Photo by: Texas A&M Athletics
Higgins Announces Three 2020 Golf Signees
Nov 14, 2019 | Men's Golf
COLLEGE STATION, Texas – Three golf standouts have signed with the Texas A&M men's golf team and will join the Aggies for the 2020-21 season, head coach J.T. Higgins announced.
Inking with the Aggies were Michael Heidelbaugh (Dallas, Texas), Daniel Rodrigues (Vila Nova de Gaia, Portugal) and Vishnu Sadagopan (Pearland, Texas).
"Over the last four or five years, we have put a huge emphasis on character and leadership in our recruiting model and it has paid off in big ways for us on and off the course," Higgins said. "In this class, we are getting three extremely gifted and talented players: a state champion, a U.S. President's Cup player and one of the very best players in Europe.
"But just as important as their talent, they are of exceptional character. Everything they do, they do well. They give maximum effort and commitment, have positive attitudes and hold themselves to a high standard. That fits great with what we are trying to build and teach in this program and it is why our players are successful individually and as a team. With the right guys, anything is possible and we just got three of the best!"
Texas A&M Men's Golf Signees (Class of 2020)
Signee Biographical Information
Michael Heidelbaugh
6'3" | 165 pounds
Dallas, Texas (Trinity Christian Academy)
Rankings (Class of 2020):
No. 1 in Texas and No. 20 Nationally (Junior Golf Scoreboard)
No. 6 in Texas and No. 40 Nationally (AJGA)
High School Results:
Starter on 3 straight TAPPS 6A State Championship Teams (2017-19)
2018 TAPPS 6A State Champion
2018 and '19 TAPPS 6A Regional Champion
2019 TAPPS 6A District Champion
2018 and '19 TAPPS 6A All-State
School record holder for all-time low round 65 (3X) and low tournament score 66-66 (-12)
Junior Golf Results:
2019 Medalist Jordan Spieth Junior Championship 71-65-68 (-12 set tournament record)
2019 Runner-up Colonial Junior in Williamsburg, VA
2019 3rd Place Texas State Junior
3 other Top 5 finishes in AGJA tournaments
Also:
National Honor Society
Eagle Scout
Academic All-State 2018, 2019
Summa Cum Laude with a 4.33 grade point average
Coach Higgins:
"Michael is one of the top players in the state of Texas. His physical skills are impressive as he generates great clubhead speed and can move it off the tee. He has posted some very low numbers and won some big tournaments including the State Championship. He has been taught by the very best in Coach Marshall Edwards at Trinity Christian and David Price at Bent Tree. More importantly, he is a great young man. He works hard and succeeds at everything he does as demonstrated by his outstanding grades and leadership abilities as an Eagle Scout."
Michael Heidelbaugh:
"I chose Texas A&M for a lot of reasons. It has rich tradition both academically and athletically. The courses and facilities we have are extraordinary and the golf program has been incredibly successful. On top of that, I believe the coaches and support at Texas A&M can help me reach my goals and finally, I really look forward to competing in the SEC. Gig 'Em Aggies!"
Daniel Rodrigues
5'8"| 140 pounds
Vila Nova de Gaia, Portugal (Dr. Joaquim Gomes Ferreira Alves Secondary School)
Rankings:
No. 1 Portuguese National Men's and Boy's Rankings
No. 19 European Boys Under 18
No. 36 European Men
No. 79 World Amateur Golf Ranking
Accomplishments:
2015-19 Member of the Portuguese National Team
Current Portuguese Amateur Champion (-13)
Current Under 18 National Champion (-5)
2018 Under 16 National Champion (-2)
Quaterfinalist in 2018 and '19 British Boys Championships
Runner-up Belgium Junior Championship (-12)
T6 German Boys Championship (-8)
T7 Mediterranean Games (Tarragona, Spain)
T8 Junior Open (St. Andrews, Scotland)
T13 European Young Masters (Oslo, Sweden)
Has played in 2 Professional events, making the cut in The Portugal Open on The Challenge Tour and missing the cut in The Portugal Masters on The European Tour.
Coach Higgins:
"Dani is the best player in Portugal and one of the best in all of Europe. He comes with a wealth of experience having represented his country throughout the European Continent with great success. He is fundamentally sound, plays disciplined, mature golf and is an outstanding putter. He has a wonderful family who value both the academic and athletic opportunities he will receive here at Texas A&M and he has so much experience with high level team golf that he will be great for our culture."
Daniel Rodrigues:
"I chose Texas A&M because no other University or School had such a big impact in me as A&M. The people as well, they received me as if I was one member of the team already, and that obviously touched me, I felt like it was home right away. I really hope to go there and start calling myself an Aggie!"
