Jared du Toit’s exceptional play at Glen Abbey proved he’s got the game to battle with the big boys. Now he wants another crack.

Cliché as it might sound, Jared du Toit’s gameplan was to treat the 2016 RBC Canadian Open — his first tee time at a PGA Tour showdown — like any other event.

Except that he wasn’t banking on this.

“At normal tournaments for me on the road, I would turn on the TV in my hotel room at night and I’d watch SportsCentre,” du Toit said of his usual unwind. “But I couldn’t really turn on the TV because it seemed like every sports channel had a big headline on it that I’d see and then, ‘Wow, flip the channel.’

“I didn’t want to get too caught up in it, especially not seeing that before.”

On Sportsnet, on TSN, on Golf Channel . . . du Toit was the hot topic. He was the talk of the tee, too, at courses across the country.

Rightly so.

Representing Golf Canada’s National Amateur Squad on an exemption, the 21-year-old from Kimberley, B.C., sizzled into contention that week at Glen Abbey, a fairy-tale rise from relative unknown to realistic contender.

He opened with a lap of five-under 67, just one shot off the pace. With spins of 71 and 70, his name was never far from the top of the leaderboard during the middle rounds.

And by draining a 40-footer for eagle on Saturday’s concluding hole, he earned a spot in Sunday’s final group with a serious shot to become the first homegrown golfer to win the Canada’s National Open Championship since Pat Fletcher in 1954.

Du Toit closed with another 71, finishing three strokes behind eventual champion Jhonattan Vegas in a tie for ninth. He was tops among Canadians and an unfathomable 17 strokes better than the next-best amateur.

Jason Day, who arrived at Glen Abbey as the top-ranked player on the planet, was a couple shots back in his rearview mirror.

“We knew Jared had the game,” said Derek Ingram, Golf Canada’s national men’s coach. “But to have the moxie and the confidence to be in that position all week and to really thrive and enjoy it and to eat that up and really not let it faze him at all, I think that’s probably what impressed me the most.

“Other guys have the game to do that. But there’s a difference between having the game and doing it with all those people around and doing it under the pressure and under the heat. That’s what really stands out for me.”

What really stands out for du Toit? Oooooh boy, take a seat.

A polite and polished young man, du Toit bubbles with enthusiasm when you mention that muggy and memorable week last July, almost as if it happened yesterday.

The support of a patriotic crowd was, as he repeated again and again, “unbelievable.” There was encouragement from inside the ropes too, from the likely sources — Graham DeLaet, Adam Hadwin, Nick Taylor and the rest of the Canadian contingent.

“Honestly, just 10-out-of-10 guys, falling right into that stereotype,” du Toit added.

And unlikely sources, such as his playing partner on that special Sunday, an established star who won the FedEx Cup in 2012 and owns eight PGA Tour trophies.

“Brandt Snedeker, that final day, he was kind of rooting me on all day just making me feel great,” du Toit described. “I kind of got off to a slow start and the whole time he was like, ‘OK, keep plucking away, keep plucking away.’ I finally made a birdie on my eighth hole and he was clapping and he fist-bumped me and said, ‘OK, let’s go.’ That was very cool.”

Du Toit, naturally, learned a ton at Glen Abbey, but another important lesson came in the weeks that followed.

“Just playing other amateur events and college events after, I put a lot of stress on myself to play well, to kind of live up to what I had done, because I didn’t want to be that guy that just played well one week,” he admitted. “I did put a lot of pressure on myself, and I performed poorly because I was too high-strung on the golf course.

“Yeah, it was a good week and if that was an amateur event, I probably would have won that amateur event. But it was one week, and just understanding that has been really good for me — realizing my process and what I did to prepare and where my swing was that week. It’s just that kind of understanding of what put me in that position to succeed rather than trying hard to succeed every week.

“Continuing to do all the little things right will eventually work out long term. In a shorter scale, I guess, that kind of worked out and taught me a lesson.”

