ARLINGTON – McLennan Community College standout Shoichiro Kato has signed his National Letter of Intent to join the UT Arlington men's golf team next season as a junior.
 
Kato recorded a stalwart 70.5 scoring average over 24 rounds this past year as a sophomore for the Highlanders. The Kobe, Japan, native registered four rounds in the 60s, and demonstrated steady play by posting just one round in the 80s all season.
 
"Shoichiro had two very consistent years at McLennan," reiterated UTA head men's golf coach Casey Devoll. "His golf swing is fundamentally sound, and he is an extremely hard worker who is looking to make it to the next level. I'm really looking forward to Shoichiro to being a valuable member of our program for the next two seasons."
 
Kato's best 36-hole performance came at the Thunderbird Invitational where he tied for 6th with a 138 total (69-69). His best 54-hole showing came at the TankLogix Collegiate by carding a 209 (72-66-72) to finish in 7th place.
 
His played also helped spearhead McLennan to two victories this past year as the Highlanders qualified for their 20th-consecutive NJCAA Tournament and a #8 final national ranking. In the classroom, Kato has also received academic all-district honors from the College Sports Communicators (CSC; formerly the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA)).
 
Before his collegiate career, Kato dominated the Southern Texas Junior Professional Golf Association (STJPGA), racking up an incredible 14 wins in 31 starts, and was named the STPGA Player of the Year.
 
In high school, Kato was awarded First Team All-State recognition while at Vandegrift HS in Austin, where he graduated from in 2021.
 
Kato is the fourth member of UTA's incoming signing class, joining freshman Crown Golf Academy product Diego Nuno, North Idaho College junior transfer Jamen Parsons and freshman Grapevine native Michael Chevalier.
 
Personal: Born on Apr. 5, 2002 … son of Noriko and Haruhisa … has one sibling: Airi … Instagram: @sho.kato777.
 
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ABOUT TEXAS RANGERS GOLF CLUB
Opened in February of 2019, the state-of-the-art Texas Rangers Golf Club is home to UTA's men's and women's golf programs. The world's only Major League Baseball-branded golf course, TRGC is the result of a $24 million renovation and updated routing of the former Chester W. Ditto Golf Course.
 
The Home of UTA Golf was designed by UTA alumni John Colligan and Trey Kemp of Arlington-based Colligan Golf Design. It features an expansive 23-acre practice area, and a new 33,871-square-foot clubhouse features a full-service restaurant and bar, covered patio overlooking the golf course, pro shop, locker rooms and numerous rental and event spaces. For more information about TRGC, click here.