(THUNDER)HAWKS SOAR AT OCAA GOLF CHAMPIONSHIPS

PHOTOS: Round 1 | Round 2 | Round 3

PICKERING, Ont. - No extra holes were needed this time around.

Confederation's Nathan Lepore (Thunder Bay), who lost to Humber's Matthew Morris (St. Catharines) in a sudden-death playoff last year, secured the men's individual gold medal in regulation at the 2025 Ontario Colleges Athletic Association (OCAA) Golf Championships at Watson's Glen Golf Club on Wednesday.

Lepore posted even par scores the opening two rounds, then shot a one-under 71 on the final day to win the tournament with a one-under 215. The first-ever OCAA golf medalist from Confederation is now the first-ever OCAA individual champion from the Thunder Bay school.

Morris had the top third-round score of two-under 70, climbing out of fifth place to finish in a tie for second, three strokes behind Lepore with a three-day total of 218. Morris shares the individual silver with teammate Jack Gratrix (Sunderland) who shot even-par on Wednesday.

Morris and Gratrix were still golden, however, helping the Humber Hawks win the men's team championship by a comfortable 24 strokes ahead of last year's winner, the St. Clair Saints. The Fanshawe Falcons finished in the bronze position, 53 strokes behind the winners.

The top five men's golfers are named to the OCAA's All-Ontario Team. Joining Lepore, Morris and Gratrix is Durham's Owen Mailhot (Whitby), who was a plus-four in the competition, and St. Clair's Nathan White (Riverside), who was seven-over par.

Humber's Susan Chen (Zhengzhou, China) went wire-to-wire to win the women's individual title. Last year's runner up shot an impressive six-over 222 to win the gold medal by 19 strokes. Chen's worst individual round of 75 on Wednesday was better than any of her competitors' top single round scores.

Humber teammate Jordon Newlands (Toronto) won the silver medal, while St. Clair's Justine Gorham (Amherstburg) placed third, three strokes behind Newlands. The top four women's golfers are named to the OCAA's All-Ontario Team, with Georgian's Bryden Dilley (Barrie) and Humber's Ava Bechard (Mississauga) sharing fourth place.

The women's team competition was dominated by Humber, winning an unprecedented sixth consecutive OCAA title by 38 strokes over St. Clair. Georgian finished in third place for a repeat of last year's podium.

Over 40 student-athletes competed at this year's championships, hosted by Durham College. Seven Ontario post-secondary institutions were represented at the competition, including Confederation College (Thunder Bay), host Durham College (Oshawa), Fanshawe College (London), Georgian College (Barrie), Humber Polytechnic (Etobicoke), Niagara College (Welland) and St. Clair College (Windsor).

The tournament consisted of three 18-hole rounds with the men's and women's golfer posting the lowest gross score through 54 holes winning their respective individual championship.

Men's teams consist of four or five golfers, with the top four individual scores of each round contributing to the total team score. Women's teams consist of two or three golfers, with the top two individual scores of each round contributing to their total score. Schools with the lowest aggregate of gross scores after 54 holes won the respective team titles.

Designed by Kevin Holmes, Watson's Glen in North Pickering is a links-style course featuring bent grass tees, fairways and greens. Water comes into play on 11 holes and 90 well-placed bunkers add to the challenge.

The top OCAA golfers and teams will move on to compete at the 2025 Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association PING Golf National Championships. The event takes place at Desert Blume Golf Club in Desert Blume, Alta., from Oct. 14-17 and will be hosted by Medicine Hat College.

GOLF ONTARIO RESULTS WEBSITE: www.golfgenius.com/pages/11430971719662225523 

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For nearly 60 years, the Ontario Colleges Athletic Association has been a dedicated leader in amateur athletics through the provision of quality varsity and recreational athletic opportunities at the collegiate level.

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Ontario Colleges Athletic Association
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E-mail: bell-webster@ocaa.com