He must be a quick study because du Toit enjoyed a stellar senior campaign with the Arizona State Sun Devils, including a triumph at The Prestige at PGA West in mid-February.

He’ll graduate with a degree in marketing, but his preference is to earn his pay on the fairways and greens. He certainly hasn’t been slacking on his homework.

“I think one of the things that has made the biggest difference for him is just having tremendous habits and routines,” said Ingram. “It doesn’t sound very sexy, but it just works really well. He’s a guy who works extremely hard. He’s very smart. He’s a good athlete, from a multi-sport background. I think those things are really starting to translate to a guy who can be a very, very good professional golfer.

“If you plop him down on the PGA Tour, we like his chances.”

Du Toit would love to be plopped down on the PGA Tour. He would have told you that years ago. His remarkable run at the 2016 RBC Canadian Open only provided reassurance.

“It was definitely everything I dreamed it would be, and even more,” du Toit said. “Just seeing that my game, playing my best, that I can compete and I can make a living on tour . . . I mean, that’s the goal. It just validated my dreams and what I’ve been working on and how I’ve been working on it.”

This article was originally published in the Family Issue edition of Golf Canada Magazine. Click here to view the full magazine

Create your desired trajectory around the greens with these simple steps from Team Canada Women’s Coach Tristan Mullally.

Having a great short game is less about perfect technique and more about mastering trajectory. Understanding how to address the ball to create the desired ball-flight height will allow you to pick appropriate landing points and finish closer to the hole. Jennifer Ha, an LPGA Tour member and Golf Canada Young Pro, demonstrates below.

THE SETUP
Jennifer has placed five balls alongside her feet parallel to the target line with the middle ball in the centre of her stance. Your centre of gravity (sternum) remains constant and should be slightly towards the target, your hand position (another constant) should fall naturally below this point. The second ball (highlighted) is a good reference point.

From here we make several adjustments in setup to create both ends of the trajectory scale, low to high.

Lowest ball flight
Ball position moves back (highlighted), shaft becomes more vertical, stand closer and taller to accommodate the taller handle and your stance narrows.

Highest ball flight
Ball position moves forward (highlighted), shaft becomes more horizontal, stand farther away to accommodate the lower handle, face is slightly open and stance widens.

Although we have focused on ball No. 5 (low) and ball No. 1 (high), you should practise from all five positions. Vary the ball position (back or forward), shaft angle (up or down) and distance from the ball (closer to farther) as you move between each ball. If your standard flight is lower or higher than you wish, use these adjustments to create the flight that you want.

Follow @tmullallygolf

This article was originally published in the Family Issue edition of Golf Canada Magazine. Click here to view the full magazine

Once a dragon, always a dragon – at least that’s how former Team Canada National Squad golfer Garrett Rank feels.

Rank – a full-time NHL referee – gifted Team Canada Men’s Head Coach Derek Ingram a signed NHL referee jersey to say thank you for Ingram’s tutelage during his time with the national team.

Rank was a member of the national team, who call themselves the dragons, from 2012-2014. Now he’s the highest ranking Canadian in the World Amateur Golf Rankings.

Ingram shared photos of his present on twitter acknowledging it as one of the best gifts he’s received from former players.

I have gotten several very cool things from players I coached & this is near the top! @TheGolfCanada #dragonalum #GRank ??#alwaysadragon pic.twitter.com/mnwVxJuMEJ

— Derek Ingram (@dingramgolf) July 3, 2017

Refereeing is special to Rank. It’s something his late father did and the two bonded over. He’s made it known how lucky he feels to be able to work in the NHL.

His gift to Ingram reinforces how much Team Canada athletes value all the hard work and hours that Team Canada coaches put in to helping the next generation of Canadian golfers reach their potential.

Go dragons.

Today, Brooke Henderson, Adam Hadwin, and Mackenzie Hughes are household names for Canadian golf fans because of their impressive accomplishments on the professional stage.

And making an important contribution in their journey to success has been Golf Canada’s national team program.

It began in 2005 with a men’s amateur team and a women’s amateur team – and has evolved and grown over the years.

