MUSKOKA, Ont. – The UBC Thunderbirds were the lone Canadian school at the inaugural Canadian Collegiate Invitational and held their own against nine NCAA DI opponents for most of the event, before falling back to 10^th by its conclusion.

The T-Birds won't face a tougher test all season than competing against some of the best in the NCAA, including athletic powerhouses Notre Dame, Michigan and Michigan State. Notre Dame received votes in the NCAA's Division I Men's Golf Top 25 Pre-season Poll.



The 'Birds started very strong in the first round of the tournament, firing a combined +2 to sit in a tie for sixth after the first 18. They followed that up with a +11 in the second round to drop into a tie for ninth, and a +20 in round three left them alone in 10^th. UBC (+33) finished 50 strokes back of eventual champion Notre Dame (-17).

Individually, captain Mackenzie Bickell (+1) led the way for the T-Birds, displaying his consistency by finishing within a stroke of par in all three rounds to finish ahead of most of his Division I opponents, ending up tied for 23^rd in the 55-player field.

After competing on consecutive weekends, the 'Birds now take the rest of the month off before travelling to Kelowna for the Canada West Championship. That event, hosted by UBCO, will be played at the Okanagan Golf Club on October 7-8.