KAMLOOPS, B.C. – The final round of the 2016 CN Future Links Pacific Championship at The Dunes at Kamloops Golf Club unfolded in much the same way as the previous two – with the Junior Boys and Junior Girls fields in pursuit of Tony Gil and Mary Parsons. Neither would be caught as the pair completed wire-to-wire victories to open Golf Canada’s championship season.

Team Canada Men’s Development Squad member Tony Gil matched his opening-round 66 with another six-birdie performance. “I managed myself really well, strategically and mentally,” said the product of Vaughan, Ont. “Tee to green, I was really solid. I made a couple of long putts for birdie. Overall this week, my ball-striking was on point. I only made two bogeys which was quite nice. I’m pretty happy with how I played.”

The significance of the victory was not lost upon Gil. “This is my last CN Future Links event, so it means a lot to cap it off with a win. This was a huge confidence booster. To know that I’m shooting that low – this experience will be really useful for the World Junior coming up.” The Toyota Junior Golf World Cup will take place at Chukyo Golf Club in Toyota, Japan from June 11-17.

The 18-year-old Gil finished 16-under 200 – 10-strokes clear of Conaire Kehoe of Calgary, who tallied five birdies to match the 69 he posted on the first day. Two Calgarians finished tied for third at 5-under: Brendan MacDougall, who carded a 68, and Development Squad member Alexander Smith, who made four birdies, including three across a bogey-free back nine.

When asked about her play throughout the tournament, Mary Parsons credited her preparedness for the victory. “I felt I played pretty well. I stuck to my game plan and didn’t try to change anything out on the course.”

“I really wanted to start the (Golf Canada) season off strong because I’ve had a bunch of Top-5 finishes in the season openers,” added the 16-year-old when reflecting on the importance of the win. “I really wanted to make this one count because I want to make Team Canada this year. I just played my game and I just wanted to have a good showing this week.”

Entering the final round, Parsons from Delta, B.C., held a six-shot advantage over Team Canada Development Squad member Chloe Currie of Mississauga, Ont. Parsons finished with four birdies on the day to hold off Currie, who was unable to catch the leader despite a seven-birdie 3-under 69. Fellow National Team member Grace St-Germain surged up the leaderboard with a bogey-free 5-under performance to finish T3 alongside British Columbians Sumie Francois of Burnaby and Amanda Minni of Delta.

All competitors within the Top-6 in the Junior Girls division have earned exemptions into the 2016 Canadian Junior Girls Championship from August 2-5 at The Links at Penn Hills in Shubenacadie, N.S. Joining Parsons in playing their way into the national amateur championship were Currie, St-Germain, Francois, Minni and Courtenay, B.C., native Abigail Rigsby.

As the competition’s top-six finishers, Gil, Kehoe, MacDougall, Smith, Chandler McDowell (Springbrook, Alta.) and Gavin Ciulla (Surrey, B.C.) have earned entry into the 2016 Canadian Junior Boys Championship. McDowell claimed his exemption on the first playoff hole, while Ciulla emerged victorious on the third extra hole. The national amateur championship will be hosted by Clovelly Golf Club in St. John’s, N.L., from August 1-4.

Tony Gil (Chuck Russell/ Golf Canada)

Five additional CN Future Links Championships will cross the country this summer:

• May 27-29 – CN Future Links Ontario – Midland, Ont. – Midland Golf & Country Club
• June 3-5 – CN Future Links Quebec – Beauceville, Que. – Club de golf Beauceville
• June 10-12 – CN Future Links Prairie – Neepawa, Man. – Neepawa Golf & Country Club
• July 4-6 – CN Future Links Western – Medicine Hat, Alta. – Medicine Hat Golf & Country Club
• July 12-14 – CN Future Links Atlantic – Fairview, P.E.I. – Countryview Golf Club

Additional information regarding the 2016 CN Future Links Pacific Championship can be found here.

KAMLOOPS, B.C. – Blue skies and a beaming sun set the stage for the second round of the CN Future Links Pacific Championship. Mary Parsons and Tony Gil continued their fine play at The Dunes at Kamloops Golf Club, as each extended their leads atop their respective divisions.

Mary Parsons collected five birdies, including two across a bogey-free back nine, to reach 3-under 69 on the day. The native of Delta, B.C., is now 9-under for the tournament and tops the Junior Girls Division by six strokes. Team Canada Development Squad member and Mississauga, Ont., native Chloe Currie maintained her hold on second with a 1-under second-round performance that included five birdies.