Presently, the national team program consists of a development squad, an amateur squad, a young pro team, and an Olympic team.

The program is year-round in scope and provides world class support and services to the selected athletes to help them reach their short term and long-term goals.

“I joined the national team when I was 14 years old.  That’s also the first year that I won a professional event in Quebec,” said Brooke Henderson, now a four time LPGA champion.

“I played my first LPGA TOUR event as a 14-year-old; and that had a lot to do with my dad, who is my coach, and also joining forces with the Canadian national team.”

The 19-year-old from Smiths Falls, Ontario is quick to speak about the important components of the program which encompasses fitness, sports, psychology, nutrition, technique, equipment and international competition.

“I got so many opportunities to compete outside of Canada and in the U.S.  We played in the British and world amateur championships and all over the world,” Henderson continued.

“So being on the team really taught me a lot. Not only from the coaches – but golf-wise, we had access to a nutritionist, psychologist, strength and conditioning. I learned about all the aspects of the game of golf and that’s been very important to my development.”

As part of the selection process, Golf Canada offers athletes spots onto the respective teams based on performance results along with other factors; and each participant receives a personalized program tailored towards his or her needs.

As part of the program, competition schedules are reviewed and approved by the coaching staff.

Derek Ingram serves as the head coach for the men’s amateur team, young pro team, and Olympic team; while Robert Ratcliffe is the head coach of men’s development squad.

On the women’s side, Tristan Mullally is the head coach of the amateur team, the young pro team and Olympic team; while Ann Carroll being the head coach of development squad.

In addition, leaders in the field of sport science have been a part of building the program and continue to play an important part – often from behind the scenes.

As the country’s top-ranked female amateur, Maddie Szeryk, says her involvement has helped her game and is quick to credit the national team program staff.

“We have so many different elements to it. We have our head coach, Tristan, and then we have our sports psychologist and physio and they’re all awesome. It’s definitely helped me over the last couple of years and I’m very thankful for the program,” said the amateur team member recently at the Manulife LPGA Classic.

“It’s great to have a sports psychologist working through the mental aspect because the sport is very mental and it’s important to understand how to react to not playing well or different situations,” added Szeryk, who won the Ontario Women’s Amateur in 2015.

As the national team program’s sports psychologist, Dr. Adrienne Leslie-Toogood speaks about the importance of maintaining the right mental state of mind.

“A golfer needs to be able to judge distance and what kind of club they want to use, as an example; and sometimes we forget that they are human beings, and the person executing the skill is vulnerable to anxiety and stress,” said Dr. Leslie-Toogood, a licensed psychologist and adjunct faculty at the University of Manitoba.

“We really want to help athletes be self-aware of where they are mentally, so they have tools to calm themselves and they know what to focus on during a round of golf,” she continued.

“If athletes have thoughts that are not productive, we want to provide them with tools and strategies to bring their thoughts back to things that can help them on the course, so they can perform at their best.”

Szeryk is also quick to offer a personal example of how she has benefitted from working with the program’s physiotherapist, Greg Redman.

“I’ve had some issues with my back and Greg really worked with me to fix that through showing me different exercises,” noted Szeryk, a dual-citizen of the United States and Canada who is currently in her junior year at the University of Texas A&M.

As the head physiotherapist and strength and conditioning coach for the national team program, Redman understands the importance of athletes being at their physical best.

“Besides the technical component, golf like many other sports has many facets to it. There’s also the mental side and the strength and conditioning aspect, etc.,” said Redman, a respected clinical physiotherapy specialist who has also worked with the Canadian Olympic team in Athens, Torino, Beijing, London, Sochi and Rio.

“Athletes need to be at their physical best to perform at their best and maintain optimal health and avoid injuries.  And through the program we work with the athletes on those aspects,” he added.

Having been involved with the program since day one back in 2005, Redman says his personal highlight comes from seeing the success of past alumni.

