Eric Flockhart is Laurier’s golf superstar

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Photo by Alex Trkulja
Photo by Alex Trkulja

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.

โ€œI started playing golf from pretty much the time that I could walk,โ€ Flockhart said.

Golf has always been in Flockhartโ€™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.

โ€œI 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,โ€ he said.

Coming out of high school, Flockhart went to a Division 1 school called Mount St. Maryโ€™s, in Maryland. However, after the golf team didnโ€™t receive enough funding, it was time for Flockhart to come home.

โ€œI had a few options in the U.S., but ultimately it made more sense to come home,โ€ Flockhart said.

โ€œEven before I went to U.S., I applied to Canadian schools and after receiving interest from multiple schools, Laurier was my top choice.โ€

Flockhart credits his success this season to his hard work.

โ€œI 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,โ€ 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 Laurierโ€™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.

โ€œMy plan is to do a masterโ€™s degree next year and once Iโ€™m done that Iโ€™ll definitely consider turning pro,โ€ said the 21-year-old.

When asked to comment on his gold medal streak this season, Flockhart said itโ€™s great to represent Laurier at such a high level.

โ€œIโ€™ve never really won anything. Iโ€™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.

Itโ€™s nice to see my hard work paying off and itโ€™s great to bring a little more recognition to our golf team.โ€

After this run of form, it would be anything but a suprise to see Flockhart continue this success.


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