Corey Conners and Brooke Henderson recognized as Canada’s top amateur golfers for 2013
Brooke Henderson & Corey Conners (Golf Canada)
OAKVILLE, Ont. – Corey Conners of Listowel, Ont., and Brooke Henderson of Smiths Falls, Ont., have been recognized as Canada’s top male and female amateur golfers as Golf Canada announced the final standings on the 2013 National Order of Merit, presented by Under Armour.
On the men’s side, Conners, a member of Team Canada’s National Squad, is one of Canada’s top ranked amateur golfers at No. 41 in the World Amateur Golf Rankings. Conners’ breakout season was highlighted by a second place finish at the Canadian Men’s Amateur Championship and semi-final appearance at the U.S. Amateur Championship. As a junior at Kent State University, he also notched a slew of top-10 finishes in NCAA action. In addition, the Listowel, Ont., native made an appearance at the PGA TOUR’s RBC Canadian Open and posted a third place finish at the prestigious Monroe Invitational.
Rounding out the next three spots on the Men’s Order of Merit were Team Canada National Squad member’s Taylor Pendrith of Richmond Hill, Ont., Garrett Rank of Elmira, Ont., Adam Svensson of Surrey, B.C., while Charlie Hughes of Langley, B.C., finished the 2013 season in fifth place.
On the women’s side, Henderson, 16, sits as the No. 9 ranked female amateur in the world. In 2013, the Team Canada member captured three titles, including the Canadian Women’s Amateur Championship, the South American Amateur Championship and the CN Future Links Pacific Championship. On the professional stage, the Smiths Falls, Ont., native recorded two top-3 finishes on the CN Canadian Women’s Tour, a T35 finish at the LPGA’s Manulife Financial Classic and made an appearance at the CN Canadian Women’s Open. In addition, at only 15 years of age, Henderson finished T59 at the 2013 U.S. Women’s Open – an LPGA major and premier world event.
Rounding out the top-five in the women’s national rankings were the city of Québec’s Anne-Catherine Tanguay, Soobin Kim of Coquitlam, B.C., and Team Canada’s Augusta James of Bath, Ont., alongside her teammate Brittany Marchand of Orangeville, Ont.
In the junior divisions, Kevin Kwon, 18, of Maple Ridge, B.C., and Henderson finished atop the CN Future Links Junior Boys and Junior Girls National Order of Merit respectively, to earn the distinction as Canada’s top junior golfers in 2013.
In 2013, Kwon captured the Canadian Junior Boys Championship by five strokes and won the season-opening CN Future Links Pacific event. Kwon also captured two gold medals at the Canada Summer Games – winning individually and also as a member of Team BC. His season was also highlighted by a T13 finish at the Canadian Men’s Amateur Championship and a fourth place finish at the B.C. Men’s Amateur Championship.
Hugo Bernard of Mont-St-Hilaire, Qué., finished in second on the CN Future Links Order of Merit, while Étienne Papineau of St-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Que., finished in third. Ontario native’s Joseph Kremer of Toronto and Tony Gil of Vaughan, Ont., rounded out the top-5.
Alongside Henderson’s amateur honours, she also captured the CN Future Links National Junior Girls Order of Merit. Maddie Szeryk of Allen, Texas, finished second in the standings after her 14-stroke victory over Henderson at the Royale Cup Canadian Junior Girls Championship. Team Canada Development Squad members, Valérie Tanguay of St-Hyacinthe, Que., Taylor Kim of Surrey, B.C. and Jaclyn Lee of Calgary rounded out the top-5.
The following are the Top 10 on the Men’s and Women’s 2013 National Orders of Merit presented by Under Armour:
Men’s Amateur – Top 10
Corey Conners (Listowel, Ont.) 5,935.00
Taylor Pendrith (Richmond Hill, Ont.) 4,912.50
Garrett Rank (Elmira, Ont.) 2,930.38
Adam Svensson (Surrey, B.C.) 2,295.80
Charlie Hughes (Langley, B.C.) 2,173.02
Chris Hemmerich (Kitchener, Ont.) 2,054.42
Riley Fleming (Airdrie, AB) 1,902.25
Kevin Carrigan (Victoria, B.C.) 1,850.00
Stephane Dubois (Victoria, B.C.) 1,850.00
Kevin Kwon (Maple Ridge, B.C.) 1,355.47
Women’s Amateur – Top 10
Brooke Henderson (Smiths Falls, Ont.) 6,069.38
Anne-Catherine Tanguay (Québec, Que.) 4,257.25
Soobin Kim (Coquitlam, B.C.) 3,892.50
Augusta James (Bath, Ont.) 3,290.83
Brittany Marchand (Orangeville, Ont.) 3,196.44
Jennifer Ha (Calgary, Ont.) 2,699.44
Vivian Tsui (Markham, Ont.) 1,754.82
Taylor Kim (Surrey, B.C.) 1,619.32
Robyn Doig (Seaforth, Ont.) 1,539.87
Josée Doyon (Beauceville, Que.) 1,533.64
The National Men’s and Women’s Order of Merit presented by Under Armour recognize season-long achievements and were established to identify Canada’s top amateur golfers.
