SANTA CLARA, Calif. - Santa Clara men's golf signed one of their best recruiting classes in program history on Wednesday, making six key additions to their 2022-23 roster.
The class includes a pair of Division I transfers, one of Europe's top amateur players, a state champion and two of the top recruits from the state of California.
"This is a special class joining the Broncos family next fall," head coach Andrew Larkin said. "We have a collection of both experienced veteran talent along with a group of very accomplished young players that will have a chance to make a major impact for Santa Clara both next fall and for years to come. This group has made the commitment to taking on the challenge of taking Santa Clara Golf to a new level and I couldn't be more excited to see what they accomplish!"
Calder Overfelt from Newport Beach, Calif., was rated No. 45 overall by Junior Golf for the class of 2022. He was an American Junior Golf Association (AJGA) Honorable Mention All-America selection with four top-five finishes on the AJGA tour, including a win at the AJGA Big Sky.
Eugenio Bernardi joins the Broncos from Italy where he was a member of the Italian National Team. Bernardi was rated the No. 72 amateur golfer in all of Europe for 2022. He finished third at the Italian U18 National Championship and was runner-up at the Gran Premio de Monticello with scores of 71, 69, 70 and 71.
A native of Dublin, Calif., Joey Hayden ranked 37th in the state of California for the class of 2022. He has posted a runner-up finish at the JTNC Fall Series IX, a top-10 finish at the AJGA Ruby Hills event and an 11th-place finish at the AJGA Se Ri Park Desert Junior.
Jack Morrision makes the move to the South Bay from Dallas, Texas, where he was a star at Trinity Christian High School. Prior to moving to Texas, he was a two-time NCIAA Varsity Team North Carolina State Champion in 2018 and 2019. He then repeated as a state champion in Dallas as a 2020 TAPPS Varsity Team Texas State Champion. He tabbed an 11th place finish at the 2020 Aggie Cup Invitational and a top-25 finish at the 2021 Brophy Rodeo Invitational presented by PING.
A pair of grad transfers will also join the Broncos for one final year of eligbility - Julien Paltrinieri (Kent State) and Viraj Garewal (Davidson College).
Paltrinieri was a four-year starter at Kent State and two-time All-America Scholar. He posted a pair of top-five finishes in championship events, first taking fourth at the 2021 Swiss Golf International Championship and then finishing fifth at the 2021 Mid American Conference (MAC) Championship.
Garewal was named the Atlantic 10 Freshman of the Year in 2019 after finishing the year with a 73.16 stroke average. That season, he had a pair of top-10 finishes, including a runner-up finish at the 2019 Pinehurst Intercollegiate. He earned All-America Scholar honors in 2020, and in 2021 was an Atlantic 10 all-conference selection after leading the team with a 72.27 stroke average. Garewal joined Davidson out of Raleigh, N.C., where he was rated No. 37 overall in Junior Golf.
