Golf Ontario is excited to announce the 2023 Team Ontario athletes, which features the top young golfers in the province. Featuring 14 members Team Ontario will have a strong squad heading into the 2023 competitive season. Five members will return from the 2022 team, and will be eagerly joined by nine new athletes.
The five returning athletes include Emma Hansen (Blue Springs Golf Club), Krystal Li (Summit Golf & Country Club), Zach Smith (Brampton Golf & Country Club), Isaiah Ibit (Camelot Golf & Country Club) and Luke Smith (The Thornhill Club) all of whom enjoyed a strong 2022 season. These Team Ontario veterans had some great achievements in 2022, including a win at the Golf Ontario Junior Tour Championship for Zach Smith and Luke Smith finishing the season as the top Ontario Junior Boy on the Junior Golf Pathway Rankings.
Joining the team on the female side are five elite players, who all had a top level 2022 championship season. The top ranked Ontario Junior Girl in 2022, Kelly Zhao (Station Creek Golf Club), and 2022 Ontario Women’s Four Ball Champion, Alexa Ouellet (Weston Golf and Country Club) will be joining the program. Alongside them is Joline Truong, Aryn Matthews (Bigwin Island Golf Club) and Emily McKee (St. George’s Golf and Country Club) who capped off her season in the same fashion as teammate Zach Smith with a win at the Ontario Junior Tour Championship.
New athletes to the Team on the boy’s side include four players with some strong achievements over the course of this past season. Perhaps, the most impressive end to the season was from Marshall Bath (Oshawa Golf and Curling Club) finishing his season with a top 4 at the Ontario Juvenile Boys Championship and a T3 at the Ontario Junior Tour Championship. Also joining the team are Graydon Laughlin (Ottawa Hunt and Golf Club), who was runner up at the Ontario Junior Tour Championship, as well as Jordan Hwang (Emerald Hills Golf & Country Club) and Ryan Zhao (Bayview Golf & Country Club) who both found themselves finish the season inside the top 10 of the Under 17 Junior Golf Pathway Rankings.
Team Ontario will be led by Head Provincial Coach, PGA of Canada Class “A” professional Reggie Millage. With a focus on the team’s vision, mission, and values aimed at inspiring lifelong excellence. This is Coach Millage’s 10th season as Coach of Team Ontario and he had this to say about the new team. “This year we had a large number of athletes move on to focus on NCAA golf and that opened the door for 9 new Team members. Every new cycle comes with excitement and energy but this group of athletes come to Team O with strong results already. That makes myself and the coaching staff very excited about helping this team reach new levels of performance. We have already witnessed at our first camp how much potential this group has. We think this might be one of the best squads we’ve seen.”
Coach Millage will work to help team members grow as golfers while also instilling habits that will lead to success throughout life. Additional support from the Integrated Support Team comprised of Dr. Nick Martichenko; Strength & Conditioning Coach and Dr. Charles Fitzsimmons; Sport Psychologist will help enhance the athletes’ skills through fitness, nutrition, and development of the mental side of the game.
With a heavy focus on training and athlete development, the Team Ontario program has been built to maximize the success of these athletes. This year, Team Ontario will be taking on a new off-season schedule aimed at providing more green grass training opportunities. Along with the Team’s first away camp at the International Junior Golf Academy at Bishop’s Gate, outside Orlando Florida from January 11th – 17th. Two more green grass camps will be introduced in February and March, with the Can Am Matches in South Carolina wrapping things up for the team as they look ahead to spring 2023.
Congratulations to all of the 2023 Team Ontario members. Golf Ontario, along with our members, volunteers, and partners, look forward to cheering the team on throughout the 2023 competitive season.
About Team Ontario
The Team Ontario program is a unique opportunity for identified athletes in Ontario. These athletes can expect to receive the very best in coaching services, training/competitive opportunities, and peer support as they continue their journey towards excellence in golf and life. Being selected to be part of the Team Ontario program is a tremendous accomplishment but the hard work and dedication doesn’t end at selection. The Team Ontario program places considerable emphasis on developing life long excellence in all facets. As such, athletes in the program will receive guidance on themes like time and self-management, strength and conditioning, sports psychology, nutrition, tactical strategies, and technical feedback.
Vision: Team Ontario will inspire lifelong excellence on and off the golf course
Mission: Leading the development of junior golfers to succeed in golf and in life
2023 Team Ontario Values: Respect, Commitment, Hard Working, Supportive
Team Ontario would like to thank partners TaylorMade and adidas, as official equipment and clothing providers.
