GUELPH, Ont. - On Thursday, September 14, 2023, the Guelph Gryphons men's and women's varsity golf teams will officially tee off in their first event of the 2023 OUA golf season, with the teams set to open up play at the St. Thomas Golf & Country Club for the 2023 Western Invitational. We get you set for the collegiate golf season ahead with a breakdown of the Gryphons 2023 varsity golf teams.
Once again headlining the Gryphon women's golf team is third-year veteran
Jacqueline Giles, a two-time OUA medalist and former conference champion in 2021. The men's team will look to fill the top stop previously held by perennial all-star
Justin Allen, who graduated this past offseason, with several candidates primed to step up on a Gryphons men's roster that has no shortage of depth.
The Western Invitational on Thursday (Sept. 14) will serve as the first of seven different events on the OUA regular season schedule, with the conference championships set to take place on October 13 in Waterloo, with Grey Silo Golf Club set to host the 2023 OUA Golf Championships in mid-October.
The 2023 Gryphon men's golf team is made up of 12 different student-athletes, making the U of G squad one of the deepest rosters in the conference. They are led by a quartet of Gryphon returnees who
represented U of G at the 2023 national championships in May.
Kobe Smith,
Wesley Gill,
Liam Fischer, and
Curtis Coulson all represented the Gryphons at the 2023 Canadian University/College Championship, which took place from May 30-June 2, just west of London, at FireRock Golf Club in Komoka, Ontario. The Gryphon men secured a Top-10 finish at nationals under Gryphon head coach
Brian Bard's leadership, with Bard now entering his second season in charge of the U of G golf program. The four student-athletes who attended nationals in May, also played key roles for the Gryphons at the 2022 OUA Golf Championships, where the U of G men captured a bronze medal finish in the overall team standings. The Gryphons have an additional four returning athletes from last season, and have also added four new golfers to the team in 2023. Among the new athletes, newcomer Joe MacNeil leads the way, bringing with him two years of NCAA Division-I experience having played for Lindenwood University in Missouri.
"We have 12 players fighting for 5 spots in the lineup," says head coach
Brian Bard. "The competition to get a chance to play should make us stronger this season. I fully expect us to be one of the top teams this year, we can't wait to get started."
On the women's side, OUA All-Star
Jacqueline Giles will look to continue her impressive collegiate career which has seen her reach the provincial podium in each of her first two seasons as a Gryphon, most recently capturing an individual bronze medal in 2022. Incoming student-athlete and Kincardine, Ontario native,
Ela Jones, looks to make an immediate impact with the team in her first season of OUA competition. Fourth-year management major
Faith Hertner, who returns for her third season, will solidify the Gryphon top three. Five other student-athletes will look to help the U of G women's golf team improve even further after moving up the standings from 9th to 6th at last season's OUA Golf Championship. "This is a fairly young team, but I think we could surprise a few teams this year," adds head coach,
Brian Bard.
The Gryphons will begin their 2023 golf season on Thursday, Sept. 14 with a 10am tee off time at the St. Thomas Golf & Country Club.
