Ontario College golfers are set to showcase their talents as the Ontario Colleges Athletic Association (OCAA) Golf Championship hosted by Fleming College, is scheduled to get underway and run from October 1-3 at the Kawartha Golf and Country Club in Peterborough, ON.

The championship will kick off with a practice round on Monday followed by two official rounds taking place on Tuesday and Wednesday. This year’s championship will feature 14 male teams and 3 female teams. In the men’s and women’s divisions, golfers will be competing for both the individual and team championship.

In the men’s division, the Humber Hawks will count on several key returning golfers to lead the charge in defence of their 2006 title. James Castle and Ryan Willoughby will look to have a repeat performance from last season where both golfers tied Durham’s Tyler Martin for the individual championship. Teammate Michael Zizek is coming off a successful summer where he shone for the Canadian Golf Team at the 2007 FISU Summer Universiade Games in Bangkok, Thailand finishing in 15th place with the team’s low score. The Hawks will be looking to capture their sixth title in eight seasons, sealing their reputation as the preeminent program in OCAA golf.

Looking to challenge the Hawks will be the 2006 OCAA runner-up, Durham Lords. The Lords will be looking to their youth in 2007 as their top two golfers from last season have graduated. Freshman Scott Gray and sophomores Ian Parker and Ryan Morisette will be relied on to lead the Lords back to the top of the medal podium. The St. Clair Saints and Georgian Grizzlies are heading into the Championship on a high note having won invitational tournaments earlier this season.

On the women’s side the Humber Hawks will also be looking to uphold their 2006 provincial title. Returning Hawk and defending individual bronze medalist, Shauna Wilde, will be looking to lead her team to back-to-back titles. Wilde began her season in full swing after leading the Hawks to a first place finish at the Niagara Knights Invitational Tournament while shooting a tournament low 73.

The Georgian Grizzlies will be looking to spoil the Hawks run at another team title as they have looked strong on the invitational circuit leading into the provincial championship. Georgian finished in first place at the Fanshawe Invitational Tournament sweeping the medal podium with Ashley Grauette, Meagan Hannah, and Daniel Noble finishing first, second and third respectively. The Grizzlies also finished just eight strokes back of the Hawks at the Niagara tournament.

OFFICIAL SCHEDULE

Monday, October 1
-Official Practice Round: Shot Gun Start 1:00 PM
-Coaches Meeting: 9:00 PM @ Comfort Inn

Tuesday, October 2
-Round One - OCAA Championships – Tee Off @ 9:00 AM - Shot Gun Start
-OCAA Banquet 6:00 PM after round one @ Kawartha Golf and Country Club

Wednesday, October 3
-Final Round - OCAA Championships Tee Off @ 9:00 AM – Shot Gun Start
-OCAA Awards Ceremony Medal Ceremonies will take place immediately following the round

Championship Format:
The men’s team championship will consist of five player teams competing in 36 holes of stroke play with the top four individual scores counting toward the team total. Team play after the first round will be divided to Division I and Division II. The top half of the teams (including ties) will move to Division I and the remaining teams will be in Division II. The women’s team championship will consist of three player teams competing in 36 holes of stroke play with a minimum of two individual scores counting towards the team total.

The following teams will be competing at the 2007 OCAA Golf Championship:

Men’s Division
Collége Boréal (Sudbury)
Conestoga College (Kitchener)
Confederation College (Thunder Bay)
Durham College (Oshawa)
Fanshawe College (London)
Fleming College (Peterborough)
George Brown College (Toronto)
Georgian College (Barrie)
Humber College (Etobicoke)
Niagara College (Welland)
St. Clair College (Windsor)
St. Lawrence College (Brockville)
St. Lawrence College (Cornwall)
St. Lawrence College (Kingston)

Women’s Division
Collége Boréal (Sudbury)
Georgian College (Barrie)
Humber College (Etobicoke)

For daily results please visit the OCAA website at www.ocaa.com or the Fleming College Website at http://fleming0.flemingc.on.ca/ssr/rfl/rfl.htm. For more information on the OCAA Golf Championship, please contact Fred Batley, Fleming College at (705) 742-1590 or e-mail: fbatley@flemingc.on.ca.

Following the OCAA Championships, golfers will head to British Columbia to take part in the 2007 Ping Canadian Colleges Athletic Association (CCAA) Golf Open Championship hosted by Selkirk College from October 9-12. Golfers will tee off at the Castlegar Golf Club in Castlegar, BC.

The OCAA governs intercollegiate sports and promotes physical activity in its member institutions through quality athletic and campus recreation programs. It offers 15 varsity sports to 30 member institutions throughout Ontario. For more information on the OCAA visit www.ocaa.com.