Canadian university golf championship set for Hamilton, May 25-29

Hamilton, Ont. (RCGA) – Canada’s top University and College golfers will convene at King’s Forest Golf Course in Hamilton, Ont. from May 25-29 to compete in the seventh playing of the Canadian University/College Championship, conducted by the Royal Canadian Golf Association.

In all, 156 male and female golfers from post-secondary institutes across Canada will travel to Hamilton to compete for both team and individual titles at this year’s event.  The field will be comprised of 20 men’s and 10 women’s teams as well as six individuals.  The competition begins Monday, May 25 with a practice round and opening ceremonies at King’s Forest.  Following Thursday’s third round, the field will be reduced to the top 10 men’s and the top five women’s teams, as well as any individuals within 15 strokes of the lead.

At last year’s championship, The University of British Columbia (UBC) Thunderbirds Men’s Team defeated the University of Victoria (UVic) Vikes Men’s Team to capture the school’s first-ever men’s team title.  In women’s play, the UVic Vikes took the victory, spoiling UBC’s try for a sixth consecutive title.  Solid play by UBC’s Andrew Robb and UVic’s Christina Spence earned the B.C. natives the individual men’s and women’s titles.

“This year, we will see some tough competition from top-players in both the men’s and women’s categories,” said RCGA tournament director Alison Turcotte. “The improved strength of the player field over the last several years has truly made this one of the premier championships in Canada, and it continues to get better every year.”

As part of the RCGA’s Pathway to Champions, both the male and female individuals achieving the low score after 72 holes (four rounds) of play will earn an exemption into the 2009 Canadian Men’s Amateur Championship at Club de golf Le Blainvillier in Blainville, Que., and the 2009 Royale Cup Canadian Women’s Amateur Championship held at Royal Oaks Golf Links in Moncton, N.B., respectively.

The following teams and individuals will be competing at the 2009 RCGA Canadian University and College Championship:

MEN’S TEAMS:

Camosun College: Mat Hennick, Phil Kondrak, Tyler Kuyvenhoven, Kevin Walz, Matt Tindale

Durham College: Rob Lewis, Matiss Mazutis, Ian Parker, Justin Knaggs, Blake Pyatt

Holland College: Tye Vaillancourt, Wade Hunter, Trevor Henwood, John Thyssen, Alex Egan

Humber College: Michael Zizek, Ryan Willoughby, James Castle, Mark Hoffman, Brett Pearl

McMaster University: Matt Jacobs, Jimmy duDomaine, Michael Britton, Jason Wellings, Brian Decker

Mount Royal College: Kolby Kniel, Nathan Schurr, Gerry MacDonald, Brandt Goemans, Wallace O'Neil

Queen’s University: Patrick Forbes, Sean Lackey, Duncan Melville, Mike Hossack, Alex Forbes

University of Alberta: Shane O'Neill, Michael McAdam, Alex Palmer, Joey Sereda, Scott Mah

University of British Columbia: David Sheman, Cory Renfrew, Andrew Robb, Brandon Markiw, Seon Kim

University of Calgary: Chase Osiowy, Tim Webb, Kenny Gregor, Daniel Pow, Jack Martyn

University of Manitoba: Eric Johnson, Jesse Skelton, Bobby Wiebe, Nathan Wazney, Ryan Cook

University of New Brunswick: John Fitzgerald, Craig Walker, Charlie Martin, Colin Manning, Jean Mainville

University of Ottawa: Mark Coldham, Robert Mustard, John Henry MacDonald, Brent Derghan, Josh Cooper

University of the Frasier Valley: Mike Broadfoot, Jessie Singh, Brett Stewart, Mitch Lock, Sean Patrick

University of Toronto: Mark Bania, Scott Samuel, Adrian Cord, Richard Persaud, Daly Kim

University of Victoria: Mitchell Evanecz, Jordan Ediger, Steven Lane, Parker Lilly, Erik Swinburnson

University of Waterloo: Jimmy Latta, Matthew Sim, Garrett Rank, Bowie Abbis-Mills, Jean-Samuel Rancourt

