ADELAIDE, Australia – Coming out of a second round bye, Team Canada’s Women’s Development Squad had their hands full on Wednesday with the team from Great Britain & Ireland at the Grange Club.
In total, GB&I recorded a convincing 5-2 victory over Team Canada’s Development Squad, set up by a pair of 5 & 4 wins in the morning matches.
Canada salvaged some respect in the afternoon’s single matches, taking down GB&I’s top-ranked amateur Bronte Law—No. 27 on the World Amateur Golf Rankings (WAGR)—with a 2 & 1 win from Naomi Ko (Victoria, B.C.). Ottawa native Grace St-Germain also won her match, defeating Chloe Williams of Wales, 4 & 3.
Later wins from Connie Jaffrey, Charlotte Thomas and Hayley Davis ended Canada’s title chances and put GB&I in the driver’s seat.
Those wins also gave GB&I commanding lead in the matches won category, meaning that a come-from-behind victory in will be unlikely.
Canada remains winless in the foursome category—they will look to get on the board in Thursday’s round against South Africa.
Live scoring is available here.
Looking to shake off a disappointing 2014 campaign, Rebecca Lee-Bentham has been working hard in the off-season to ensure she puts up more consistent results in 2015.
“Overall, 2014 wasn’t a great season for me, as I struggled through many weeks, physically and mentally,” admitted the 22-year-old who made the cut in only seven out of her 17 LPGA tournaments last season.
As a result of her inconsistency, at the conclusion of the 2014 LPGA campaign, Lee-Bentham was left with conditional status for 2015.
Looking to improve on that, she entered the final stage of LPGA Q-school last December in hopes of finishing in the top-20 to regain her full status.
Despite recording a 2-under par and being the top Canadian born player in the field, the Toronto native finished in a tie for 28th and just missed out on her goal.
“I thought I played well in Q-school…….I just didn’t putt the way I needed to and missed out on full status by a couple shots,” she said.
So unlike her previous three seasons on the LPGA tour, Lee-Bentham explains that she will have to work a little harder to gain entry into certain tournaments.
“Since I have conditional status, I will most likely be on the alternate list for the first few events of the year. The Coates Golf Championship in Ocala is the first tournament on the LPGA calendar which I will try to qualify for if I don’t make it in through the alternate list,” she pointed out.
As the 22-year-old Canadian prepares for the LPGA season opener which runs January 26-31, she is grateful to have the support of Golf Canada through the Young Pro Program.
An important member of that Golf Canada support team is Tristan Mullally, the head coach of the Canadian national women’s team.
“We support her in her travels and her day-to-day expenses; and Rebecca’s also got a great coaching staff that provides her with full support throughout the year,” he noted about the benefits of the program.
Having kept a close eye on Lee-Bentham’s progression, Mullally expects the young golfer to play closer to her potential this season.
“I’m excited about 2015 for Rebecca because up to now she’s underachieved and I think she’s about to make a move forward this year,” he said.
Lee-Bentham has been training long hours each day in Florida over the winter in order to fine tune all areas of her game.
Mullally was eager to point out the strengths in Lee-Bentham’s game that make her one of the country’s top professional golfers.
“Rebecca’s a tremendously consistent striker of the golf ball; she’s someone who regularly hits 15 or 16 greens out of 18 and she has a strong short game to go with that,” he noted. “And you can see that she’s getting better and her game is moving in the right direction.”
While she had her fair share of struggles in 2014, there were a few highlights – including the Marathon Classic last July in Sylvania, Ohio.
“My best finish was at the Marathon Classic,” recalled Lee-Bentham who finished in a tie for 12th place. “I learned a lot that week, experiencing what it felt like and what I needed to do to be on top of a leader board.”
According to the winner of that tournament, Lydia Ko, the young Canadian golfer is doing the right things to be able to put up results like she did in Ohio on a consistent basis this year.
