By Kyle Balzer (Contributor) – Email
Print Edition: October 10, 2012
Thanksgiving weekend is always a great time to stuff ourselves with turkey, dream in pumpkin pie and remind ourselves of what we are most thankful for. For UFV’s varsity golf team, it was a weekend to focus on one of the most important tournaments of their season, the PAC-WEST Championship. Only the top two teams in this tournament would advance to the CCAA National Championship, and so the Cascades were up against some tough competition this year. After winning two of the three seasonal tournaments their hopes were high, especially since they were playing on home turf at the Chilliwack Golf and Country Club.
Going into the weekend, UFV was ranked second in the PAC-WEST division and sixth overall in the CCAA top 10. Three of UFV’s veteran players were in the PAC-WEST top 10 individual rankings as well; Darren Whitehouse sat in second place (435 pts.), Mitch Lock in fifth (440 pts.), and Aaron Pauls in eighth (445 pts.). The entire team was pleased to be playing on the home course and were completely confident that they had the advantage.
“We’ve already marked our territory here at Chilliwack. It shouldn’t be a problem,” said rookie Harrison Clegg. His teammate Taylor Callens added, “Having known all the tricks and bounces on this course, we feel that could help us out if it comes down to the wire.”
Day one of the tournament was off to a terrific start for the Cascades as they showed exceptional displays of athleticism on the course. Every shot was relaxed and focused, even as coaches, family members and other patrons watched from a distance. After the first day, UFV was sitting in third place, shooting a combined score of 301. In the individual competition, CCAA All-Canadian Aaron Pauls shot a round of 69 (-2), the best round of all the players in the field. He led by one stroke going into the final day.
“With today’s tough conditions and pin placements, I think that he’s going to be in good position for Sunday,” said coach Chris Bertram on Aaron’s round.
Day two became judgement day for the Cascades. Starting at seven strokes behind the Camosun College Chargers, they needed to bring their “A” game in order to advance to the National Championship. Once again Aaron Pauls did not disappoint, shooting another stellar round of 69 (-2) and so did rookie Connor O’Dell. In the end, Aaron Pauls won the individual competition, shooting a total score of 138 (-4).
By the end of the tournament, and after a critical tiebreaker against Camosun, the Cascades were triumphant and won the 2012 PAC-WEST Championship with a final combined score of 586. Not only that, Coach Bertram was named the PAC-WEST Coach of the Year for 2012.
“I’m not sure I have the words to describe what happened on the golf course today. It was truly the gutsiest performance by a team I have ever watched. To come back from that deficit against a team as good as Camosun is just incredible. My hat is off to this group of athletes,” said coach Bertram on the team’s victory.
Having now won their third division title in the last six years, the boys will now head off to Oshawa, Ontario to compete for the CCAA National title, October 15 to 19.
