Nov. 16, 2009
EVANSTON, Ill. -- Northwestern Director of Golf Pat Goss announced today (Nov. 16) the signing of two future Wildcats to National Letters of Intent. Jack Perry (Santa Barbara, Calif./Santa Barbara) and Brad Shigezawa (Honolulu, Hawaii/Punahou Academy) will matriculate to Evanston in the fall of 2010.
"I am very excited to have Jack and Brad join our program," Goss said. "They both are excellent students and young men who have a strong belief in Northwestern University and our men's golf program. They each have a great enthusiasm for Northwestern and will make a strong impact on our team. I could not be more thrilled for their arrivals on campus next September."
Perry is the 28th-ranked member of the class of 2010 according to Golfweek. He is a two-time U.S. Junior Amateur qualifier who made it to match play in both 2008 and 2009. Perry advanced to the second round of match play at the 2009 USGA Junior Amateur, holding a 2-up advantage through 12 holes of play before falling to eventual champion and No. 1 ranked junior in the nation Jordan Spieth in extra holes. He has a pair of national victories, including the AJGA W. Duncan MacMillan at Rush Creek where he closed out his win by making birdie on the final three holes to win by six strokes. Perry also is a Future Collegians World Tour (FCWT) All-America first team honoree who won the FCWT at Bayonet in 2009.
"Jack is a player who has continually improved in all aspects of his game, culminating in a strong summer in 2009," Goss said. "He has a great work ethic and commitment, and I think he will continue to improve further. To have won an AJGA event making birdies on the final three holes and then to take the No. 1 junior in the country to extra holes at the U.S. Junior is evidence he can play with and beat the best players in the country. He also has an incredible enthusiasm for Northwestern that was very evident in the recruiting process."
Shigezawa is the No. 1 ranked junior from the state of Hawaii according to Junior Golf Scoreboard, amassing 18 junior tournament victories during his career. After earning his first junior title at the age of 9, Shigezawa qualified for the USGA U.S. Amateur at the age of 14. He is a two-time champion at the Turtle Bay Amateur (2007 and 2009), took second at the 2009 Eddie Hogan Cup, and has been the low amateur twice at the Mid-Pacific Open, twice at the Hawaii Pearl Open and once at the Hawaii State Open. Shigezawa has two top-three state finishes for Punahou, ranked as the No. 1 sports high school in the nation by Sports Illustrated.
"Brad Shigezawa has an incredibly impressive resume in both junior golf and amateur golf," Goss said. "He has beat an impressive list of players over the years, including Ryo Ishikawa and Tadd Fujikawa. In some respects he flew under the junior golf radar because of the amount of amateur golf he played. I really think the experience he has gained will be invaluable as a college player."
Complete bios for Perry and Shigezawa are as follows:
Jack Perry
Santa Barbara, Calif./Santa Barbara
6-0 155
High School: Advanced to the second round of match play at the 2009 U.S. Junior Amateur before falling to the eventual champion ... Also reached match play at the 2008 U.S. Junior Amateur ... Won the 2009 U.S. Junior Amateur Qualifier and the AJGA W. Duncan MacMillan Classic at Rush Creek, both in Minneapolis ... Named a 2009 Future Collegians World Tour (FCWT) All-America first team selection ... Won his first national event at the 2009 FCWT at Bayonet ... Racked up five top-10 finishes on the 2008 junior circuit ... Named the 2009 Santa Barbara Athletic Round Table High School Golfer of the Year in addition to All-Channel League individual honors ... High school won the state title in 2009 and finished second in the state in 2008 ... National Honor Society and California Scholastic Federation qualifier.
Personal: Born Jack Perry on 6/23/1992 ... Son of Bob and Beth Perry ... Sister, Katherine, is a student at Northwestern.
Brad Shigezawa
Honolulu, Hawaii/Punahou Academy
6-0 185
High School: Has amassed 18 tournament victories over his junior career ... 2007 and 2009 Turtle Bay Amateur champion ... Was the low amateur at both the 2008 and 2009 Mid-Pacific Opens, placing fourth overall in 2009 and defeating fellow 16-year-old Ryo Ishikawa in 2008 ... Also was the low amateur at the 2008 and 2009 Hawaii Pearl Open Championships, finishing sixth overall in 2008 ... Tied for second at the 2009 Hogan Cup ... Placed in the top-15 in 10 different tournaments in 2009 with four wins, a runner-up finish and two third-place efforts ... Finished second at the 2008 state high school tournament and third in 2009 ... Took third at the 2008 Tournament of Champions at Wailea ... Also had two wins and two second-place efforts in 2008 ... Recorded two wins, three runner-up trophies and three other top-10 finishes in 2007, including a low amateur and fourth-place overall performance at the Hawaii State Open ... Qualified for the USGA U.S. Amateur Championship in 2006 at the age of 14.
Personal: Born Bradley Haruki Shigezawa on 1/9/1992 ... Son of Glenn and Eri Shigezawa ... Has played competitive tournament golf since the age of 9 when he won his age group at the World Junior Masters in Hawaii and took second at the U.S. Kids Golf World Championship in Georgia ... Qualified for the Manoa Cup Match Play Championship at the age of 11.