An eagle and five birdies propelled Amanda Minni, also of Delta, B.C., from T6 into third-place at 2-under. Sumie Francois from Burnaby, B.C., collected seven birdies to card the low-round of the day – a 5-under 67.

Women’s Development Squad members Tiffany Kong (Vancouver) and Grace St-Germain (Orleans, Ont.) are tied for seventh at 3-over 147 alongside former teammate Alisha Lau of Richmond, B.C. Fellow British Columbians Hannah Lee of Surrey and Kathrine Chan of Richmond round out the National Team contingent and sit T12.

Tony Gil of Vaughan, Ont., opened the second round with consecutive birdies and would go on to collect four more en route a 4-under 68 performance. The Team Canada Men’s Development Squad member is four strokes clear of Surrey, B.C., product Po Su. The 16-year-old Su tallied nine birdies on the day to climb into second after beginning the round at T24. Ethan Choi of Pincher Creek, Alta., is third after shooting 69.

Calgary’s Alexander Smith, a member of the Men’s Development Squad, shot 68 to move into a tie for sixth. Completing the Team Canada quartet in attendance are A.J. Ewart of Coquitlam, B.C., and Charles-Éric Bélanger of Quebec, who are T14 and T29, respectively.

The top six competitors in the Junior Boys division will receive exemptions into the 2016 Canadian Junior Boys Championship from August 1-4 at Clovelly Golf Club in St. John’s, N.L. In the case of ties, exemptions will be awarded via a hole-by-hole playoff. All finishers within the Top-6, including ties, in the Junior Girls division will gain exemptions into the Canadian Junior Girls Championship to be played at The Links at Penn Hills in Shubenacadie, N.S., from August 2-5.

The final round of competition will see the Junior Boys Division begin the day at 7 a.m. PT before the Junior Girls take to the course at 11 a.m. PT. Additional information, including start times and scoring, is available here.

KAMLOOPS, B.C. – The Pacific edition of the CN Future Links Championships opened Golf Canada’s 2016 competitive season today at The Dunes at Kamloops Golf Club. Tony Gil and Mary Parsons each shot rounds of 6-under 66 to lead the Junior Boys and Junior Girls Divisions, respectively.

Gil, who is beginning his third year as a member of Team Canada’s Development Squad, tallied four straight birdies between holes seven to 10 en route to a bogey-free round. The native of Vaughan, Ont., holds a three-stroke lead over Khan Lee of Surrey, B.C., who sits T2 alongside Calgarian Conaire Kehoe at 3-under. Kehoe, notched an eagle and four birdies on the day, including three across a bogey-free back nine.

Four players are tied for fourth, including Development Squad member A.J. Ewart. The 17-year-old bogeyed the third hole, but added three birdies on the day to reach 2-under. A product of Coquitlam, B.C., Ewart sits knotted with British Columbians Michael Crisologo (Richmond) and Gavin Ciulla (Surrey), as well as Ethan Choi of Pincher Creek, Alta.

Completing the Men’s Development Squad contingent are Alexander Smith of Calgary and Charles-Éric Bélanger of Quebec. Smith sits T24 at 1-over while Bélanger is T44 after an opening-round 76.

Delta, B.C., native Mary Parsons notched an eagle on the par-5 second hole and added eight birdies to finish with a 66. The 16-year-old is four shots clear of two members of Team Canada’s Women’s Development Squad: Chloe Currie of Mississauga, Ont., and Tiffany Kong of Vancouver. The pair each collected three birdies on the day and were bogey-free across their final 14 holes.

Two British Columbians – Tiegan Taylor of Kelowna and Abigail Rigsby of Courtenay – carded rounds of 1-over 73 to open the tournament at T4. Taylor collected a trio of birdies on the day, while Rigsby’s bogey on the final hole broke her string of 17-straight pars.

Grace St-Germain, who claimed the Junior Girls title at this event in 2015, is T6 at 2-over-par. British Columbians Kathrine Chan of Richmond and Hannah Lee of Surrey – who are T16 and T22 respectively – complete the quintet of Women’s Development Squad members at the event.

