From Golf Canada
– Team Canada program to feature nine amateur and nine junior squad athletes –
Many Ontario athletes will represent Canada
OAKVILLE, Ont. – Golf Canada is pleased to announce the names of the 18 athletes, male and female, who have been selected to represent Team Canada as part of the 2020 National Amateur and Junior Squads.
Nine athletes will compete for Team Canada’s National Amateur Squad, consisting of five players on the men’s squad and four on the women’s squad.
Team Canada’s 2020 Squad members have competed and achieved impressive results at regional, national and international competitions, including medals at the Pan-Am Games, NCAA Tournament wins and victories at prestigious amateur competitions.
“Golf Canada is thrilled to welcome an outstanding roster of elite athletes to represent Team Canada in 2020—they are truly deserving as evidenced by their strong performances this past season,” said Jeff Thompson, Golf Canada’s chief sport officer. “The athletes selected represent a mix of returning team members as well as talented up and coming athletes who have come through provincial or regional high-performance programs. Each of them will be fantastic ambassadors representing Canada on the global golf stage.”
The following athletes have been selected to Team Canada’s 2020 Amateur Squad:
Men’s Amateur Squad
Étienne Papineau | St-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Qué. – Club de golf Pinegrove
Cougar Collins | Caledon, Ont. – TPC Toronto at Osprey Valley
Sam Meek | Peterborough, Ont. – Public Player
Brendan MacDougall* | Calgary, Alta. – Glencoe Golf and Country Club
Noah Steele | Kingston, Ont. – Cataraqui Golf and Country Club
Women’s Amateur Squad
Brigitte Thibault* | Rosemère, Qué. – Club de golf de Rosemère
(2019 Ontario Women’s Am Champ)
Mary Parsons | Delta, BC – Mayfair Lakes Golf Club
Sarah-Ève Rhéaume | Québec, Qué. – Club de golf Royal Québec
Noémie Paré | Victoriaville, Qué. – Club de golf de Victoriaville
Click here to read full player bios.
The National Junior Squad—a U19 program—also features nine athletes (four women and five men).
From February through early June, the nine-member Junior Squad will practice out of Golf Canada’s National Training Centre at Bear Mountain Golf Resort in Victoria—the third year that the program has provided centralized training, accommodation and education for athletes during the second semester of their high school year. 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 2020 Junior Squad:
Junior Boys Squad
Laurent Desmarchais* | Longueuil, Qué. – Club de golf de la Vallée du Richelieu
Jace Minni | Delta, BC – Beach Grove Golf and Country Club
JP Parr | St-Célestin, Qué. – Club de golf Ki-8-eb Golf
Bennett Ruby | Waterloo, Ont. – Westmount Golf and Country Club
Malik Dao | Notre-Dame-de-l’Île-Perrot, Qué. – Summerlea Golf and Country Club
Junior Girls Squad
Emily Zhu* | Richmond Hill, Ont. – National Pines Golf Club
Angela Arora | Surrey, BC – Beach Grove Golf and Country Club
Angel (Mu Chen) Lin | Surrey, BC – Morgan Creek Golf Club
Monet Chun* | Richmond Hill, Ont. – Summit Golf Club
*Denotes 2019 National Team returning members
Click here to read full player bios.
Team Canada Coaching Staff Announced
Golf Canada is pleased to announce the 2020 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 lead the Junior Boy’s Squad.
On the women’s side, Tristan Mullally of Dundas, Ont., returns as Women’s Amateur Squad Head Coach. Matt Wilson, from Newmarket, Ont., will oversee the Junior Girls’ Squads.
Wilson, who doubles as Golf Canada’s director of next generation performance, will resume leadership of the Junior Squad centralized program at Bear Mountain, alongside Ratcliffe.
The Men’s and Women’s Amateur Squads will each be adding an assistant coach to support the high-performance needs of the program and athletes. Candidates will be chosen in January.
“Derek and Tristan have had tremendous success with Team Canada athletes and the evolution of our national team program will see Robert and Matt continue in their significant role of leading the centralized training program at Bear Mountain,” added Thompson. “We look forward to expanding our roster of coaches and building on the success of Team Canada to help more of our elite level golfers realize their fullest potential.”
Mullally, Ingram, Ratcliffe and Wilson are all Class “A” professionals with the PGA of Canada.
Golf Canada expects to announce the selection of the 2020 Team Canada Young Pro Squad in December.
ABOUT CANADA’S NATIONAL TEAM PROGRAM
Canada’s National Amateur Team program incorporates advanced coaching, sport science expertise, training camps and world-class competition. Golf Canada allocates over $1.5 million of its resources annually to the National Team program, encompassing strength and conditioning, sports psychology, nutrition, biomechanics and technique development. Players who are selected to the National Amateur and National Developmental Squads represent Canada at six to 10 internationally-sanctioned golf competitions throughout the year. The intent of this comprehensive program is to aid Canada’s top up-and-coming amateur players in all areas of their development, helping Canada produce the best golfers in the world.
Team Canada, the pinnacle of Golf Canada’s High Performance Program, provides access to world-class resources including coaching, nutrition, sport science, mental management, equipment and elite competitive opportunities. The program builds on the support team members have received in their development years from their family, member clubs, personal coaches, university programs and provincial golf associations. Golf Canada’s High Performance Program and Team Canada are proudly supported by RBC, Canadian Pacific, Audi, adidas Golf, Titleist, FootJoy, ClubLink, Heritage Canada, Bear Mountain Resort, Foresight Sports and the Canadian Olympic Committee.
For more information about Team Canada or to make a donation towards the development of Canada’s future golf stars, please visit www.golfcanada.ca/team-canada.
GOLF CANADA
Golf Canada is the National Sports Federation and governing body for golf in Canada representing 319,000 golfers and 1,400 member clubs across the country. A proud member of the Canadian Olympic Committee, Golf Canada’s mission is to increase Canadian participation and excellence in golf. By investing in the growth of the sport and introducing more participants of all ages to the game, our vision is to be a world leader in golf. For more information about what Golf Canada is doing to support golf in your community, visit www.golfcanada.ca.
Media Contact:
Dan Pino
Senior Director, Communications
Golf Canada
(m) 416-434-5525
(e) dpino@golfcanada.ca
