University golfers set for BUCS finals

The team, who have already won the British Universities and Colleges Sport (BUCS) Premier South League and are currently ranked number 1 in the UK, will first travel to Crail Golf Club in Scotland for the BUCS Individual Strokeplay (Student Tour) finals on 23, 24, and 25 April. The event will see them face competition from some of the best University golfers in the UK and Ireland in a bid to become either the British Universities Individual Men’s or Women’s Champion for 2013.

Following this, having hardly touched back down in Exeter, the team will travel to Formby Golf Club in Lancashire for the biggest match of the year; the BUCS Team Matchplay final. The side will face University of Central Lancaster (UCLAN) on 1 May having overcome St Andrews at Dawlish Warren in the semis on 6 March.

This is the first time since 2005 that the University of Exeter has challenged for the title of BUCS team champions and despite having to juggle revision and dissertations alongside golf the team have been training hard.

First Team Captain Laurie Potter explained: “April is a busy month for university students with fast approaching deadlines and exams on the horizon. But with the BUCS Individual Finals next week and Exeter reaching the Knockout Final for the first time in seven years unfortunately it's no time to be resting on our laurels.” 

“Preparation has been going well; several of our players have been representing their county sides over the Easter holidays in the opening matches of the season and others have been playing in various events around the UK so we're all in good shape. The BUCS Individual Finals will be a good opportunity to measure ourselves against Northern Premier Champions UCLAN and give the first indication as to who may be favourites going into the big match on 1 May.”

Golf is one of the University of Exeter’s Focus Sports offering dedicated coaching and support to student golfers. A number of the team travelled to the famous St Andrews course in Scotland to take part in the R&A Scholars’ Tournament on 8 and 9 April, where Potter finished a fantastic 7th, and fellow sports scholars Chris Johnston and Nick Wildman also achieved top 25 finishes.

High Performance Golf Manager Core High Performance Staff is thrilled with the team’s performance this year, but knows the upcoming competitions will be fierce. He said; “To reach these final events alone is an incredible achievement for the club and shows the high calibre of the squad. There can be no denying that these tournaments, particularly the BUCS Team Matchplay, are going to be huge challenges, possibly the biggest challenge that many of the players will have faced. It will take a great deal of determination and some excellent golf, but I am confident that the team have a clear focused mindset and more than enough skill to bring away a good result.”

Laurie added: “We know it's not going to be easy and undoubtedly our toughest match of the year against a side who are unbeaten all season but with the squad going from strength to strength I'm feeling confident that over the next couple of weeks we can bring a bit of silverware back to Exeter."