Vishnu Sadagopan
6'0" | 160 pounds
Pearland, Texas (Shadow Creek High School)
Rankings (Class of 2020):
No. 1 in Texas/No. 15 in Nation (AJGA)
No. 5 in Texas/No. 41 in Nation (Junior Golf Scoreboard)
Accomplishments:
Member of 2019 United States Junior President's Cup Team
2019 AJGA Rolex First Team All-American
2019 Wyndham Cup Team
2016 and '18 Jackie Burke Cup Team
2016 Texas Legends Tour Player of the Year
High School Results:
2018, 2019 District Champion
2018 Regional Champion
2018 6th Place at Texas State High School Championship
3x Shadow Creek High School Player of the Year (2017-19)
Junior Golf Results:
2019 AJGA CT Pan Junior Championship- Champion by 14 strokes
2019 AJGA Sergio and Angela Garcia Championship- 3rd place
2018 AJGA Patrick Reed Championship- 3rd place
2018 TLJT George Hannon Junior Championship- 3rd place
2018 TLJT Byron Nelson Junior Championship- 10th place
2018 TLJT Texas Junior Amateur- 15th place
2017 TLJT Fall Championship- 2nd place
2016 TLJT Bluebonnet Championship- Champion
Also:
Straight "A" Student
AJGA Scholastic All-American
Alvin ISD Science Fair Winner
Coach Higgins:
"Vishnu has had an amazing junior career, culminating with a spot on The Junior President's Cup Team next month and we are so excited to have him joining our family. He has shown the ability to win at the local, state and national level, posts consistently low scores and be a team leader. He has good hands around the green, combined with a strong wedge game and putter really gives him the ability to score. He has been mentored by two of the best around in Coach Koch at Shadow Creek and Pablo Del Olmo at The Woodlands Country Club and it shows in his sound swing and strong approach to the game. On top of all that, he is a straight A student, a leader on and off the course and a great team guy."
Vishnu Sadagopan:
"I chose Texas A&M because the great practice facilities, coaches and tournament schedule will allow me to further develop into a great player. Texas A&M also has a great reputation for turning out PGA Tour players."
Inking with the Aggies were Michael Heidelbaugh (Dallas, Texas), Daniel Rodrigues (Vila Nova de Gaia, Portugal) and Vishnu Sadagopan (Pearland, Texas).
"Over the last four or five years, we have put a huge emphasis on character and leadership in our recruiting model and it has paid off in big ways for us on and off the course," Higgins said. "In this class, we are getting three extremely gifted and talented players: a state champion, a U.S. President's Cup player and one of the very best players in Europe.
"But just as important as their talent, they are of exceptional character. Everything they do, they do well. They give maximum effort and commitment, have positive attitudes and hold themselves to a high standard. That fits great with what we are trying to build and teach in this program and it is why our players are successful individually and as a team. With the right guys, anything is possible and we just got three of the best!"
Texas A&M Men's Golf Signees (Class of 2020)
| Signee | Ht. | Wt. | Hometown |
| Michael Heidelbaugh | 6-3 | 165 | Dallas, Texas |
| Daniel Rodrigues | 5-8 | 140 | Vila Nova de Gaia, Portugal |
| Vishnu Sadagopan | 6-0 | 160 | Pearland, Texas |
Signee Biographical Information
Michael Heidelbaugh
6'3" | 165 pounds
Dallas, Texas (Trinity Christian Academy)
- Coached by Marshall Edwards at Trinity Christian Academy
- PGA Teaching Professional: David Price, Bent Tree Country Club
Rankings (Class of 2020):
No. 1 in Texas and No. 20 Nationally (Junior Golf Scoreboard)
No. 6 in Texas and No. 40 Nationally (AJGA)
High School Results:
Starter on 3 straight TAPPS 6A State Championship Teams (2017-19)
2018 TAPPS 6A State Champion
2018 and '19 TAPPS 6A Regional Champion
2019 TAPPS 6A District Champion
2018 and '19 TAPPS 6A All-State
School record holder for all-time low round 65 (3X) and low tournament score 66-66 (-12)
Junior Golf Results:
2019 Medalist Jordan Spieth Junior Championship 71-65-68 (-12 set tournament record)
2019 Runner-up Colonial Junior in Williamsburg, VA
2019 3rd Place Texas State Junior
3 other Top 5 finishes in AGJA tournaments
Also:
National Honor Society
Eagle Scout
Academic All-State 2018, 2019
Summa Cum Laude with a 4.33 grade point average
Coach Higgins:
"Michael is one of the top players in the state of Texas. His physical skills are impressive as he generates great clubhead speed and can move it off the tee. He has posted some very low numbers and won some big tournaments including the State Championship. He has been taught by the very best in Coach Marshall Edwards at Trinity Christian and David Price at Bent Tree. More importantly, he is a great young man. He works hard and succeeds at everything he does as demonstrated by his outstanding grades and leadership abilities as an Eagle Scout."
