Page 14 - Westmounter_FallWinter2020_Digitalv2[Oct2_2020]

The Westmounter
meet bennett ruby
MEN’S CLUB CHAMP HEADS SOUTH TO PURSUE GOLF DREAMS
Cruising up Aberdeen Drive en
route to the Club–and leaving
via Inverness–in recent years you
probably noticed Bennett Ruby
either surrounded by buckets of
balls in the bunker, on the putting
green or chipping. The teenager
spent more hours here than on
the course. “The practice facility at
Westmount is unreal!” he says.
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BY DAVID MCPHERSON
The endless practice paid off. In 2019, Bennett was
named to Team Canada’s National Junior Boys Squad
as Ontario’s lone representative. This past August, he
won the Club Championship for the first time. And, this
fall, he started a golf scholarship at the University of
Southern Mississippi.
Bennett was born with a golf club in his hand. In the
winters, he played AAA hockey, and in the spring and
summer it was all about chasing the little white ball.
He teed it up for the first time at Westmount not long
after taking his first steps. Bennett recalls his dad (Len)
taking him to the driving range every weekend from the
time he was five. His grandpa (Brian Ruby) has been a
Member since 1987. A couple of Bennett’s 2019 golf many years to come.”
highlights include: a second place finish at the Dixie
Amateur in West Palm Beach, Florida and T15 in his It’s been an eventful start to his collegiate career;
final Canadian Junior Boys Championship. joining the Golden Eagles in middle of a pandemic is
strange enough, but Bennett is making the most of it.
What he loves most about Westmount is Stanley Two of his teammates–including another freshman–
Thompson’s trademark design. “I like the wide fairways,” have yet to join the team due to COVID-19. One is
Bennett explains. “I hit a long ball, but hit it sideways from South Africa and another from Thailand. All of the
sometimes. I like that the fairways are tree-lined yet you scheduled fall tournaments were cancelled. Luckily,
still have to shape it on some holes.” Brescher arranged for the team to compete in three
events: one in Alabama, one in Tennessee and one in
Bennett hit very few errant shots in this year’s Club Arkansas. “We are lucky to be playing, as 85-90 percent
Championships. In only his second time competing of teams are not competing this fall,” he says.
in the event, the 19-year-old won in a dramatic finish.
On the 18th hole in the final round, Bennett holed a In mid-September, Bennett contracted the coronavirus
gap wedge for eagle to edge past 15-time past club and quarantined for two weeks. The day after he
champion Rob Cowan by a stroke and defending finished quarantine, the golf team left for its first
champion Jonn Drewery by two. tournament. Overall, despite a global pandemic,
contracting coronavirus and the prospect of fewer golf
“I didn’t see it go in, but my friend told me the ball tournaments than normal, Bennett is adjusting well to
landed, spun forward, and then came right back into college life.
the hole,” Bennett recalls. “The patio was full and
everyone started going crazy … it was pretty awesome.” “I was ready to move out on my own,” he concludes.
“I definitely miss some stuff though – like my mom’s
Before committing to the University of Southern
Mississippi in Hattiesburg, Bennett chatted with a cooking – and Westmount in the fall.”
few other schools: some in California and a few in
the northern states. The deciding factor was going
somewhere he could golf year-round. His long-term
goal is to turn professional, make the PGA TOUR and
follow in the footsteps of many other Golf Canada
National Team alumni like Taylor Pendrith, Mackenzie
Hughes and Corey Connors.
“Bennett is an all-around fantastic player,” said Head
Golf Coach Eddie Brescher in a university press release
announcing the Waterloo native’s signing. “His game
resembles a Dustin Johnson, long hitter with a great
short game. He is definitely the longest junior golfer
I have ever seen. We saw Bennett two years ago in
Canada and were immediately impressed with his
character and golf abilities. He is a good student that
comes from a fantastic and disciplined family. We look
to him as being a consistent stable in our lineup for
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