South Dakota head golf coach Nick Hovden has announced the signing of Tom Vining, a sophomore transfer from the University of Minnesota.
“Tom is one of the most talented, hard-working players to come out of our state,” said Hovden. “To go along with his dominant prep career at Lincoln High School, Tom is coming off a strong freshman season at Minnesota. We’re confident he’ll step right in and help push this team back to the top of the conference.”
A native of Sioux Falls, S.D., Vining made his collegiate debut at the Gopher Invitational and finished fifth (out of 81 golfers) while shooting his lowest round of the season, a 1-under par 70. During the spring, his best finish was at the Barona Collegiate Cup where he finished in a tie for 35th place (out of 80). Overall, Vining competed in nine tournaments with the Gophers and had a scoring average of 76.3 per round.
During his prep years, Vining attended Lincoln High School and is a two-time state champion in 2012 and 2013 while leading the Patriots to a team title in 2012. During his senior season, Vining helping his team win a second metro conference title (also won in 2012), he placed sixth individually at the state tournament and recorded a shooting stroke average of 71.6 for the year. His overall record at the state tournament was 397-6-1 over four years. He was named to the all-state team and received all-conference honors all four years.
While in high school, Vining also competed in amateur golf tournaments. In 2015, he won the U.S. Amateur Qualifier (70-68-138) and the 45th South Dakota Golf Association’s Men’s Amateur Championship by eight strokes (71-69-66-206).
