WATERLOO, Ont. – The Guelph Gryphons men's and women's golf teams narrowly missed out on a podium spot, finishing in 4th-place in the final team standings at the 2023 OUA Golf Championships. The two-day conference championship event took place at Grey Silo Golf Club in Waterloo, where 15 different universities from across the province were represented on the men's side, while 11 different universities competed on the women's side.
Kobe Smith at 2023 OUA Golf Championships (photo - Tim Harrison)
The women's OUA title was taken home by the host Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks, while the men's OUA title was claimed by the Waterloo Warriors. The 4th-place finish by the Gryphons women's golf team marked the best finish in women's team standings by the Gryphons in over a decade, with the last time the team finished as high as 4th in the team standings at an OUA Golf Championship coming back in the fall of 2012. With the results this weekend, the Gryphons automatically qualify for nationals, with the top 4 women's teams and top 5 men's teams earning a berth into the field in May of 2024 for the Canadian University/College Championships.
After claiming OUA bronze medals a season ago, the Gryphons men's golf team were close to matching the result once again in 2023, but finished just 4 strokes back of the 3rd-place Laurier Golden Hawks. Leading the way for the Gryphon men at this year's OUA Golf Championships was
Kobe Smith and
William Dodd, who both earned Top 10 finishes (T-9) in a field of 75 golfers. Joe MacNeil (T16), Wes Gill (T-29) and
Liam Fischer (T-37) rounded out the scoring for the Gryphons men's team, who were also just 7 strokes back of the 2nd-place Western Mustangs. The Gryphon men got off to a hot start on Day 1 of the tournament, with
Kobe Smith firing an opening-round 69 (-2 under) and
William Dodd firing an opening-round 70 (-1 under) at the Par 71 Grey Silo Golf Club.
Hunter Edwards at 2023 OUA Golf Championships (photo - Christian Bender)
Those opening round scores by Smith and Dodd were two of just 10 under-par rounds posted all weekend at Grey Silo in cold and wet conditions.
On the women's side, the Gryphons team was comprised of
Ela Jones,
Jacqueline Giles,
Faith Hertner and
Hunter Edwards, who combined to finish just 11 strokes back of the 3rd-place Windsor Lancers.
Ela Jones led the way for the Gryphons, finishing 4th in the women's individual scoring race in a field of 49 golfers. Jones, a Kincardine, Ontario native who is in her first year at the University of Guelph studying molecular biology and genetics, posted an opening round 77 and followed that up on Day 2 with an impressive 74, finishing just 6 strokes back of the women's individual champion, Laren Bevan from the Laurier Golden Hawks. The Gryphons were also represented in the Top 10 by
Jacqueline Giles, with the third-year Georgetown native finishing T-9 after rounds of 77 and 78.
The Gryphons 4th-place finish marks the end of the 2023 OUA golf season, with the Gryphons next major collegiate event taking place in May of 2024 where the Gryphons will set their sights on the national stage with the playing of the 2024 Canadian University/College Championships. For more information on the 2023 OUA Golf Championships, visit
www.oua.ca.
FULL RESULTS
Men's Team Standings
1 – Waterloo Warriors (565)
2 – Western Mustangs (578)
3 – Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks (581)
4 – Guelph Gryphons (585)
Women's Team Standings
1 – Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks (450)
2 – Toronto Varsity Blues (468)
3 – Windsor Lancers (477)
4 – Guelph Gryphons (488)
Gryphon Men's Results
Gryphon Women's Results
