SAULT STE. MARIE, Ont. - Conner Watt (Mississauga) of Humber went wire-to-wire to win the men's individual title, as did Georgian's Emilie Tyndall (Kirkland, Que.) for the women's individual gold at the 2017 Ontario Colleges Athletic Association (OCAA) Golf Championships presented by belairdirect.
Watt's rounds of 73, 72 and 77 put him at six-over for the tournament, good for a seven-stroke victory. He becomes the first Humber golfer to win the OCAA men's individual title since Christian McCullough back in 2013.
As for Tyndall, she posted rounds of 79, 76 and 80 to win her first OCAA individual gold medal by two strokes after taking silver in 2015. She also had the shot of the tournament with a hole-in-one in the Par 3 seventeenth hole in Round 2.
Watt's teammate Cameron Brennan (Erin) earned the men's individual silver medal, shooting a plus-13 over three rounds. It is the first time that the top two male golfers have come from the same school since McCullough did the trick with Alex Dumais four years ago.
Not surprisingly, Humber easily won the men's overall team title for the first time since 2014, winning by 40 strokes. Along with Watt and Brennan, Luke McLean (King City), Michael Vance (Aurora) and Sean O'Hara (Mississauga) all contributed to the team championship. It is a return to dominance for a program who won nine straight men's banners between 2006 and 2014.
The women's individual silver medalist is from Humber as well. Sheila McKeen (Ottawa) had her best finish at a provincials after taking bronze in consecutive seasons. Teammate Jordon Newlands (Toronto) finished eight strokes back, earning the bronze medal. Together with Sonia Nagindas (Aurora), the trio guided Humber to its first women's overall team title since 2013.
After beginning the final round in silver medal position, Nic Francis (Dundas) of Mohawk hung on to win the men's individual bronze medal, shooting plus-14 for the tournament. Fanshawe's Thomas Code (Dorchester) finished fourth shooting 18-over, while McLean, Joshua Taylor (Barrie) of Durham and Jamaal Moussaoui (Kingston) of St. Lawrence-Kingston ended in a three-way tie for fifth at 20-over. As the top five finishers, these individuals join Watt and Brennan on the OCAA All-Ontario Team.
Reigning women's national champion Addison Wallwin (Barrie) of Georgian placed fourth, 10 strokes off the podium. Combining with Tyndall and Danielle Forhan (Barrie), Georgian was awarded team silver, finishing eight strokes behind Humber. Tyndall, McKeen, Newlands and Wallwin are members of the OCAA All-Ontario Team for their top four finishes.
Georgian was also the silver medalist in the men's team competition. Matt LeMay (Waterloo), Brady Zordan (Midhurst), Jeffrey Ash (Barrie), Josh Lynch (Burlington) and Jonah Vidito (Kentville, N.S.) all contributed to the second-place finish. It marks back-to-back silver medals for the Grizzlies.
Durham returned to the podium for the first time since 2014 earning team bronze, finishing three strokes behind Georgian. Making contributions to the Durham team effort were Ryan Trapp (Janetville), Lucas Pichl (Cobourg), Colin Jex (Port Hope), Joshua Taylor (Barrie) and Mac Harrison (Brooklin). Durham will now prepare to host the 2017 PING Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association Golf National Championships at Royal Ashburn Golf Club later this month.
The OCAA awarded Niagara its Division II men's championship, made up of Nolan Von Kalckreuth (Fort Erie), Marshall Pemberton (Guelph), Logan Lammerant (Seaforth), John Hickson (Grimsby) and Andrew Noble (St. Catharines). Niagara finished 17 strokes better than silver medalist St. Lawrence-Kingston, led by Moussaoui. Trent Snider (Kingston), Anthony Vadala (Kingston), Carter Kelly (Kingston), and C.J. O'Connor (Kingston) also contributed to the team silver.
Division II bronze went to host Sault, made up of Ryan Vendramin (Sault Ste. Marie), Michael Caruso (Sault Ste. Marie), Miguel Castillo (Moonbeam), Jessy DeChamplain (Dubreville) and Joey Dechamplain (Dubreville).
The 54-hole tournament was hosted by Sault College at the Crimson Ridge Golf Course in Sault Ste. Marie, Ont. Nearly 70 golfers represented 14 Ontario college campuses, including Confederation, Durham, Fanshawe, Georgian, Humber, Lakehead (Orillia), Mohawk, Niagara, St. Clair, St. Lawrence (Brockville, Cornwall and Kingston), Sault and Seneca.
The tournament consisted of three 18-hole rounds. The male and female player posting the lowest gross score through 54 holes earned their respective individual championship.
Men's teams consist of four or five golfers, with the top four individual scores of each round contributing to the total team score. Women's teams consist of two or three golfers, with the top two individual scores of each round contributing to their total score. Schools with the lowest aggregate of gross scores after 54 holes win the respective team titles.
Crimson Ridge boats a spectacular collection of natural Northern Ontario landscape. Waterfalls, creeks, numerous elevation changes, mature hardwoods and spectacular views and vistas await OCAA student-athletes on this scenic par 72 layout. This course is a journey through bentgrass tees and greens, and dwarf bluegrass fairways and rough.
Championship Website: www.ocaa.com/championships/golf/2017-18/index
Crimson Ridge Golf Course: www.golfcrimsonridge.com
Results via Golf Ontario: gao.bluegolf.com/bluegolf/gao17/event/gao17150/contest/17/leaderboard.htm
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