“I think Rebecca is a great player,” said the 17-year-old phenom from New Zealand. “What really impresses me about Rebecca is that she is one of the first players to come out to the course in practice and she is also one of the last ones to leave. She is a really hard working player.”
The five time LPGA tour winner was also quick to point out the importance of the mental aspect of the game.
“Rebecca has a great personality and whenever I see her, she has a smile on her face,” Ko added. “Having confidence and also having fun are one of the most important parts of the game; and that’s what I try to work on too.”
Lee-Bentham agrees with both Ko and Mullally and believes she is capable of playing with far more consistency this season.
Having put in extra work in the off-season, the 22-year-old Canadian understands the key to a successful season ahead will be to maintain a positive mental approach and make the most of each opportunity.
“I want to focus on staying in the present; each tournament, each round, each shot,” said Lee-Bentham.
“I want to be able to say that I gave it all I got,” she added. “That’s all I can really do, and the results in 2015 will take care of itself.”
ADELAIDE, Australia – Team Canada’s Women’s Development Squad is geared up to showcase their talent on Monday morning (Australian Daylight Time) when foursome matches begin at The Grange Golf Club for the time-honoured Astor Trophy.
The Astor Trophy, first contested by the Ladies Golf Union in 1957, is contested once every four years between the Commonwealth nations. Participating this year, along with Canada, are teams from South Africa, New Zealand, Australia and a combined squad from Great Britain and Ireland.
Each five-member team plays each other once in the morning with foursomes, followed by single matches in the afternoon. Total scores will be calculated following Friday’s final round to determine the winner. A Celebration Dinner will be conducted to close out the ceremony and honour the winner.
Ann Carroll, Canada’s Development Squad coach, leads Grace St. Germain (Ottawa), Naomi Ko (Victoria, B.C.), Jaclyn Lee (Calgary), Alisha Lau (Richmond, B.C.) and Michelle Kim (Surrey, B.C.) into overseas action for one of their first events as a new team.
Canada has their sights set on their third title in Astor Trophy history—they won previously in 1979 and 1987.
Live scoring is available here.
Australia hit back superbly on day one of the Astor Trophy to snare a valuable win against Canada.
The visitors had gone to lunch with a 1.5-0.5 lead over Australia at The Grange Golf Club in Adelaide, thanks in part to a stunning run by Ottawa’s Grace St-Germain.
The Canadian junior girls champion holed out for eagle on the par-four third hole of the West Course, then backed it up with a hole-in-one on the eighth minutes later.
It gave her and Naomi Ko a 1-up victory over highly rated Australian pair Shelly Shin and Hannah Green in the first foursomes match.
And when Becky Kay and Gennai Goodwin halved their match against Jaclyn Lee and Alisha Lau, the match was in the balance.
But both Green and Shin hit back hard in the afternoon singles matches with incredible birdie barrages for resounding wins.
Green was six under when she beat St-Germain 5-&-3, while Shinn was three under when she dispatched Ko 5-&-4 to give the hosts back the upper hand.
Jaclyn Lee beat Kay 3-&-2 to square the match overall for Canada, but hometown favourite Jenny Lee and Goodwin each stood firm on their closing holes to record 1-up victories.
In the other match contested on the opening day of the five-day event, New Zealand recorded an impressive win against the fancied Great Britain and Ireland team.
The Kiwis were one down after the morning foursomes, but Alanna Campbell stood tall on the last hole in the last match to win 2-up and ensure a remarkable 4-3 win for her country.
Only Bronte Law for the GB&I team could muster a full point in the afternoon, dominated by the New Zealanders under threatening skies.
South Africa had the first-round bye, but will begin its campaign against the GB&I team in the morning, while today’s winning teams will do battle to determine the early leader.
Canada has the day two bye.
CORAL GABLES, Fla. – Team Canada Development Squad member Tony Gil finished with a final-round, 2-under 69 Tuesday to finish alone in fourth place at the 2014 Jr. Orange Bowl.
