Media Release Team Canada

Golf Canada announces amateur and professional athletes named to 2023 Team Canada

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DECEMBER 21, 2022 – Golf Canada is pleased to announce the names of the 57 athletes and eight coaches named to Team Canada as major enhancements to Golf Canada’s national team program continue to take effect.

Golf Canada’s 2023 national team system now features three program tiers: Team Canada (both amateur and professionals); Team Canada – NextGen (U21 amateurs); and a national talent identification system aimed at growing the pool of future national team prospects.

The updated program tiers for 2023 including a record-breaking number of athletes and coaches reflect the enhancements to the high-performance program announced last year to accelerate Canada’s position in the global professional golf landscape with a goal to increase the number of Canadians on the LPGA and PGA Tours to 30 by 2032.

The Team Canada tier (formerly the Young Pro Squad and Amateur Squad) now includes both professionals and amateurs with training focused on helping players reach the major tours. Feeding into Team Canada is a new tier called Team Canada – NextGen (formerly the Junior Squad) focused on supporting top juniors and bridging the gap for players transitioning into amateur golf and the U.S. college system.

“Thanks to the Golf Canada Foundation as well as our generous donors and partners, the enhanced Team Canada program structure is well positioned to support more of this country’s top athletes towards our goal of getting 30 Canadians to the major tours over the next decade,” said Golf Canada Chief Sport Officer Kevin Blue. “We have continued to evaluate and analyze the current player development system, have made refinements to competition and training environments, and are working collaboratively with athletes, parents and PGA of Canada coaches toward a shared goal of enhanced Canadian excellence on the global golf stage. Canada has made significant progress in the development of world-class golfers and is poised to take another step forward.”

The enhancements to Golf Canada’s high-performance program, which were outlined in a detailed update authored by Blue in 2022, were made possible through major gift funding support from the Golf Canada Foundation’s network of Trustee donors.

TEAM CANADA – MEN                                                  

A.J. Ewart (23)Coquitlam, BCBarry University (Sr.)The Vancouver GC [AM]
Ashton McCulloch (20)Kingston, ONMichigan St. (So.)Cataraqui G&CC [AM]
Johnny Travale (22)Hamilton, ONUCF (5th Yr.)Hamilton G&CC [AM]
Laurent Desmarchais (21)Bromont, QCTennessee (So.)Vallée Du Richelieu Golf Club [AM]
Matt Anderson (22)Mississauga, ONSan Francisco (5th Yr.)Credit Valley G&CC [AM]
Piercen Hunt (21)Hartland, WIIllinois (Jr.)The Club at Lac la Belle [AM]
Remi Chartier (21)Naples, FLEast Tennessee State (Sr.)Royal Montreal GC [AM]
Brendan MacDougall (25)Calgary, ABHigh Point/Nevada (’21)The Glencoe C&CC [PRO]
Chris Crisologo (27)Richmond, BCSimon Fraser (’18)Marine Drive GC [PRO]
Chris R. Wilson (27)Toronto, ONColgate University (’17)|N/A| [PRO]
Etienne Papineau (26)Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, QCWest Virginia (’21)Pinegrove CC [PRO]
Henry Lee (24)Coquitlam, BCUniversity of Washington (’21) [PRO]
Jared du Toit (27)Kimberley, BCASU (’17)The Glencoe G&CC
Jeevan Sihota (18)Victoria, BCturned pro after high school [PRO]
Joey Savoie (28)La Prairie, QCMTSU (’17) [PRO]
Max Sekulic (23)Rycroft, ABWashington State (’22)The Glencoe G&CC [PRO]
Myles Creighton (27)Digby, NSRadford (’18)Banyan GC [PRO]
Noah Steele (25)Kingston, ONSam Houston State (’20)Cataraqui G&CC [PRO]
Stuart Macdonald (28)Vancouver, BCPurdue (’16)[PRO]
Sudarshan Yellamaraju (21)Mississauga, ONturned pro after high school [PRO]

TEAM CANADA – WOMEN                                                        

Angela Arora (18)Surrey, BCTennessee (Jan 2023)Marine Drive GC [AM]
Brooke Rivers (17)Brampton, ONWake Forest (2023)Brampton GC [AM]
Celeste Dao (21) Notre-Dame-de-l’Île-Perrot, QCGeorgia (Sr.)Summerlea G&CC [AM]
Katie Cranston (18)Oakville, ONAuburn (Jan 2023)Oakville GC [AM]
Lauren Kim (17)Surrey, BCTexas (2023)Morgan Creek GC [AM]
Lauren Zaretsky (18)Thornhill, ONTexas Tech (Fr.)Maple Downs G&CC [AM]
Leah John (22)Vancouver, BCNevada (Sr.)Marine Drive GC [AM]
Michelle Liu (16)Vancouver, BCHigh School (grade 11)Shaugnessy GC [AM]
Monet Chun (21)Richmond Hill, ONMichigan (Jr.)Summit GC [AM]
Nicole Gal (18)Oakville, ONOle Miss (Fr.)Oakville GC [AM]
Sarah-Eve Rhéaume (22) Boischatel, QCFurman (5th Yr.)Royal Quebec [AM]
Savannah Grewal (21)Mississauga, ONClemson (Sr.)Piper’s Heath GC [AM]
Brigitte Thibault (24)Rosemere, QCFresno/Texas (’22)Rosemère Golf Club [PRO]
Maddie Szeryk (26)London, ONTexas A&M (’18) [PRO]
Selena Costabile (24) Thornhill, ONturned pro after high schoolLadies GC of Toronto [PRO]

The 2023 Team Canada roster is comprised of 35 players who are competing at the highest levels of amateur golf and refining their games on developmental professional tours. The program provides individualized training and competition support by collaborating with players’ support teams, including personal and college coaches, and adding value where gaps are identified. Members of Team Canada have access to The Legacy Golf Club in Phoenix, Ariz. where players can live and train in the winter months.

