How the women’s golf team won their first championship in 14 years
After last winning in 2011, the women’s golf team has returned to the top of the podium in last weekend’s OUA finals.
The top five individual golfers included UW’s very own Abby Barker, Alyssa Jamal, and star rookie Jadelina Tep-Chhun, who were also named OUA all-stars. Playing under pouring rain, the women’s team showcased what they’ve been working for all season, putting together a stunning 431-point team victory. Behind one of the most successful sports programs at UW lies Carla Munch, the women’s golf team’s inaugural, award-winning coach.
“We’re really lucky this is a team that really, really enjoys being with each other,” Munch says. “If you could see the emotion when we won, [knowing] how bad we all wanted [to win].
Originally a professional golfer, Munch came to UW when Judy McCrae, the athletics director at the time, reached out to her to start the women’s golf program. She originally played field hockey before transitioning to golf after graduating from UW.
Some students on campus are older than the team, which was formed in 2004. Age doesn’t hold the team back, however; they’ve since won back-to-back gold medals in 2010 and 2011, seven silver medals, and four bronze medals. That means they’ve finished on the podium in 66.6 per cent of tournaments they’ve played in since their inception.
This success doesn’t come from thin air, of course.
“We play a lot and we work a lot on course management,” Munch says. “We work a lot on being ready and prepared for the next tournament.”
Some games can last for more than five hours, so the team prepares itself thoroughly. Three OUA all-stars later, it’s safe to say their hard work has paid off.
Munch herself is no stranger to success, even outside of UW. She won the Ontario Professional Golf Association’s (OPGA) Assistant Professional of the Year award in 2006, was named assistant coach for Team Ontario at the Canada Summer Games in 2013, and is currently the president of the Golf Coaches Association of Canada. Not bad at all.
The cherry on top of the team’s victory was Tep-Chhun winning an individual silver medal, scoring 153 at the end of the tournament. The Warriors won with a final score of 463, only 31 over par, thanks to this great effort. Coupled with being awarded athlete of the week for the second time in her first year, it’s safe to say UW has a burgeoning golf star walking on campus.
The golf team competes again in June, where they’ll test their skills against the rest of Canada in a national tournament.