The following are the Top-10 on the CN Future Links Junior Boys and Junior Girls 2013 National Orders of Merit:
Matthew Scobie (Ajax, Ont.) & Zach Anderson (Nanaimo, B.C.) 2,265.00
Junior Girls – Top 10
Brooke Henderson (Smiths Falls, Ont.) 8,035.83
Maddie Szeryk (Allen, Texas) 4,013.00
Valérie Tanguay (St-Hyacinthe, Que.) 3,998.00
Taylor Kim (Surrey, B.C.) 3,485.29
Jaclyn Lee (Calgary, AB) 3,372.50
Sabrine Garrison (Calgary, AB) 3,155.83
Michelle Kim (Surrey, B.C.) 3,103.33
Naomi Ko (Victoria, B.C.) 2,981.66
Alix Kong (West Vancouver, B.C.) 2,815.00
Annie Lacombe (Laval, Que.) 2,730.00
The CN Future Links Junior Boys and Girls National Order of Merit recognizes season-long achievements, and were established to identify Canada’s top junior golfers. For complete Order of Merit standings click here.
Three Canadians inside the top 15 heading into final round of Web.com Qualifying
Cam Burke/Golf Canada
LA QUINTA, Calif. – The Canadian contingent continues to impress at Web.com Final Qualifying with three players sitting inside the top 15 with one round left to play in the 108 hole marathon at PGA West in La Quinta, Calif.
Cam Burke continued his strong play Monday, firing his fourth consecutive under-par round with a 3-under 69. The New Hamburg, Ont., native currently sits as the low Canadian in 11th place at 16-under par, a single stroke ahead of Toronto’s Albin Choi.
Choi soared up the leaderboard early in the day after turning the front-nine in 4-under 32, but suffered a double-bogey on par-3 13th to finish the fifth round in a tie for 12th after a 3-under 69.
Former World Amateur No. 1, Nick Taylor of Abbottsford, B.C., made another strong move in standings after carding a 4-under 68. Taylor currently sits in a tie for 14th at 14-under.
Justin Shin of Maple Ridge, B.C., Roger Sloan of Merritt, B.C., and Derek Gillespie of Oshawa, Ont. all sit narrowly outside the top-45 heading into the final round in a tie for 52nd. Devin Carrey of Surrey, B.C., carded a 2-under 70 and is in a tie for 62nd after 90 holes.
Scott Pinckney of Utah regained the overall lead at 25-under-par after a 4-under 68 on Monday. Pinckney leads by two over Zack Fischer.
Full scores for the 11 Canadians in the field this week are below. The Canucks will look to finish inside the top-45 after 108 holes of play, which will give them exempt status until the Web.Com Tour’s second periodic re-order of the 2014 season. To see more on the qualifying breakdown, click here.
Canadian Scores after Round 5 of Web.com Final Qualifying
CORAL SPRINGS, FL – Men and women from across the globe are set to tee-off in the opening rounds of the Dixie Amateur this week in southern Florida.
The women’s championship runs December 17-20 at Heron Bay Golf Club in Coral Springs, Fla. Three Canadians are entered into the field including, Jenna Hague of Burlington, Ont., Claire Hernandez of Palgrave, Ont., and Kate Alty of Edmonton, Alta. The women’s championship will include a cut after 54 holes. Past champions of this prestigious title include LPGA stars Lexi Thompson (2007) and Vicky Hurst (2006).
Scoring and pairings for the Women’s Dixie Amateur can be found here.
On the men’s side, nine Canadians will contend for the amateur title December 19-22, 2013. The competition will be played over 72 holes at the Woodlands Golf Club in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., and Heron Bay Golf Club in Coral Springs, Fla.
