongest recruiting classes I have ever had for the simple reason that all three of these young men will come in ready to play," Higgins said. "They have tremendous experience against outstanding competition, they have achieved success at all levels of play and most importantly, they know how to win. As a group, they are mentally tough and composed, and they are not afraid to compete.
"It says a lot about our program and Texas A&M that these young men decided to come here and help us build our team into national contenders," Higgins added. "They all had the opportunity to go play for some traditional powers of golf and some highly ranked opponents, but they were impressed by our direction, our commitment to golf in the way of facilities and support, and all the opportunities that Texas A&M can provide."
The 6-foot-5 Gates (no relation to Texas A&M University President Robert Gates) is rated as the ninth-best junior golfer in the country by Junior Golf Scoreboard and was a second-team All-America pick by the American Junior Golf Association (AJGA) this year. A senior at Bucholz High School in Gainesville, Gates won the Florida State Junior Championship in 2001 and was runner-up in 2002. He also was a semifinalist at the prestigious Polo All-American Tournament in 2002 and was selected to play for the East Canon Cup Team, a national all-star event , earlier this year. Gates also was recruited by Florida and TCU.
"Bobby is ranked as one of the top 10 players in the country, but in my opinion, he is one of the top two or three," Higgins said. "He was highly recruited and had the opportunity to play for any team in the nation. He is big and strong, hits the ball long and straight and has an exceptional short game, especially for someone his size. He is a proven winner and can compete with the very best players in the country. I like his attitude, toughness and composure on the course and I think is going to make an immediate and positive impact on our program."
Ranked as the 69th-best junior in the country by Junior Golf Scoreboard, Piller has won nine tournaments at Duncanville High School and finished sixth at the 2002 Class 5A state tournament. A two-time district champion, he also won the regional title in 2002 and was named to The Dallas Morning News All-Area Team. He qualified for the 2003 U.S. Junior Championship and won the 2002 International Junior Golf Tour National Tournament. He has placed in the top five of five AJGA tournaments and finished in the top 20 of two AJGA major championships. He also was recruited by Texas, Oklahoma, SMU and Texas Tech.
"Martin is one of, if not the best, players in Texas and has tremendous competitive experience playing in national events," Higgins said. "He has a great short game, is a fierce competitor and is very straight off the tee. But probably the thing I like best is that he has a tremendous work ethic. If he were a basketball player, he would be called a gym rat. He loves to practice and spends all his free time at the golf course. He has been very successful in the junior ranks and I think he is going to have an even better collegiate career."
A member of the 2003 Texas Class 5A state championship team at Elkins High School, Van Zandt is rated as the top junior golfer in the Houston area and has posted two top-10 AJGA tournament finishes. He won a local qualifier for the 2003 U.S. Junior by six strokes with a six-under-par 66 and won his age division at the 2001 Texas-Oklahoma Junior. He is rated as the 113th best junior golfer in the nation by Junior Golf Scoreboard and also was recruited by Arkansas.
"Matt is coming to us from one of the state's best high school golf programs," Higgins said. "He helped his team with the state championship last year and is the top-ranked player in Houston this year. He has played a great schedule within the state and nationally and has had a lot of success. Matt is a very steady player, keeps the ball in play off the tee, and plays smart golf with a lot of heart. He is a player with a great deal of potential and we are very fortunate to have him at Texas A&M.
2004-05 Texas A&M Men's Golf Early Signing Class
| Name | Ht. | Wt. | Cl-Exp. | Hometown (Current School) |
| Robert Gates, Jr. | 6-5 | 220 | Fr-HS | Gainesville, Fla. (Bucholz HS) |
| Martin Piller | 5-9 | 150 | Fr-HS | Duncanville, Texas (Duncanville HS) |
| Matt Van Zandt | 5-8 | 150 | Fr-HS | Houston, Texas (Elkins HS) |
