Men’s golf adds four commitments

LAWRENCE, Kan. – While Kansas men’s golf was finishing the 2018-19 fall season strong, head coach Jamie Bermel was doing some recruiting work behind the scenes in preparation for the 2019-20 season. The Jayhawks have four commitments for the early signing period with Sion Audrain, William Duquette, Jeff Doty and Hank Lierz.
 
“We are very excited about the new guys,” Bermel said. “All of them have a lot of playing experience and will instantly add more depth to the team.”
 
The lone Kansas native to be joining the squad is Audrain who will be coming to Lawrence from Garden City. During his time with the Buffalos, Audrain captured the Class 6A state golf title in 2017. Audrain also won the Kansas Amateur Match Play Championship in 2018 over current Jayhawk junior Andy Spencer. He was also named the 2018 Kansas Golf Association Men’s Player of the Year.
 
“Sion is the ultimate competitor,” Bermel said. “Not a real big kid, but plays with a lot of grit and toughness. He made a verbal commitment to us over two years ago and we have enjoyed watching him play and develop his game.”
 
The recruit making the longest journey to Lawrence will be Duquette from Montreal, Canada. While attending Laval High School, Duquette made the Canadian Boys National Team and finished top-five at the Graham Cooke Junior Invitational and Quebec Men’s Amateur Championship. He also has multiple American Junior Golf Association (AJGA) top-five finishes in his career.
 
“William has a lot of playing experience in the U.S. and Canada,” Bermel said. “He loves to compete and has made a lot of progress over the past two years.”
 
From Carmel, Indiana, Doty will be the one coming in with some college experience already, after competing as a redshirt freshman at the University of North Florida during the fall of 2018. Over the summer, Doty won the 2018 Western Junior in Skokie, Illinois after finishing 7-under carding rounds of 69-64.
 
“Jeff redshirted his freshman year and has a lot of national playing experience,” Bermel said. “He has a tremendous work ethic and could compete for a starting spot immediately this spring.”
 
The Jayhawks final new face will be Lierz from St. Joseph, Missouri. Lierz was named the Missouri Golf Junior Player of the Year award in 2017 and 2018 while also qualifying for the Missouri Golf Association Amateur Championship and the U.S. Junior Amateur Championship. Lierz won the 2018 Missouri Junior Amateur and has multiple AJGA top-five finishes to his name. He is the youngest of six kids, who all have attended or are attending Kansas.
 
“Hank has been on our recruiting radar a long time,” Bermel said. “He is a Jayhawk through and through.”
 
With seniors Charlie Hillier and Jake Scarrow playing their final seasons, the Jayhawks will be looking to fill some big shoes with the four new additions.
 
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