San Marcos, Texas – Men's golf coach Shane Howell announced the signing of Juan Carlos Benitez for the 2011-12 season. Benitez comes to San Marcos after being a full time student at the Hank Haney International Junior Golf Academy. Haney is most famously known for being the former swing coach of Tiger Woods.

“We are very excited to have Juan Carlos Benitez join the Bobcat golf family,” Howell said. “Juan Carlos is a great young man who comes to us as not only one of the top players in Mexico but one of the top junior golfers in the world. It will be exciting to see his progress during his time at Texas State.”

In his junior competitions, Juan won the 2010 Mexican Junior National Championship with a three-round score of 207. He also finished second at the 2011 LXI Youth Golf National Championship. Most recently he had a top-20 finish at the Mexican National Amateur Championship in Monterrey.

“We are thrilled Juan has signed with Texas State for the fall and know he will have an immediate impact on the program,” said Matt Fields, Director of Golf at Hank Haney IJGA. “As a full-time student at Hank Haney IJGA, Juan developed a training and academic regimen that have prepared him for seamless transition to collegiate golf.”