Headlining the list of the Canadians entered in the field is Team Canada’s Garrett Rank of Elmira, Ont., the 2013 U.S. Mid-Amateur stroke-play medalist and Nicholas Ross of Dundas, Ont., who finished tied for the eighth at the Canadian Junior Boys Championship.
The men’s championship will be cut to the low 72 players and ties after 36 holes, with the final two rounds being contested at Heron Bay Golf Club. Past winners of the Men’s Dixie Amateur include, Brandt Snedeker (2003), Peter Uihlein (2010 & 2009), David Lingmerth (2007), and Hal Sutton (1979 & 1978).
Scoring and pairings for the Men’s Dixie Amateur can be found here.
Curtis Thompson and Isabelle Lendl are both set to defend their titles from the 2012 championship this week in Florida.
Canadians in the field at the Dixie Amateur
Men:
Garrett Rank, Elmira, Ont.
Nicholas Ross, Dundas, Ont.
Paolo Addona, Montreal, Que.
Jordan Bakhsh, New Market, Ont.
Alexis Gemme-Piacente, Montreal, Que.
Mario Vachon, Ste-Claire, Que.
Carl Pelletier, Pont-Rouge, Que.
Claude Pelletier, Donnacona, Que.
Tyler Pope-Ferguson, Amherstbury, Ont.
Nicholas Powell, Toronto, Ont.
Robert Ratcliffe wins PGA of Canada ‘Ben Kern Coach of the Year’ award
Kevin Kwon & Robert Ratcliffe (Golf Canada)
Robert Ratcliffe, Team Canada’s Development Squad Coach, has come home with yet another award for his coaching efforts in the 2013 season. The announcement was made by the PGA of Canada on Thursday along with eight other distinct award recipients.
Ratcliffe was recognized with the ‘Ben Kern Coach of the Year’ award, and will be honoured on “Canada Night” in January at the PGA Merchandise Show in Orlando, Fla. Each year, a national selection committee reviews application submissions for each award before deciding the year’s winners. The 2012 winner of the award was Jon Roy of Uxbridge, Ont.
Ratcliffe operates out of the Crown Isle Resort & Golf Community in Courtenay, B.C. and the Duncan Meadows Golf Club in Duncan, B.C. He also earned his third straight PGA of B.C. “Coach of the Year” award earlier this year. His 2013 season was highlighted by leading Team B.C. to all four gold medals at the Canada Summer Games in Sherbrooke, Que. as well as a gold medal at the Copas de las America’s tournament in Miami, Fla.
To learn about the other PGA of Canada award recipients, click here.
Team Canada alumni in the hunt at Web.com Q School
Many former members of Team Canada are chasing their coveted Web.com Tour Cards this week at the PGA West in La Quinta, Calif. There are six alumni vying for one of top-45 spots that earn exempt status until the Tour’s periodic re-order of the 2014 season. There are two of six rounds still remaining, with the final taking place on Tuesday.
Q: What are some of your nicknames?
A: Nao, “Nuk-Nuk”
Q: What is your best golfing moment? (i.e. Tournament finishes, first eagle, hole in one etc..)
A: Hole-in-one at the AJGA Girl’s Championship in South Carolina (8th hole)
Q: What is your worst golfing moment, and the lesson you learned from it?
A: Missing the cut by just one stroke. I need to always play it one shot at a time
Q: Who is in your dream foursome?
A: Tiger Woods, Adam Scott, Inbee Park
Q: What is something most people don’t know about you?
A: I am obsessed with Korean drama!
Q: Do you have a favourite athlete?
A: Yuna Kim (figure skater)
Q: What is the best thing about your hometown?
A: The Inner Harbour and the Butchart Garden
Q: Favourite type of shot to hit?
A: Fade with my 7 iron
Q: What is the most surprising thing in your golf bag?
A: My White Teddy Bear (pocket sized)!
Q: If you could have a walk-up song on the first tee box, what would it be?
A: “Emotions” – Mariah Carey
Canadians make moves on fourth day of Web.com Final Qualifying
Cam Burke
LA QUINTA, Calif. – With only 36 holes remaining at the final stage of Web.com qualifying, six Canadians sit inside the top-45 at PGA West in La Quinta, Calif.
Cam Burke of New Hamburg, Ont., continues to lead the Canadian contingent after firing a 3-under 69 on Sunday. His 13-under total trails Utah’s Scott Pinckney by eight strokes and leaves him in a tie for 13th.