The top six finishers in the Junior Boys division will earn exemptions into the 2016 Canadian Junior Boys Championship at Clovelly Golf Club in St. John’s, N.L., from August 1-4. In the case of ties, exemptions will be decided via a hole-by-hole playoff. All competitors in the Top-6, including ties, in the Junior Girls division will gain exemptions into the Canadian Junior Girls Championship. The tournament will be conducted from August 2-5 at The Links at Penn Hills in Shubenacadie, N.S.

The second day of competition will see the Junior Girls Division tee-off at 7 a.m. before the Junior Boys take to the course at 8:50 a.m. Additional information, including pairings and up-to-date scoring is available here.

KAMLOOPS, B.C. – Golf Canada’s 2016 competitive season will begin with the Pacific edition of the CN Future Links Championships. Hosted at The Dunes at Kamloops Golf Club in Kamloops, B.C., the competition spanning May 13-15 will feature a field of the nation’s top junior-aged golfers.

The CN Future Links Pacific Championship is the first in a series of six junior competitions presented in partnership with CN. The 54-hole stroke play tournament will begin with a practice round on Thursday, May 12 before the competition gets underway. Founded in 1996, The Dunes at Kamloops is an excellent example of the craft and care that are characteristic of course architect Graham Cooke’s designs.

“Golf Canada could not be more pleased to open the 2016 championship season in Kamloops. The CN Future Links Championships are fantastic platforms for Canada’s premier junior golfers to showcase their skills,” said Tournament Director Dan Hyatt. “The Dunes at Kamloops is in tremendous shape and we look forward to seeing this strong field challenge the course.”

Team Canada’s Development Squad will be well-represented at the season-opening event. The National Team contingent will be led by Grace St-Germain of Orleans, Ont., who will be on-hand to defend the 2015 Pacific Championship title she earned at Pheasant Glen Golf Resort in Qualicum Beach, B.C. The 17-year-old will be joined by the four remaining members of the Women’s Squad: British Columbians Hannah Lee (Surrey), Kathrine Chan (Richmond) and Tiffany Kong (Vancouver), as well as Mississauga, Ont., native Chloe Currie.

Four of the five members of the Men’s Development Squad – Tony Gil (Vaughan, Ont.), Alexander Smith (Calgary), Charles-Éric Bélanger (Quebec) and A.J. Ewart (Coquitlam, B.C.) – will attempt to make it two consecutive years in which a National Team player has claimed the Pacific title after Waterloo, Ont., product Trevor Ranton claimed victory last year.

Five additional CN Future Links Championships will span the country this summer:

• May 27-29 – CN Future Links Ontario – Midland, Ont. – Midland Golf & Country Club
• June 3-5 – CN Future Links Québec – Beauceville, Que. – Club de golf Beauceville
• June 10-12 – CN Future Links Prairie – Neepawa, Man. – Neepawa Golf & Country Club
• July 4-6 – CN Future Links Western – Medicine Hat, Alta. – Medicine Hat Golf & Country Club
• July 12-14 – CN Future Links Atlantic – Fairview, P.E.I. – Countryview Golf Club

The top six finishers in the Junior Boys division will gain exemptions into the 2016 Canadian Junior Boys Championship to be contested August 1-4 at Clovelly Golf Club in St. John’s, N.L. In the case of ties, exemptions will be decided via hole-by-hole playoff. All players within the Top-6, including ties, in the Junior Girls division will each earn entry into this year’s Canadian Junior Girls Championship, hosted by The Links at Penn Hills in Shubenacadie, N.S., from August 2-5.

Prior to the championship on Wednesday, May 11, Golf Canada and Special Olympics Canada will hold a regional competition in promotion of Special Olympics golf. This event will provide a specific focus on the growth and development of a relatively new branch of the sport. A field of 24 local athletes will compete over nine holes. Following the event, a PGA of Canada professional will conduct a Special Olympics coaches and athletes clinic to review the morning’s key learnings.

Additional information regarding the 2016 CN Future Links Pacific Championship, including participants, start times and up-to-date results can be found here.

TORONTO – Alena Sharp tried not to think about the Rio Olympics last year when she was among a pack of players in the mix for one of two spots on the Canadian women’s team.

Since then she has raised her game and her ranking, making herself a virtual lock to be named to the squad this summer along with world No. 5 Brooke Henderson.

“I just kept on it and played really well last year and distanced myself,” Sharp said.

The 35-year-old Hamilton native made 21 of 26 cuts last year. She had two top-10 finishes and was 65th on the money list, her highest position since 2010.

