CHICO – Prep golf star Ricky Owaki, currently in the midst of his senior year at Anaheim’s Esperanza High School, will soon be adding his considerable talents to the top-ranked Division II men’s golf team in the nation. Chico State has announced Owaki has signed a National Letter of Intent to play for the Wildcats in 2010-11.

The Yorba Linda native is coming off a very successful junior year at Esperanza High, carding a nine-hole stroke average of 36.8 while being named to the 2009 All-Orange County Second Team.

Wildcat men’s golf Head Coach T.L. Brown is confident Owaki will be a big contributor to the team’s future success. “Ricky has shown tremendous improvement in his competitive abilities in a very short period of time,” Brown said. “He has a fundamentally solid golf swing and will only improve on the collegiate level. I look forward to coaching him and am very excited he has committed to Chico State.”

Earlier this year, Owaki posted a pair of top 20 finishes in American Junior Golf Association (AJGA) events. In July, he shot 74-70-68-212 to finish 10th in the Trader Joe’s Championship at Castlewood Country Club in Pleasanton, then in August posted a 16th place finish at the Arkansas Junior at Blessings Golf Club in Fayetteville, Ark.

Owaki has also racked up five straight top 10 finishes this year competing on the Southern California PGA Junior Tour. He fired a 70 and 72 to win the 2009 Toyota Tour Cup qualifier, then in the Championship event carded a 74-74 to finish 10th at the Classic Club in Palm Desert.

In 2008 Owaki won the Southern California Golf Association (SCGA) Summer Championship 16-18 Division competition, the best of seven top 10 finishes in 11 SCGA events that year.