One of Canada's top young golfers has committed to the UBC Thunderbirds.
Junior star Brycen Ko of Richmond has a signed a letter of intent to join the country's most successful golf program for the 2021-22 season.
It is a significant commitment for UBC head coach Chris MacDonald, recruiting the exceptional athlete, who started golfing at age four, before he has finished his Grade 10 year.
“Brycen is one of the top prospects not just in BC but in Canada,” said MacDonald. “We are extremely excited this young man has his heart set on continuing to develop his academics and game as a Thunderbird.”
As the youngest player in the field, Ko tied for third – alongside current T-Bird Ethan de Graaf – at last summer's CN Future Links Western Championship, shooting rounds of 72, 70, and 70.
He won the 2018 IMG Academy Junior World Golf Championship Qualifier at Swan-e-set Bay Resort and Country Club in Pitt Meadows after carding rounds of 68 and 69.
In 2017, Ko won the Bantam Boys' titles at the Maple Leaf Junior Tour's Whistler Junior Championship by shooting five-under-par 139 (70-69), and the BC Junior Open at Mayfair Lakes in Richmond, firing rounds of 64 and 73.
“Choosing to play and study at UBC was an extremely easy decision for me," said Ko. "Not only do I get a great education, I also get to stay home and keep working on my golf game with my dad, who's been my coach since I was five years old. Coach Chris MacDonald has made me feel so comfortable in our meetings and I loved it when he told me that at UBC, I get to write my own script and help the golf team win."
Ko will become an important piece to the success of the Thunderbirds men's program, which recently concluded another excellent campaign by winning the Golf Canada Canadian University/College Championship.
