'He's left a little bit of a legacy for himself': McRae's generosity driving Bold golf team forward

While Matthew McRae's Bold golf season will officially come to a close this weekend at the OUA Golf Championship, it's safe to say his legacy with the program will live on for years to come.

After working the summer as a caddie at Beacon Hall Golf Club, he was the recipient of a $3,500 scholarship from the Club — a scholarship he donated in full to the Bold golf program.

For every round at Beacon Hill — which is a private course in Aurora, Ont. that ranked 11th on this summer's SCOREGolf Top 100 Best Golf Courses in Canada — in which a member takes a caddie, they contribute towards a caddie program scholarship.

And after a series of interviews, the Bold team captain and the program's top finisher at last year's OUA Golf Championships, received the call he was hoping for.

But with his tuition already taken care of, McRae wanted to be transparent with the program's committee and brought forward the idea of having the scholarship put toward the Bold golf team to aid aspiring players who have a financial need.

They happily obliged.

"It was pretty exciting," the third-year Aurora product said. "This route is something they were really interested in, so it ended up working out really nice. I'm grateful they were able to help me in that department."

McRae hopes this is only the start and could potentially lead to the golf team being elevated from club status.

"My biggest dream and sort of aspiration for the entire program would be the success of individual players, which would inevitably lead to the success of the team as a whole. Slowly, incrementally build over the years and then that draws the attention of, not only other players, but potentially other coaches, other sorts of staff and people who come to TMU looking to be a part of what, at the moment is a small and growing program, and what will hopefully be a strong competitive team all the time."

The significance of McRae's gift is not taken lightly by Dr. Louise Cowin, the executive director of Bold Athletics and Recreation.

"Matthew's gift to TMU Athletics is incredibly meaningful. To have a current student give such a generous donation to the department serves as an inspiration to the TMU community," said Cowin.

"The generosity of donor financial gifts is imperative to the success of TMU Bold. As the financial stressors our student-athletes face are more pressing than ever, gifts to TMU Athletics enable us to support more students in their endeavours to reach new heights academically and athletically."

"He was a shoo-in for that award, which was great," Bold golf head coach Nick Starchuk said. "He's left a little bit of a legacy for himself."

A TMU golfer holds his follow through after teeing off.

McRae has witnessed first hand the barriers that the sport has. This season alone, he talked with a number of different players who tried out for the team, but ultimately decided the cost was too steep to compete. In the future, McRae wants that cost to be less of a deterrent.

"That's really my biggest sort of satisfaction when it comes to this team," McRae said. "My main focus is that component no longer interfering with the chance of us having more players come to try outs and the team's growth in ability — and what I assume, would be inevitable growth in the rankings as a school."

"From a coaching perspective, (the gift) opens the doors to having more players come in," Starchuk said, who also mentioned the possibilities for increased winter practices and the subsidizing of a winter trip. "The fact that Matt was able to put this into the program and we were able to use some of it to help subsidize the other four players on the team — their initial fees that I quoted them in August came down more than 50 per cent because of Matt."

But in the meantime, the team is already seeing increased success. McRae made headlines earlier this month by winning his first-career event with the program at the Guelph Invitational, shooting 69 to win by one-stroke.

"We always knew that he was one of the better players in the area and he proved it, shooting a 69 and winning the event," Starchuk said.

"I was obviously happy that I was able to win the tournament and come out on top, but at the end of the day, the main thing that really drove my happiness with the win was the fact that it put TMU at another place now," McRae said.

"Before, our team might have come last because we don't necessarily have the means to have constant practices or dedicated coaches — whatever it may be. The fact that I was able to win and show all the other schools, all the other coaches, all the other players — listen, we might not have the same sort of means to succeed but we're definitely going to at whatever cost it takes."

"It was definitely nice to give our school a bit of a reputation in that regard, so now that when we go to tournament's there's that idea that 'hey, there's kids on this team that could shoot and they're not to be counted out.'"

And as Starchuk continues to build this program in only his second season at the helm, he can't help but credit McRae for the role he's played in building the team's culture and for everything he brings to the program — on and off the course.

"Having him on the team, from a leadership standpoint, is amazing. Everybody looks up to him," Starchuk said. "He is the culture of this team. We follow his lead."

"We look up to him. Not only has he been a part of this program for many years, the fact that he is the TMU's only champion of any event — that's going to leave a mark on the wall for a long time."

McRae's next chance to leave another mark on the wall comes this weekend, as he and the Bold compete in the 2022 OUA Golf Championship, which runs from October 14-15 at the Hylands Golf Club in Ottawa.

If this story inspires you to make a donation to the TMU Athletics and Recreation department, please visit our Ways to Give page or contact Robyn Kennedy, Director of Development, at robynmkennedy@ryerson.ca

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Players Mentioned

Matthew McRae: 4

Players Mentioned

Matthew McRae
: 4