Salimah Mussani returns as the Stollery Family Team Canada Women’s Head Coach supported by Associate Coach and fellow PGA of Canada professional Jennifer Greggain. Derek Ingram returns as Men’s Team Head Coach and will be supported by Assistant Coaches Louis Melanson and Benoit Lemieux.

The Team Canada coaching staff will be joined by an integrated support team that includes Greg Redman (Strength, Conditioning & Physio, Men’s Team), Dr. Adrienne Leslie-Toogood (Mental Performance & Psychologist, Men’s Team), Andrea Kosa (Strength, Conditioning & Physio, Women’s Team), Lindsay Berard (Mental Performance & Psychologist, Women’s Team), and Kelly Anne Erdman (Performance Dietician).

TEAM CANADA – NEXTGEN (BOYS)                                                    

Alex Zhang (14)Richmond, BCHigh School (grade 9)Marine Drive GC
Ben MacLean (18)Niagara Falls, ONKent St. (Fr.)Cherry Hill Club
Cooper Humphreys (17)Vernon, BCOregon St. (2023)The Harvest Golf Club
Eric Zhao (15)Toronto, ONHigh School (grade 10)Bayview G&CC
Ethan Wilson (18)St. Albert, ABUniversity of Illinois (2023)Glendale G&CC
Félix Bouchard (19)Otterburn Park, QCUniv. of Kansas (2024)La Vallée du Richelieu GC
Gavyn Knight (18)Parksville, BCBoise St. (Fr.)Morningstar GC
Hunter Thomson (19)Calgary, ABUniversity of Michigan (So.)Calgary G&CC
James Newton (19)Ottawa, ONRutgers (Fr.)Royal Ottawa
JP Parr (18)Saint-Celestin, QCUniversity of Tennessee (2023)Club de Golf Ki-8-Eb
Owen Kim (18)Oakville, ONCoastal Carolina University (Fr.)Hamilton G&CC
Owen Mullen (19)Shortts Lake, NSUniversity of Notre Dame (So.)Truro Golf Club

TEAM CANADA – NEXTGEN (GIRLS)

Alissa Xu (17)Richmond Hill, ON Dartmouth (2023) Station Creek GC
Anna Huang (14)Coto de Caza, CA Junior High (grade 8) Coto De Caza G&RC
Carlee Meilleur (14)Lansdowne, ON High school (grade 9) Loyalist G&CC
Lindsay McGrath (15)Oakville, ON High School (grade 10) RattleSnake Point GC
Luna Lu (15)Burnaby, BC High School (grade 10) Pitt Meadows GC
Martina Yu (16)Coquitlam, BC High School (grade 11)
Michelle Xing (14)Richmond Hill, ON High School (grade 9) Station Creek GC
Vanessa Borovilos (16)Etobicoke, ON High School (grade 11) Weston G&CC
Vanessa Zhang (16)Vancouver, BC High School (grade 11) Marine Drive GC
Yeji Kwon (16)Port Coquitlam, BC High School (grade 11) Swaneset Bay Resort & CC

The 22-player Team Canada – NextGen roster will include both top junior golfers and U21 amateurs in a program to support their transition from junior competition to high-level amateur golf.

The NextGen coaching staff will be led by Head Coach Robert Ratcliffe with support from Assistant Coaches Jennifer Ha and Jeff MacDonald.  The coaches will be joined by an integrated support team that includes Dr. Emily Wiggin (Strength & Conditioning) and Dr. Adam Kingsbury (Mental Performance & Psychologist).

Supporting the overall growth of elite golf in Canada is the national talent identification system, established in 2022 and led by Tristan Mullally, Head of National Talent Identification. The talent identification system provides assistance to younger juniors (11-16 years old) and their existing coaching support teams to grow the pool of future Team Canada prospects.

A key activity within the talent identification system will be the engagement of the National Talent ID Network, a group of more than 80 coaches across Canada working towards collaborative player development initiatives. Additionally, 2023 will see a broader introduction of talent ID camps across the country led by network members to deliver educational and skill-building opportunities to players, parents, and coaches.

The strategic enhancements for Golf Canada’s player development program were shaped by in-depth feedback from numerous stakeholders in Canadian high-performance golf and a global comparative analysis of other countries’ efficiency success in producing world top-200 players. The analysis considered factors such as participation base, culture, and financial investment into high-performance golf, with a particular focus on countries such as Denmark, Sweden, Australia, and England that are geopolitically and culturally similar to Canada.