“Nick Taylor and Adam Hadwin were part of the program from way back in the day and they were two of the best that we had. It’s amazing to see how far they have progressed and to see their success,” said Redman.

According to Hadwin – who broke through this year to win his first PGA victory at the Valspar Championship in March – golf in Canada is on the rise.

“We’ve got guys playing well on the Web.com Tour and are ready to take that next step; and guys in behind that are moving up in to the Web.com Tour… I think Canadian golf is in great hands and I think it’s just going to continue to get better,” noted Hadwin.

Besides Henderson, Hadwin, and Taylor, other notable participants of the program include Maude-Aimée LeBlanc, Jennifer Ha, Graham DeLaet, and Mackenzie Hughes – just to name a few.

“Derek, Tristan, and the rest of the coaching staff have played a significant part in the success of the program and the players,” said Redman.

“It’s just exciting be part of the team that has played a part to helping the athletes get to the point where they are.”

As an ambassador for the game in the country and a keen observer of the sport, Lorie Kane also gives her endorsement for the contributions made by the national team program.

“Tristan and Derek and the staff there are doing a great job,” said the Canadian Golf Hall of Famer.

“At end of the day the athlete needs to own their own game. And they have to be able to reach out and get help; and we do know that Golf Canada has definitely done their job and have the help there for the players,” she added.

“From a fundamental standpoint, the program is solid.”

Most golf fans are familiar with Italy’s Molinari brothers, Francesco and Edoardo Molinari; Tiger and Cheyenne Woods; the Haas and Stadler father-son duos; and of course, the Henderson sisters, Brooke and Brittany, here at home. But there are many more competitive golfing families out there, including the James’.

For Geoff and Jean James, it was quite common to see their daughter Augusta promptly pop out of her bedroom when the alarm clock went off for school. She’d then quietly launch into her regular routine of brushing her teeth, getting dressed and making breakfast.

The final task on her daily to-do list was to venture into another bedroom and wake younger brother Austin from his slumber. He was not going to miss the bus on her watch.

“She would wake me up for school and be on my ass if I wasn’t there on time,” laughs Austin. “She’s definitely the more punctual one.”

“I am notoriously bad for babying him,” Augusta admits. “He definitely knows how to take care of himself but he’s just so laid back that sometimes to me it doesn’t look like it.”

Now in their 20s, the school bus seems like a distant memory for the James kids. In its place are airplanes and cars, the usual form of transportation for two emerging young golfers. Augusta, a third-year pro on the LPGA Tour and Symetra Tour, and Austin, a senior at Charleston Southern University, are both prized athletes with Golf Canada’s high-performance program.

Big sis is on the Young Pro Squad while little bro is a National Amateur Team member, though their primary grooming ground has been Loyalist Country Club in Bath, Ont.

That’s where father Geoff is positioned as the head professional, providing easy access to the tee and practice facilities. They’d spend hours upon hours there in the summer and, once they were old enough to work, escape for a quick round after their shifts.

“Growing up I was always very competitive with her and I would keep score to try to beat her,” remembers Austin. “I don’t think she was paying much attention to what my score was because I would lose 98 per cent of the time. She would wax me up and down the golf course.”

“He only thought that I wasn’t keeping score,” answers Augusta. “But I was counting down the days until I wasn’t going to be able to hit it as far as him or beat him as easily. When we first moved to Loyalist he was actually playing a tee up from me. Now I have such a difficult time keeping up with him.”

Standing six-foot-three, Austin towers over his older sister and uses his strength to overpower golf courses too. That, along with his putting, has helped him even out the friendly-but-fierce matches with pint-sized Augusta.

It wasn’t any easier when they were on the same team either. At 10 and 12 years old, Austin actually played a few levels up on Augusta’s hockey team. She was a solid defenseman in a boys league, but he was the star forward.

“It had its challenges sometimes because he was so much better than me,” Augusta says. “It took a little while I guess to just relax with that fact but it was hard to be too upset when we were winning hockey games because he was on that team.”

