BROMONT, Que. – A total of five student-athletes from the Gryphons varsity golf teams were in action this past weekend in Quebec, competing against the best collegiate golfers from across the country.
The 2022 Canadian University/College Championship took place from June 1-4 at Golf Château Bromont, an 18-hole championship course located just 45 minutes east of Montreal, marking the first time since 2013 that nationals were held in Quebec. This year's playing marked the 18th edition of the event, which was established back in 2003 by Golf Canada, with the tournament returning for the first time since 2019 following the cancellation of both the 2020 and 2021 events due to the pandemic. Leading the way for the Gryphons at this year's national championship tournament was
Justin Allen, a 22-year-old Toronto native who finished 6th overall on the men's side, finishing the four round event with a cumulative score of -4 under par in a field of 101 men's golfers representing 18 different schools. Allen, who has competed on the Gryphons men's golf team since 2018, produced a sensational third round on Saturday, June 3, with the two-time OUA First Team All-Star firing a round of -6 under, 66 (the lowest, single-round score posted by any golfer on the men's side the entire week).
For
Justin Allen, a marketing management major at the University of Guelph, the 6th-place finish made him the top finisher of any of the OUA golfers in the field. Allen ultimately finished seven shots off top spot, with UBC's Aidan Schumer taking home the individual national title with a score of -11 under over the four days. UBC also took home the team titles on both the men's and women's sides.
"Justin was hitting the ball great all week," says Tim O'Connor, head coach of the University of Guelph golf teams since 2017. "Justin did a great job adapting to the conditions throughout the week and getting a feel for the spin around the greens on his approach shots. He has led by example for our men's team for years now and his preparation and dedication are second-to-none."
The Gryphons men's team, comprised of
Justin Allen,
Jack Ferguson,
Xavier Ayora and
Kobe Smith, finished the four-day tournament 8th in the overall team standings, with the only other OUA school finishing ahead of the Gryphons being the Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks (who finished the tournament just three strokes better than the Gryphons).
It was an especially impressive result for the Gryphons considering the late scratch of one of their entries on the men's side, with
Daniel Talmage, an economics, management and finance major from Toronto, forced to withdraw from the tournament at the last second following a positive COVID test. The late development meant there was little room for error for the Gryphons, with team scoring accumulated by the top four scores within a five-man team, and the Gryphons now down to four. "The guys really rose to the challenge," adds O'Connor, who was serving as Gryphons head coach for the final time before stepping down and handing the reigns over to
Brian Bard for the 2022-23 season. "It was unfortunate to lose Daniel at the last minute like that, but Justin, Jack, Xavier and Kobe produced some great golf. It was a solid week overall, and I have thoroughly enjoyed being able to work with these talented student-athletes over the years."
On the women's side, there was just one golfer in the field representing the University of Guelph.
Jacqueline Giles, a 19-year-old molecular biology and genetics major, made her first appearance at a Canadian University/College Championship. The Georgetown native ultimately missed the cut, but is set to return to the Gryphons golf team in the fall after a sensational rookie season during the 2021-22 season in which she made school history by
becoming the first Gryphons women's golfer to be crowned the individual scoring champion at an OUA Golf Championship back in October. The Gryphons are also set to return
Justin Allen and
Kobe Smith for the upcoming 2022-23 season, with Jack Fergurson and
Xavier Ayora's Gryphon careers coming to a close with solid T25 and T38 finishes, respectively, at nationals.
Gryphon Results at the 2022 Canadian University/College Championships
Men's
Justin Allen: 6th (74-72-66-72) -4
Jack Ferguson: T25 (71-73-78-77) +11
Xavier Ayora: T38 (77-76-79-76) +20
Kobe Smith: T41 (76-73-83-79) +23
Daniel Talmage: Withdrew
Women's
Jacqueline Giles: 25th (did not make cut for final round)
Men's Team Standings
Men's Individual Standings
Women's Team Standings
Women's Individual Standings
