The Ravens golf season was given a boost last weekend, when six-year veteran Sam Coates shot a 79 and tied for first in the Toronto Invitational at the Islington Golf Club in Etobicoke, Ont. on Sept. 21.
Coates’ victory is the first of the 2015 season for a member of the Ravens golf squad. She tied Kelsey Fuchs of the host Varsity Blues for first place in the tournament.
She said the win helps her confidence as she heads into the latter part of the season, when the conditions get messier.
“It’s always nice to win,” said Coates, who took away her first win of 2015.
“I had not played very well in the first two tournaments, so I was not really expecting much.”
Coates said that despite “a few wobbly holes” in the middle of the round, she started by going par-birdie and felt good moving into the latter part of the day.
“The greens slowed down and the round slowed down in the middle, but I was able to get it together,” Coates said, mentioning it was an overcast and windy day in Etobicoke.
In addition to the windy conditions, Islington is a tough golf course, according to Coates.
“There were a few holes where if I’d known [them], I would have played them a little differently,” she said. “It was really nice, it was just tough.”
Coates’ win has put her game on a familiar track heading into the late fall. She won the Carleton Invitational and the Queen’s Invitational back-to-back in the third year of her undergrad, according to the GoRavens website.
However, Coates said she hadn’t won a tournament in three seasons since her back-to-back crowns in 2012.
“It definitely feels nice to get a win again,” she said.
The Ravens have a quick turnaround before they head to Waterloo, Ont. for their next invitational tournament this weekend.
Coates mentioned the conditions are now getting tougher in the later portions of the season, with wet and cold weather becoming the expectation in October invitationals.
“It was snowing at some of these tournaments when I was in first year. It’s hard to prepare for, you have to practice and play tournaments in the rain. In the end, everything gets wet and you just have to deal with it,” Coates said.
Coates also said the team is putting in some extra preparation for the Waterloo tournament. She said she hopes some of her good luck can rub off on the rest of the Ravens.
“It’s a two-day tournament, and is a tough one,” she said. “I’m hoping to do as well as last week. If I had one win left in me it would be nice if I held on until provincials — but we’ll see what happens.”
