Most people would be hard-pressed to find a silver lining in regard to the COVID 19 pandemic but Blessed Trinity’s Cole Thompson can credit it with helping him land a Division 1 golf scholarship at Canisius.
The 17-year-old Beamsville resident competed in hockey and baseball growing up but turned to golf in 2020 when the pandemic shuttered those two sports.
“I started playing golf because the golf courses were still open and I instantly felt in love with it,” the Grade 12 student said. “I spent the entire summer at the golf course that year. I would play close to 36 holes and I would be practising all the time too. My parents would drop me off at sunrise and pick me up at sunset.”
He was a natural athlete but it still took him awhile to conquer the sport of golf. He started golfing at Sawmill and didn’t play any tournaments his first year.
“I joined the Sawmill Performance Team in my first year and I was the youngest on the older team. All the kids were a lot better than me, hit the ball farther and were bigger and stronger and that motivated me to try and keep up with them,” the Lookout Point member said. “That is where I learned to practise diligently and work my butt off. I think those habits stuck with me and it led me to want to be like other players and compete in Golf Ontario and Golf Canada events.”
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