GUELPH, Ont. - Athletes from the country's top university and college golf teams will put their games to the test at Cutten Fields in Guelph, Ont., from May 25-29 for the 13th playing of the Canadian University/College Championship.
Defending OCAA men's team gold medalist Humber College and women's team champion St. Clair College will compete against teams across Canadian Interuniversity Sport and the Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association. OCAA will also be represented individually by Lambton College's Eric Pattenaude - a 2014 OCAA silver medalist; and Georgian College's Ulrich Blake.
Conducted by Golf Canada, the Championship was created to provide an opportunity for Canada's best university and college golfers to compete in a national event. This tournament also serves as a qualifier for the 2015 World University Golf Championship. The global competition will be played between July 8-11 in Gwangju, South Korea.
Golfers representing the Humber Hawks include Scott Benzoni, Will Gavarkovs, Cole Kent, Barrett McCarthy and Christian McCullough. Four student-athletes will represent the St. Clair Saints, including Victoria Ducharme, April Lesperance, Laura Martin and Ashley Unrau, a two-time OCAA bronze medalist.
The University of Guelph Gryphons will play host to this year's event for the first time at their home club of Cutten Fields located in downtown Guelph, Ont. Established in 1931, Cutten Fields is a Stanley Thompson design recognized for its changes in elevation that provide scenic views to golfers. While adding to the course's natural beauty, the hills and valleys also thoroughly test competitors with uneven lies in the fairways and challenging putts on the contoured greens.
"As the home of the University of Guelph Gryphons, Cutten Fields is honoured to be hosting this championship," commented Steve Bryant, Director of Golf for Cutten Fields. "Our membership is extremely proud to share the history and legacy of Cutten with the Canadian golf community. We are thrilled at the opportunity to showcase our course to the best university and college students in the country."
The 72-hole stroke play competition will feature 20 men's teams and 12 women's teams from universities and colleges across the country. These athletes will be competing for both team and individual honours. Following the third round, the field will be reduced to the top 10 men's teams and the top six women's teams; in addition, any individuals within 15 shots of the lead will move on to the final round.
"The Canadian University/ College Championship is a great stage to display the talented athletes playing collegiate golf in Canada," said Tournament Director Russell MacKay. "These student athletes will proudly represent themselves and their schools as they battle for the right of representing their country in South Korea this summer."
The University of Manitoba Bisons men's team is looking to defend its national title. In 2014, the Bisons won by 12 strokes on home soil at Southwood Golf and Country Club in Winnipeg, Man. Returning players from the winning squad include Charlie Boyechko, Brodie Gobin and Scott Mazur.
In individual play, University of British Columbia Thunderbird Scott Secord went wire-to-wire to claim victory. He will be in the field this year to defend his title and assist his teammates in their quest to improve upon their runner-up finish from 2014.
His fellow Thunderbirds on the women's side have their sights set on defending their 2014 win. Winnie Hyun and Kat Kennedy will return for the Thunderbirds in an attempt to capture the university's 11th national women's title in this competition.
Megan Woodland – now graduated after having completed her studies at the University of Victoria – won the 2014 women's individual title.
The following teams will be competing in the 2015 Canadian University/ College Championship. Additional information on the tournament and full team rosters are available here.
Men's Teams
University of Manitoba Bisons
University of British Columbia Thunderbirds
University of Victoria Vikes
University of Calgary Dinos
University of Alberta Golden Bears
University of Waterloo Warriors
University of Ottawa Gee Gee's
Brock University Badgers
Western University Mustangs
University of Toronto Varsity Blues
University of Ontario Institute of Technology Ridgebacks
Queen's University Gaels
University of the Fraser Valley Cascades
Humber College Hawks
Université Laval Rouge et Or
Université de Montréal Carabins
Concordia University Stingers
École de technologie supérieure Piranhas
University of Guelph Gryphons
Wilfrid Laurier University Golden Hawks
Women's Teams
University of British Columbia Thunderbirds
University of Victoria Vikes
University of Alberta Pandas
University of Toronto Varsity Blues
University of Waterloo Warriors
Western University Mustangs
Queen's University Gaels
McMaster Marauders
Université de Montréal Carabins
Université Laval Rouge et Or
St. Clair College Saints
University of Guelph Gryphons
OCAA Golfers
Scott Benzoni, Humber College Hawks
Ulrich Blake, Georgian College Grizzlies
Victoria Ducharme, St. Clair College Saints
Will Gavarkovs, Humber College Hawks
Cole Kent, Humber College Hawks
April Lesperance, St. Clair College Saints
Laura Martin, St. Clair College Saints
Barrett McCarthy, Humber College Hawks
Christian McCullough, Humber College Hawks
Eric Pattenaude, Lambton College Lions
Ashley Unrau, St. Clair College Saints
Source: Golf Canada with files from OCAA Communications