Gibault Catholic High School senior golf standout Sam Range is taking his game to the next level, signing a letter of intent last week to play at Bradley University in Peoria this fall.

The southpaw-swinging Range capped off an impressive high school golf career last fall with an eighth place finish at the state tournament held at Prairie Vista Golf Course in Bloomington.

He advanced to the state golf tourney all four years at Gibault and is currently ranked in the top 20 best golfers in Illinois for the Class of 2015.

Range told the Republic-Times that he had been in touch with several colleges, including Eastern Illinois University, University of Illinois-Springfield and Southern Illinois University Carbondale, but Bradley just seemed like the right fit for him.

“I liked the campus, and they are pretty decent at golf,” Range said. “It’s a great academic university and I get the chance to play NCAA Division I golf.”

Range’s scholarship to Bradley covers about 70 percent of the total cost to attend there, he said.

“I’ll definitely take it,” Range said.

Range is currently recovering from a dislocated shoulder and torn labrum suffered as a member of the Gibault basketball team.

His arm will remain in a sling for another two weeks, after which he can start putting. Range said he hopes to resume swinging the clubs in full sometime in June.

“It’s not fun,” Range said of the wait that comes along with his recovery.

Gibault golf coach Steve Bergheger said Range has set the bar pretty high for golfers at Gibault and has a bright future ahead of him.

“The best days of golf for Sam are definitely in front of him,” Bergheger said last year.