The James’ were never a one-sport family and Augusta acknowledges her edge on the ice carried over to the golf course. Austin too.

“It gives you kind of a grit or competitiveness that I find a lot of golfers don’t really have,” he explains. “So I think it was really beneficial. She started gravitating to golf at 12 or 13 and I was a little later, focusing on hockey until 15 or 16.”

When Austin did join Augusta on the links full time, his natural abilities allowed him to catch up quickly. However, that only pushed the elder sibling to be more focused and determined to stay a step ahead.

Augusta composed a sterling amateur career, logging high finishes at the Ontario Women’s Amateur, Porter Cup, and U.S. Women’s Amateur over the years. But the brightest moment from Augusta’s pre-professional days came in 2014 when she captured the Canadian Women’s Amateur, beating favourite Brooke Henderson in the process. She was the talk of her town and her house.

For two weeks. Because Austin matched her feat by winning the Canadian Junior Boys Championship.

“For them to win back-to-back national championships, two weeks apart, that is something that I never even imagined,” says Geoff. “It takes a lot of work to win a national championship and for two of them to do it, back to back, brother and sister, I thought that was pretty cool.”

Like always, there was no animosity whatsoever towards Austin for stealing Augusta’s thunder. The James family has always operated like a team. The kids continue to feed off each other’s strengths, with Augusta’s work ethic rubbing off on Austin and Austin’s calm, creative demeanour now present in Augusta. They often track each other’s play from afar and turn to each other for improvement or reassurance.

“I definitely value his opinion a lot on my golf game,” she adds.

“You have to let things roll off your back and he helps me do that because he is so laid back. I can take a lot from him and from growing up with him to my golf game for sure.”

The siblings will get to spend more time training and relaxing together — they are both big movie buffs — in the fall once Austin graduates and eventually turns pro, with the plan to join his sister down in Florida.

It speaks to the strength of their bond despite the distance they’ve grown accustomed to over the past five or six years when Augusta left for North Carolina State University. More than anything, it reveals their family values and character.

“Of everything that I’m proud of, it’s nothing to do with golf but how they handle themselves with everybody that they come into contact with. They’re just really good kids,” explains Geoff, noting their development and progress off the course.

“Most importantly to me is how they’ve turned out as people.”

Though both are projecting to long careers in the professional ranks they know their future wouldn’t be possible without their past, in which mom and dad a played pivotal role.

“It was very instrumental,” reflects Austin. “Those are the two biggest influences in mine and (Augusta’s) golf world, bar none.”

“They’ve afforded us all these opportunities. They put a lot of time, money, effort, sleepless nights into us,” adds Augusta. “So I hope that we’ve made them proud and shown that we will work hard in appreciation of the sacrifices they’ve made for us.”

This article was originally published in the Family Issue edition of Golf Canada Magazine. Click here to view the full magazine

Team Canada Men’s Head Coach Derek Ingram says using an alignment aid is a simple way to maintain your swing when practising solo.

Oftentimes on the PGA Tour, you’ll see guys practising with alignment sticks on the ground on the range and it’s no surprise why. The training aid is easily transportable, quick to set up and ideal to use individually. It’s something I encourage my athletes to use as well, as part of their daily maintenance practice to work on body alignment, clubface alignment and the starting line of their shots.

In this case, Team Canada’s Austin James has an alignment stick aimed slightly right of the target just outside the ball to guide his club face.

He has another between his feet and the ball to monitor his body alignment. Though some players are accustomed to the alignment rod right against the toes, I don’t like it because I feel the sticks get in the way and we are also trying to check hips, shoulders and even eye line.

Austin’s stuck a third alignment stick in the ground about 15 feet in front of the ball on the target line. He is trying to start the ball right of this stick and his target line and then draw it back to the target. In a perfect world, the ball does not overdraw past the target.

Those are the basics of an alignment station. Opening up and closing out your practice sessions with a drill like this for as little as 10 minutes with a mid-iron (six- to eight-iron) is a great way to maintain your body setup, your clubface at address and your clubface at impact (start line).

