The University of Toronto Varsity Blues’ motto is to bleed blue. Bleeding blue means U of T pride, showing support and doing your best.
Richard Persaud, 23, is a Scarborough native and a recent political science graduate of the University of Toronto. During his studies he played for the Varsity Blues golf team for five years and captained in his last two seasons. Fresh out of school he still wanted to be a part of the golf program.
“I had a great career and had a great time,” Persaud said. “ We won a few team events. It’s been great.”
He credits his achievements to the program’s coaching staff. He improved his handicap from a three, to a two, or simply put, he is capable of shooting under-par. Upon graduation, he informed Chris Tortorice, the head coach of the program, of his intentions to give back to the program.
From there, he rose to the assistant coach position. Persaud feels the program has done wonders for him and he is committed to doing what he can to make the program even better.
“I began by helping out the team, taking the team to events, specifically the Waterloo Invitational,” Persaud said. “I kept an eye out on potential players during tryouts, providing my input about certain players.”
First-year player Marcus Lam, 18, was one of the players that Persaud was asked to keep an eye on and coach during tryouts. As a member of the Hong Kong Junior National Team, Lam is an experienced player.
“I think Richard is an awesome guy, he leads by example and is a good player,” Lam said. “Being so young compared to the rest of the coaching staff, he’s easier to joke around with.”
Persaud is optimistic for the future of his team, with the Humber Invitational serving as a tune up before nationals in May.
“They have a really bright future. We finished fourth at the OUAs (Ontario University Athletics Championships), got into Nationals and we have a talented young team.” Persaud said. “On the women’s side, we are the best in Ontario and won the OUAs, so we really do have an awesome future ahead.”
As for Persaud, his best play is behind him, starting a full-time job next week. He will continue his influential role as part of the program, helping coach dedicated golfers to play smarter.