March 5, 2012

Fullerton, Calif. - Riverside Poly High School senior athlete Eric Cross has signed a national letter of intent to play golf at Cal State Fullerton.

Cross gave up basketball after his junior season to concentrate on golf, where he is a three-time All-Big VIII selection, never finishing lower than fourth place. He has qualified for the CIF individual finals all three years and last season led his team to the CIF Eastern Division championship with a tournament-best round of 68. He also shares the Poly Classic record with Sam Randolph by shooting a 67 in the 2011 event.

Cross is a member of the AJGA and SCPGA junior tours and has been a member of the Inland Empire Cup Team the past two years, an event where the top 12 amateurs compete in a Ryder Cup style format against the top 12 SCPGA club pros. There he has a 4-0 record in match play. Last month he won the Riverside Challenge, a high school tournament of 17 teams.

Cross' golf career took off at age 10 when he aced a 175-yard hole with a driver. His father, Jeff, is head golf professional at Victoria Country Club. His mother, Kelley, is a registered nurse. He has a younger brother, Justin.