Overall, the Vaughan, Ont., native finished at 3-under par (72-66-74-69) through four rounds of play at the Biltmore Golf Course. The 16-year-old flew up the leaderboard after Sunday’s second round, which was highlighted by a 5-under performance on the front nine.
Gil, who represented Canada at the Youth Olympics in Nanjing, China earlier this year, is verbally committed to attend the University of Houston in 2016.
On the girls side, Canada’s Grace St-Germain finished 15th. The 16-year-old Ottawa native came through with a promising finish in her first tournament as a member of Team Canada’s Development Squad after being named to the team last month.
St-Germain, a former Canadian Junior Girls Champion, continues to build on a strong foundation and will look to take her momentum into the new year along with Gil. Her friend, Canadian sensation Brooke Henderson, took home the trophy for the girls a year earlier.
Click here for boys scoring.
Click here for girls scoring.
MIAMI BEACH, Fla.—Team Canada’s Adam Svensson finished one-stroke back of champion Gabriel Lench to capture runner-up honours at the South Beach International Amateur Monday.
Svensson, a Surrey, B.C. native, carded 21 birdies through four days of play en route to finishing at 10-under par (68-67-70-68–273). All rounds were played at the Miami Beach Golf Club—except for the second round—which was played at Normandy Shore Golf Club.
Svensson traded shots back-and-forth with Lench in a nail-biting affair that came down to the final holes. Despite birdying No. 18, the 20-year-old couldn’t catch the leading American. Lench, a native of Lake Mary, Fla., secured the win with a bogey-free final round 67. The American also won the Florida Amateur Championship earlier in the year, and will surely improve upon his No. 399 standing in the World Amateur Golf Rankings (WAGR).
Now in his junior year at Barry University, Svensson continues to build his stellar resume. He is coming off a NCAA win earlier in the year (Guy Harvey Invitational) prior to the strong finish at South Beach. The year earlier, Svensson captured seven NCAA events on his way to winning the Jack Nicklaus award, given to the most outstanding golfer in NCAA Division I, II and III.
Fellow Team Canada teammate Corey Conners was also in action at South Beach. The 22-year-old Listowel, Ont. native finished tied for 12th at 1-under par (69-71-72-70–282). Development Squad member Tony Gil of Vaughan, Ont. came in at 1-over par to finish T27.
In addition to Team Canada’s athletes, Francis Berthiaume of Valleyfield, Que. tied for 24th at even-par, while Francis Elliott Whitley of Hamilton, Ont. finished tied for 71st at 9-over par.
Click here for full results.
TORONTO — Brooke Henderson, the No. 1 ranked female amateur golfer in the world, has turned professional and signed with IMG for worldwide management and marketing representation.
A native of Smiths Falls, Ontario, Canada, Henderson was assisted by her hometown Ottawa Senators hockey team in making today’s announcement.
Henderson has signed with PING and will continue to be supported by Golf Canada’s Young Pro program.
“I am really excited to begin my professional career in 2015 and proud to represent Canada along the way,” said Henderson. “I realize what a big step it is to play professionally and I think IMG and their partners at WME give me a competitive advantage on a global level.”
The 17-year-old was an integral member of Team Canada’s National Amateur Squad for the past three years. She won the individual title at the 2014 Women’s World Amateur Team Championship and led Canada to a silver medal. As a 16-year-old, she was runner-up at the 2014 U.S. Women’s Amateur and tied for 10th at the 2014 U.S. Women’s Open at Pinehurst No. 2.
She boasts more than 50 victories as an amateur and has also won three professional tournaments including two Canadian Women’s Tour events and the 2014 PGA of Canada Women’s Championship. Henderson’s Canadian Women’s Tour victory in 2012 at the age of 14 years, 9 months and 3 days made her the youngest player (male or female) ever to win a professional golf event.
