Image credit: CFJC Today/Anthony Corea

By Marty Hastings

ON THE COURSE

Rivershore playing host to Golf Canada University and College Championships

Jun 3, 2025 | 4:36 PM

KAMLOOPS — Braydon Bouliane of the University of Alberta Golden Bears was scheduled to tee off in 15 minutes and the gravity of the national championship moment was sinking in on Tuesday (June 3) at Rivershore Golf Links.

“I’m nervous,” Bouliane said. “I’m nervous, but everyone is nervous. You want to do well. You want to shoot well. You don’t want to let your teammates down, so maybe embrace the nerves a little bit and just try and have a good time out there.”

The Golf Canada University and College Championships are scheduled to run from Tuesday to Friday at Rivershore, with 150 golfers (none of them from Kamloops) competing for team and individual titles.

Four regional U Sports conferences take turns hosting the event and this year Rivershore – in Canada West territory – got the nod.

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“They were a top-100 golf course in Canada for 20 years,” said Sam Brown, senior co-ordinator of amateur championships and rules for Golf Canada. “The course conditioning is great. It’s a good test in terms of length for the guys, but then also places a premium on those approach shots. At a national championship, you’re looking for a complete package.”

The 19 men’s teams feature five players each, with the lowest four scores each day counting toward the squad’s total score, while the highest score is discarded.

There are 13 women’s teams that include four players each. The top three scores each day are kept.

The winning team on both the men’s and women’s sides will be exempt for the Canadian Collegiate Invitational, which features opposition from NCAA schools.

Four individuals are not involved in the team competition, as their schools did not qualify.

The tournament is not a major money maker for Rivershore, but general manager Kevin Oates said it is a prestige builder and offers exposure to the next wave of Canadian golf talent.

“It’s a nice way to give back,” Oates said, noting spectators are welcome at the course. “Our golf course has shown over years and years it’s a good test of golf and at Rivershore we like to show off that we can do these things and make it a fun event.”

While brooding near the tee box before his first shot of the tournament, Bouliane told CFJC Today he was shaking with nerves.

He stepped up, striped an iron down the fairway and walked toward his next shot.