I believe it’s the small things that add up to make a big difference.

Check out other practice tips from the Team Canada coaches here

Follow @digingramgolf

This article was originally published in the Family Issue edition of Golf Canada Magazine. Click here to view the full magazine

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Mishits and errant shots could be the product of bad balance. Team Canada Head Physiotherapist and Strength Coach Greg Redman is here to help you improve your balance.

Balance, or kinesthetic awareness, is critical to a smooth, co-ordinated and efficient swing. Why? Because each golf swing requires millions of neurons to communicate effectively and with minimal error in the blink of an eye.

The accuracy and speed of this communication plays an important role in your optimal swing. The better your balance and kinesthetic awareness, the better your weight shift from setup to backswing to impact. As your balance improves, you reduce the need for unwanted compensatory movements, which inevitably lead to swing faults and errant shots.

Additionally as your kinesthetic awareness improves, the more likely each body part will accelerate and decelerate with optimal timing. For example, the pelvis accelerates and decelerates before the thoracic spine, which is before the shoulders and before the wrists.

These two exercises, as shown by Team Canada’s Hugo Bernard, will improve your balance and body awareness during the swing.

1. Airplane

With your arms reached out to your sides, stand on one foot, balance yourself and flex forward at the hip while lifting the opposite leg into extension. Try holding this airplane-like position and balance for 30 seconds. For a progression of this exercise, close your eyes and try to balance for 20 seconds without leaning to one side or flapping your arms around like a bird.

2. Twisties

While holding an iron out in front of your chest at shoulder height, balance on one leg. Begin by rotating from side to side, first slowly and not through the full range. Then, as you improve, progress to a full range of hip and trunk rotation. Finally, do so with increased speed until you reach the pace of your ideal tempo swing.

Completing these exercises three to four times a week for three to five minutes per day will provide the benefits of a smoother and more co-ordinated swing.

This article was originally published in the Family Issue edition of Golf Canada Magazine. Click here to view the full magazine

In support of RBC’s #Make150Count campaign, Team Canada Development Squad athletes did their part to help shape Canada’s future. Team Canada was proud to participate in the campaign, which provided thousands of young Canadians with $150, inspiring them to do something great with it in their communities.

On Victoria Day, Men’s Development Squad member Peyton Callens and brother Maddox of Langton, Ont., led a junior golf clinic at Delhi Golf and Country Club—their home course. Outfitted in Canadian gear, the juniors received a driving range session, putting lesson and nine holes of golf along with a complimentary lunch.

“We’re supposed to come up with our own way to give back and this is my way,” Callens told the Simcoe Reformer. ““It’s harder than it looks,” he said of giving lessons. “It just shows how good actual coaches are – (it takes) a lot of patience.”

On the women’s side, Team Canada’s Development Squad surprised the Westminster Elementary School in Brockville, Ont., on May 26 with a Golf in Schools kit for their physical education program. Athletes Monet Chun—recent winner of Future Links, driven by Acura Ontario Championship—and teammate Chloe Currie of Mississauga, Ont., delivered the kit with help from coach Ann Carroll.

The kit features age-appropriate golf equipment along with a seamless, industry-approved learning resource that helps teachers deliver life skills to students through the sport of golf. With the kit valued at $475, the Golf Canada Foundation proudly subsidized the remaining cost in support of RBC’s #Make150Count initiative.

Click here to learn more about the #Make150Count initiative.

Having played numerous sports during his childhood years, Stuart Macdonald would eventually find his true passion in the game of golf.

“Growing up, I started out playing baseball, soccer, tennis, badminton, squash and basically all the racquet sports,” recalled the Vancouver native.

However, ever since his mother, Susan, introduced him to golf, he has not looked back.

“My mom was the one who got me started in golf as she was a member at the Point Grey Golf & Country Club. Golf was the last sport that I picked up; but it was the one that I stuck with,” pointed out Macdonald, a second-year member of Team Canada’s National Amateur Squad.

