CAMPBELL’S SUPER AS HE LEADS UFV GOLFERS
Cascades teams pick up three of a possible four national titles
The University of the Fraser Valley Cascades golf teams will return home Saturday, bringing a significant amount of hardware with them from the Canadian Collegiate national golf championships in Ontario.
The Cascades won three of a possible four titles at Royal Ashburn Golf Club in Oshawa, Ont., claiming the men’s and women’s team championships, while Daniel Campbell won the men’s individual competition.
Madison Kapchinsky bagged the silver medal in the women’s individual event following the final round and a playoff with Sarah-Eve Rheaume of Champlain College St. Lawrence (Quebec City) on Friday.
The men’s team won by 16 strokes, while the women’s team led start to finish, propelled by strong second and third rounds to win by 21 shots.
Kapchinsky finished the final round at 2-over par 74, but Rheaume was able to get on a roll on the back nine with an eagle on the par-5 14th hole and a birdie on the next hole, before the playoff.
“It’s massive. It has been a battle this whole fall. We’ve been working really hard and putting in a lot of time to prepare for this and to have it all pay off is really satisfying,” said UFV golf coach Chris Bertram during a Friday phone interview.
“Madison played fantastic golf today. She just got beat by someone who got really hot and played really well … and then they just fought shot for shot coming down the stretch. It could’ve gone either way.”
On the men’s individual side, Campbell was as consistent as anyone could ask for throughout the four-day tournament.
He was in the low 70s throughout all four rounds, going below par twice, including a closing round of 1-under par 71 on Friday to cap off a dominant performance.
He finished eight strokes ahead of his nearest challenger, James Casorso of UBC Okanagan.
“It was a remarkable performance,” said Bertram. “He was head and shoulders above the field and he played flawless golf.
“I don’t think he hit a bad shot all week. He was so solid from tee to green and that’s how you win by (eight) shots at a national championship.”
Bertram, a proponent of the increasing quality of Canadian college golf and how it can be used as an opportunity for local amateur golfers to have a post-secondary career while still living at or close to home, is hoping this showing at nationals will have a greater impact on the future of the UFV program.
The school helps provide scholarship money, but the Cascades have also turned to fundraising efforts — like recently teaming up with Abbotsford PGA player Nick Taylor with his charity event last month — in order to remain competitive in that aspect of recruiting.
Part of the hope, according to Bertram, is that having the credibility of championship winning individuals and teams should entice other players looking to develop their game with a proven team to look in UFV’s direction.
That said, Bertram is aware of the reality that the students the program hopes to recruit are looking for scholarship opportunities, and that is, he admitted, a challenge, especially when there are programs like SFU and UBC right down the road.
“We recognize that and we’re working really hard to be competitive,” said Bertram. “It’s a difference maker. When they look at our program and some of the (schools) not just south of the border but here in B.C., there are some good offers out there and we know we need to compete with that.”
The majority of the players on the UFV golf team — both the men’s and women’s sides — are from the Fraser Valley. However, Campbell and Halen Davis are from Skagit Valley College in Mt. Vernon, Wash., while Kai Ji hails from South Korea.
The Cascades recruited Campbell from south of the border, and Bertram believes that is evidence that golfers in the Fraser Valley, and beyond it now, are starting to see UFV as a viable option to pursue or continue their careers.