Banner Season: Ottawa men, Toronto women edge team leaderboard after day 1 of championships

Written by: Fraser Caldwell

Alberton, Ont. – There was little to separate the top end of the field after a tempestuous opening round at Heron Point Golf Links Monday, as rainy, windy, and cold conditions tested competitors at the 2018 OUA Golf Championships, hosted by McMaster.

Just three shots stood between the men’s podium teams on day one, with the Ottawa Gee-Gees edging the group at 22-over, while the Western Mustangs sat just one shot back and the Windsor Lancers held third at 25-over.

With slightly more room to breathe, the Toronto Varsity Blues women enjoyed a two-stroke lead over the second-placed Queen’s Gaels, sitting at 35-over, while the Windsor women were third at 41-over.

Ottawa’s strength on Monday came in its performance as a pack, with the team leader Anthony Brodeur sitting ninth in the individual standings at 4-over par and teammate Nicholas Workun just one stroke back. The Gee-Gees remaining scorers, Jared Coyle and Gabriel Gingras, were each a stroke further back of the lead, producing Ottawa’s strong team performance.

Western kept pressure on Ottawa entering day two, buoyed heavily by a strong round from Mackenzie Carter, whose three-over tied him for third on the day.

Individually, the day on the men’s side was carried by Brock’s Adam Graham, who shot a 1-over 72 for the outright lead, although a disappointing day from his teammates held the Badgers to ninth as a group.

Graham was strong through the final holes of his afternoon, picking up birdies on 15 and 17 to recover from a pair of successive bogies on 13 and 14 and save par on the back nine.

His effort Monday saw Graham one stroke clear atop the leaderboard, with Guelph’s Josiah Dixon sitting second at 2-over and a pack of six golfers trailing in a tie at 3-over.

On the women’s side, the Blues were paced to a day one lead by the pair of individual leader Laura Upenieks and Ellice Hong, who finished their rounds at 8-over and 12-over respectively.

Hong’s score placed her in a three-way tie for fourth, while Toronto’s final scorer, Kelsey Fuchs’ 15-over saw her tied for 10th.

Queen’s ensured an intriguing battle for the team title Tuesday by placing three golfers inside the top 10 on Day 1, including third-placed Jasmine Mussani at 11-over, fourth-placed Jacqueline Miller at 12-over and ninth-placed Robyn Campbell at 14-over.

Upenieks’ 8-over 78 on the day gave her a one-stroke lead atop the women’s leaderboard, with Guelph’s Sarah Dunning within striking distance after a round of 79.

Both players recovered from difficulties on the front nine to stabilize their scores on the back end, with Dunning dramatically improving a first half of 8-over by posting a 1-over 35 on the back nine.

Play resumes at Heron Point Tuesday with a 10 a.m. shotgun start.

Day 1 Standings

Men’s Team Standing

1. Ottawa Gee-Gees (+22)

2. Western Mustangs (+23)

3. Windsor Lancers (+25)

4. Laurier Golden Hawks (+26)

5. Queen’s Gaels (+28)

6. Waterloo Warriors (+30)

7. Toronto Varsity Blues (+31)

8. Guelph Gryphons (+33)

9. Brock Badgers (+35)

10. McMaster Marauders (+36)

11. Carleton Ravens (+39)

12. Laurentian Voyageurs (+43)

13. Ryerson Rams (+54)

14. UOIT Ridgebacks (+57)

15. Trent Excalibur (+59)

16. York Lions (+65)

Men’s Individual Top 10

1. Adam Graham (Brock) - +1

2. Josiah Dixon (Guelph) - +2

T3. Trevor Corner (Queen’s) - +3

T3. Mackenzie Carter (Western) - +3

T3. Tyson Turchanski (Waterloo) - +3

T3. Jarrod Smith (Windsor) - +3

T3. Jack Allan (Toronto) - +3

9. Anthony Brodeur (Ottawa) - +4

T10. Six tied at +5

Women’s Team Standings

1. Toronto Varsity Blues (+35)

2. Queen’s Gaels (+37)

3. Windsor Lancers (+41)

4. Waterloo Warriors (+49)

5. Western Mustangs (+50)

6. Brock Badgers (+62)

7. McMaster Marauders (+65)

8. Laurier Golden Hawks (+73)

9. Ottawa Gee-Gees (+114)

Women’s Individual Top 10

1. Laura Upenieks (Toronto) - +8

2. Sarah Dunning (Guelph) - +9

3. Jasmine Mussani (Queen’s) - +11

T4. Ellice Hong (Toronto) - +12

T4. Tavia Maurovic (Windsor) - +12

T4. Jacqueline Miller (Queen’s) - +12

T7. Claire Konning (Waterloo) - +13

T7. Melanie Burgess (Windsor) - +13

9. Robyn Campbell (Queen’s) - +14

T10. Three tied at +15