Beau Hossler won't play for Texas this spring

By Ron Balicki, Golfweek Originally, when Beau Hossler, Golfweek’s No. 1 junior player in 2012, signed his national letter of intent to enroll at Texas in January, the plan was to sit out the spring semester and begin competition in the fall. When sophomore Jordan Spieth turned professional in December, Longhorns coach John Fields and his star recruit began considering the option of playing this spring for the defending NCAA champions. For a time, it looked like that just might be the case. But when Fields and his Longhorns head out to open their spring season at the Amer Ari tournament Feb. 6-8 on Hawaii’s Big Island, Hossler, who finished two strokes behind Spieth for low-amateur honor at the 2012 U.S. Open at Olympic Club, will not be making the trip. Fields told Golfweek on Jan. 29 that Hossler will not be competing this semester. “He’s planning on being here all four years and graduating from our business school,” Fields said. “So the bottom line is, we’re sticking to the original plan.” Hossler is attending classes and working out with the team, but he won’t start his athletic eligibility until the 2013-14 season. “Taking everything into consideration, we felt this decision is in the best interest of our golf team and the best interest of Beau Hossler,” Fields said. The Longhorns’ top four players - Brandon Stone, Cody Gribble, Toni Hakula and Julio Vegas - will make the trip to Hawaii. “We have three or four guys going for that fifth spot,” Fields said. “I really like where we (team) are right now with who we have," he said, "and I really like where we are going in the future, which I’m sure Beau will be a big part of.”