PREVIEW: Gee-Gees in the hunt for eighth OUA Men’s Golf Championship
The Gee-Gees men's golf team have medalled in the past three OUA Championships and are looking to change the colour of their 2019 Silver into Gold at the 2021 tournament. The tournament will be hosted at Cherry Downs in Pickering, Ont. on Friday, Oct. 15.
Typically a two-round championship, things look a little different this year, with only one round determining the champion. This change comes after a pair of Regional Qualifiers featuring teams from the east and west sides of the conference were introduced. After the qualifiers, the field was pared down to only eight teams, who will compete for the title.
After winning their qualifier with an overall team score of 599, the Gee-Gees are ready to make their run at the Championship, which they last won in 2018.
Leading the pack for the Gee-Gees is fourth-year golfer Nicholas Workun, who was the individual winner of the qualifying tournament.
"The expectations are definitely high," said Workun. "With OUA's only being one day, any team can win, all it takes is a good day and any team can put on the gold medal. We've got a lot of talent, so expectations are high for sure."
Jared Coyle is also no stranger to the OUA Championships, having been a part of all three of the team's past appearances alongside Workun. Adam Casar brings experience as well having been a member of the team's silver medal effort in 2019.
A pair of first-year golfers are rounding out the team's roster in the tournament. Spencer Grainger impressed in the qualifier, finishing tied for fourth, with a total of 147 on the weekend. Aiden Coyle, Jared's younger brother, also turned in a solid performance, shooting a 161.
"This is definitely one that I want to win quite a lot," said Workun. "I really like the group of guys we have, and with myself and Jared moving on next year, I know he wants it really badly too. The next few days we're going to be either doing school work or at the golf course, just grinding to get it done."