King's student-athletes help lead Mustangs golf team to second-place finish

Congratulations to Riley Mathieson, a fourth-year Politics and International Relations student, and Sheldon Pryce, a second-year Social Science student, two King’s student-athletes who helped lead the Western Mustangs Men’s Golf Team to a second-place finish at the 2023 Ontario University Athletics (OUA) Golf Championship. The event took place at Grey Silo in Waterloo on October 14-15, 2023. The team qualified for the Canadian University/College Championship, which will be in May 2024, in British Columbia.

Pryce says one of the keys to winning was “mentally being present in the moment. As a team, we did a great job battling the weather conditions and focusing on one shot at a time.”

Grey Silo is a challenging course and those challenges were increased by high winds, rain and temperatures that dipped below 10 degrees.

“Playing in those elements causes you to adapt and change your style of game and the shots you like to play. The mental aspect of the game always plays a key role, but more so in these conditions,” Mathieson says.

Pryce says while the weather played a big factor, each player faced the same conditions. He adds that the Mustangs team did a great job of not letting the weather determine their scores. “It can be easy to lose focus in tough conditions and use it as an excuse. Instead, we grinded through it and executed very well,” he says.

Mathieson and Pryce both finished with a +2 score, which tied them for ninth overall in the tournament. Both were pleased with their performances.

“An individual Top 10 finish is always something to be proud of, especially with the calibre of players in OUA,” Mathieson says. He is proud to have kept his scores as low and consistent as possible, adding that finishing only two shots out of the Top 5 inspires him to come back and compete at the next event.

Mathieson says he likes the aspect of golf that “you get out what you put in. I believe that there is no better feeling than the one you receive by setting a goal, devoting countless hours of practice, experiencing failure, and eventually achieving your results,” says Mathieson.

Pryce says he saved a few strokes as a result of his putter. He was pleased with the execution of his game plan and perseverance through the conditions, which resulted in a Top 10 finish in his first OUA appearance.

Both Mathieson and Pryce speak very highly of their experience as King’s student-athletes, especially regarding the support from the faculty and staff. “(King’s faculty) are extremely helpful with setting you up for success and making sure that it works with your athletics schedule as well,” says Mathieson. “All of the staff are very supportive of student-athletes, and they ensure we are always up to date inside the classroom. King's has always been very supportive and assuring that we succeed in both our athletic and academic environments,” says Pryce.

Read more about the 2023 OUA Golf Championship.