Canada’s top student golfers ready to compete for University/College title
BARRIE, Ont. – Canada’s top student-athlete golfers will descend on Tangle Creek Golf and Country Club in Barrie, Ont., from May 29 - June 1 for the 2017 Canadian University/College Championships.
2017 marks the 15th playing of the event, which was established in 2003 by Golf Canada to give the country’s best college and university golfers a chance to compete at a national championship.
The Georgian College Grizzlies will host the event this year on the windswept fairways of Tangle Creek Golf and Country Club. Designed in 2002 by Rene Muylaert, the course is known for its combination of classic and links style features in addition to its grassy hollows and signature fescue.
“We are thrilled to welcome the best Canadian student golfers to Tangle Creek. We’re looking forward to a competitive championship, and showcasing our beautiful course,” said host club tournament chair Mackenzie Cuthbert.
Along with the Grizzlies, other Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association members competing at this event include the Humber College Hawks and the University of the Fraser Valley Cascades.
The Grizzlies women’s team is coming off a gold-medal performance at the 2016 PING CCAA Golf National Championships. The Hawks women’s squad earned a silver medal at CCAA Nationals, hosted by Holland College in Charlottetown, PE, last November.
Golf Canada prides itself on conducting a top-notch tournament that is the highest level of national competition for college and university golfers in the country.
“The Canadian University/College Championship provides a unique opportunity for the best student-athlete golfers in Canada to compete for a national championship. Golf Canada is proud to conduct this event to showcase the talent from universities and colleges across the country,” added tournament director, Mary Beth McKenna.
In 2016, the University of British Columbia (UBC) Thunderbirds swept the championship, winning all four events. It was the first time in the tournament’s history that a school has won the men’s and women’s team and individual events in the same year.
Calgary’s Scott Secord went wire-to-wire to win the men’s division by four strokes at 11-under par and Kat Kennedy of Okotoks, Alta., claimed victory on the women’s side by four shots at 12-over par.
UBC returns to the tournament having won 11 women’s and five men’s titles—including three of the last four.
Georgian College will look to draw upon the magic of the University of Manitoba Bisons—the last host club to win a team title—when they captured the men’s division championship in 2014 at Southwood Golf and Country Club in Winnipeg.
The 72-hole stroke play competition will feature 19 men’s teams and 11 women’s teams from across the country vying for the national championship titles.
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 to any individuals within 15 shots of the lead.
-With files from Golf Canada
