A stellar season by the Queen’s men’s golf team will be capped off by the Canadian National University and College Championship at the Le Tempete Club in Levis, Quebec.
The team will travel the week of June 12 for the four-day event after qualifying back in October, following a second place finish at the OUA championships. A contender to win the event, the Gaels fell three shots behind the eventual winners, the Laurier Golden Hawks.
READ MORE: Men’s golf performs strongly, women’s team battles at 2025 OUA Golf Championships
To discuss his fourth season on the team, along with his excitement for the upcoming national championship, The Journal sat down with Luke Macpherson, Sci ’27.
He first reminisced about what he calls “the most successful season in my four years by far.” In total, the men’s team had three tournament wins, starting with their own: the Bert Kea Memorial tournament hosted at Cataraqui Golf and Country Club, hosted annually in September. They also added wins at the Brock and Toronto Invitationals, never finishing below third in all their tournaments on the docket.
The OUA Championships feature a team style as well as an individual competition which allows stellar play to qualify for the national championships. This year, the tournament was hosted by the Oshawa Golf and Country Club, of which Macpherson is a member and plays regularly. Macpherson admitted that “it’s pretty nice playing a course you’re familiar with.”
The familiarity helped him be in contention for individual competition, as well as posting a great score for the team. Day two, however, did not show the same success as the previous, with Macpherson falling out of contention.
“It was pretty disappointing, but its really motivated me this winter to put the work in and showcase my abilities at nationals.”
Preparing for the university golf national championships in Canada is different due to the gap in the season for the harsh winters. However, with new technology and information available, the gap can be used to level up your game. He and his teammates specifically used The Stack System, which helped increase swing speed and distance.
Macpherson said that his winter training has “really translated so far early in the season with some low scores.”
The course they will be playing opened in 2005 and has been selected to host other national events, including the Canadian Men’s Amateur in 2031 and the Canadian Women’s Amateur in 2033. Macpherson has already done some pre-scouting and is excited how the course plays to his strengths.
“The course is obviously top notch, and I can’t wait to push the ball far and take advantage of my length.”
The excitement is accompanied with bitter sweetness as two of Macpherson’s teammates will be playing in their last Canadian National University and college tournament. “We’ve played every tournament over the last 3 years together, so hopefully we can bring home some hardware.”
The team looks to capitalize on a group that has steadily improved year after year preparing for what could be their final moment representing Queens.
Tags
Golf, national championship, USports National Championship
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