KOMOKA, Ont. – Canada’s best student-athlete golfers will descend on FireRock Golf Club in Komoka, Ont., for the 2023 Canadian University/College Championship, presented by BDO from May 29 to June 2. The championship includes both a team and individual component featuring Canada’s top university and college talent.
2023 marks the 19th playing of the event, which was established in 2003 by Golf Canada to give the country’s best university and college golfers a chance to compete at a national championship.
The Fanshawe College Falcons will host the event this year for the second time since 2019, at the scenic FireRock Golf Club.
Designed by Thomas McBroom, FireRock features captivating landforms, ragged handmade bunkers, environmentally significant Savannah grasses and the Oxbow River valley, intertwining with existing gravel spoil piles.
“We are so thrilled to be able to host this National Championship again since hosting in 2019 and partner once again with Fanshawe College & Tourism London. This is a huge event for the City of London, and we are so honoured and privileged to host an event of this caliber,” said Amanda Cookson, Director of Golf Operations at FireRock Golf Club. “FireRock Golf Club since its inception in 2004 designed by Tom McBroom has only matured into the beauty that it is today. Many say that the course is intended specifically for tournament play of this level, and our staff & volunteers are well seasoned and excited to partake in such a prestigious event. The City of London is booming with golf, and we are so ecstatic to be able to showcase it to the elite golfers coming into town for this championship.”
The 20 teams competing in the Men’s division, including three wildcard teams, represent the following conferences (number of teams in brackets):
- Canada-West (6)
- Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association (3)
- Réseau du sport étudiant du Québec (4)
- Ontario University Athletics (7)
The Women’s division is comprised of 12 teams, including two wildcard teams from the following conferences (number of teams in brackets):
- Canada-West (4)
- Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association (1)
- Réseau du sport étudiant du Québec (2)
- Ontario University Athletics (5)
In addition, a limited amount of spots are available to individuals attending a Canadian post-secondary institution not otherwise entered through a team entry. A total of 10 individual players (six men and four women) will compete in the individual competition.
After the third round, the field will be cut to the top ten (10) men’s teams and the top six (6) women’s teams, including any team within 15 shots of the lead. Individuals within ten (10) shots of third place, including any player within the top 10, will also make the cut.
Golf Canada prides itself on providing an opportunity for university and college players to compete at the highest level of national competition at the end of their seasons.
The 72-hole stroke play event was played last year at Golf-Château Bromont in Bromont, Que., the first University/College championship to play since 2019 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The University of British Columbia enter this year’s tournament as the defending champions of both the men’s and women’s divisions. The Thunderbirds won the women’s team division for the fifth time in a row, and fifteenth time in the 18-year history of the event last year, while the men’s team earned their seventh banner since the inaugural event in 2003.
Aidan Schumer and Sonja Tang were crowned champions of the men’s and women’s individual events, respectively.
Last year, the Thunderbirds women’s 98 stoke triumph set the record for the largest margin of victory since 2004 and capped off a perfect season of 12 tournament wins. The team of Sonja Tang, Élizabeth Labbé, Shania Remandaban and Grace Bell finished off a wire-to-wire win with a final round 3-over par, 219.
For the men, team captain Ethan De Graaf, Aiden Schumer, Mackenzie Bickell, Russell Howlett and Dylan MacDonald combined for a tournament score of 7-under par, 1145 for an eight-stroke victory over the Université de Laval Rouge et Or (1-over par, 1153). The University of Victoria Vikes rounded out the top three at a total of 8-over par, 1160.
Multiple winners of the event include Christina Spence (2007 & 2008), Kat Kennedy (2016 & 2017) and Evan Holmes (2015 & 2017).
For more information about the 2023 Canadian University/College Championship, including the player list, pairings and leaderboards, click here.
MEN’S TEAMS
Bishop’s University Gaiters
Fanshawe College Falcons (Host Institution)
Georgian College Grizzlies
Humber College Hawks
Laurentian University Voyageurs
McGill University Redbirds
McMaster University Marauders
Université du Montréal Carabins
Université Laval Rouge et Or
University of British Columbia Okanagan Heat
University of British Columbia Thunderbirds
University of Calgary Dinos
University of Fraser Valley Cascades
University of Guelph Gryphons
University of Manitoba Bisons
University of Toronto Varsity Blues
University of Victoria Vikes
University of Waterloo Warriors
University of Windsor Lancers
Wilfrid Laurier University Golden Hawks
WOMEN’S TEAMS
Humber College Hawks
Université Laval Rouge et Or
University of British Columbia Thunderbirds
University of Fraser Valley Cascades
University of Montreal Carabins
University of Toronto Varsity Blues
University of Victoria Vikes
University of Waterloo Warriors
University of Western Mustangs
University of Windsor Lancers
Wilfrid Laurier University Golden Hawks