From Golf Canada
Golf Canada is proud to announce the 17 athletes who have been chosen to represent Team Canada as part of the 2019 National Amateur and Junior Squads.
In all, seven athletes comprise Team Canada’s National Amateur Squad including four players on the men’s team and three on the women’s team. The 10-member Junior Squad will include five women and five men.
“Golf Canada is pleased to select this outstanding group of elite athletes based on their remarkable performances this past season,” said Jeff Thompson, Golf Canada’s chief sport officer. “These squads are a product of an immersive training environment led by our head coaches alongside sport science staff, parents, the provincial high-performance programs along with member clubs. They will be fantastic representatives of Canada on the global golf stage.”
From February through early June, the 10-member Junior Squad will be based out of Golf Canada’s National Training Centre at Bear Mountain Golf Resort in Victoria—the second year the program has provided centralized training, accommodation and education for athletes during their high school second semester. Team members will be immersed in a focused centre of excellence, surrounded by world-class technical coaching staff and experts in the areas of mental performance, physiotherapy, biomechanics and nutrition.
The following athletes have been selected to Team Canada’s 2019 Amateur Squad:
WOMEN’S NATIONAL AMATEUR SQUAD
- Jaclyn Lee, Calgary, Alta., Glencoe Golf & Country Club (21)
- Naomi Ko, Victoria, B.C., Royal Colwood Golf Club (21)
- Brigitte Thibault, Rosemère, Que., Club Laval-sur-le-Lac (19)
MEN’S NATIONAL AMATEUR SQUAD
- Joey Savoie, La Prairie, Que., Pinegrove Country Club (24)
- Chris Crisologo, Richmond, B.C., Marine Drive Golf Club (22)
- Josh Whalen, Napanee, Ont., Napanee Golf & Country Club (23)
- Brendan MacDougall, Calgary, Alta., Glencoe Golf & Country Club (20)
Complete National Amateur Squad bios can be found here.
The following athletes have been selected to Team Canada’s 2019 Junior Squad:
WOMEN’S JUNIOR SQUAD
- Céleste Dao, Notre-Dame-de-l’Île-Perrot, Que., Summerlea Golf & Country Club (17)
- Ellie Szeryk, Allen, Tex., Ontario Public Player (17)
- Emily Zhu, Richmond Hill, Ont., National Pines Golf Club (14)
- Sarah Beqaj, Toronto, Ont., Toronto Golf Club (16)
- Monet Chun, Richmond Hill, Ont., Summit Golf & Country Club (17)
MEN’S JUNIOR SQUAD
- Laurent Desmarchais, Longueuil, Que., Club de golf La Vallée du Richelieu (17)
- Christopher Vandette, Beaconsfield, Que., Summerlea Golf & Country Club (17)
- Jeevan Sihota, Victoria, B.C., Gorge Vale Golf Club (14)
- Olivier Ménard, Salaberry-de-Valleyfield, Que., (18)
- Kai Iguchi, Banff, Alta., Banff Springs Golf Club (18)
Complete Junior Squad player bios can be found here.
TEAM CANADA COACHING STAFF ANNOUNCED
Golf Canada is pleased to announce the 2019 Team Canada coaching staff that will support both the National Amateur and Junior Squads.
On the men’s side, Derek Ingram of Winnipeg, Man. returns as Men’s Amateur Squad Head Coach. Robert Ratcliffe of Comox, B.C. will be leading the Men’s Junior Squad.
On the women’s side, Tristan Mullally of Waterdown, Ont., returns as Women’s Amateur Squad Head Coach. Matt Wilson, from Newmarket, Ont., will oversee the Women’s Junior Squad.
Wilson, who also works as Golf Canada’s director of next generation performance, will resume leadership of the Junior Squad centralized program at Bear Mountain alongside Ratcliffe.
“Derek and Tristan have had tremendous success with Team Canada athletes and the evolution of our national team program will see Robert and Matt play a more significant role through the centralized training environment at Bear Mountain,” added Thompson. “We are excited to build on the success of Team Canada’s new centralized program in helping our young stars make the jump to the next level in their careers.”
Mullally, Ingram, Ratcliffe and Wilson are all Class “A” professionals with the PGA of Canada.
The 2019 Team Canada Young Pro Squad athlete selection is expected in December.
