Badgers pen three to incoming class
November 13, 2025 | Men's Golf
Coach Wilson signs highest ranked group in tenure
MADISON, Wis. – The Wisconsin men's golf team signed three golfers to National Letters of Intent Wednesday — Braeden Nelson, Cody Guetzke and Joseph Gutierrez — confirming their enrollment at the University of Wisconsin beginning with the 2026-27 season, head coach Mike Wilson announced.
"We're building something special here at Wisconsin, and Joseph, Cody, and Braeden are perfect fits," Wilson said. "Their work ethic, talent, and passion for the game will elevate our program to new heights. This class is loaded with winners who are ready to compete in the Big Ten and on the national level. All three of these young men will make an immediate impact on our golf program. Everyone in Badger nation is excited about the class."
The Valley High School team captain is a four-time First-Team Iowa All-State honoree, and the back-to-back-to-back Iowa Golf Association Junior Player of the Year. Nelson caught fire on the amateur circuit this summer, highlighted by a victory at the 2025 Iowa Golf Association Match Play Championship.
He used that momentum to finish third at the 2025 AJGA Bass Pro Shops Junior Championship, shooting -6 overall. He also took the runner-up spot at the 2025 PGA High School Invitational, firing three rounds under-70. Nelson saw another top-three finish at the 2025 Southern Junior Championship after going -8, before coming in eighth at the 2025 Western Junior Championship.
Prior to this summer, he led Valley to an Iowa 5A State Championship in 2023, and finished third individually at the 2025 state tournament. He was the runner-up at the 2024 Iowa Masters, shooting -7, and a third-place finisher at the 2024 US Open Sectionals. Nelson was also honored to the All-Conference Academic list all four years of high school.
"Braeden is a great young man with an extremely strong golf game," Wilson said. "He's the highest ranked player that we have ever signed coming out of high school, and is one of the best wedge players that I have ever seen. His overall game is right up there with anyone that I have coached."
Hartland native Guetzke is the No. 1 ranked player out of Wisconsin, golfing at Florida powerhouse IMG Academy for the past four years. He was the runner-up at this summer's AJGA Future Legends Junior Championship, while also coming in seventh at the Wisconsin State Amateur Championship, a field loaded with current Badgers.
Before the 2025 summer, Guetzke was dominant on the high school circuit, highlighted by a win at the 2024 FMG V Copa Norte Tournament in Mexico. He also set the IMG Academy Golf Club course record, firing a 62 on Oct. 14, 2025.
Guetzke intends to major in economics and personal finance at UW.
"It's awesome to land the No. 1 player in Wisconsin for the class of 2026," assistant coach Ross Thomson said. "Cody has been competing on the national level for quite some time. He's had really solid finishes in the Wisconsin State Amateur and the Wisconsin State Open. We've been able to watch him play a lot of golf the last few years, and he's got that Badger in him. His iron play and putting are some of the best we've seen at the junior level."
Gutierrez hails from Whittier, California, and comes to Madison as the No. 23 player out of the talent-littered state. The lefty is a top-200 golfer in the class of 2026, earning coveted accolades across his amateur and high school career. In 2024, he won the Toyota Tour Cup Crown and finished fourth at the SCGA Jr Amateur. He's earned top-five finishes in the Toyota Tour Cup Cantlay Series in back-to-back outings, while qualifying for the California Amateur in consecutive years.
A product of La Serna High School, Gutierrez paced the Lancers to their first CIF Division I Southern Section Championship in program history last season. Individually, he finished second at the Southern Section Championship, firing a 67 (-4).
He'll major in Real Estate and Business.
"Joseph is one of the most talented ball strikers that we have signed out of high school," Wilson continued. "It's awesome to go into California and get one of the top players out of the 2026 class. He has great length off the tee and a first class short game."
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