The UBC-Okanagan golf program has been Clay Stothers’ baby since its infancy back in 2018 when the Kelowna school began competing in the Canada West conference.
There were some growing pains in those early years as Stothers, head coach of the men’s and women’s teams, began building the program from the ground up.
Fast forward eight years and Stothers is sounding like a proud father. The UBC-O golf program has blossomed into a solid program with a bright future.
Stothers is particularly excited about the additions of two key recruits to his men’s team. The fact that Oakley Mayner and Ryan Vest are both Okanagan products only makes their additions a better story.
“It is a game-changer,” Stothers said of Mayner and Vest joining the program. “It kind of puts us more on the map. It also helps in future recruiting and of course the better our team plays, the better tournaments we get access to.”
Oakley Mayer Finished Top 10 In The 2025 BC Amateur - Image Credit Una Chou/BC Golf
Mayner, a Kelowna native, had a tremendous summer. He finished second at the B.C. and Canadian Junior Boys Championships and turned down offers south of the border to play his collegiate golf at home.
At last week’s Kal-West Mechanical Men’s Open at Black Mountain Golf Course in Kelowna, Mayner opened the 36-hole event with a 12-under 60.
“I was in his group and he three-putted his final hole to miss shooting 59,” said Stothers, who is director of instruction at Okanagan Golf Club.
“He had three feet for par and it lipped out on him. He wasn’t even fazed. He said to me right after, ‘That’s okay, I'll shoot 59 tomorrow.’ And then he followed it up with a 64.”
Mayner’s two-round total of 18-under beat the field by nine shots and had Stothers imagining what his addition means for his men’s team. “He is ridiculously cool and calm, especially under pressure,” Stothers said of Mayner.
“When he was about to shoot 59, just by his actions and the way he was carrying himself, he could have been two or three-under or two-over. He has that mentality and mindset where if he gets on a heater he has no problem going super-low.
“And if he’s not playing his best, it doesn’t faze him. He has so much confidence in his ability, even when he is not playing up to his standards he knows he can turn a bad start into a great finish.”
Ryan Vest Sought Out A Place On The UBC-Okanagan Squad - Image Credit Una Chou/BC Golf
Vest, a Vernon native, joins the Heat after spending his freshman year playing for Western Washington University in Bellingham. Vest is a past B.C. Bantam Boys champion and finished second in three straight B.C. Junior Boys championships.
“He has unbelievable tournament experience,” Stothers said of Vest. “He had the lead after two rounds at the Canadian Men’s Am this summer, so he’s kind of like another guy cut from the same cloth as Oakley. He has no problem going low.
“For him to come and ask me for a spot on the team after having a year under his belt in the U.S tells me a lot about what we are doing here in Kelowna. We are growing and developing players. Our team depth right now is unbelievable.”
Mayner, Vest and returning players Ryan Gillis and Andrew Rouble figure to be UBC-O’s top four. Stothers has some tough decisions to make beyond that. “In that same (Black Mountain) tournament, David Urso shot 63 in the first round. He’s on an amazing roll with his game. Russell Quinn is the other new player on the team. He came from Edmonton and finished the tournament six-under.”
On the women’s side, UBC-O will once again be led by Julia Alexander-Carew, who won the individual title at this past spring’s Canadian University/College Championships at Rivershore Golf Links in Kamloops.
Graduating seniors Lauren Nedo and Emily Cornwall return for their final year and Stothers has added some promising young recruits. “Shinyao Zhang won Quebec Junior Girls this summer and has been playing well for us in qualifying. We have added Kiana Chen from Oakville and she has been absolutely a rock, she has been extremely consistent. And we also have Raina Riml from Utah. I think our three top recruits are going to have a huge influence on how the team performs throughout the year.”
The UBC-O women open their season Sept. 22-23 at the Grisham Memorial Shootout at The Home Course in Dupont, Wash. The men also play their opener Sept. 26-27 at The Home Course in the Bishop Invitational.
As he heads into the new season, Stothers is proud of the progress the program has made. “I hate to say it, but some people still don’t know we exist,” he said.
“But we are getting there. I am extremely proud of what we have accomplished. I understand we’ll never be Stanford, but we’re trying to do something special up here and build a program and produce some good golfers. Who knows where it goes from here.”