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VANCOUVER – It’s a new era for UBC Thunderbirds Golf as the decorated program recently concluded a very successful opening half of the 2025-26 season. Under the guidance of some familiar faces, the T-Birds earned notable results with the women’s team placing first at three of the five tournaments they competed in, while the UBC men’s squad finished in either first or second place in three of their five events.
Aiding in support and stability through the first three-months of the fall campaign were trusted assistant coaches Keir Smith and Jeff Buder returning in their roles. As the term progressed, the ‘Birds also welcomed back long-time former assistant coach, Keri Moffat, who spent over a decade with UBC golf from the late 2000’s through the 2023-24 season. Moffat also currently serves as Director of Instruction at Mayfair Lakes Golf Club.
Most recently, UBC Athletics hired another familiar face in local golf pro and standout UBC men’s golf alumnus, Cory Renfrew, as Program Advisor, UBC Golf. In this role Renfrew will take on primary leadership of the program and serve as first point of contact. Renfrew is a welcome addition to the fold as a former UBC men’s team captain who graduated in 2010 and brings a wealth of knowledge and relatable previous experience as a UBC student-athlete. He is well aware of the challenges that exist in managing not only a heavy course load but also a demanding training, travel and competition schedule.
Since departing UBC over a decade ago, Renfrew has built up an impressive resume and key connections within the overall golf community. The British Columbia native earned his PGA Tour Canada Card in 2012 and competed on the circuit for six seasons, most notably making headlines in 2015 by qualifying for the PGA Tour’s Frys.com and Waste Management Phoenix Open. Renfrew was the medalist in the Frys.com Monday qualifier by four strokes and made the cut in the always entertaining and raucous Waste Management Phoenix Open. Renfrew is currently a PGA of BC instructor and coach who is excited to be back on campus, making a positive impact in his new role with the Thunderbirds as UBC Golf enters a new chapter.
The T-Birds didn’t skip a beat to begin their NAIA schedule in early September as Smith and Buder were on scene in Walla Walla, Washington to lead a young and revamped UBC contingent to a season opening sweep of the Wine Valley Invitational. The UBC women’s team took top spot on the leaderboard with a healthy 12-stroke cushion while the men’s squad claimed victory by nine-strokes in the first tournament on the Cascade Collegiate Conference calendar.
Fast forward to the end of September which brought upon more significant highlights for the programs at NCAA events. This included an extraordinary achievement at the Harbottle Invitational in Tacoma, Washington, where for just the fifth time ever a T-Bird won the individual championship at a NCAA Division I tournament. Second-year Sienna Harder climbed seven spots thanks to an unbelievable finish to her third and final round, carding a blistering 68 (-4) to secure medalist honours by two strokes, finishing at -4 overall at Seattle University’s event.
Harder is only the second T-Bird to accomplish the feat in the last 30 years, joining Tracey Lipp (1992), Shelly Comadina (1994), Jason Monteleone (1994) and former teammate Grace Bell (February, 2025) in a highly exclusive group of UBC Division I medalists.
On the same day just down the road an even younger men’s team had a strong showing at the nearby Western Washington Invitational. With no seniors on the roster, and three combined years of experience as a T-Bird in the five-player lineup, it was first-year Manpreet Lalh who led the UBC men (+2) to a gutsy fourth-place finish at the 14-team NCAA Division II event.
Just two weeks later the T-Birds made headlines once again in winning both sides of the College of Idaho Invitational at TimberStone Golf Course to keep a perfect record in conference play halfway through the CCC season. The ‘Birds men (-11) dominated the leaderboard from start to finish, posting the best three team rounds of the tournament to defeat second place Oregon Tech (+18) by 27 strokes. UBC made a statement in sweeping the top five spots on the leaderboard beginning with Leighton Wright’s phenomenal 208 (-8) good for a five-stroke victory.
The T-Birds women (+21) were steady through both rounds of their half of the event, posting scores of 299 (+11) and 298 (+10) to see a 12-stroke lead over Oregon Tech (+57) after round one balloon to a 36-shot win after 36 holes. Second-year Keira Hou placed second overall after a playoff.
To conclude the first half of the season in late October the ‘Birds returned north of the border for the Canada West Championship at the Chilliwack Golf Club where the UBC women captured an impressive sixth-consecutive championships while the men’s squad finished just two shots back of UBCO to settle for the silver medal. The women’s title featured a tight race with the Heat and T-Birds entering the final day in a dead heat before UBC pulled away late with a sensational final round that saw the team shoot seven-under par to stretch six strokes clear of the UBCO. The T-Birds’ Katherine Hao won the individual women’s title by five strokes. On the men’s side, UBCO edged out the Thunderbirds in a thrilling finish to defend their conference title, trailing UBC by three strokes entering the final day, the Heat made a nine-stroke improvement to take the crown.
It was a whirlwind and rewarding first three months of the 2025-26 season and what made this year even more exciting was that UBC Golf’s major milestones weren’t limited to on the course. The celebrated program enjoyed a galvanizing level of support from alumni during a busy September, where they achieved remarkable fundraising success through the annual Back the ‘Birds Day. The team is especially grateful for the record number of supporters and the wonderful turnout of golf alumni who stepped up during this transitional period. Their generous contributions have made a significant impact on the program’s future and will go directly to student athlete scholarships.
The tremendous support from within the Thunderbirds community has certainly been both refreshing and invigorating for the dedicated and talented student-athletes and staff that comprise the UBC Golf program. The players are currently focusing on their studies followed by some rest during the upcoming holiday break before beginning the busy back half of the season in early February. The men’s team will open play in 2026 with an NCAA Division 1 event, the Bill Cullum Invitational in Somis, California on February 2. Meanwhile the UBC women’s squad will compete in a NCAA Division 1 tournament of their own, the UCR Soboba Classic in Jacinto, California beginning February 6.
As the season progresses through late spring, UBC Athletics will be looking to secure ongoing leadership for the Thunderbirds Golf program with an open search for a full-time head coach.