Sharp is off to a decent start again this year, posting her best result of the season last week at the Yokohama Tire LPGA Classic with a tie for 22nd place. She’s currently 121st in the world rankings but holds the No. 37 position in the Olympic rankings of eligible golfers for the 60-player field.

Sharp’s excitement level about the Games has been on a steady rise of late, stoked by her steady play and the regular Olympic commercials she sees on television. She was on hand Wednesday at Lambton Golf and Country Club as Golf Canada unveiled the national team uniforms for the Rio Games.

“It’s just more of a realization,” Sharp said. “To represent Canada and wear the red and white and to see these uniforms today, it’s an amazing dream that’s going to come true.”

Sharp’s game appears well-suited for the Olympic Golf Course in Rio’s Barra da Tijuca district. The 18-hole course will be 6,500 yards for the Aug. 17-20 women’s competition, which should give a big hitter like Sharp an edge.

“She’s been one of the longer players for a long time,” said Canadian women’s team coach Tristan Mullally. “It’s a golf course that will require some precision off the tee but you’ve also got to be long enough to give yourself chances. The par fives are long and the par fours, you’re going to be hitting a long fairway wood in. So that gives her an advantage. It’s certainly going to be super-windy.

“We’ve worked with her game over the last nine months (to a year) _ not necessarily for the wind, but just in general _ (to) try to be a little more solid and have some more variety with shots. That’s going to play when it is windy.”

Sharp plans to take next week off before playing in eight tournaments in a row, capped by the Women’s British Open near London in late July. The windy conditions there should help ahead of Rio as well.

“I’ve done well in the wind this year and in the past I haven’t,” she said. “So I already see my game suiting it.”

Sharp is 25th on the LPGA Tour in driving distance with an average of 265.56 yards.

“I think looking ahead she’s starting to see how good her game is,” Mullally said. “She’s almost been under-achieving up until now.

“I’m excited to see where she goes.”

Sharp and Henderson – who’s expected to be a medal contender – essentially have the women’s spots nailed down. The two men’s spots could go down to the wire in early July with several players in the mix.

“Everybody knows about the Olympics,” Sharp said. “Maybe not everybody knows about golf’s majors because they don’t follow golf. But everybody knows about the Olympics and I think it’s a huge thing to be a part of. It’s something on my resume. No one can ever take that away from me. When I’m older, I can say I was an Olympian.

“To go there and do well and to possibly win a medal, that would be something that would be huge on my bucket list and obviously one of the biggest accomplishments I could probably ever have.”

TORONTO – Today, Golf Canada and Hudson’s Bay Company unveiled the uniform that Team Canada golfers will wear when golf makes its historic return to the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Unmistakably Canadian with an inspiration that balances tradition, style and strength, the scripting will feature the Canadian Olympic Team mark along with the iconic red Maple Leaf that Canadian athletes have proudly donned in international competition.

“We are excited to partner with Hudson’s Bay in outfitting our Team Canada golfers this summer in Rio de Janeiro,” said Scott Simmons, CEO of Golf Canada. “Golf’s return to the Olympic Games represents an exciting time for our sport both domestically in Canada and globally. With less than 100 days until the start of the golf competition, the momentum is building and there will be an incredible sense of pride to see our Team Canada golfers don the maple leaf during the 2016 Olympic Games.”

The release of the clothing that will adorn Canada’s four athletes—two men and two women—in Rio is specifically logoed to comply with regulations set out by the International Olympic Committee and International Golf Federation.

Canada is proud to enter the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro as the ‘defending golf champion’ when the sport makes its long-awaited return to the Olympic stage following a 112-year hiatus. Canadian George S. Lyon of Toronto, an honoured member of the Canadian Golf Hall of Fame—made history at the 1904 Olympic Games in St. Louis, Missouri when at the age of 46 he captured Olympic gold—the last time the sport was featured in Olympic competition.

“We are thrilled to be the official outfitter for Golf Canada’s National Team and excited to dress our athletes on the field of play during a competition for the first time”, said Liz Rodbell, President, Hudson’s Bay.  “Hudson’s Bay is dedicated to supporting Canada’s up and coming golfers competing on the international stage and has committed to 10% of sales proceeds from the Golf Canada collection to support the national team program.”