Toronto’s Albin Choi carded his fourth consecutive under-par round after a 3-under 69 and currently sits 16th at 12-under par. Choi sits one stroke ahead of Oshawa, Ont., native Derek Gillespie, who fired a 5-under 67 to vault up the leaderboard Sunday.
Nick Taylor of Abbottsford, B.C., made the biggest move of the day for the Canadians after a 5-under 67 moved him up 19 spots into a tie for 23rd.
Justin Shin of Maple Ridge, B.C., and Roger Sloan of Merritt, B.C., also carded under-par rounds and both sit in a tie for 38th at 8-under par.
Full scores for the 11 Canadians in the field this week are below. The Canucks will look to finish inside the top-45 after 108 holes of play, which will give them exempt status until the Web.Com Tour’s second periodic re-order of the 2014 season. To see more on the qualifying breakdown, click here.
Canadian Scores after Round 4 of Web.com Final Qualifying
For complete scoring from Web.com Tour Final Qualifying, click here.
Two Canadians move inside top-20 at Web.com Final Qualifying
Cam Burke
LA QUINTA, Calif. – Two Canadians soared up the leaderboard at Web.com Final Qualifying on Saturday at PGA West in La Quinta, Calif.
Cam Burke of New Hamburg, Ont., snuck inside the top-15 after a 5-under 67 moved him up 12 spots the leaderboard at the midway point of the 108-hole marathon. Toronto’s Albin Choi also carded a 5-under 67 to leap into a tie for 16th at 9-under par for the tournament.
A handful of Canadians sit in good position after 54 holes including, Devin Carrey of Surrey, B.C., who carded a 1-under 71 to share 31st place alongside Derek Gillespie of Oshawa, Ont., and Roger Sloan of Merritt, B.C.
First round leader Justin Shin of Maple Ridge, B.C., carded a 1-over 73 on Saturday to slip into a tie for 42nd with Abbottsford, B.C., native Nick Taylor.
Steve Saunders of Albuquerque, New Mexico currently holds the overall lead at 17-under 199 after a third round 5-under 67.
Full scores for the 11 Canadians in the field this week are below. The Canucks will look to finish inside the top-45 after 108 holes of play, which will give them exempt status until the Web.Com Tour’s second periodic re-order of the 2014 season. To see more on the qualifying breakdown, click here.
Canadian Scores after Round 3 of Web.com Final Qualifying
For complete scoring from Web.com Tour Final Qualifying, click here.
Justin Shin leads after first-round of Web.com Tour Final Qualifying
Justin Shin (Golf Canada/ Graig Abel)
LA QUINTA, Calif. – Justin Shin of Maple Ridge, B.C. opened up his Web.com Tour Final Qualifying debut by firing a blazing 8-under par 64 at PGA West’s Nicklaus Tournament Course in La Quinta, Calif.
The former Team Canada alumni carded six birdies and an eagle in his a bogey-free round to finish the opening day atop the the 152 player leaderboard.
Shin enjoyed much success in 2013 as an amateur and a professional. Among his many accolades, the 22-year old finished 3rd at the Porter Cup and tied for 15th at the Canadian Men’s Amateur Championship. As a pro, he competed in three PGA TOUR Canada events, where his best finish was a tie for 18th at the The Great Waterway Classic.
New Hamburg, Ont. native Cam Burke is tied for 8th after opening with a 4-under 68. Burke, 26, a two-time Canadian Men’s Amateur Champion (2008 & 2009), had six birdies and just a single blemish on the day – a bogey on the par-4 13th hole.
Devin Carrey of Surrey, B.C. and Roger Sloan of Merritt, B.C. are tied for 15th with a log-jam of players at 4-under par.
The 11 Canadians in the field this week will look to finish inside the top-45 after 108 holes of play, which will give them exempt status until the Web.Com Tour’s second periodic re-order of the 2014 season. To see more on the qualifying breakdown, click here.
Canadian Scores after Round 1 of Web.com Final Qualifying
Last week the USGA and R&A announced the new changes to the 2014-2015 Decisions on the Rules of Golf book. In total, 87 changes were implemented into the new Decisions book, set to release on January 1st, 2014. To read more about the notable changes, please read last week’s article here on what was updated.
The 2014-2015 Decisions on the Rules of Golf book is now available for pre-order on Golf Canada’s e-store. The book will be shipped in January 2014, in time to brush up on your rules knowledge for the golf season.
