KINGSTON, Ont. - The Ontario Colleges Athletic Association (OCAA) will hand out its first medals of the 2019-20 varsity season when its top golfers compete at the OCAA Golf Championships.
The scheduled 54-hole tournament runs Monday through Wednesday at the Cataraqui Golf and Country Club in Kingston, Ont., and is hosted by St. Lawrence College.
With defending gold medalist Braydon White having graduated from Fanshawe College, there will be a different men's champion crowned this year. Returning medalists include 2018 co-silver medalist Cameron Griffin (Burlington, Ont.), 2017 OCAA champion Conner Watt (Toronto) and 2017 silver medalist Cameron Brennan (Rockwood, Ont.) all from Humber.
A pair of St. Lawrence golfers, Peter Beneteau (Odessa, Ont.) and Jamaal Moussaoui (Kingston, Ont.), are coming off a strong round of 69 at the Grand Niagara Golf Club in Thorold, Ont., on Sept. 23. Both will be looking to benefit from home course advantage this coming week. Austin Morrison (Lloydminster, Alta.) of Georgian and Nathanial Coombes (Port Perry, Ont.) of Durham tied for first at the Heritage Hills Golf Course in Shanty Bay, Ont., on Sept. 19, both shooting 70. Fanshawe's Thomas Code (Dorchester, Ont.), Ryan Harvey (London, Ont.) and Colin Warren (London, Ont.) all shot sub-70 rounds at Hawk Ridge Golf Club in Severn, Ont., on Sept. 18.
Alyssa Stoddart (Orangeville, Ont.) of Fanshawe is the defending champion on the women's side and will look to hold off several challengers, including last year's runner-up Hayley McCallum (Mississauga, Ont.) of Humber.
Nearly 70 golfers will represent 11 Ontario college campuses, including Confederation, Durham, Fanshawe, Fleming, Georgian, Humber, Lakehead (Orillia), Mohawk, Niagara, St. Clair and St. Lawrence.
The tournament consists of three 18-hole rounds, weather permitting. The male and female player posting the lowest gross score through 54 holes will earn 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. Humber is the two-time reigning OCAA men's team champion, while Fanshawe won the 2018 women's team title.
The Cataraqui Golf and Country Club course was designed by noted Canadian architect Stanley Thompson and has retained the classic golf course design and features that he is renowned for. The course features classic Thompson bunkers with their sweeping capes and flashes of sand, towering white pines, rolling fairways and small subtly breaking greens that will challenge shot making skills.
The golf course has hosted many outstanding professional and amateur events. Events have included the Ontario Open, Ontario Ladies Amateur, Canadian PGA Senior Championships, the 2017 Canadian Junior Boys Golf Championship and annually plays host to the Women's Eastern Provinces Championship and the Men's 36 Hole Whig Standard Championship.
OCAA golfers will participate in a practice round on Sunday before teeing off for real on Monday. Daily results at the championships will be available online via the championship website and OCAA.com.
The top OCAA golfers and teams will move on to compete at the 2019 Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association Golf National Championships presented by PING. The event takes place at the Continental Golf Club in Sorel-Tracy, Que., from Oct. 15-18.
Championship Website: www.ocaa.com/golf
Cataraqui Golf and Country Club: www.cataraqui.com
Results via Golf Ontario: gao.bluegolf.com/bluegolf/gao19/event/gao1943/index.htm
- OCAA -
ABOUT ONTARIO COLLEGES ATHLETIC ASSOCIATION
The Ontario Colleges Athletic Association (OCAA) is the recognized leader in intercollegiate athletics in the province, dedicated to student-athlete and sport development. The OCAA has 27 members sponsoring 12 varsity sports.
For additional information please contact:
Josh Bell-Webster
Marketing and Communications
Ontario Colleges Athletic Association
Tel: 416-426-7041
E-mail: bell-webster@ocaa.com