Golf fans looking to cheer on Team Canada can purchase a collection of polos, T’s, jackets, pants, shorts and more at Hudson’s Bay stores across Canada and online at thebay.com. Prices range from $29.99 – $99.99.

A field of 120 golfers—60 men and 60 women—will be selected for the Olympic golf competition based on the World Golf Rankings as of July 11, 2016.

The golf program for the 2016 Olympic Games gets underway on August 11 with the men’s competition running August 11-14 followed by the women’s competition August 17-20.

World No. 1 Lydia Ko will have some Canadian Ko-mpany at this summer’s U.S. Women’s Open. Victoria, B.C.’s Naomi Ko — no relation — has qualified to play in the biggest event in women’s golf. And it wasn’t easy.

Ko, an 18-year-old member of Canada’s national golf team who just completed her freshman year at North Carolina State University, topped a field of 48 players to earn the only spot up for grabs at a sectional qualifier Monday at The Home Course in Dupont, Wash., south of Tacoma.

Ko shot rounds of 74 and 67 to post a 36-hole score of three-under 141 and topped the field by two shots. She made four birdies on the back nine of her second round to overtake Caroline Inglis of the University of Oregon.

Now she prepares to play in the U.S. Women’s Open, which goes July 7-10 at CordeValle Golf Course in San Martin, Calif.

Ko had made three previous attempts to qualify for the U.S. Open.

“I’ve played in a lot of U.S. Open qualifiers before and never played well,” she told the Tacoma News Tribune after her round. “I just think it was because of my lack of experience, and being around (professionals) and not feeling … as good as them.

“This means a lot,” Ko said. “It will be something I can work toward throughout the summer, and have a goal.”

After three years on Golf Canada’s national development squad, Ko was named to the national team earlier this year. Last year, she tied for second at the Ontario Women’s Amateur, placed third at the Canadian Junior, tied for fifth at the B.C. Women’s Amateur and made it to the quarter-finals of the U.S. Junior Girls Championship. Ko won the 2014 B.C. Junior Girls title.

Ko, who plays out of Royal Colwood Golf Club, was named Sport B.C.’s Junior Female Athlete of the Year for 2014.

TORONTO – After a strong performance at the Winter Olympics, the Canadian Olympic Committee is sticking with a wintry theme for its Rio 2016 brand campaign.

The COC launched the “Ice In Our Veins” campaign Wednesday morning with the Summer Olympics just 100 days away. Tennis star Milos Raonic, sprinter Justyn Warner and diver Jennifer Abel are some of the athletes included in the spots, which were shot on a beach along Georgian Bay.

The campaign, which includes a 60-second, 30-second and series of 10-second spots, was unveiled on the Canadian team’s digital channels and via athletes’ social media channels.

With a narrator providing a dramatic reading and a tense sound bed running underneath, athletes can be seen walking and posing on the beach. A fire and ice theme runs throughout the spot, designed to highlight that the icy landscape helps strengthen will and determination.

“We want to inspire Canadians, our athletes, our partners,” said COC chief marketing officer Derek Kent. “We want people to rally behind Team Canada. They work so hard behind the scenes, out of the spotlight in between the Games.

“It’s time to start telling the athletes’ stories and that’s what this campaign does.”

The COC used a “We Are Winter” campaign for the 2014 Sochi Olympics. Canada finished fourth in the overall standings with 25 medals (10 gold, 10 silver, five bronze).

Canada won just one gold medal at the 2012 London Games and finished with 18 medals overall (five silver, 12 bronze).

A wider campaign launch is scheduled for July 1. The Rio Olympics begin Aug. 5.

Golf returns to the Olympic Games for the first time since 1904 in Rio. Players on both the men’s and women’s side of the game will be fighting for one of 60 spots in their respective fields.

Players will compete for their country in a 72-hole individual stroke play competition. In the event of a tie for first, second or third place, a play-off or multiple playoffs shall be conducted to determine the gold, silver and bronze medal.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has restricted the International Golf Federation (IGF) to an Olympic field of 60 players. The Rolex Women’s World Golf Rankings will be used to determine the Olympics golf rankings. The top 15 world-ranked players will be eligible for the Olympics, with a limit of four players from a given country. Beyond the top 15, players will be eligible based on the world rankings, with a maximum of two eligible players from each country that does not already have two or more players among the top 15. The qualification period ends July 11, 2016.

