UBC Okanagan men's golfer Justin Towill needed three playoff holes this time around, but came out victorious for his second straight Canada West individual title to help the men's golf team earn a podium finish, second place, as the 2023 Canada West Championships wrapped up on Tuesday at the Ledgeview Golf Club.
Towill, a third-year from Kelowna, B.C., placed a touchy chip shot, from a short-sided position, within two feet of the hole to win Tuesday's playoff against Victoria's Zach Ryujin.
The lefty used rounds of one-under par 69 and one-over par 71, highlighted by a clutch birdie on the par-5 18th hole, to jump into the sudden-death playoff in the final round.
"Zach is a great guy, and a great player," Towill noted about his competition after the playoff. "He is one of the best guys to play with, and to have that be who I was playing is incredible."
"It was a cool experience, it's been a while since I've been in a playoff, and to play against a guy like Zach is a great time. Just to get in that playoff all day was kind of my goal, so once we got there it was kind of a bonus after being behind all day, and obviously it was nice to end it with that shot on the third playoff hole to cap it off."
The Heat, who battle wind and downpour rain over the course of the tournament, earned a silver medal finish at this year's rendition of the conference championship thanks to a team total of 21-over par 589.
Max Regier, a rookie from Saskatoon, Sask., slotted into a tie for fourth, at three-over par, while Markham, Ont.'s Kevin Lee finished just outside the tournament's top-10 at nine-over par.
"I'm extremely proud of how the guys performed over the last two days," commented head coach Clay Stothers following the tournament. "They bought into a game plan on how to play the course in order to be successful and it showed in the end with our best-ever finish at this event."
"We had so many stand out performances," added Stothers. "Justin showed his quality once again but there were so many other stand outs. Our two rookies were amazing, led by Max's fourth-place finish, Kevin performed very well at his first Canada West final and Andrew [Rouble] battled back after a tough opening day to score for us on day two. It really was a completed team effort."
The silver medal is UBCO's first time finding the podium at the Canada West Championship and their first medal since winning bronze at the 2018 PACWEST Championship. The Heat would finish three shots behind the UBC Thunderbirds, who took home the team title.
UBCO INDIVIDUAL RESULTS
1. Justin Towill - 140 (E)
T4. Max Regier - 143 (+3)
T13. Kevin Lee - 149 (+9)
T16. Ryan Gillis 150 (+10)
T27. Andrew Rouble - 155 (+15)
TEAM RESULTS
1. UBC Thunderbirds - 586 (+18)
2. UBCO Heat - 589 (+21)
3. UFV Cascades - 593 (+25)
4. Victoria Vikes - 594 (+26)
5. Calgary Dinos - 608 (+40)
6. Alberta Golden Bears - 631 (+63)
7. Manitoba Bisons - 637 (+69)
8. Lethbridge Pronghorns - 641 (+73)
9. Regina Cougars - 664 (+96)