TORONTO — RBC deepened its commitment to Canadian golf with the addition of three of Canada’s next generation of golfers – Smiths Falls, Ont. native Brooke Henderson, and Abbotsford, B.C., natives Nick Taylor and Adam Hadwin – to Team RBC, strengthening its impressive roster of touring professionals.

With promising careers ahead of them, all three golfers embody the spirit of determination and hard work that will inspire the next generation of fans. This announcement further demonstrates RBC’s support of Canadian golf talent poised to make their mark on the world stage.

Henderson, a member of Team Canada’s Young Pro Squad, joined the professional ranks last month after an impressive amateur career that saw her become the first Canadian ever sit number-one on the women’s World Amateur Ranking. Both Hadwin and Taylor also represented Team Canada earlier in their careers. RBC is a long-standing sponsor of Golf Canada’s National Team program.

“We are thrilled to add Brooke, Adam and Nick to Team RBC,” said Jane Broderick, chief brand and communications officer, RBC. “We are proud of our record of supporting golf at the grassroots level in Canada, through our partnership with Golf Canada and the National High Performance Team. It’s gratifying to see players like them rise through the ranks and make it to the highest levels of competition – we can’t wait to see how their careers develop.”

The 17-year-old Brooke Henderson vaulted to the top of the world amateur rankings with six tournament wins in 2014, a runner-up finish at the U.S. Women’s Amateur, and low amateur honours with a T-10 finish in the U.S. Women’s Open. Henderson also claimed low amateur honours at the Canadian Pacific Women’s Open and led Canada to a runner-up finish at the Women’s World Amateur, where she placed as low individual. Currently the highest ranked Canadian female golfer in the world, she was voted Female Amateur of the Year by the Golf Journalists Association of Canada, for the third year in a row. Brooke makes her LPGA professional debut this week at the Pure Silk Bahamas LPGA Classic.

“I’m excited to grow my partnership with one of Canada’s top brands,” said Brooke Henderson. “I’ve been fortunate to have received support from RBC for several years through their ongoing assistance of Golf Canada’s development program, but to now have an official relationship with RBC is very exciting and I look forward to working closely with them as I take the next step in my career.”

A former Canadian Amateur champion and the number-one ranked amateur in the world, Nick Taylor had an impressive career at the University of Washington before turning pro in 2010. He had a swift and impressive ascent to the PGA Tour from the Web.com Tour in 2014. He then became the first Canadian in five years to win a PGA Tour event at the 2014 Sanderson Farms Championship, solidifying his PGA Tour card through the 2016/17 season. ”RBC’s support of golf, particularly in Canada, is widely noticed and greatly appreciated by the players,” stated Nick Taylor.

“I am proud to join the impressive group of individuals who have had the privilege of representing the RBC brand on the PGA Tour.”

Adam Hadwin won twice on the Web.com Tour, finished first on the Tour’s money list, and earned full status for the PGA Tour in 2014-15. A graduate of PGA Tour Canada, Hadwin has been a rising star in Canadian golf since finishing T-4 at the 2011 RBC Canadian Open. He was named the 2014 Male Professional of the Year by the Golf Journalists Association of Canada, narrowly beating fellow Team RBCers Graham DeLaet and Nick Taylor. “It’s an honour to represent RBC along with some of the world’s most iconic players,” said Adam Hadwin. “I’ve admired many of these guys for years, so having this connection with them in addition to the opportunity to compete against them week to week is an exciting opportunity for me.”

Henderson, Hadwin and Taylor join fellow Canadians Graham DeLaet, David Hearn and Mike Weir on Team RBC, along with seven of golf’s international greats: Luke Donald, Ernie Els, Jim Furyk, Matt Kuchar, Graeme McDowell, Morgan Pressel and Brandt Snedeker. RBC is the Official Banking and Financial Services provider to all Team RBC members. As well, they participate in marketing initiatives for RBC, and act as ambassadors for the brand. When they aren’t playing in tournaments, they often participate in a variety of functions as RBC ambassadors. These include employee events and charitable initiatives that support RBC’s commitment to kids and youth.

In 2014 this was highlighted by a social media campaign, #RBCGolf4Kids that raised awareness and $312,000 for children charities around the world.

PARADISE ISLAND, Bahamas -A pair of Team Canada Pro Squad members have Monday-qualified for this week’s Puresilk Bahamas LPGA Classic.

Smiths Falls, Ont. teenager Brooke Henderson carded a 69 to earn qualifying medalist honours and a spot in her first LPGA Tour event as a professional.

Another Team Canada Pro Squad member, Rebecca Lee-Bentham of Toronto, finished a shot back with a 70 to grab the other qualifying spot.

Hamilton, Ont.’s Alena Sharp is also in the field in Bahamas.

