Two Local Golfers to Sign Letters of Intent

Two local high school golf standouts have decided where they will play in college and plan to sign letters of intent Wednesday, the first day of the NCAA’s early signing period.

Esperanza’s Chris Berry said Monday he is going to attend Arizona and El Toro’s Ben Garner has decided on Washington, according to his father, Jan Garner.

Berry won the Empire League championship as a sophomore and a junior and last year finished fifth in the Southern Section Individual Championships. In junior competitions, he was ranked seventh nationally after play this summer.

Berry said he turned down several full- or nearly full-scholarship offers--including ones from USC, UCLA, Tulsa and San Jose State--for the approximately 70% scholarship at Arizona. He also considered Nevada Las Vegas.

Garner won the South Coast League title his freshman and junior seasons and finished second as a sophomore. He chose the full scholarship to Washington--his father’s alma mater--over attending Brigham Young and Arizona.