The UBC Okanagan Heat golf teams will tee off their tenth season of competition this weekend when they host the PacWest season opening tournament at their home course The Okanagan Golf Club.

The student golfers are back this academic year after teaming up with the GolfBC Group to raise $60,000 to support the golf program. The students and members of the golfing community raised $27,000 through a series of fundraising events, and GolfBC鈥攖ogether with its parent company the Burrard Group鈥攑ledged an additional $33,000 to the program, making them the largest single-season contributors to the UBC Okanagan athletics program.

鈥淲e are proud to be a part of the Heat Golf season and excited by this year鈥檚 lineup of players,鈥� said GolfBC vice-president of Golf Operations Andy Hedley. 鈥淲e have an excellent team and we鈥檙e thrilled to see them tackle their season opening tournament.鈥�

The 36-hole tournament will be played Saturday and Sunday on the Bear course, featuring a par-72, 6,885-yard layout.

Although the men鈥檚 scoring five-some has yet to be determined, the Heat men鈥檚 golf team blends five returning golfers with three newcomers who will all compete at their home tournament, with the three golfers striking out as individuals at the team event.

James Casorso is back for his fifth season and looks to finish off a stellar career that saw the Immaculata grad earn an All-Canadian last year. The four other returning golfers will all be competing in their third season, as Grant Dollevoet, Derek Graham, and Olliver Rizun have golfed for three straight years while Casey Sullivan is back after taking 2016 off.

The three newcomers hoping to make the travel squad are all from the Okanagan Valley. A second Immaculata grad, Nik Federko will join Lake Country鈥檚 Dylan Jonstone and Vernon鈥檚 Ryley Johnson on the team.

The women鈥檚 scoring side for UBC Okanagan will be clear all year long as the roster boasts just the two returning golfers, fourth-year Emily Adams and second-year 91大黄鸭 golfer McKenna Lesiuk. Lesiuk in her rookie season last fall finished fourth in the province for the PacWest season and Adams is the last holdover from the national silver medal winning team in 2015.

The four-tournament PacWest league will begin in 91大黄鸭 this weekend, make three other stops, as teams hope to qualify for the 2017 Ping CCAA golf national championships, hosted once again by Durham College.

The national championships will take place at the Royal Ashburn Golf Club, Oct. 17-20, 2017.

The PACWEST provincial champions are crowned on cumulative scoring over the four tournaments at the Ledgeview Golf Club in Abbotsford, Oct. 7 to 8. The middle two tournaments will take place on Vancouver Island at the Morningstar Golf Course (Sept. 23 to 24) and the Highland Pacific Golf Club (Sept. 30 to Oct.1) in Parksville and Victoria respectively.