Alek Mauro of the Windsor Lancers and Julia Alexander-Carew of the UBC Okanagan Heat each claimed maiden individual championship titles.
Kamloops, B.C. – The UBC Thunderbirds successfully defended their titles in both the men’s and women’s team championships on Friday but came up short on the top spot in the individual championships to cap off a memorable Canadian University / College Championship at Rivershore Golf Links in Kamloops, B.C.
The Thunderbirds’ male contingent secured their ninth national championship after shooting a collective 21-under par (292-275-288-276) through four rounds, while the women’s program put the finishing touches on their eighth consecutive national championship on Friday with a collective score of 14-under par (216-215-214-205).
Each of the Thunderbirds that took home the Canadian University / College Championship this week will compete at the Canadian Collegiate Invitational in the fall. The men’s competition will begin on September 13 at Öviinbyrd Golf Club in MacTier, Ont. while the female competition gets underway September 21 at Beacon Hall Golf Club in Aurora, Ont.
“I’m just so proud of them. What they did academically and then to compete so hard on the course and their sportsmanship is at another level too. It’s been a great run and this is a really nice way for them to end their careers as graduates of UBC,” commented UBC’s coach Chris Macdonald on his male winners.
Mackenzie Bickell of Richmond, B.C., John Paul Kahlert of Maple Ridge, B.C., Hudson LaFayette of North Vancouver, B.C., Dylan MacDonald of Markham, Ont. and Aidan Schumer of Columbus, Ohio. will all be graduating at the end of the year.
Both sides took the lead after Tuesday’s opening round and never looked back, with the women’s team impressively slotting each of their players in the top five of the individual standings and beating their provincial rival – the UBC Okanagan Heat – by 27 strokes.
“It’s the first time we’ve been here to Kamloops to play golf,” commented Macdonald moments after claiming his 27th and 28th national championships on Friday. “Rivershore was amazing and the tournament was so well organized. We had a really fun week and made a lot of birdies and that’s what separated us this week,” he added.
Though the Thunderbirds outlasted the Heat in the team championship throughout the week, it was the latter’s sophomore, Julia Alexander-Carew of Oakville, Ont. that failed to flinch at the flock of Thunderbirds on her heels to close out her maiden individual championship title.
Trailing Una Chou of San Diego, Calif. after 36 holes, Alexander-Carew roared to life with an eagle on the par-5 fourth to pull even with the defending champion. The momentum carried the second year into a slew of birdies on the part of the property that ailed her the most leading up to Friday’s final round, sinking consecutive birdie putts on Nos. six, seven and eight to dart well into the lead after Chou played the same stretch at two-over par.
“They were three pretty difficult putts so seeing them all drop gave me confidence for the back nine,” commented Alexander-Carew, adding a final birdie on the 18th hole to wrap up Friday with her best round of the tournament and a five-under 67.
The pivotal swing set Alexander-Carew on course to steal the individual championship title despite Chou rallying off three consecutive birdies on Nos. 14, 15 and 17 to get back to red figures.
“It was a really good year for me and closing it out with this type of win is huge,” said Alexander-Carew. Her runner-up finish at last year’s event gave her a clear idea of what was required of her game to move up on the podium and was reinforced by her coach walking alongside her all throughout the final round.
UBC contested one another for the final two places of the podium on Friday, with Jessica Ng of Vancouver, B.C. going low for the second consecutive day with a field-best score of 66 to secure a runner up finish with Chou at three-under par.
Just a day removed from shooting a third-round 66 to give himself a six-shot cushion in the individual men’s championship, Alek Mauro of Windsor, Ont. was able to overcome numerous wobbles and a late charge from Anthony Jomphe of Chicoutimi, Que. to hold steady and secure the individual men’s title.
Starting his round on the 10th hole on Friday, Mauro bounced in and out of red figures as each of his two birdie attempts on the front nine were erased by bogey putts shortly after while Jomphe played the same stretch at four-under par to secure second place. Though despite the chaos, the fifth year was able to lean into his 36-hole lead and win by just a single stroke after a fourth round 73.
The victory secures Mauro a spot in the 120th Canadian Men’s Amateur Championship presented by BDO set to kick off at the Royal Ottawa Golf Club in Gatineau, Que. on July 26. Similarly, Friday’s individual championship winner in the women’s division, Alexander-Carew, will also reap the benefits of her victory later this summer and is exempt in the 111th Canadien Women’s Amateur Championship presented by BDO. The event will be held at The Riverside Country Club in Saint John, N.B. from July 22-25.
“The competition is so high and just playing with people of so many different levels from so many different places, I think it’ll be a really good challenge,” praised Alexander-Carew. “They’re always great competitions, best in the country,” praised Mauro. “Really looking forward to competing this summer,” he added. Alexander-Carew and Mauro enter the event with previous experience, having competed in their Canadian Amateur Championships in 2024 and 2021 respectively.
To view the full leaderboards from the final round of the Canadian University / College Championship, please click here.
Men’s Team Championship – Top-3
| PLACE | TEAM | SCORE | TOTAL |
| 1 | UBC Thunderbirds | 292-275-288-276 | -21 |
| 2 | Victoria Vikes | 298-280-289-288 | +3 |
| 3 | Laval Rouge et Or | 303-293-285-297 | +26 |
Women’s Team Championship – Top-3
| PLACE | TEAM | SCORE | TOTAL |
| 1 | UBC Thunderbirds | 216-215-214-205 | -14 |
| 2 | UBC Okanagan Heat | 225-216-221-217 | +15 |
| 3 | Victoria Vikes | 236-228-224-227 | +51 |
Men’s Individual Championship – Top-3
| PLACE | TEAM | SCORE | TOTAL |
| 1 | Alek Mauro (Windsor Lancers) | 71-68-66-73 | -10 |
| 2 | Anthony Jomphe (Montreal Carabins) | 73-69-69-68 | -9 |
| 3 | John Paul Kahlert (UBC Thunderbirds) | 73-71-71-67 | -6 |
Women’s Individual Championship – Top-3
| PLACE | TEAM | SCORE | TOTAL |
| 1 | Julia Alexander-Carew (UBC Okanagan Heat) | 71-71-72-67 | -7 |
| T2 | Jessica Ng (UBC Thunderbirds) | 77-73-69-66 | -3 |
| T2 | Una Chou (UBC Thunderbirds) | 71-69-73-72 | -3 |