Building the new golf course in Rio de Janeiro in time for the Olympics once was considered the biggest obstacle.

Now there’s a new problem facing golf – getting some of the stars to play it.

The perception is worse than reality. It’s not like golf won’t have its best players in Rio the first full week in August because Jordan Spieth, Jason Day and Rory McIlroy have said they’re going, and they’re the best three players in the world.

Still, it didn’t help the sport’s pampered image when four major champions said they won’t be competing for gold, silver, bronze or even pride.

Adam Scott was the biggest name to drop out and the least surprising. The first Australian to win a green jacket, and the No. 7 player in the world, Scott has been lukewarm to the Olympics all along and has said for more than a year that it wasn’t a priority.

Louis Oosthuizen, the sweet-swinging South African and British Open champion at St. Andrews, said he wasn’t going because of family and scheduling issues. That enabled Charl Schwartzel to move into position to play for South Africa, but only for a day. Schwartzel, the 2011 Masters champion, said he wasn’t going, either.

All are among the top 20 in the world.

The other dropout was Vijay Singh, who said the Olympics fell in a bad part of the golf schedule. That was more of a loss for Fiji, which won’t have a golfer in Rio because it doesn’t have any other players who have earned a ranking point in the last two years. Singh is a three-time major champion, former world No. 1 and a remarkable success story. He’s also 53 and hasn’t won in nearly eight years.

It’s easy to criticize these players because it’s rare in other Olympic sports for qualified athletes to stay home.

But golf isn’t like other Olympic sports, which is why it has been 112 years since it was part of the Olympic program. Canada’s George S. Lyon is the last gold medallist in golf and for years nothing more than a trivia question.

Golf ticks just about every box for Olympic values and virtues, especially with its global appeal. It misses the most important box, however, when it relates to the significance of winning a medal. It’s not the pinnacle of sport. It’s not even in the top five this year (with respect to The Players Championship, we’re talking about the four majors and the Ryder Cup).

Was it worth golf getting back into the Olympics? Absolutely. It does far more good than harm.

Officials are touting how much this will grow the game by the sheer audience of the Olympics and with governments funding the sport in countries where it is seldom played. Heroes are born in Olympic competition, and there’s no reason to believe golf – in time – will be any different.

Problems were to be expected, whether it was the format or full participation. (Golf does not having a team competition, and it might have changed the minds of some players not going.)

When a tight schedule is cited as a reason for not going, the officials carrying the Olympic torch for golf – mainly the PGA Tour – share the blame.

They have produced a schedule that causes them as little disruption as possible. If the Olympics were so important, could they not have done more to space out the biggest events that mean more to the players?

Instead, golf’s two oldest championship, the U.S. Open and the British Open, along with a World Golf Championship are played in a five-week stretch. If that’s not bad enough, the PGA Championship in New Jersey starts 10 days after the British Open in Scotland.

And when the Olympics are over, PGA Tour players have one week before the start of the FedEx Cup playoffs, the $35 million bonanza that the PGA Tour billed as the “new era in golf” before it chased a spot on the Olympic program. That’s four big tournaments in five weeks, with the Ryder Cup right behind it.

Most other sports spend the entire Olympic year building toward that one big moment. For golf, the Olympics are plopped in the middle of big moments.

The cutoff to qualify through the world ranking is July 11, meaning someone like Phil Mickelson could win the British Open and PGA Championship and be shut out of Rio. Here’s another scenario: There likely will be players – Brendon De Jonge of Zimbabwe comes to mind – who risk losing their PGA Tour cards by playing the Olympics.

The Olympics will do just fine without Scott, Oosthuizen and Schwartzel, and even a few others who may decide not to play. The depth of talent in golf is such that it can do without every eligible player in Rio.

Golf in the Olympic will still get the attention it deserves.

About the only thing that could change that is if Tiger Woods decides to play the John Deere Classic the week of the Olympics.

Listening intently as the guest of honour spoke, 19-year-old Maddie Szeryk was amazed by what she was hearing. The travel, the pressure, the fun — it was everything good, bad and ugly of professional golf. But what made the dialogue so fascinating was from whom it was being delivered: Alena Sharp.

Coming off a career season in 2015, the 10-year LPGA Tour veteran Sharp was visiting a national team training camp in Phoenix to chat with Canada’s next wave of golf talent. And Szeryk was all ears.