The opening-round of the Bahamas event takes place at Atlantis’ Ocean Club Course Thursday.

Henderson turned professional late last year after becoming the first Canadian female to hold the No. 1 spot on the World Amateur Golf Rankings. She just missed out on qualifying for the LPGA’s season-opener in Florida, finishing in a tie for third in the qualifier. Only the top two earned spots.

Instead of playing on the LPGA Tour last week, Henderson played a SunCoast Ladies Tour event in Winter Garden, Fla. She won the event and cashed a $2,200 cheque – her first as a pro.

Unlike Lee-Bentham who has conditional status on the LPGA Tour, Henderson does not have a regular tour to compete on. She is able to accept six LPGA sponsor’s exemptions and also qualifies for the 2015 U.S. Women’s Open in Pennsylvania by virtue of her top-10 finish last year.

Henderson also will try to Monday qualify for events, as she did this week.

SEA ISLAND, Ga. – Team Canada’s Austin Connelly went the distance Sunday, coming back from a seven-stroke deficit to win the Jones Cup in a playoff at the Ocean Forest Golf Club.

Connelly started the day in a tie for ninth, but fought back in Sunday’s third and final round with a six-birdie, 4-under 68. Despite bogeying the 18^th, Connelly headed into a playoff against Kyle Jones of Snowlake, Ariz.

In the first playoff hole, Connelly knocked down a 20-foot putt for par to keep the match alive. The Arkansas University commit rode that momentum into the next hole with a birdie to put away Jones and take home the title.

With the win, Connelly becomes the second straight Canuck to win the Jones Cup – he finished runner-up last year, also making it to a playoff before falling to Team Canada teammate Corey Conners. Together, the duo of Connelly and Conners won Canada the Tailhade Cup this past November.

Connelly, a dual-citizen of Canada and the U.S., records his first win as a member of Team Canada after being named to the 2015 National Amateur Squad. He currently sits as Canada’s lowest ranked amateur at No. 7 in the World Amateur Golf Rankings (WAGR).

“I loved Austin’s game plan this week. Things didn’t go as planned yesterday on a very difficult day but he hung in there and gave himself a chance today,” said Derek Ingram, Men’s National Squad Head Coach. “His play in the playoffs was very impressive–he never changed his routine. It was quick, athletic and committed and he hit several excellent shots.”

With the victory, Connelly earns and exemption into the McGladrey Classic, which takes place November 16-22, 2015 at the Seaside & Plantation Courses at Sea Island Golf Club.

Team Canada’s Adam Svensson (Surrey, B.C.) and Corey Conners (Listowel, Ont.) cracked the top-20 in Sea Island, finishing T8 and T14 respectively.

Austin James (Bath, Ont.), the reigning Canadian Junior Boys Champion, finished at T58 while Blair Hamilton (Burlington, Ont.), also new to Team Canada in 2015, finished T67.

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WINTER GARDEN, Fla. – Smiths Falls, Ont.’s Brooke Henderson earned her first pro victory by outlasting sister Brittany to claim the year’s first Suncoast Series Tour event.

The 17-year-old Team Canada Young Pro Squad Member, who turned pro in December, sank a 10 foot birdie putt on the final hole of the championship for a 69 – the lowest round posted over the course of three days – giving her a single-shot win over her elder sister.

Maria Hjorth of Sweden, a five-time winner on the LPGA Tour, finished third.

Brooke, who previously won three professional titles as an amateur, collected just over $2,000 for the win.

Nicole Vandermade of Brantford, Ont., the only other Canadian in the field, finished with a share of sixth after a final round 73.

Brooke, with sister Brittany on her bag, will now attempt to Monday qualify for the Bahamas LPGA Classic at the Ocean Club. Other Canadians in the field include SooBin Kim of Coquitlam, B.C., Jennifer Kirby of Paris, Ont. and Rebecca Lee-Bentham of Toronto.

Henderson narrowly missed qualifying for this week’s LPGA Tour opener by two strokes in the qualifying event last Monday.

ROSEBERY, New South Wales, Australia—Corey Conners’ impressive run of golf Down Under finally came to an end Saturday.

The National Amateur Squad member fell to Australian Kevin Yuan in a back-and-forth affair, 2&1. Conners held a 1-up lead late in the match until a three-putt bogey on the 15^th left the match all-square. The Listowel, Ont., native couldn’t recover after that, losing two of the three remaining holes.

The 23-year-old will leave Australia with his head held high. In preparation for his ticket to this year’s Masters tournament (by way of U.S. Amateur finalist), Conners collected three impressive finishes Down Under. He started with a T12 finish at the Master of the Amateurs, won the Lake Macquarie Championship the following week and left the Australian Amateur in the quarter-final round—all high ranked events in the World Amateur Golf Rankings (WAGR).

