ABBOTSFORD - The UBC Thunderbirds golf teams have won both the men's and women's side of the Canada West Championships. The women's team ran away with a 39-stroke victory, taking the tournament for a fourth straight time. The men's side got their redemption for a narrow second place finish last year, holding the slim lead they took on Monday to win the Championship by three strokes.

FULL TOURNAMENT RESULTS



There was little drama for the T-Birds women at the two-day tournament at Ledgeview Golf Club in Abbotsford, except who would take medalist honours. UBC built a massive 26-stroke lead after the opening round and the five blue and gold golfers were a perfect 1-5 on the individual leader board.

In the end, it was last year's runner-up and day one leader Jessica Ng who held off her teammates to pick up the medal, firing a 70 (-2) on Tuesday to earn the one stroke win (142, -2). Right behind her, after carding a tournament-best 68 (-4) on Tuesday, was Una Chou (143, -1) who just missed snagging her second individual win on the young season. 2021 Canada West Individual Champion Grace Bell (147, +3) took third, while Elizabeth Labbe (148, +4) was fourth, and last week's Warrior Fall Invitational Individual Champion Abigaille Chow (152, +8) finished sixth.



On the men's side, it took a total team effort to hold off three other schools bunched up near the top of the leader board all tournament long and pull out the win. The 'Birds had a two stroke lead at the end of day one thanks to Manu Gandhi and Mackenzie Bickell firing matching scores of 69 (-1) to finish the first 18 as co-leaders.

However, it was the play of John Paul Kahlert that saved the team on Tuesday. After having his opening round score of 76 (+6) dropped from the UBC total because it was last on the team, Kahlert was at least three strokes better than all of his teammates in the final round, firing a clutch 70 (E), which proved essential for 'Birds to maintain the lead the rest of the way.

It was the first team win for UBC' men's side this season where they did not also produce the tournament's individual champion, as it took three playoff holes from UBCO's Justin Towill (140, E) to earn that honour over Victoria's Zach Ryujin. First year Gandhi finished right behind them alone in third (142, +2) picking up a third top-three finish in his four tournaments as a T-Bird. Bickell (143, +3) was next, endind up in a tie for fourth. He was followed by Kahlert (146, +6) tied for seventh, Dylan MacDonald (149, +9) tied for 13th and Hudson LaFayette (151, +11) tied for 21st.



Both T-Birds teams have now won each of their first two Cascade Conference tournaments of the season as well as the Canada West Championships. Next up for the women's side is a trip O'ahu for the Rainbow Wahine Invitational, hosted by the University of Hawaii October 23-25. The men have more than a month off because heading south for the Firestone Fall Invite in Buckeye, Arizona, hosted by Arizona Christian University on November 6-7.