Along with the Decisions on the Rules of Golf book, our e-store offers many different publications to learn more about the game of golf.
The 2012-2015 Rules of Golf book outlines the 34 rules to adhere to while golfing. The Definitions sections give clarity to the terms which form the foundation around the Rules of golf. The Appendix sections at the end of the Rules Book further explain anything from Local Rules to the specifications of the clubs and the ball.
Local Rules can vary based on the golf course and only be implemented at certain times, but all must abide by the Rules of Golf. A common local rule that may be in effect golf courses that haven’t been hit by snow yet this year, is “Preferred Lies” and “Winter Rules”. Not to be confused with Rule 25 (Abnormal Conditions, Embedded Ball, and Wrong Putting Green), adverse conditions are consistent around the course and temporary in nature. To promote fair play and protect the course, the Local Rule is recommended: “A ball lying on a closely-mown area through the green may be lifted, without penalty, and cleaned. Before lifting the ball, the player must mark its position. Having lifted the ball, he must place it on a spot within of and not nearer the hole than where it originally lay, that is not a hazard and not on a putting green.”
The Rules of Golf book is an important tool to keep in your golf bag. In addition to the Decisions and Rules book, golf is a game of integrity and to display respect for your fellow competitors. The Easy Guide to the Etiquette and Rules of Golf is perfect for someone new to the game or those who are experienced and may want a quick reference on how to proceed on some of the more common rules of the game.
The Golf Canada Handicap Manual is the comprehensive guide to the rules and regulations of the handicap system. The book is essential for every club handicap committee.
Golf Canada’s e-store provides many books to become an expert in the Rules of the game. If these books intrigue you to learn more about the game, begin your online Rules Education here.
As always, our ‘Ask an Expert’ tool can be utilized and accessed via our website, where we would be happy to answer your Rules-related inquiries.
For more information, please consult our Rules of Golf publications – for purchase in Golf Canada’s eStore, or at your local book retailer.
Brooke Henderson grabs gold medal at Spirit International
Playing for Team Canada alongside Development Squad members Jaclyn Lee, Tony Gil and Étienne Papineau, Henderson held on to defeat France’s Mathilda Cappeliez by a stroke in the individual competition of The Spirit Invitational.
Currently ranked No. 9 in the World Amateur Golf Rankings, Henderson, 16, finished the tournament at 13-under.
On the men’s side, Tony Gil, 15, grabbed a bronze medal in his debut performance as a member of Team Canada’s Development Squad.
As a team, Canada finished in solo eighth at 15-under 418 for the championship, 18 strokes behind Team USA, who took home team honours after firing 33-under over 54 holes.
Svensson’s fall season concludes at Barry University
Last week marked the end of the fall schedule for Adam Svensson, a sophomore at Barry University. Svensson currently sits as the No. 6 ranked player in Division II by Golfstat after finishing T14 at the McDonough Cup last week.
The 19-year-old had an outstanding fall season at Barry, notching back-to-back victories at the Brickyard Intercollegiate and the Guy Harvey Invitational to begin the season.
Heading into the winter break, the Surrey, B.C., native currently sits as the third highest ranked Canadian amateur in the world at No. 68 and continues to impress in the collegiate ranks for the Buccaneers.
Tanguay lifts Sooners to season-ending victory
AC Tanguay’s fifth place finish helped lift the Oklahoma Sooners to their first team victory of the season recently at the Alamo Invitational.
Tanguay, a senior at Oklahoma, carded rounds of 69-71-72 to finish at 4-under for the tournament. The fifth place finish was Tanguay’s best of the year, after posting three top-30 finishes to kick off her final year at Oklahoma.
Hemmerich repeats as OUA Champion
Chris Hemmerich captured his second straight OUA Championship title after firing rounds of 69-69 (-4) at Grey Silo Golf Club.
The National Squad member was the only player to break par in the championship and earned himself OUA Athlete of the Week honours after successfully defending his title.
Valérie Tanguay sets record at CCAA Championship
For the second straight year Valérie Tanguay captured the individual title at the CCAA Championship for Champlain St. Lawrence.
Tanguay, a member of the Development Squad, carded rounds of 67-71-73 to finish at 5-under for the championship.
Her 211 total, left her 14 strokes clear of the nearest competitor and set a new CCAA Championship scoring record.