The Kent State graduate will board a lengthy flight back to Georgia to defend his Jones Cup title at the Ocean Forest Golf Club in Sea Island.

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ROSEBERY, New South Wales, Australia — Team Canada’s Corey Conners has continued his red-hot play as of late, advancing to the quarterfinal match Friday at the Australian Amateur.

Conners, 23, took down defending champion Tae Koh of New Zealand, coming back from an early deficit to grind out a 2-up victory on the 18^th.

The Listowel, Ont., native is set to square-off against Australia’s Kevin Yuan in tomorrow’s match. The winner will play in the semi-final round, commencing later that afternoon.

Conners, the No. 11 ranked amateur in the world, is coming off an impressive victory last week at the Lake Macquarie Championship—just a two-hour drive from this week’s action at The Australian Golf Club.

On the women’s side, Team Canada’s Jaclyn Lee fell in the round of 16 by losing in a playoff amidst some drama against Australian native Liz Elmassian.

With a 1-up advantage and a short putt for par on the final hole, Elmassian mistakenly conceded Lee’s third shot from the bunker—giving her a birdie three.

Lee, a Calgary native, had no choice but to play on. In the end, Lee ran into trouble on the par-3 11^th, conceding the match to Elmassian. The 17-year-old was the lone remaining member of Team Canada’s Development Squad left in the field.

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ROSEBERY, New South Wales, Australia—Team Canada’s Corey Conners and Jaclyn Lee have advanced to the second round of match play at the Australian Amateur.

Conners, a 23-year-old National Team member, took down Korea’s Sung-Ho Yun 3&2 in the men’s opening match play round of 64. The Listowel, Ont., native is coming off an impressive win at the Lake Macquarie Championship last week and will look to keep rolling in Friday’s match against Japan’s Daisuke Matsubara.

Jason Goldsworthy, a Calgary native now living in Australia, fell to the No. 6 seed, Ryan Chisnall of New Zealand, 5&4.

The men will play their round of 32 tomorrow morning, then the round of 16 in the afternoon on a marathon day.

In the women’s opening round of 32, Calgary native Jaclyn Lee bested Hayley Bettencourt of Australia, 2&1. Lee, 17, was the only member of Team Canada’s Development Squad to advance to match play. The Ohio State University commit faces another Aussie, Liz Elmassian in tomorrow’s round of 16 match.

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With an impressive list of accomplishments as an amateur under his belt, Taylor Pendrith is now setting his sights on similar success as a professional golfer.

The 23-year-old Kent State University graduate has come a long way from his high school days, when as an all around athlete, he had thoughts of pursuing a career in another sport.

“Starting out in high school, I was better in baseball than hockey or golf; and thought about even playing college ball,” admitted Pendrith, who attended Bayview Secondary in Richmond Hill, Ont.

“But in grade 11, I started playing in more golf tournaments and did well in those; and that’s when I started to focus more time on golf,” Pendrith explained. “Also, I like the part where golf is an individual sport and your results depend on you.”

According to his former schoolmate from Bayview Secondary, Rebecca Lee-Bentham, Pendrith made the right decision to pursue golf.

“He was someone who played every sport well and I didn’t know how seriously he would take golf; but it’s awesome to see how far he’s come and I think he’s got a bright future ahead as a golfer,” said Lee-Bentham, who is entering her fourth year on the LPGA Tour.

Despite his best efforts in high school, Pendrith was not highly recruited by U.S. universities and even took one year off after his graduation to refine his game.

Eventually, he was offered a scholarship to Kent State University where he would go on to make the most of the opportunity. Combined with support from Golf Canada’s national team program, the Kent State golfer would go on put up an impressive list of accomplishments.

Among his many achievements, Pendrith captured the Monroe Invitational Championship and the Porter Cup.

Winning the Porter Cup put his name among elite company, as notable champions who have hoisted the prestigious trophy include former world No. 1 David Duval, current PGA superstar, Phil Mickelson, and many others.

“I looked at the past winners prior to the event and noticed that some have become very accomplished professional golfers,” said Pendrith.

Another eye opening experience came last July at the RBC Canadian Open, when as an amateur Pendrith shot a five-under 65 in his opening round to sit tied for third.

“It was nice seeing my name on the leaderboard. I was going out there preparing for it like any other tournament. I wasn’t even thinking about making the cut. I was just trying to play as well as I possibly could,” recalled the 6 foot 1 inch golfer.

Pendrith would go on to shoot under par three out of the four rounds and finish at 3-under par to earn the tournament’s Gary Cowan award as low amateur.

Gary Cowan and Taylor Pendrith (Golf Canada/ Bernard Brault)

Canadian national team head coach, Derek Ingram, had nothing but praise for Pendrith after his stellar performance.