Guy Kinnings, Global Head of Golf at IMG, commented, “Brooke’s tremendous talent on the golf course is exceeded only by her positive and engaging personality. We are delighted to help Brooke make the transition into professional golf and very much look forward to helping her achieve all of her goals both inside and outside the ropes.”
Henderson joins former No. 1 amateurs Lydia Ko and Minjee Lee as recent IMG signees. Ko most recently earned 2014 LPGA Rolex Rookie of the Year honors, while Lee was co-medalist at the LPGA Final Qualifying Tournament earlier this month.
“Through outstanding competitive results and a commitment to excellence, Brooke has proven herself to be a special talent, demonstrating all of the necessary characteristics to make a successful transition to the professional golfing ranks,” said Jeff Thompson, Golf Canada’s Chief Sport Officer. “She has been a huge part of the Team Canada program which is designed to challenge our top athletes through exposure to the highest levels of training and competition. We are proud to have played a role in her development and will continue to support her in this next exciting stage of her career.”
Following today’s announcement, Henderson is now the top-ranked Canadian professional.
Team Canada member and Surrey, B.C. native Adam Svensson was nominated for Sport B.C. Male Athlete of the Year. The 20-year-old will learn the results of his nomination come the award ceremony on Mar. 12th.
In his sophomore season at Barry University, Svensson won seven NCAA titles en route to winning the Jack Nicklaus Award—given to the best Div II golfer in the nation. He followed that up with a 7th place finish at the World Amateur Team Championship alongside teammates Corey Conners (Listowel, Ont.) and Taylor Pendrith (Richmond Hill, Ont.)—the Canadian contingent finished second overall.
Currently, Svensson sits at No. 35 on the World Amateur Golf Rankings (WAGR) and looks to improve even further in his junior year at Barry.
Svensson was nominated by David Atkinson, President of British Columbia Golf and Kris Jonasson, Executive Director of British Columbia Golf.
The 2014 winner of this award was Boston Celtics basketball player Kelly Olynyk of Kamloops.
Global Golf Post has selected its second-annual All-Amateur team and Canada is well represented in this year’s picks.
The selections identify amateurs, from across the world, who have played exceptional golf over the last calendar year. In 2014, the selection committee chose 211 golfers from 23 different countries.
Corey Conners was selected to the Men’s Amateur 1st Team after a season in which the Listowel, Ont. native finished as the runner-up in both the US and Canadian Amateurs. The 22-year-old also captured the Jones and Tailhade Cups.
Joining Conners with distinctions in the Men’s Amateur category was Taylor Pendrith of Richmond Hill, Ont., who was selected to the 2nd Team. The long-bomber also had a successful 2014, earning victories at the Monroe Invitational and the Porter Cup, in addition to turning heads with a fantastic opening round at the RBC Canadian Open.
In the Men’s Mid-Amateur category, Garrett Rank and Rob Couture were both honoured with All-Amateur selections.
Rank, who hails out of Elmira, Ont., was selected to the Men’s Mid-Amateur 1st Team. He won the 2014 Canadian Mid-Amateur in a playoff over Couture at the Barrie Country Club. A member of the 2014 Team Canada’s National Amateur Squad, Rank also advanced to the to the Rd. of 32 at the US Amateur and Rd. of 16 at the US Amateur Public Links.
Couture, who finished as the runner-up in the 2014 Canadian Men’s Mid-Amateur, was selected to the Mid-Amateur 2nd Team. A dual citizen of the US and Canada, Couture was a semi-finalist at this year’s Crump Cup and finished in the top 15 at the 2014 Lupton Invitational.
Rounding out this year’s male honourees was Vancouver’s Doug Roxburgh, who was named to the Men’s Senior Amateur 1st Team. The four-time Canadian Amateur Champion added to his already stellar career resume with a victory at the 2014 Canadian Senior Amateur just a month after clinching his second-straight and 13th overall B.C. Senior Amateur title.