Michael Heidelbaugh:
"I chose Texas A&M for a lot of reasons. It has rich tradition both academically and athletically. The courses and facilities we have are extraordinary and the golf program has been incredibly successful. On top of that, I believe the coaches and support at Texas A&M can help me reach my goals and finally, I really look forward to competing in the SEC. Gig 'Em Aggies!"
Daniel Rodrigues
5'8"| 140 pounds
Vila Nova de Gaia, Portugal (Dr. Joaquim Gomes Ferreira Alves Secondary School)
- Attends Dr. Joaquim Gomes Ferreira Alves Secondary School
- Golf Instructor is Sergio Ribeiro at Miramar Golf Club
Rankings:
No. 1 Portuguese National Men's and Boy's Rankings
No. 19 European Boys Under 18
No. 36 European Men
No. 79 World Amateur Golf Ranking
Accomplishments:
2015-19 Member of the Portuguese National Team
Current Portuguese Amateur Champion (-13)
Current Under 18 National Champion (-5)
2018 Under 16 National Champion (-2)
Quaterfinalist in 2018 and '19 British Boys Championships
Runner-up Belgium Junior Championship (-12)
T6 German Boys Championship (-8)
T7 Mediterranean Games (Tarragona, Spain)
T8 Junior Open (St. Andrews, Scotland)
T13 European Young Masters (Oslo, Sweden)
Has played in 2 Professional events, making the cut in The Portugal Open on The Challenge Tour and missing the cut in The Portugal Masters on The European Tour.
Coach Higgins:
"Dani is the best player in Portugal and one of the best in all of Europe. He comes with a wealth of experience having represented his country throughout the European Continent with great success. He is fundamentally sound, plays disciplined, mature golf and is an outstanding putter. He has a wonderful family who value both the academic and athletic opportunities he will receive here at Texas A&M and he has so much experience with high level team golf that he will be great for our culture."
Daniel Rodrigues:
"I chose Texas A&M because no other University or School had such a big impact in me as A&M. The people as well, they received me as if I was one member of the team already, and that obviously touched me, I felt like it was home right away. I really hope to go there and start calling myself an Aggie!"
Vishnu Sadagopan
6'0" | 160 pounds
Pearland, Texas (Shadow Creek High School)
- Coached by Craig Koch at Shadow Creek High School
- Swing Instructor: Pablo Del Olmo, The Woodlands Country Club
Rankings (Class of 2020):
No. 1 in Texas/No. 15 in Nation (AJGA)
No. 5 in Texas/No. 41 in Nation (Junior Golf Scoreboard)
Accomplishments:
Member of 2019 United States Junior President's Cup Team
2019 AJGA Rolex First Team All-American
2019 Wyndham Cup Team
2016 and '18 Jackie Burke Cup Team
2016 Texas Legends Tour Player of the Year
High School Results:
2018, 2019 District Champion
2018 Regional Champion
2018 6th Place at Texas State High School Championship
3x Shadow Creek High School Player of the Year (2017-19)
Junior Golf Results:
2019 AJGA CT Pan Junior Championship- Champion by 14 strokes
2019 AJGA Sergio and Angela Garcia Championship- 3rd place
2018 AJGA Patrick Reed Championship- 3rd place
2018 TLJT George Hannon Junior Championship- 3rd place
2018 TLJT Byron Nelson Junior Championship- 10th place
2018 TLJT Texas Junior Amateur- 15th place
2017 TLJT Fall Championship- 2nd place
2016 TLJT Bluebonnet Championship- Champion
Also:
Straight "A" Student
AJGA Scholastic All-American
Alvin ISD Science Fair Winner
Coach Higgins:
"Vishnu has had an amazing junior career, culminating with a spot on The Junior President's Cup Team next month and we are so excited to have him joining our family. He has shown the ability to win at the local, state and national level, posts consistently low scores and be a team leader. He has good hands around the green, combined with a strong wedge game and putter really gives him the ability to score. He has been mentored by two of the best around in Coach Koch at Shadow Creek and Pablo Del Olmo at The Woodlands Country Club and it shows in his sound swing and strong approach to the game. On top of all that, he is a straight A student, a leader on and off the course and a great team guy."
Vishnu Sadagopan:
"I chose Texas A&M because the great practice facilities, coaches and tournament schedule will allow me to further develop into a great player. Texas A&M also has a great reputation for turning out PGA Tour players."
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