OTTAWA, Ont. - The 2022 OUA Golf Championships took place at the Hylands Golf Club in Ottawa this past weekend and the Marauders were there in full force, eyeing up the Championship title. The McMaster men's golf team returned home to Hamilton as 2022 OUA Champions.
Both the McMaster men's and women's teams teed off on Saturday morning in the nation's capital for the first of two rounds.
Saturday October 15th - Round 1
After Day 1, the McMaster men sat tied for fourth position along with the Ottawa Gee-Gees and Windsor Lancers. Shooting a collective 21-over-par, the Marauders were led by
Kavith Ranchagoda (Richmond Hill, Ont.) who finished +1 after 18 holes. Ranchagoda birdied five holes, to sit in third position in the individual competition.
Teammates Sam Coons (Ancaster, Ont.) and
Nicolas Dessureault (Oakville, Ont.) shot five and six over, respectively, while
Patrick Maloney (Oakville, Ont.) and
Matthew Martel (Pelham, Ont.) ended the day in the middle of the pack.
The Marauders sat behind the Laurier Golden Hawks (+10) , the Waterloo Warriors (+19) and the Toronto Varsity Blues (+20) and would need to chase those three teams down in order to lock down the title and the trophy.
On the women's side, McMaster finished the opening 18-holes in eighth spot. Senior,
Erin Oughtred (Erin, Ont.), had the best round of the day for the maroon and grey with an 86 to land her tied for fourteenth. Fellow Marauder,
Alejandra Elliott-Cordoba (Burlington, Ont.), sat one stroke back of Oughtred at the end of Round 1.
Alexandria Zilli (Oakville, Ont.) and
Taylor Holmes (King, Ont.) had a challenging day on the course to round out the squad from Hamilton.
Sunday October 16th - Round 2
The Marauders had an impressive second day on the green, scoring a collective 288 for the best Round 2 result of any men's team with Dessureault leading the maroon and grey. Entering the day in a tie for 24th place, he shot an impressive nine-under 63,on Sunday. Bettering his opening round by fifteen strokes thanks to nine birdies on the final 18, the McMaster veteran was unstoppable on Day 2. Dessureault's score was just one shot shy of the competitive course record. The fourth-year Marauder moved up 23 spots in the standings as a result, finishing out the tournament with a three-under overall, the only player to wrap up below par. The Len Shore Trophy winner anchored the team, leading the Hamilton squad to their first OUA title since 2004.
Ranchagoda continued his Day 1 execution with a two-over 74, for a three-over on the weekend, good for third place in the individual competition. Coons ended the second day with a +3 to go eight-over at the conclusion of the two day Championship.
Patrick Maloney ended the tournament tied for 33rd and
Matthew Martel's two rounds earned him 45th in the field.
The OUA Champion McMaster Marauders (+21) ended the tournament six-strokes ahead of the Laurier Golden Hawks (+27) and sixteen strokes in front of the bronze medalist, Guelph Gryphons (+37).
On the women's side, the Marauders improved on last year's finish, ending the 2022 Championship in ninth spot. Oughtred led the maroon and grey with a Top 20 individual finish. Elliott-Cordoba finished three strokes back of her teammate in a tie for 22nd. Holmes and Zilli earned some valuable competition experience among a very competitive field.
With a historic finish to the season for McMaster, the men's team will now look ahead to Golf Canada's Canadian University/College Championship in the spring while the women will prepare for the 2023 season.
