Back-to-back British titles for Stirling golfers

The University of Stirling’s golf team retained the British Universities and Colleges Sport (BUCS) Team Championship this past week after a dominant performance against the University of the Highlands and Islands.

Having edged-out Northumbria 5-4 in a tense semi-final, the team of Robert Foley, Jordan Sundborg, Nicola Slater, Penny Brown, Alasdair McDougall and Colin Edgar, brought their A-game for the final against their fellow Scots, retaining the British crown with a 7-2 victory at Notts Hollinwell Golf Club in Nottinghamshire.

Commenting on the victory, University of Stirling High Performance Golf Coach Dean Robertson said: “Our semi-final match against Northumbria could have gone either way, as they are a very strong team. The pressure was tangible but our players were more than ready for the battle that ensued.

“In the final, we simply took nothing for granted and showed a ruthless professionalism in our execution of our game plan against our opponents, displaying everything we stand for within our International Sports Scholarship Programme high performance golf programme.”

The victory ensured the team ended the student season with a remarkable record, having already won the Scottish Student Men's Team Matchplay Championship, plus several BUCS Tour Team events, and enjoying unrivalled individual success.

Individual highlights included Hazel MacGarvie and Jordan Sundborg claiming their respective BUCS Tour Order of Merit titles, whilst Chloe Goadby and Mirren Fraser won the Scottish Student Strokeplay and Matchplay Championships. The quartet also won BUCS Tour event titles during the season, as did teammates Robert Foley, Nicola Slater and Penny Brown.

As reigning European Universities Champions, the team’s attention now turns to Antequera, Spain, where they will hope to defend their title next month and end another trophy-laden year on a high.