On the women’s side, it comes as no surprise that Brooke Henderson was selected to the Women’s Amateur 1st Team. The Espirito Santo Trophy recipient was the runner-up at the US Women’s Amateur and had the low amateur score at this year’s US Women’s Open, where she tied for 10th. The 17-year-old from Smiths Falls, Ont. is currently the No. 1 ranked female amateur golfer in the world.
Henderson’s Team Canada Women’s Amateur teammate Augusta James was selected to the Women’s Amateur 2nd Team after a very strong summer. The Bath, Ont. native defeated Henderson to win the Canadian Women’s Amateur, in addition to finishing runner-up at the Ontario Amateur. James also advanced to the Rd. of 16 at the US Women’s Amateur.
Soon-Bin Kim of Coquitlam, B.C. was given an honourable mention for her excellent play in 2014. Kim was named Golfweek’s Women’s player of the fall after winning the Edean Ihlanfeldt Invitational and finishing as the runner-up at the Pac-12 Preview.
Christina Proteau of Port Alberni, B.C. was named to the 1st Team in the Women’s Mid-Amateur category after a strong 2014 campaign that culminated in her receiving the PNGA Women’s Mid-Am Player of the Year award for the third consecutive year. Proteau collected her third straight Canadian Women’s Mid-Amateur title, won the B.C. Women’s Mid-Amateur, and finished as a quarter-finalist at the US Women’s Mid-Amateur.
Stefi Markovich, a resident of Welland, Ont., was given an honourable mention in the Women’s Mid-Am category for a solid year in 2014.
In the Women’s Senior Amateur category, Judith Kyrinis and Helene Chartrand were named to the 1st Team, while Mary Ann Hayward was selected to the 2nd Team.
Kyrinis, a registered nurse who plays out of the Thornhill Golf Club in Ont., fell short in the finals of the US Senior Women’s Amateur to Joan Higgins of Glendora, Calif. Kyrinis also placed inside the top 5 at the Canadian Senior Women’s Amateur.
Chartrand of Pincourt, Qué. was victorious at the Canadian Senior Women’s Amateur just one month after capturing the Mid-Master title at the 2014 Canadian Women’s Amateur. Chartrand was also able to advance to the Rd. of 32 at the US Senior Women’s Amateur.
Hayward, who resides in Aurora, Ont., claimed the Ontario Senior Women’s Championship title and finished as the runner-up at the Canadian Women’s Senior Championship in August.
OAKVILLE, Ont. (Golf Canada) – Golf Canada has announced the names of the athletes who have been selected to represent Team Canada as part of the 2015 National Amateur Squad and Development Squad program.
In all, eight athletes comprise Team Canada’s National Amateur Squad, including four players on the women’s team and four players on the men’s team while the National Development Squad will include 11 athletes (five women and six men).
Returning to lead the men’s squad is 2014 US Amateur runner-up Corey Conners, 22, of Listowel, Ont. (No. 17 on the World Amateur Golf Ranking). Conners, who recently made it to the match play semi-finals at the Argentina Amateur and helped Canada win the Tailhade Cup, earned 2015 exemptions to play in The Masters and U.S. Open by way of his runner-up finish at the 2014 U.S. Men’s Amateur. He was also part of Canada’s runner-up team at the 2014 Men’s World Amateur Team Championship.
Surrey, B.C., native Adam Svensson, 20, ranked No. 37 on the World Amateur Golf Ranking and winner of the 2014 NCAA Division II Jack Nicklaus Award also returns to the Men’s National Amateur Squad. In 2014 as a sophomore at Barry University, Svensson’s seven victories set the school record for NCAA Division II victories en route to the team repeating as NCAA Division II champions. He alsofinished as the low Canadian in 7th position at the 2014 World Amateur Team Championship where he helped Canada finished runner-up.
