TORONTO - Tyler Martin of Durham College is the 2014 Ontario Colleges Athletic Association (OCAA) golf coach of the year.

Martin, a former OCAA and national champion and the Durham captain from 2004 to 2006, saw his Lords improve dramatically on the links. After a Division II men's team bronze medal in 2013, Durham captured Division I bronze at the just concluded OCAA Golf Championships.

After acquiring a team with no returnees from the 2012 national bronze medal winning team, Martin started from scratch and had a tough first season. This year, Martin assembled a team with the goal of medaling at provincials and to qualify for the national championship.

A turnaround was evident early as the Lords earned six podium finishes leading into the 2014 OCAA championships, including winning the DC Open, Durham's invitational tournament.

The Durham men's golf team erased a 10-stroke deficit in the final round at provincials to earn a bronze medal. The team total of 289 was the best round of the championship by any team. This marks Durham's first Division I medal at the OCAA championship since the 2011 season, where the Lords also finished in third place.

Brent Clements (Pickering, Ont.) tied for the lowest round of any golfer as he shot a one-under 71. Clements had a three-day total of seven-over to finish in sixth place overall in the individual competition. After not draining a single birdie in round one, Clements elevated his game combining for 11 over the next two days.

Ben Reid (Ajax, Ont.) and Bill Irvine (Lindsay, Ont.) also played a big role in Durham's final round success as they each shot even-par 72s while Matthew Perras (Omemee, Ont.) had a two-over 74. Craig Conroy (Bowmanville, Ont.) finished in 16th place overall as he shot a four-over 76 on Wednesday to land a spot in the top 20.

With files from Durham College

- OCAA -

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