“I would’ve been around 12 years old when I stopped playing other sports and fully dedicated myself to golf. I just really enjoyed it and wanted to go to the golf course everyday to get better.”

Macdonald still remembers a defining victory as a teenager that opened his eyes to his potential in the sport.

“When I was 15 or 16, I won the Vancouver Open and having my name on that trophy along with names like Nick Taylor and Eugene Wong and Adam Svensson was really cool,” he recalled.

“That victory gave me the motivation to keep on playing; and it made me really strive to reach the same level as those guys.”

Macdonald says the quest for excellence on the golf course has required plenty of discipline along the way.

“You definitely had to sacrifice a part of your social life. When I was growing up – from the sixth grade until the twelfth grade – I would always turn down parties or hanging out with friends in order to work on my golf game.”

Another sacrifice made by Macdonald involved moving away from family and friends; and relocating to Florida in order to train in favourable climate conditions year round.

As he explains, the decision to relocate to Florida worked out for the best.

“I went to a school in Florida my last two years of high school and my coach there happened to know the coach at Purdue at the time; and I was able to get a walk on spot on the team. And eventually after about half a year, I earned a spot in the lineup,” he pointed out.

Macdonald—who graduated in December of 2016—recorded seven top ten finishes during his collegiate career, including a fourth place tie at the Boilermaker Invitational in his sophomore year.

Another notable highlight came in his junior year when he was named Big Ten Golfer of the Week after recording a 10th place finish at the Puerto Rico Classic.

Macdonald’s success as a Boilermaker would earn him spot on the Canadian National Amateur Squad in 2015.  Currently in his third year as part of the national team, Macdonald says he’s extremely grateful to be part of the program.

“Everyone from the coaches to the physiotherapist, sports psychologist and nutritionist that they have on staff does an unbelievable job. Being on the team has opened so many doors for me and has allowed me to play in a lot of tournaments that I wouldn’t have otherwise been able to play in,” he said.

“Those experiences have definitely been important for me to get to where I am today,” added Macdonald, who describes his game as “not long or flashy, but consistent in all aspects.”

According to national team head coach, Derek Ingram, the Vancouver golfer has made great strides.

“Stu has progressed really well.  His habits now are first class and he’s getting better and better.  He’s super coachable and a smart kid and a great teammate,” said Ingram.

Macdonald’s recent success is proving that he is a talented young golfer on the rise.

In March, the 22-year-old finished in a tie for ninth spot at the Mackenzie Tour-PGA TOUR Canada Qualifying School, and in the process, secured status for the upcoming season.

And just last month, his consistent all around game allowed him to capture the Peruvian International Amateur Championship.

“I would say that I haven’t had a lot of success at the amateur level. I’ve played well but I haven’t had many big wins and to win this event gives me a lot of confidence and obviously my family and friends were really happy for me,” said Macdonald about his recent triumph in Peru, where he won both the individual and team event.

Ingram commends Macdonald on his breakthrough victory in Peru; and predicts a bright future ahead for the young Vancouver golfer.

“Huge win for Stu; it’s his biggest so far. It’s great for his confidence and he’s starting to realize how good he is,” said Ingram.

“If he continues to play his game, he will have many more chances to win.”

Looking ahead, the ambitious 22-year-old has his sights set on competing and winning at the highest level.

“In five years, I see myself on the PGA TOUR. I know life of a pro golfer doesn’t always go as expected; but my goal in five years is to be one of the top Canadians out there and just living the dream,” he said. “I really believe I can play at that level.”

For now, the Mackenzie Tour-PGA TOUR Canada rookie is focused on his upcoming pro debut on June 1^st.

And it’s only fitting that will take place where it all began more than a decade ago – at the Point Grey Golf & Country Club in Vancouver where he was first introduced to the sport by his mother.

“I’m really excited and looking forward to playing at my home course and getting my pro career started there,” said Macdonald.

“It’s where I first learned to play and where I grew my passion for the game – so it’s really sort of fitting to make my pro debut there in front of family and friends.”