University of Western Ontario: Charles Fitzsimmons, Johnny Hall, Alexander Hrycko, Andrew Zanatta, Greg Gabel

Université de Montréal: Philippe-André Bannon, Hugo Chamberland-Lauzon, Benoit Gordon, Antoine Loranger, Nicolas Brassard

Université Laval: Julien Proulx, Mathieu Gingras, Marc-André Champagne, Mathieu Bélanger, Clément Herviou

WOMEN’S TEAMS:

Humber College: Shauna Wilde, Maggie Trainor, Bev Peel, Amanda Milward, Jessica McLean

University of Alberta: Jennifer McLean, Anisha Chong, Melissa Mah, Amanda Woytenko, Diana Kastelic

University of British Columbia: Kyla Inaba, Alyssa Human, Jocelyn Alford, Lindsay Manion, Marianne Banton

University of Calgary: Lauren Diederichs, Aryn Flette, Ashley Nantes, Miranda Airriess, Aynsley O'Donovan

University of Toronto: Danielle Greene, Jane Jhung, Sarah Devonshire, Michelle Lee, Kyoung-Yim Kim

University of Victoria: Anne Balser, Kristen Chew, Alyssa Herkel, Kylie Frederick, Ashley Roulston

University of Waterloo: Tiffany Terrier, Katelyn Inlow, Emily Gateman, Heather Wogden, Allison King

University of Western Ontario: Lisa Boyko, Cheryl Beech, Jennifer Mound, Caitlin Jennings, Stephanie Grenier

Université de Montréal: Jani Fortin, Maude Brisson, Alexandra Lévy, Sonia Charbonneau, Annick Groulx

Université Laval: Christine Arsenault, July Fraser, Anne-Josée Béland, Kathryn Ross-Bell, Julie Foster

INDIVIDUALS:

Carleton University: Humphrey Yeung

Laurentian University: John Atherton

Lethbridge College: Rob Sakamoto

University of Saskatchewan: Taylor Smith

École de technologie supérieure: Mylène Chalifoux

McGill University: Melissa Coré

Committed to conducting truly world class championships, the RCGA is reinvesting in Canada’s national amateur golf championships.  With a focus on elevating the international status and overall prestige of the championships, the RCGA is undertaking a five-year enhancement program with a goal of making the national championships best in class.

Planned improvements include enhancements to the onsite experience at championships; conducting the tournaments at Canada’s premier golf courses; attracting top-tier fields featuring international competitors and securing more exemptions into prestigious international events for RCGA champions.

Starting times, post-round results and a full field list for the 2009 Canadian/University College Championship are available at www.rcga.org/championships.

ABOUT THE ROYAL CANADIAN GOLF ASSOCIATION
The Royal Canadian Golf Association (RCGA) is the governing body of golf in Canada, representing 377,000 members at 1,600 clubs across the country. Recognized by Sport Canada as the National Sports Organization (NSO) for golf in this country, the RCGA’s mission is to grow participation in and passion for the sport while upholding the integrity and traditions of the game. The RCGA conducts programs and services to help shape the future of golf in Canada. High performance athlete development, Rules of Golf and amateur status, handicapping and course rating, turfgrass and environmental research, the Canadian Golf Hall of Fame and Museum and CN Future Links, Canada’s national junior golf program, are only some of the initiatives the association leads for golf in Canada. In addition, the RCGA conducts Canada’s most prestigious golf championships. The RBC Canadian Open and CN Canadian Women’s Open attract the best professional golfers in the world, while regional junior and national amateur championships showcase the best in Canadian golf.

For further information on what the RCGA is doing to support golf in your community please visit www.rcga.org.

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Media Contacts:

Dan Pino
Director, Media and Public Relations
Royal Canadian Golf Association
Office: 1-800-263-0009 ext. 406
Mobile: (416) 434-5525
Email: dpino [at] rcga.org

Chantelle Juffs

Media and Public Relations

Royal Canadian Golf Association

Office: 1-800-263-0009 ext. 468

Mobile: (905) 644-8622

Email: cjuffs [at] rcga.org