CCU

Two Chanticleers to Play in European Amateur Team Championship

Sebastian Soderberg (Sweden) and Peter Valasek (Slovakia) could be battling each other

       

CCU signee Peter Valasek will be a freshman for the upcoming 2011-12 season.

CCU signee Peter Valasek will be a freshman for the upcoming 2011-12 season.

June 28, 2011

European Amateur Team Championship Official Website

CONWAY - Two members of the 2011-12 Coastal Carolina men's golf team, rising junior Sebastian Soderberg of Sweden and signee Peter Valasek of Slovakia, will be representing their respective countries July 5-9 at the European Amateur Team Championships at the Oceanico Victoria Course in Vilamoura, Portugal.

Only the top six amateurs from their respective countries qualify for the competition. This year's field includes England, Portugal, Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Russia, Scotland, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and Wales.

Soderberg closed 2011 with a charge, earning a berth to the 2011 NCAA Championships as an individual thanks to a tie for second at the NCAA East-Virginia Tech Regional. He was named Division I PING All-East Region by the Golf Coaches Association of America, joining Dustin Johnson and Zack Byrd as the only Chanticleers to earn the honor. Soderberg was also voted All-Big South by the league's coaches, making him a two-time honoree in two seasons at CCU, while earning Academic All-Big South thanks to a 3.456 cumulative GPA in Exercise Science. Prior to tying for 81st at the NCAA Championships, shooting 12-over 228 (77-79-72), Soderberg fired a career-low 67 in the final round at the NCAA East Regional to secure his spot at the NCAA Championships. Overall, he had rounds of 71-72-67 for a career-best 212 and career-low four-under par for 54 holes at the Regional. He also placed seventh at the Big South Championships with rounds of 71-81-67 for a four-over 220.

Valasek, who attended Montverde Academy in Florida while training at the prestigious Gary Gilchrist Golf Academy (GGGA), is coming off a superb 2010-11 season on the Future Collegians World Tour (FCWT). He was named the FCWT Boy's Player of the Year in the Boys 16-18 division and tabbed the GGGA "Most Improved Player" award for making tremendous strides in his golf game as he dropped his scoring average by nearly seven shots and excelled tremendously in tournaments. He was selected Golfweek magazine's Boy's Junior Golf Player of the Week (Mar. 4, 2011) as he shot a seven-under 137 (68-69) at Plantation Inn Golf Resort (Crystal River, Fla.) to win an FCWT event by four shots. For the year, Valasek posted a FCWT-best three titles in 2010-2011, also winning at World Woods Golf Club (72-70=142) and Mystic Dunes Resort and Golf Club (71-71=142). He added a runner up finish, tallied a top five finish and secured a total of seven top 10's in his nine tour events. Overall, Valasek posted a 74.22 scoring average over 18 rounds played.