OSHAWA, Ont. - Durham College varsity golf star Owen Mailhot has qualified for the 2026 Canadian University/College Championship next month in Québec.

When he learned he had officially qualified as an individual for the championship, he was quickly sparked by a surge of purpose. "I am excited to not only play against the best players in Canada at the post-secondary level but also to represent Durham College on the national stage."

The opportunity came together with the encouragement of his coaches and athletic department staff, who saw his potential even before he did. Now, with a spot secured, Mailhot is embracing the chance to compete against the country's top collegiate golfers — and to wear the Lords crest with pride on a national stage.

"Seeing Owen qualify for nationals is incredibly rewarding because we've seen firsthand the work he's put in behind the scenes," said Head Coach Lucas Pichl. "He's someone who genuinely cares about representing Durham and wants to raise the standard of our program. This opportunity is well deserved, and we know he'll represent the Lords with pride."

For Mailhot, representing Durham College at the championship is more than a personal achievement; it's a point of pride.

"It means everything to me, ever since becoming apart of the Lords last year, I've always wanted to help the college get better in anyway I can and prove to everybody else that we are not a college to take lightly when it comes to varsity sports," he said.

The path to nationals was shaped by a crucial breakthrough in Mailhot's mindset during the 2025 season. Early on, he found himself carrying the weight of the team's results, often being his own harshest critic. "In the beginning of the season, I was far too worried about the result as a team which resulted in being overly critical of myself," he said.

Everything changed at provincials, where a simple message from his teammates helped him reset. "It all turned around at provincials where the team just told me to focus on myself and my game and let them do the rest, which resulted in a great result with us going to Medicine Hat."

The national championship will be contested at Golf La Tempête in Lévis, a venue Mailhot has already been studying from afar. "I'm most excited about the layout of the course," he said. "From what I've seen online, the course looks absolutely beautiful and seeing as though it is a private course, I'm even more excited about the condition the course will be playing like."

Mailhot is quick to credit the people who have helped him reach this milestone, beginning with the ones who have been there since his first swings. "Firstly, my family, them knowing all the long days I've spent on the golf course, always driving me to junior events, spending their money on golf lessons for me, golf equipment, and taking time out of their lives to help me become better," he said.

He also points to his longtime coaches at Lakeridge Links Golf Club and Durham College who believed in him at every step. "I also want to shout out the Coach Lucas and Coach Nate for believing in me even when I did not believe in myself," he said. He says that his teammates, too, have been a constant source of positivity.

With DC assistant coach Nathanial Coombes, who competed at this championship himself in 2022 in his corner, Mailhot has another valuable resource as he prepares for the championship. "I am very fortunate to be able to have a coach like Nate who is always open to share his wisdom on tournament play and how to become a better golfer," he said. "In the next week or so we will probably be discussing strategy and the mental side going into the event and what we can do as a unit to get the best result at Nationals."

The championship, conducted by Golf Canada, is set to place from June 16-19.

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