Queen’s golf capped their season off on a high note earlier this week, finding success at the OUA Championships on Monday and Tuesday. The men’s team ended with a sixth place finish, while the women finished in second and podiumed with  silver. 

The winners of the provincial tournament—hosted by McMaster University at the Heron Point Golf Club in Hamilton—were the University of Toronto women’s team and the University of Ottawa’s men’s contingent. 

On Tuesday—the final day of the competition—it came down to the wire for the Gaels’ women’s team. Going back and forth with U of T and leading by a number of points, the Gaels were ultimately unable to seal the deal. In the end, U of T edged out Queen’s and finished with a gold medal. 

The top performers for the men’s team were Trevor Corner and Micheal von Schalburg, who tied for 16th and finished at 16 strokes over par, ending 11 strokes off the lead. For the women, Campbell and third-year Jasmine Mussani tied for fifth individually finishing at +28, solid for eight strokes off the lead. 

Given the abnormally high scores, no golfer was a fan of the weather. 

The weather made the tournament particularly difficult, with temperatures hovering around five degrees and challenging winds on both days. Kristen MacLaren, first-year head coach for Queen’s golf program, described the wind as a “three club wind,” indicating the intense amount of resistance the wind provided against the ball.  

“Playing in those conditions was mentally taxing for the players,” MacLaren told The Journal. 

Due to the wind, the top scorer for the women’s division scored 20 over par, and the best golfer in the men’s division finished five over par. 

“It’s not often that a player will win being 20 above par. The weather conditions really made it tough for everyone on the course,” MacLaren said.

Robyn Campbell, captain of the women’s team, said the wind was one of the biggest external factors impeding on the Gaels’ play. “We were playing in 30 kilometre winds. On top of thinking about our shots, we also had to take the wind into account,” she said. 

Third-year teammate Jasmine Mussani concurred, adding, “I don’t think any of us have ever played golf in such terrible weather.””

With their season at a close, the team will spend their offseason training in preparation for the spring season.