KELOWNA – First-year Golden Bear Kai Baerg became the first UofA golfer to be named a Canada West All-Star, finishing in a tie for sixth at the 2024 CW Championship. Baerg — a dual sport athlete who also competes on Golden Bears Tennis — finished the two-day championship with a score of -2, shooting 72-70 at the Okanagan Golf Club.
Baerg led the Golden Bears to a sixth place finish, with the Pandas also placing in 6th.
Despite finishing 21 strokes better as a team on Tuesday, the Golden Bears finish four shots behind the UFV Cascades for the 5th and final spot at nationals. At one time on Tuesday afternoon the Bears had surpassed UFV, but were unable to maintain their lead. Brad McKeating (T25), Ethan Howes (T28), Seth Mottershead-Yee (T41) and Nicholas Mah (T41) rounded out the Bears results.
The UBC Okanagan Heat men’s team and the UBC Thunderbirds women’s team posted historic victories at the 2024 Canada West Golf Championships, hosted at the Okanagan Golf Club, as both teams won the conference championships in dominant fashion on Tuesday afternoon.
For the UBCO Heat, who finished at 24-under par 552, 17 shots ahead of second place UBC, it is their first Canada West title, and marks the first conference title won by any Heat team in school history. Meanwhile, the Thunderbird women took home their fifth-straight Canada West women’s golf title and remain the only women’s team to win the Canada West Championship since the first event in 2019. UBC won by an impressive 34 strokes over second-place UBCO, finishing at 16-under par 422.
On the women’s side, first-year Panda Anna Kibria led the team with a T18 finish, shooting 81-86 over the two-day event. Fellow first-year Hayden Desmarais finished in 24th (85-87), with Jenna Sand finishing T27, and Amy Smith 31st. UBC, UBCO, UFV and Victoria were the four teams to earn a spot at nationals.
MEN’S TEAM STANDINGS
| Position | School | To Par | R1 | R2 |
| 1 | UBCO | -24 | -15 | -9 |
| 2 | UBC | -7 | -3 | -4 |
| 3 | Victoria | -3 | -8 | 5 |
| 4 | Calgary | +12 | +10 | +2 |
| 5 | UFV | +24 | +16 | +8 |
| 6 | Alberta | +28 | +21 | +7 |
| 7 | Manitoba | +37 | +27 | +10 |
| 8 | Regina | +47 | +25 | +22 |
| 9 | Lethbridge | +69 | +38 | +31 |
WOMEN’S TEAM STANDINGS
| Position | School | To Par | R1 | R2 |
| 1 | UBC | +16 | -2 | -14 |
| 2 | UBCO | +18 | +6 | +12 |
| 3 | UFV | +22 | +9 | +13 |
| 4 | Victoria | +28 | +16 | +12 |
| 5 | Calgary | +78 | +30 | +48 |
| 6 | Alberta | +81 | +37 | +44 |
| 7 | Lethbridge | +134 | +65 | +69 |