“Taylor was fantastic out there. It was a great experience for him and great confidence builder to play on the big stage against the best players and have success,” said Ingram about Pendrith. “It’s definitely going to be a big advantage for him moving forward to have had this experience.”

Someone else who was impressed by Pendrith’s performance at the RBC Canadian Open was Kent State University alumni, Ben Curtis.

According to the 2003 U.S. Open Champion, Pendrith has the potential and the talent to compete on the PGA Tour.

“He’s a great example of a player who can attack every golf course just because of his length; and he’s got a good enough short game where he’s going to have a lot of chances of making birdies on any course,” said Curtis about Pendrith in an exclusive interview after his final round of the RBC Canadian Open.

“He’s obviously had a great career at Kent State.  He kept getting better and better each and every year and I think in a few years if not sooner we are going to see him out here on the PGA Tour,” Curtis added.

For his part, Pendrith was honoured to hear the words of encouragement from one of his role models.

“He was in the same boat that I’m in as he played four years at Kent. It’s great to hear those things about me from Ben. Obviously, I look up to him as he’s a Kent State guy and he’s gone on to do such great things on the PGA Tour, it’s truly inspiring to me,” said Pendrith.

“Eventually in a few years, hopefully, I will be playing full time on the PGA Tour against the best and having fun out there,” he added.

While his long term goal is to join Curtis on the PGA Tour, the talented young Canadian is aware of what his short term goals must be to get there.

“I plan on playing mini tour stuff at the beginning of the year and then go to PGA Tour Canada Q-School in April; hopefully by the end of the year I’ll be in a good position to get a Web.com card or get an exemption into the final stage,” said Pendrith who will be sponsored by Callaway and Hollas Golf Apparel.

Curtis was also eager to support the young Canadian with some words of wisdom as he prepares for the exciting journey ahead.

“Be patient because there’s going to be a lot of bumps along the road. It’s a lot more difficult to get on the PGA Tour then when I got out of college,” said the four time PGA Tour winner when asked what his advice would be for Pendrith.

“But I think in the future, he’s going to be just fine; he’s just got to stick to his game and don’t change who he is as a player and continue to attack.”

CITY OF LAKE MACQUARIE, New South Wales, Australia – Team Canada member Corey Conners finished at 17-under par, four strokes ahead of runner-up finisher Andrew Mccain of the U.S., en route to winning the Lake Macquarie title Saturday at Belmont Golf Club.

Conners, who recently turned 23, never looked back after earning a share of the lead with an opening round 67—highlighted by an eagle on the 460-yard par-5 10^th.

The Listowel, Ont., native kept his foot on the gas in the following rounds, carding three consecutive scores of 68 to close out the win. The Kent State graduate was the lone Canuck in the field.

This tournament marks the second of three in Conners’ stint Down Under. He finished T12 a week earlier in the Australian Master of the Amateurs, an ‘A’ ranked event on the World Amateur Golf Rankings (WAGR). Following this week’s win, Conners will head to the city of Mascot to tee-it-up in the Australian Amateur.

Conners returns to North America the following week to continue his tour as he looks to defend his Jones Cup title at the Ocean Forest Golf Club in Sea Island, Ga.

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ADELAIDE, Australia – The host Australians pleased the home crowd on Friday at The Grange Golf Club, thumping South Africa 5-2 to remain undefeated en route to winning their fifth Astor Trophy.

“We came in this week not really knowing what to expect, especially in a match play format against some girls we hadn’t really seen before, and they just really came together well,” said Cutler, Australia’s Team Manager. “When you think we’ve lost two of the best amateurs we’ve seen in years, it was a fantastic achievement and perhaps the greatest part of it was that it shows the depth of talent we’ve got coming through.”

With the victory, Australia has won the Astor Trophy in four of the last six times it has been contested. They put an end to Great Britain & Ireland’s bid to win their third straight title, coming from behind to take away their early lead.

On the sidelines with a final round bye, GB&I finished with 15.5 matches won—3.5 behind Australia. New Zealand finished in third (15) and South Africa followed in fourth (12).

Meanwhile, the Canadian quintet’s effort to pick up their first win of the tournament was stopped short by New Zealand, falling 5-2. Canada’s Development Squad halved one of the morning foursome matches while losing the other, 2&1.

Once again, Canada showed some life in the afternoon single matches. Naomi Ko, a Victoria, B.C. native, halved her match against Munchin Keh to remained undefeated in singles. Jaclyn Lee (Calgary), the reining Alberta Ladies Amateur champion, cruised past Chantelle Cassidy with a dominating 7&5 victory.

The Canadian contingent will look to get back on track next week when they tee-it-up at the Australian Amateur, running from Jan. 20–25.

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Team Canada looks on during the closing ceremony. (Via Facebook/ Golf Australia)