Fanshawe to host the OCAA golf championships in October

Header image for Interrobang article CREDIT: PROVIDED BY FANSHAWE ATHLETICS
The Fanshawe Golf Team achieved great success last season and is hoping to perform well at the Ontario Colleges Athletic Association (OCAA) Championships hosted at FireRock Golf Club in Komoka in October.

Fanshawe atheltics is set to host and welcome golfers from around the province for the Ontario Colleges Athletic Association (OCAA) Golf Championships on Oct. 1 to 3.

This is the first time in 12 years since the College hosted the event, this year with it being at the FireRock Golf Club in Komoka, Ont.

“When I first came on as coach I wanted to make sure we hosted our events at FireRock. It is a championship golf course which means it is a better test of golf for the athletes and gives them a better chance to represent their schools and bring their game to the next level,” Fanshawe’s men’s golf head coach, Colin Robertson said.

The Fanshawe golf team will also be hosting their invitational event at FireRock Golf Club the first week of college in September.

Robertson said he is expecting over one hundred golfers to attend, as it will give them a chance to play the course before the OCAA Championships.

According to Robertson, having the chance to see how other teams perform on the course is one of the many advantages that come with hosting the OCAA Championships.

“We always have that home court advantage. The guys and girls that will be playing will likely have family that can come and watch and be supportive. We are also going to have an awful lot of opportunity to go and play and scout out the golf course and make sure our athletes are familiar with it before we go out there,” Robertson said.

Representing Fanshawe will be team captain Thomas Code who finished fourth in the country last season. Alongside Code will be Blake Mackey who is another returning player who won an event last year.

In addition to Code and Mackey, there will be eight other returning players and tryouts will commence the beginning of September to form the team.

Robertson and assistant coach, Joel Johnston, will then decide who will be representing Fanshawe in each division at the OCAA Championships.

The tournament will include an A and B division, where play will include three rounds of golf.

“We definitely want to be in the A division to go on to compete in the A division at Nationals. The B division is also good for our student athletes because it engages them beyond just winning. Results are part of what we want but the student athlete experience is why we do this above everything else and this way they are still engaged in playing,” Robertson said.

The OCAA Championships is an opportunity for the Golf and Club Management students to get practical experience. The students in the program have not had an experience similar to this since the LPGA Tour was in London.

“The Golf and Club Management students are going to basically work it into their curriculum this year. It gives them experience in a real world class professional event that they might not get in any other year. It is a good opportunity for them to check off the boxes for some of the learning outcomes,” Robertson said.

For students looking to try out for the upcoming golf season, there will be a coaches meeting on Sept. 5 at 6 p.m. for prospective athletes to meet Robertson and Johnston and sign up for try outs that will take place on Sept. 8 and 9.

You can get more information about making the team, as well as volunteering to assist at the event, by emailing Robertson at c_robertson@fanshawec.ca.