Student golf team competes in British final

The University of the Highlands and Islands golf team has been praised for its strong performance this season which culminated with the students becoming runners up in the British Universities and Colleges Sport (BUCS) golf championship.

Following a successful run, the team came second to Stirling University in the BUCS final at Notts Golf Club in Nottinghamshire yesterday (Wednesday 20 April). The championship is the highest level of golf competition run by BUCS, the national governing body for higher education sport in the UK.

The Highland team qualified for the British championships after a successful season in the Scottish BUCS division. They defeated teams from Durham, Bournemouth and St Andrews universities to become the first University of the Highlands and Islands team to secure a place in the final. The side were drawn away for all their matches, meaning they had to travel long distances to play, including a return bus trip from Dornoch to Bournemouth for one fixture.

Made up of six students from the university’s BA (Hons) golf management and BA (Hons) professional golf programmes, the team is comprised of: Jack Harling (20) from Banchory, Ruairidh Robertson (21) from St Andrews, Alistair McNaughton (18) from Paisley, Kiefer Brown (18) from Stonehaven and Riccardo Cellerino (21) and Sebastiano Galeppini (22) from Italy.

Team captain Ruairidh Robertson said: “It has been a difficult journey to get to the final, but the team are very proud of our achievements, even though the final didn’t go our way. On behalf of the team I would like to thank everyone who supported us along the way. We hope we have put University of the Highlands and Islands golf on the map.”

Alan Fleming, programme leader for the university’s golf curriculum, said: “This talented and hard working group of golfers have shown they are capable of competing against and overcoming sides from larger universities. The competition has enhanced the great team spirit they have been developing throughout the season. Participation and success at this level raises the profile of the players and the university’s golf programmes. The golf students are a credit to the university.”

Dr Iain Morrison, the university’s dean of students added: “Our team has created university history by reaching this national final. They have learned a great deal from this experience and the future looks extremely bright for University of the Highlands and Islands golf on the back of their achievements.”

The University of the Highlands and Islands BA (Hons) golf management and BA (Hons) professional golf are delivered from North Highland College UHI’s Dornoch campus. To find out more about the courses visit www.uhi.ac.uk

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