“We talked a lot about life on tour; finding a good caddie; she recommended a couple books for us to read; and just the whole mental part because she said it’s totally different from college to playing professional,” explained Szeryk. “You have to stay positive. You have to play well to make money.”

Szeryk has had no trouble playing well lately. She’s entering her second season as a member of Team Canada’s national squad, beginning the year inside the top 40 on the World Amateur Golf Ranking. Taking home the 2015 Investors Group Ontario Women’s Amateur — held at St. Thomas Golf & Country Club, a 20-minute drive for a large contingent of relatives in nearby London, Ont. — provided a big boost, not just for her ranking but for her confidence as well.

“It was really kind of a hometown thing so I had some family come out. I didn’t play very well in the first round and then kind of got up closer and, I think I shot three or four under the last day and won, so kind of came from behind.”

The 73-70-70-68 she posted for the victory delighted the four generations of family out on the golf course, which included aunts, uncles, cousins, grandparents and her 101-year- old great-grandfather.

While she considers London her Canadian home, Szeryk is a dual-citizen hailing from Allen, Texas. Her Canadian parents moved to the Lone Star State before planting their roots and starting a family. That hasn’t swayed her national pride though.

“I definitely love representing Canada more because that’s where my family is from,” said Szeryk, who proudly carries a Canadian passport.

Tristan Mullally, Team Canada’s national women’s coach, sees promise instead of nationality when observing Szeryk.

“Maddie is a soft spoken and polite young lady but on the course you can see her grittiness and determination to compete at her best,” he said. “Rarely does she give anything but 100 per cent when it comes to preparing and playing. She comes from a great family who push her to work hard but love her regardless of results.”

Along with her Ontario Amateur crown and a quarter-finals appearance at the Ladies British Open Amateur, Szeryk did most of her damage last season on the NCAA circuit representing Texas A&M University.

The Sports Management major burst onto the scene in her first year setting multiple school records and recording nine top-10 finishes for the Aggies. Arguably the team’s most consistent player, the teenager was named Women’s Golf Coaches Association Second Team All-American, All-SEC and the SEC Freshman of the Year. Winning the conference’s team championship — in which she was runner-up for medalist honours — superseded all the individual accolades.

“It was pretty awesome,” she reminisced. “We were kind of the underdogs going in but we all just played so well and we played great team golf. We’re all really close and we’re best friends and always cheer each other on but it was unreal to win. Especially me being a freshman, I was like ‘Oh my god, we won!’”

Working with Mullally, Szeryk has been able to grow into a more well-rounded player. She’s always considered herself to be a strong ball-striker with her weakness lying on the greens.

“I struggle with speed because normally I’m a pretty aggressive putter. So I’ll have like 10 feet and then maybe leaving four feet (coming back) and just learning from Tristan that if you’re hitting it that firm the chances of you making it goes down.”

“Maddie can get very aggressive,” added Mullally. “We have worked to temper this a little and have the correct speed regardless of how important the putt is. But she is very strong off the tee and gives herself a ton of chances from mid-range. She is lethal from 90 yards.”

If she continues down her current path, there’s no doubt Szeryk will be challenging for LPGA Tour status in a few years. Annika Sorenstam inspired her as a kid due to the Swede’s spectacular play on the course and class off it. Nowadays the young Canadian tries to model her game after another top-ranked superstar.

“I look up to Stacy Lewis a lot. Just because she’s also from Texas and I’ve gotten to talk with her, I met her once and she had surgery on her back and I have back problems so it’s good to see that if she can do it, I can do it.”

Diagnosed with a herniated disc last September, the diminutive right-hander showed no signs of struggle most of the year. Solid runs at the Porter Cup, PGA Women’s Championship of Canada, Canadian Women’s Amateur and a first career LPGA Tour start at the CP Women’s Open made her the easy selection as the nation’s Top Female Amateur in 2015.

Szeryk is currently finishing up her second year at Texas A&M — in which she notched her first NCAA victory this February — before she returns to Team Canada in the summer and resumes her quest to join the Brooke Hendersons and Alena Sharps of the world on golf’s biggest stage.

The reality check from Sharp in that early January encounter hasn’t dissuaded Szeryk from continuing to pursue her dream. If anything, it’s only better prepared her for when it eventually becomes a reality.

Maddie’s mission This article was originally published in the April 2016 edition of Golf Canada Magazine. To view the full magazine, click the image to the left.