Alumni Watch – Albin Choi rolls through First Stage of Web.com QSchool
Recent Team Canada graduate Albin Choi of Toronto, soared through the PGA TOUR’s first stage for Web.com TOUR recently in North Carolina.
Choi, 22, fired rounds of 68-72-74-73 to finish in 13th place with a 1-under 287 total. Choi was on of 32 to players to advance through to Stage II from the North Carolina qualifying site.
Garrett Rank returns to the National Team for his third consecutive year, bringing an array of elite golf skills to go along with a charismatic attitude and outlook on the game. Rank, 26, graduated from the University of Waterloo in 2012 and has set his goals on making the World Amateur team in 2014.
Born in Elmira, Ont., Rank has competed in several international events against the best talent in the world. This past season, Rank took home medalist honours at the U.S. Amateur Public Links Championship in Lorton, Va., and finished second at the Canadian Men’s Mid-Amateur Championship. A month earlier, he finished second at the Ontario Amateur Championship. Rank was also runner-up at the 2012 U.S. Mid-Amateur Championship and was the 2012 Canadian University College Champion.
Rank has also defeated a serious illness that he was diagnosed with in the winter of 2011. At 22 years young, Rank learned that he had testicular cancer. After successful surgery, he stepped back on the golf course with an enlightened perspective on the game to help him along his journey as one of Canada’s top amateur golfers.
Team Canada is pleased to welcome back Corey Conners, one of Canada’s top ranked amateur golfers (No. 33). Hailing from Listowel, Ont., Conners attacked green after green in the most prestigious events of 2013, including an appearance at the 2013 RBC Canadian Open. A senior at Kent State University, Conners captured a slew of top-10 finishes, highlighted by a second place finish at the U.S. Amateur Championship, a runner-up finish at both the North & South Championship and Canadian Men’s Amateur Championship and a third place finish at the Monroe Invitational.
At 21 years old, Conners has positioned himself to excel on the world stage as he enters his final collegiate season. The calm, composed Canuck is returning for his third year on the National Team. He was also a member of the Development Squad in 2010.
Conners plays out of the Listowel Golf Club, a 27-hole semi-private course in his hometown.
Taylor Pendrith bombs his drives 300 yards plus time and time again. The long-hitter from Richmond Hill, Ont., sits as Canada’s highest ranked male amateur at No. 29 in the world entering his senior year at Kent State alongside fellow teammate Conners. He is returning to the National team for a second straight year with high hopes of building on his budding golf talent.
Highlights from this past season include a win at the prestigious Porter Cup held at the Niagara Falls Country Club in Lewiston, N.Y. The Porter Cup plays host to some of the best amateur golfers from around the world every year, making the 22-year-old’s accomplishment all the more impressive. With the win, Pendrith ended a 28-year drought marking the last time a Canadian won the event.
Pendrith plays out of the Station Creek Golf Club, a Clublink course in Gormley, Ont.
Chris Hemmerich returns to the team for a second consecutive year after another strong performance during the 2012/13 season. Despite receiving interest from U.S. schools, the 20-year-old elected to stay home and study in Canada, choosing to attend Guelph University. Since then, Hemmerich has continued to lead by example as the captain of the men’s team.
Some of his best accomplishments include placing second at the 2013 Canadian University/College Championship and finishing in a T12 at the Porter Cup. Hemmerich also picked up a sixth place finish at the 2013 Canadian Men’s Amateur Championship and finished in a T3 at the 2013 Ontario Amateur. Already this season, the Kitchener, Ont., native has posted four consecutive top two finishes playing for Guleph, solidifying his status as one of Canada’s best young amateurs.
Hemmerich is a member at the Westmount Golf & Country Club in Kitchener, Ont.
After being on the Development Squad for four years, Adam Svensson has made the jump to the National Team – and it’s well deserved. Now acting as the National Team’s youngest member, Svensson has strung together an impressive list of accomplishments. Hailing from Surrey, B.C., Svensson was acknowledged with the Phil Mickelson award, given to the most outstanding freshman in NCAA Division II men’s golf after his freshman season at Barry University.
In his first year at Barry, Svensson helped the Buccaneers win the Men’s Division II NCAA Championship. Individually, the 2012 Canadian Junior Boys champion placed T4 at the prestigious Sahalee Players Championship in early July. His strong play landed him an exemption into the RBC Canadian Open against the world’s best, an experience that many sophomores don’t get.
Svensson is positioned out of the King’s Links by the Sea, located in Delta, B.C. and is currently ranked No. 62 in the World Amateur Golf Rankings.
