Eastern Illinois University Athletics

2011-12:  His fourth best stroke average of 76.5 included a trio of Top 20 finishes... tied for 14th at the TSU Big Blue Intercollegiate, as well as tying for 17th at both the SIUE and Butler Florida events... tied for 41st at the end-of-season OVC championship.

2010-11:  Finished with a 78.5 stroke average as a sophomore... had a season-best 24th place tie at the fall-opening DePaul Invite... placed in 39th place tie at the end-of-season Ohio Valley Conference tournament.

2009-10: The Edwardsville native saw limited action in his first season as a Panther... tied for 72nd place at the Butler Fall Invitational, which was his lone event of the season... ended up finishing with a three-round and season stroke average of 79.0.

HS:  Played golf for coach Dene Schickedanz at Edwardsville HS... also member of the Tiger basketball squad... during his senior campaign, his golf squad placed third at the 3A state tournament.

PERSONAL:  A business marketing major... son of Danny & Julie Ponce... No. 1 sports highlight was "finishing third as a team at the IHSA Class 3A state tournament my senior year at EHS... while another highlight was winning my first tournament of my senior year by one stroke, because I birdied my last two holes."

OFF THE LINKS WITH TOMMY:  'T-Bone' (name given to him by coach Moncel) or 'Ponce DeLeon' chose EIU "because my mother and other aunts/uncles went there and told me great things about the school... plus I also liked coach Moncel alot and thought it would fit me well"... feels one of EIU's advantages over other state and OVC schools include "the teachers are all very cooperative and friendly here at EIU... and they want their students to succeed"... outside of golf, he also enjoys playing pretty much every other sport, with basketball being his other favorite... currently driving a gray 2006 Ford Explorer... enjoys working out, playing basketball, hanging with friends and watching ESPN... loves all kinds of food but grilled chicken is something he eats often... he can't go anywhere without his phone, wallet, keys and gum... loves anything on ESPN, the reality show Jersey Shore, and all the Harry Potter flicks... recently enjoyed taking professor Benner's financial accounting class, "because he made a difficult subject much easier to understand"... since coming to EIU he has learned "to manage my time effectively... being an athlete makes time management a crucial part of college life... practice every day as well as missing class often for golf tournaments makes it difficult to put in the proper school time required"... both the MLK Union and Rec Center are his favorite buildings on campus.. his advice to a younger athlete is "perfect practice makes perfect... also, confidence is the key to all sports... if an atlete has confidence in their abilities they will execute properly."