COLLEGE STATION, Texas—Ty Dunlap and Andrew Lister have signed national letters of intent to play college golf at Texas A&M, Aggie head coach J.T. Higgins announced Wednesday.

Dunlap, who hails from Westlake, Texas and preps at Liberty Christian School, and Lister, who attends Coronado High School in Coronado, Calif., will join the A&M program next fall.

“First of all, I think they’re both just outstanding individuals,” Higgins said. “They are character guys that work hard, are great students and are fantastic players. Both Andrew and Ty are going to make a huge impact on Texas A&M golf over the next few years and we’re really excited to get them in here and get them going. It’s a terrific class.”

Ty Dunlap is ranked sixth in Texas and 59th overall in the Golfweek Junior Golf Rankings and has seen lots of success at both the high school and amateur level. He has three top-10 and nine top-20 finishes in his American Junior Golf Association career, including a runner-up showing this past spring at the Laredo Energy Junior at Traditions Club. Dunlap posted a top-15 finish at the 2009 Texas State Amateur Championship and is a two-time first-team all-state honoree for Liberty Christian. He was named the Denton Record Chronicle’s area golfer of the year in 2010.

“The biggest thing I saw in Ty is tremendous potential,” Higgins said. “I think we got one of the best players in the state. Ty is going to bring a lot to Texas A&M golf. He’s my type of player—a big, strong guy that hits the ball a really long way. He’s smart and plays with a lot of composure. I just think the sky is the limit and he’ll keep getting better and better over the years.”

A success in the classroom as well, Dunlap is a National Merit Finalist, a member of the National Honor Society and is on track to graduate from Liberty Christian with honors. He was chosen to be Liberty Christian’s representative in the Davey O’Brien Scholarship competition, which recognized him as the top student-athlete at his school. Ty is the son of Fred and Anne Dunlap of Westlake.

“I chose Texas A&M because I feel it is the best overall college in the country,” Dunlap said. “The academics, golf facilities and student life are all top-notch. I will say the main reason I chose A&M is because of the atmosphere Coach Higgins and Coach Anderson keep with the team. Of all the colleges I visited, A&M definitely had the best chemistry on their team, which I think is very important to winning.”

Andrew Lister attended Battlefield High School in northern Virginia for three years before relocating to the San Diego area, rewriting the school’s record books in the process. He won the school’s first-ever state championship as a junior, taking the Virginia AAA state title in 2009. In the junior ranks, Lister has two AJGA top-five finishes, including a second-place showing at the Nemacolin Junior Classic this season. He won the FCWT Yankee Trace this April in Ohio and advanced to the round of 16 at the U.S. Junior Amateur Championship in Michigan.

“Andrew is just a tremendous competitor,” Higgins said. “I really like that about him. He’s not afraid of anything or anybody. He’s scrappy and gets after it. Andrew’s got a really good short game. He is going to be a lot of fun to coach and have on the team over the next few years.”

A Rolex Junior All-America honoree, Andrew is the son of Scott and Margaret Lister of Coronado, Calif. He was born in College Station while his father, Scott—a captain in the United States Navy—was attending post-graduate school at Texas A&M.

“I chose Texas A&M because I’ve always been a fan since I was young, the academics are great and it’s an elite golf program with great coaches,” Lister said. “Being an Aggie golfer means I have the opportunity to help the program continue its great success. The thing I’m most excited about is being in a position where I can compete for conference and national championships.”

The Aggies recently concluded a very successful fall season which saw them record top-four or better finishes in all five tournaments. A&M is in the midst of the most successful era in program history, with eight straight NCAA tournament appearances including the school’s first national championship in golf in 2009.

“We’ve really made a concerted effort to bring in guys that care more about other people and the program than they do themselves,” Higgins said. “These guys are right up that alley. They are very committed to being the best they can be and to giving back. They want the team to be successful and will do what it takes to help the team win. I think they are ‘team’ guys first, and because of that I’m really excited to have them join our program.”

2010-11 TEXAS A&M GOLF SIGNING CLASS (2)

Name Ht. Cl. Hometown (High School)

Tyler Dunlap 6-1 Fr-HS Westlake, Texas (Liberty Christian School)

Andrew Lister 5-11 Fr-HS Coronado, Calif. (Coronado HS)