WOMEN
At just 16 years old, Brooke Henderson sits as the No.9 ranked female amateur in the world. The teenager from Smiths Falls, Ont., continues to show poise beyond her years in each and every competition. This year alone, the 10th grade student won the Canadian Women`s Amateur Championship and the CN Future Links Pacific Championship. She also made her mark on the professional stage with a third place finish on the CN Women`s Tour and a T35 finish at the LPGA Manulife Financial LPGA Classic and an appearance at the CN Canadian Women’s Open. Perhaps her most impressive accomplishment was making the cut at the 2013 U.S. Women`s Open – an LPGA major and premier world event.
This marks Henderson’s third year with the High Performance program, being on the National Team last year and the Development Squad the year before that. With lots of time for further development, Henderson`s future looks extremely bright.
A senior at NC State, Marchand brings a wealth of experience back to the National Women`s Team as she enters her third consecutive year. Based out of Orangeville, Ont., Marchand finished T11 at the Canadian Women’s Amateur and also took home the low amateur honours at the 2013 PGA Women`s Championship of Canada, finishing T5 overall against a very competitive field.
The 2012 All-ACC member also notched a T4 finish at the CN Women`s Tour event in Québec, showing her ability to match up against already established professionals. Marchand also excels as a student of engineering, being named to the All-ACC Academic team in 2012.
Marchand’s home club is the Brampton Golf Club in Brampton, Ont.
Augusta James will be entering her fourth consecutive year with the High Performance program. The 20-year-old from Bath, Ont., is building on an impressive collegiate career that features becoming the first NC State member to ever win the ACC Freshman of the year award. Now in her junior year, James has opened with a T3 finish at the Mason Rudolph Championship.
This past season James finished in fifth on the CN Canadian Women’s Tour Order of Merit after a T3 finish at CN Women’s Tour B.C. and T7 finish at the Quebec stop in the tour’s first two events. James was also a member of the 2013 Canadian Copas de las Americas championship squad, where she finished in a tie for fifth individually.
James plays out of the Loyalist Country Club in her hometown of Bath, Ont.
Making the jump from the Development Squad to the National Team is Calgary`s Jennifer Ha. The 19-year-old junior at Kent State earned her promotion after just one year in the National Team program. In her junior season at Kent State, Ha was recognized for two consecutive weeks as the Mid-American Conference (MAC) golfer of the week after victories at both the Minnesota Invitational and Nittany Lion Invitational. Ha also won the MAC Freshman of the Year for Kent State in 2012.
The 2013 Pacific Northwest Amateur champion was also listed on the All-Academic team for the MAC. Her intended major is communication studies.
Ha is a member at the 45-hole, Glencoe Golf & Country Club in Calgary.
After a two year hiatus from the program, Team Canada is pleased to welcome back Anne-Catherine Tanguay to the National Squad.
Entering her senior year at the University of Oklahoma, the Québec City native has built a strong foundation of golf skills over the years. Most notably, Tanguay has competed in all 34 collegiate team events, which include 11 top-10 finishes. The business major was also named to the 2013 All-Big 12 Conference Team as well as the All-Big 12 Academic Team. This past summer season, Tanguay finished runner-up at the Canadian Women`s Amateur.
In her earlier years, she was named the 2010 Athlete of the Year at St. Lawrence, a Cégep school in Québec City. Tanguay was a member of the National Team in 2011 and a member of the Development Squad in 2010 and 2009.
DEVELOPMENT SQUADS
The two-time Canadian Junior Boys champion is returning to the Development Squad for the third consecutive year. This year, he will be taking his talents south of the border as a freshman for the Division I University of Washington Huskies.
Kwon, the 2013 CN Future Links Pacific champion, will act as the one over-aged junior (18) eligible on the Development Squad. Hailing from Pitt Meadows, B.C., Kwon brings his elite skills back to the team, including the confidence gained from winning the gold medal at the 2013 Canada Summer Games.
Kwon plays out of the Swan-e-set Bay Resort & Country Club in Pitt Meadows, B.C.
Calgary’s Matt Williams returns to the Development Team for a second year. The 17-year-old Calgary native’s past season was highlighted by a runner-up finish at the CN Future Links Prairie Championship and a T9 finish at the Callaway World Junior Championship.
Williams has given a verbal agreement to play for the University of Houston in 2014, alongside fellow Canadians Blair Hamilton, Emmett Oh and Matthew Scobie.
