Siegfried decides to join Virginia program

   While surfing the web to check on the invitees to next week’s U.S. Walker Cup practice session, I came upon a familiar name joining the Virginia golf program.

   Former Haverford School standout Max Siegfried will follow in the footsteps of older brother Cory and continue his golf career with the Cavaliers.

   Siegfried, a member at Aronimink Golf Club, is taking a year off after graduating from The Haverford School last spring. He capped an outstanding career with the Fords by topping the individual points race during the Inter-Ac League’s six regular-season invitationals in the fall of 2015. 

   He was the Golf Association of Philadelphia’s 2015 Junior Player of the Year, a summer that included a runnerup finish in GAP’s Jock MacKenzie Memorial. He was also the runnerup in the Pennsylvania Junior Boys’ Championship that summer.

   Older brother Cory was at Virginia from 2008 to 2012. He still had a year of eligibility left when he left Charlottsville which he used to play while pursuing a graduate degree at Villanova. Cory Siegfried won the 2010 Pennsylvania Amateur title.

   Siegfried joins a class of recruits at Virginia that includes Jimmie Massie of Lynchburg, Va., Brandon Yoon of Ashburn, Va. and Weiwei Sao of the Philippines.

   Another interesting name that popped up on the recruiting trail comes from the group of U.S. Women’s Amateur at Rolling Green Golf Club alumni. That would be French junior standout Agathe Laisne, who will join the Texas program.

   Laisne had solid rounds of 72 and 73 in qualifying to make match play at Rolling Green last summer and reached the second round with a 2 and 1 victory over Isabella Fierro of Mexico.

Laisne was knocked out in the second round by Ohio State senior standout Jessica Porvasnik, who handed her a 4 and 2 setback.

   I actually had first heard about Laisne’s decision to commit to Texas from her Rolling Green caddy, Mike Rossi, who loops mostly at Applebrook Golf Club and Stonewall. Rossi has kept in touch via email with Team Laisne.

   Laisne was part of a talented trio representing France at Rolling Green.

   Former Duke standout Celine Boutier reached the round of 16 before falling to Aussie Hannah Green. Boutier will be a rookie on the LPGA Tour in 2017.

   Another French woman, Mathilda Cappeliez, reached the semifinals at Rolling Green, the second straight year she has made it to the U.S. Women’s Amateur’s  final four. Cappeliez fell to eventual champion Eun Jeong Song, 2 and 1, in the semis.

   Cappeliez joined the Wake Forest program this fall and had her moments, playing mostly as an individual. The Demon Deacons had a strong fall campaign.

   Laisne is joined in the Texas recruiting class by Kaitlyn Papp of Austin, Texas. Papp teamed with fellow Texas teen Hailee Cooper to win the U.S. Women’s Amateur Four-Ball Championship at the Streamsong Resort in Florida last spring.