Washington State University Athletics
Men?s Golf Adds Two for Next Season
November 17, 2015 | Men's Golf
PULLMAN, Wash. – Nicklaus Chiam and Daniel Kolar have each signed a National Letter of Intent to join the Washington State University men's golf team next fall, Cougar head coach Garrett Clegg announced Tuesday.
“We have signed a couple of great international players,” Clegg said. “We are thrilled to be adding these two young men to our golf program. They will improve our program on the course and be exceptional ambassadors for Cougar Golf throughout the world.”
Kolar, a native of Sydney, Australia, is a senior at Champagnat Catholic College Pagewood who has played for the New South Wales-State Junior Team and competed at the Victorian Junior Masters. After being one of four players named to the NSW-State Development Team in 2014, Kolar set a Kooyonga Championship course record at 5-under par (67) in the second round of the Australian Boys' Amateur Championship. During his junior year, Kolar was named captain of the NSW-State combined high school golf team. He was named School Sportsman of the Year as a freshman and was the youngest member of the 2013 St. Michael's Pennants Team that won the Sydney Pennants title. The golfer was a member of the cross country, swim, and rugby league teams.
“Daniel Kolar comes to us from Sydney, Australia and when you watch him play you see that he is an exceptionally talented golfer,” Clegg said. “He is a very solid ball-striker and has a phenomenal understanding of the game of golf. When (WSU assistant) Coach (Dustin) White first saw Daniel this summer in recruiting he knew immediately we wanted him as a Coug. We watched him again the next week and are thrilled that he decided to play at WSU. He will be looking to make a positive impact on our golf program the day he arrives in Pullman.”
Chiam, who graduated Singapore Sports School in 2012, was also a national representative for the Singapore Golf Association. In the past four years, Chiam has won six tournaments, including the 2013 Saujana Amateur Open, the HSBC Youth Golf Challenge and the Philippines International Junior Golf Championship in 2012, and the Melaka Amateur Open in 2011. He was runner-up at the Kuala Lumpur Amateur Open and his team was first runner-up at The Putra Cup (Southeast Asian Amateur Golf Team Championship). Chiam shot a career-best 65 (-7) at the HSBC Youth Golf Challenge. He qualified to play at the ISPS Handa Singapore Classic, a pro event, in 2012.
“Nicklaus is another talented international player,” Clegg said. “He is finishing two years of military service in Singapore before he is able to come to the U.S. for college. Nicklaus was always one of the top players on the Singapore National team prior to his military service. He has represented Singapore in the top amateur golf events in Asia and brings a wealth of experience that we anticipate will help make his transition to college golf seamless.”
The men's golf team returns for the spring season Jan. 29-30, at Tuscon, Ariz., for the Arizona Intercollegiate.
