It would be an understatement to say that Eric Flockhart has been on fire this season.
After winning a remarkable three consecutive gold medals, Flockhart was recognized as the Ontario University Athletics (OUA) Peak Performer on October 12, 2016.
“I started playing golf from pretty much the time that I could walk,” Flockhart said.
Golf has always been in Flockhart’s blood, as his father and cousin were both professional golfers.
Growing up in Mississauga, Flockhart was born a natural athlete.
Although he was adept at a multitude of sports, he developed a passion for golf from the time he started participating in tournaments at age nine.
“I played a ton of sports growing up. My main sport was baseball for a long time, but after I started playing in tournaments, I decided to take golf more seriously,” he said.
Coming out of high school, Flockhart went to a Division 1 school called Mount St. Mary’s, in Maryland. However, after the golf team didn’t receive enough funding, it was time for Flockhart to come home.
“I had a few options in the U.S., but ultimately it made more sense to come home,” Flockhart said.
“Even before I went to U.S., I applied to Canadian schools and after receiving interest from multiple schools, Laurier was my top choice.”
Flockhart credits his success this season to his hard work.
“I worked really hard on my game all summer and after having some success in the summer, I just transitioned that work ethic into the fall,” said Flockhart.
The hard work paid off, as the Mississauga native finished with a 3-under par 140 in route to a first place finish at the Waterloo Invitational earlier this month.
He followed that up with another first place finish at the Guelph Invitational after shooting a 1-under par 69.
He topped off a magnificent run with a third straight gold medal at the Toronto Invitational.
His efforts were rewarded as he was named Laurier’s Athlete of the Week on October 11, 2016.
When asked about his future, Flockhart is looking forward to completing his education before he pursues a career in golf.
“My plan is to do a master’s degree next year and once I’m done that I’ll definitely consider turning pro,” said the 21-year-old.
When asked to comment on his gold medal streak this season, Flockhart said it’s great to represent Laurier at such a high level.
“I’ve never really won anything. I’ve had a lot of second and third place finishes in my life, but I just somehow have never been able to break through to get a victory.
It’s nice to see my hard work paying off and it’s great to bring a little more recognition to our golf team.”
After this run of form, it would be anything but a suprise to see Flockhart continue this success.