IU men’s golf ushered in the future of the program Thursday with the signing of three prep stars.
IU Coach Mike Mayer announced that Raj Chekuri, Ethan Shepherd and Evan Yakubov have signed their National Letters of Intent and will join the Hoosiers in the fall of 2017.
Chekuri is a senior at Foothill High School in California, where he has a 72.2 stroke average. He earned first-team all-league honors as a freshman — just the second freshman in school history to receive that honor.
He was also named First Team All-East Bay while playing on the top team in Northern California. He advanced to the state finals his freshman and sophomore years and has been a team captain the past two years.
As a junior golfer, Chekuri won the 2014 American Junior Golf Association Preseason Junior tournament at Diablo Grande with a two-round total of 1-over par 145. More recently, he finished top 10 at the Future Collegians World Tour Classic at Half Moon Bay in January 2016. Chekuri’s brother, Roshan, was on the IU golf team in 2012-13.
Shepherd recently completed a 3-year career at Center Grove High School in Greenwood, Indiana. He helped Center Grove to a runner-up team finish as a junior and a third-place finish his senior year at the state championship. His senior year stroke average of 72.31 earned him all-state honors as he also finished runner up at the Indiana State Amateur.
Yakubov is a senior at St. Charles Prepatory School in Columbus, Ohio, where he posted a 72.2 stroke average this past fall. He won four tournaments during his senior campaign, including the state title. Competing in the largest division among Ohio high schools, Yakubov helped his team to a runner-up finish in 2014 and 2016. He also lettered in tennis for four years and competed in the quarterfinals of the state tournament.
“We are thrilled that Ethan, Raj and Evan have decided to become Hoosiers,” Mayer said. “All three will bring passion, distinction and honor to our program and university. They all have what it takes to be extremely successful both athletically and academically and they all have what it takes to be Hoosiers.”
Reese Anderson
