Matthew C. Madison, 20, a junior from Bozeman, Mont., was pronounced dead at the scene early Tuesday after he apparently slipped off a rock wall and fell about 60 feet from cliffs overlooking the North Sea near the course, the university said in a news release.

"The collective heart and prayers of the Gonzaga University family go out to Matthew's family and friends," Gonzaga University President Rev. Robert J. Spitzer, S.J., said.

Madison, an avid golfer and former all-state high school golfer in Montana, was on Christmas break from the school's one-year study abroad program in Florence, Italy. He was scheduled to play a round at the course later Tuesday and had gone there with friends to check it out, the university said.

Funeral arrangements were pending Tuesday. A memorial service will be held on the Gonzaga campus in Spokane after students return for spring semester Jan. 17, school officials said.

Madison graduated from Belgrade, Mont., High School. At Gonzaga, he was an electrical engineering major.

He is survived by his parents, Dan and Marilyn Madison of Bozeman and an older brother and sister.