Joining Conners and Svensson will be Burlington, Ont. native Blair Hamilton, 21, a sophomore at the University of Houston who is a year removed from the National Program when he was a member of the Development Squad in 2013. Rounding out the squad is 18-year old rising star Austin Connelly of Irving, Texas, a dual citizen who is currently ranked No. 18 on the World Amateur Golf Ranking. Connelly recently paired with Conners to win the Tailhade Cup and was also a finalist in the Argentine Amateur.
On the women’s side, Team Canada Amateur Squad returning members include Brittany Marchand, 22, of Orangeville, Ont., (No. 67 on the World Amateur Golf Ranking) and Jennifer Ha, 20, of Calgary (No. 90 on the World Amateur Golf Ranking). A senior at N.C. State, Marchand helped Canada to a runner-up finish at the 2014 Women’s World Amateur Team Championship while Ha, a junior at Kent State, finished second at the 2014 Porter Cup.
A pair of rookies will join Team Canada’s Women’s Amateur Squad including dual citizen Maddie Szeryk, 18, of Allen, Texas, (No. 63 on the World Amateur Golf Ranking) who represented Canada at the 2014 Youth Olympic Games and Elizabeth Tong, 21, of Thornhill, Ont. (No. 210 on the World Amateur Golf Ranking). Szeryk, a freshman at Texas A&M, has had a solid start to her college career, finishing 3rd, 4th, 4th and 2nd in her first four starts while Tong competed in both the U.S. and Canadian Pacific Women’s Open in 2014 and advanced to the round of 32 at the U.S. Women’s Amateur.
“We are very excited about the group of young men and women selected as members of Team Canada for 2015,” said Jeff Thompson, Golf Canada’s Chief Sport Officer. “It is at the very core of what we do; supporting, developing and nurturing Canada’s future stars of the sport. Investing in future heroes for our sport has a ripple affect across all areas of what we do. We have no doubt that the athletes selected will represent Canada to the best of their abilities and we look forward to assisting them in achieving their goals.”
The following athletes have been selected to Golf Canada’s 2015 Team Canada:
WOMEN’S NATIONAL AMATEUR SQUAD
Brittany Marchand, Orangeville, Ont. (22)
Jennifer Ha, Calgary, Alta. (20)
Elizabeth Tong, Thornhill, Ont. (21)
Maddie Szeryk, Allen, Texas (18)
MEN’S NATIONAL AMATEUR SQUAD
Corey Conners, Listowel, Ont. (22)
Adam Svensson, Surrey, B.C. (20)
Blair Hamilton, Burlington, Ont. (21)
Austin Connelly, Irving, Texas (18)
Complete National Amateur Squad bios can be found here.
As part of the National Amateur Team Program, Golf Canada also named the 22-and-under Development Squad that includes five female and six male athletes. The Development Squad is designed to help facilitate the continued development of Canada’s top young talents.
The following athletes have been selected to Team Canada’s 2015 Development Squad Program:
WOMEN’S DEVELOPMENT SQUAD
Naomi Ko, Victoria, B.C. (17)
Jaclyn Lee, Calgary, Alta. (17)
Grace St-Germain, Ottawa, Ont. (16)
Michelle Kim, Surrey, B.C. (17)
Alisha Lau, Richmond, B.C. (15)
MEN’S DEVELOPMENT SQUAD
Tony Gil, Vaughan, Ont. (16)
Tyler Saunders, Sturgeon County, Alta. (19)
Patrick Murphy, Crossfield, Alta. (17)
Trevor Ranton, Waterloo, Ont. (17)
AJ Armstrong, St. Albert, Alta. (17)
Étienne Papineau, St-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Que. (18)
Complete Development Squad player bios can be found here.
Golf Canada also announced the 2015 Team Canada coaching staff with Derek Ingram returning as Men’s Squad Head Coach and Tristan Mullally returning as Women’s Squad Head Coach. Robert Ratcliffe returns as Lead Development Squad Coach and will be supported by Women’s Development Team Coach Ann Carroll. Ingram, Mullally, Ratcliffe and Carroll are all Class “A” members with the PGA of Canada.