Williams is a member at the Pinebrook Golf & Country Club in Calgary.
The smooth-swinging righty from Vaughan, Ont., makes his debut on the Development Squad after a very strong showing provincially this past season that saw Gil finished in a T5 at the Ontario Junior Boys Championships and T12 at the Ontario Amateur Championship. During that time, Gil was a part of the GAO Under-17 Provincial Squad.
Gil won the AJGA CourseMax/Philadelphia tournament this August and placed second at the AJGA Ravenwood event just two months earlier. The 15-year-old will look to keep things rolling in 2014, beginning with the Sprit International event in Texas at the end of October
Gil fine-tunes his skills in the offseason at the Glendale Golf & Country Club in Hamilton, Ont.
New to the Development Squad is Carter Simon, a 16-year-old from Sutton, Ont. This past May, Simon became the CN Future Links Ontario champion by winning a two-hole playoff at the Listowel Golf Club with an eagle. He followed that up with a third place finish at the CN Future Links Prairie championship and a fifth place finish on the individual leaderboard at the 2013 Canada Summer Games.
Simon was also a teammate of Gil’s on the GAO Under-17 Provincial Squad.
In 2014, Simon intends to join the NC State Golf program. He currently attends Bill Crothers Secondary School while playing golf out of Granite Golf Club.
The final new member to the Development Squad is Étienne Papineau of St-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Qué. Papineau’s list of accomplishments include, winning the 2013 CN Future Links Québec Championship in July. Just five days later, he took home hardware at the Québec Provincial Junior Championship, winning by a convincing 13 strokes.
Papineau also fared well against the country’s best junior talent, finishing T8 at the Canadian Junior Boys Championship. He will tee-it-up alongside his new Development Squad teammate Gil at the Spirit International in late October.
In the offseason, Papineau trains at the Royal Bromont Golf Club in Bromont, Qué.
Making her return for a fourth year with the program is Surrey, B.C., native, Taylor Kim. A recent transfer to Kent State, the 18-year-old sophomore has tallied a number of top-5 finishes while being a part of Golf Canada’s High Performance program. This year alone she finished in a third at the Canadian Junior Girls Championship, T13 at the Canadian Women’s Amateur Championship and picked up two T3 finishes at the both B.C. Women’s Amateur and the CN Future Links Pacific.
Kim plays out of the Surrey Golf Club in Surrey, B.C.
Naomi Ko, 16, makes her return for a second year with the Development Squad. The Victoria, B.C., native placed third at this year’s B.C. Junior Girls Championship and had a sixth place finish on the individual leaderboard at the 2013 Canada Summer Games. Other highlights include a runner-up finish at the CN Future Links Pacific Championship and a T11 finish at the Canadian Junior Girls Championship.
Ko currently attends Claremont Secondary School and plays out of the Royal Colwood Golf Course in Victoria.
A two-time Québec Junior Girls champion (2012, 2013), Valérie Tanguay, returns to the Development Squad for a second consecutive year. The 18-year-old St-Hyacinthe, Qué., native also placed third at the 2013 CN Future Links Ontario Championship and was runner-up at the 2013 Canada Summer Games.
Attending Champlain St-Lawrence in Québec City, Tanguay was crowned as the CCAA Girls Champion for a second straight year (2013, 2012). At this year’s event, Tanguay won by a dominating 14-stroke margin with a cumulative score of 5-under par through three rounds of play.
Tanguay golfs out of hometown St-Hyacinthe Golf Club in St-Hyacinthe, Qué.
New to the Development Squad in 2013 is the recently crowned Alberta Junior Girls champion, Jaclyn Lee of Calgary. Lee also added another title win at the CN Future Links Prairie Championship and went on to finish eighth at the Canadian Junior Girls Championship.
The 16-year-old Canuck is poised to build off an impressive 2013 season going forward that included a T4 finish at the 2013 Canada Summer Games.
Lee plays alongside Jennifer Ha out of the Glencoe Golf & Country Club in Calgary.
Team Canada is also thrilled to welcome Sabrine Garrison, the 2013 CN Future Links Western champion from Calgary to the Development Squad. The 17-year-old’s impressive 2013 season also featured a runner-up finish at the Alberta Girls Championship,a third place finish at the Canada Summer Games and a T5 finish at the Canadian Junior Girls Championship.
Garrison is a member at the Country Hills Golf Club in Calgary.
