For as long as Étienne Papineau could remember, golf has been a big passion for his family. Today, as a member of Team Canada, Golf Canada’s National Team Program, the talented 29-year-old has his sights set on pursuing this passion at the highest level.
“My dad’s side of the family are all golfers. My dad, Luc Papineau, competed in some high-level amateur events but never played professionally. He introduced me to golf around the age of four or five, and I’ve enjoyed it ever since. It’s become my biggest passion,” said Papineau.
“I remember following him when he was competing in tournaments; and when I was around nine or 10, I started competing in tournaments myself.”
Growing up, young Étienne played soccer and did some ski racing as well, but in his early teenage years he decided to focus his efforts on his golf.
“When I was 13 or 14, I was selected for Équipe Québec, moved to Quebec City, and started to take golf more seriously,” he recalled.
While attending CEGEP—Quebec’s distinctive post-secondary education system that bridges high school and university—in Quebec City, Papineau enjoyed breakthrough success as a junior golfer.
At the age of 16, he won the 2013 Quebec Junior Boys Championship by 13 strokes. In 2014, Papineau was selected for Golf Canada’s Junior Squad and repeated as Quebec Junior Boys Champion. Then, in the summer of 2015, the promising junior golfer continued his success by capturing the Quebec Men’s Amateur Championship.
“My game really started to take off in 2013, when I was attending CEGEP in Quebec City. I completed my CEGEP in English because I was considering playing college golf in the U.S. Over the next few years, I started thinking that maybe I could make a career out of golf.”
After completing his CEGEP, Papineau attended West Virginia University on a golf scholarship.
“I was lucky to go to West Virginia. I had the opportunity to play with some unreal golfers and to cross paths with some of the best golfers today,” he noted.
“I remember we won the Big 12 (conference) tournament, which was really amazing. And the coach was unbelievable.”
All was going smoothly until the summer of 2020, when the Division I golfer started to experience pain in his knee, which would require surgery later that year.
“I decided to have surgery on my knee in September 2020, and initially I was concerned about putting pressure on it; it took me about a year and a half to fully recover,” he recalled.
By the start of 2022, the West Virginia University grad was healthy and ready to take his game to the professional ranks.
In January of 2022, Papineau had the round of a lifetime when he shot 59 at the Legacy Golf Club in Arizona. He would follow that up by earning a spot to the WM Phoenix Open via the tournament’s Monday qualifier.
Team Canada Men’s Head Coach, Derek Ingram, recalls Papineau’s impressive start as a professional.
“I remember he Monday qualified for the Phoenix Open and just before that, he also shot a 59. He was working hard in that off-season with the other guys from the National Team and had some great results. He had some good mojo,” said Ingram.
In addition to the hard work Papineau put in during the off-season, Ingram speaks about the elements in his game and his personality that contributed to his successful start as a professional.
“Étienne is a very consistent ball striker. He’s athletic and drives it straight and a bit longer than average. He hits a lot of greens in regulation and gives himself a lot of opportunities. He’s a streaky putter. When he’s on, he could have a lot of success and has a chance to win,” Ingram noted.
“As a person, he’s really thoughtful. He has a good energy about him, with a positive vibe and a good sense of humour. He has a quiet, confident approach to the game.”
While Papineau would go on to have a solid first year as a pro in 2022, the following year would be even better.
In June of 2023, Papineau would capture his first pro win on the then-PGA TOUR Canada.
His tournament score of 18-under was good for a five-stroke victory at the Royal Beach Victoria Open. The talented young Canadian would finish third in the Fortinet Cup Standings and secured Korn Ferry status for 2023-2024.
“I think the biggest difference between my first and second years as a professional was my mindset. I started to believe in myself, and when you believe in yourself and are confident in your approach, you can accomplish anything,” said Papineau.
Coming off a difficult 2025 season, the 29-year-old Canadian is competing on the PGA TOUR Americas this season and found some great form recently. In June, he secured a tie for second at the Inter Rapidismo Golf Championship in Colombia and more recently Papineau earned a playoff victory at the Osprey Valley Open.
Currently fifth on the PGA TOUR Americas Points List with five events to go, he is in a strong position to return to the Korn Ferry Tour at season’s end. For Ingram, the story isn’t defined by where Papineau sits on the Points List today, but by the player he knows Papineau to be. He believes the Canadian has the resilience, work ethic and talent to reclaim his place among the game’s best.
“He could have confidence when looking at guys like Taylor [Pendrith] and Mac [Hughes] and knowing it’s not going to be an overnight success. And he could look at guys like A.J. [Ewart] and Sudarshan [Yellamaraju] and say, ‘I regularly practice and compete against those guys, and I could beat them, and they could beat me. If they could do it, then I could do as well.’” Ingram pointed out.
“I know he’s had to overcome some injuries and he’s always worked really hard on his game. I think he’s more than good enough to be a solid PGA TOUR player one day.”
