Houston, Texas – Golf Canada and the United States Golf Association (USGA) wrapped up their two-day international friendly match play event over the weekend at Champions Golf Club in Houston, Texas. The U.S. National Junior Team emerged victorious by a 16-8 point total.

Team Canada – NextGen was led by Shauna Liu of Maple, Ont., Eileen Park of Red Deer, Alta. and Alex Zhang of Richmond, B.C. who all earned three points for the team from their three matches. Antoine Jasmin of Blainville, Que. also earned two points from three matches and Aphrodite Deng of Calgary, Alta. won her individual match on Sunday to also earn a point for Team Canada – NextGen.

“We are very proud of our team from their performances on the course and representing Golf Canada off the course as well,” said Darcy Dhillon, Coach, Team Canada – NextGen Boys. “We are very appreciative of our friends at the USGA for hosting us and providing our team the opportunity to play in more competitive events early in the season. This was a great experience for everyone involved and we look forward to more collaborative opportunities in the future.”

The two-day event featured 12 players (six girls and six boys) representing each team in a mixed competition that was World Amateur Golf Ranking (WAGR) sanctioned. The match play format consisted of mixed Foursome team matches and mixed Four-Ball team matches on Saturday with individual single matches to close the event on Sunday.

The Team Canada – NextGen squad featured 10 current members of the High-Performance program. Two additional U17 players were selected on the boys’ side to round out the team. The roster for the event included:

BOYS

Charlie Gillespie – 18, Calgary, Alta.

Antoine Jasmin – 19, Blainville, Que.

Austin Krahn – 17, Christina Lake, B.C.

*Dawson Lew – 15, Toronto, Ont.

Jager Pain – 16, Woodbridge, Ont.

*Alex Zhang – 16, Richmond, B.C.

Coaches: Darcy Dhillon – Calgary, Alta., Dr. Charles Fitsimmons (Mental Performance Coach) – King City, Ont.

*- denotes selected player

GIRLS

Aphrodite Deng – 15, Calgary, Alta.

Clara Ding – 14, White Rock, B.C.

Shauna Liu – 16, Maple, Ont.

Eileen Park – 15, Red Deer, Alta.

Nobelle Park – 15, Oakville, Ont.

Michelle Xing – 16, Richmond Hill, Ont.

Coaches: Jeff MacDonald – Halifax, N.S., Jennifer Ha – Calgary, Alta.

For more information on Team Canada, please click here.

In addition to the match play competition, there was joint team dinner following practice rounds on Friday and a closing awards ceremony following play on Sunday.

For the full results from the international friendly, please click here.

Even casual golf fans in Listowel, Ont., were invested in Corey Conners’s run at the Masters.

Brian Hare and Brian Paulmert were sharing a beer at Crabby Joe’s on Main Street in Listowel as Conners teed off in the final round of the Masters on Sunday, four shots back of Northern Ireland’s Rory McIlroy for the lead. Although neither bar patron know Conners personally or follow golf closely, they were rooting for their hometown’s star.

“It’s always good to see someone from a small town doing well or prospering, doing what they love to do,” said Hare.

“Listowel’s a bump, eh?” added Paulmert. “When I’m in the States people ask where I’m from and I say ‘an hour and a half from Toronto’ because no one knows Listowel.”

“You talk about Corey, he’s a small-town boy doing good.”

Conners shot a 3-over 75 on Sunday to finish the tournament tied for eighth at 5 under. 

It’s the fourth time he has finished in the top 10 at Augusta National. He tied for 10th in 2020, tied for eighth in 2021 and tied for sixth in 2022.

McIlroy beat England’s Justin Rose in a one-hole playoff for his first-ever Masters title.

Conners was the top ranked Canadian on the PGA Tour heading into the Masters, the first major of the men’s golf season, sitting sixth in the FedEx Cup standings. His eighth-place finish will drop him down to No. 7 in the rankings.

The 33-year-old has built his professional reputation on consistent play with remarkable ball-striking ability.

He shot a 68 in the first round, then back-to-back 70s to enter Sunday’s final round in sole possession of third. McIlroy was the third-round leader at 12 under, American Bryson DeChambeau was second at 10 under, and Conners was 8 under.

“Like I said, I’m not a big golfer, but I’ve heard he’s made a fight to win this tournament,” Hare said.

Mike Weir of Brights Grove, Ont., is the only Canadian male to ever win a major. He claimed the green jacket as Masters champion in 2003, inspiring a generation of Canadian golfers including Conners.

Brooke Henderson of Smiths Falls, Ont., has won two majors on the women’s schedule: the Women’s PGA Championship in 2016 and the Evian Championship in 2022.

Winnipeg’s George Knudson, who is tied with Weir for most PGA Tour wins by a Canadian at eight, was the closest to winning a major before Weir’s triumph. He lost the 1969 Masters by a single putt.

Nick Taylor of Abbotsford, B.C., was the other Canadian to make the cut at Augusta this year. He shot a 1-over 73 on Sunday to finish a 3-over overall, good for 40th.

Around the corner from Crabby Joe’s was the Back 9 Sports Bar, a golf-themed spot where a half-dozen people were watching the action from Augusta National but also keeping an eye on the Toronto Blue Jays game out of Baltimore, Canada’s national women’s hockey team at the world championships in Czechia, and anticipating that evening’s Toronto Maple Leafs game in Carolina.

Conners himself often stops by the Back 9 when he’s in Listowel and in one corner, near the twin golf simulators, is a wall filled with memorabilia from his career including signed golf flags from the Masters and the Valero Texas Open, which he won in 2019 and 2023 for his two PGA Tour victories.

——-

Catch Corey Conners at the 2025 RBC Canadian Open at TPC Toronto Osprey Valley. For ticket info, visit www.rbccanadianopen.com/tickets.

AUGUSTA, Ga. — Mixed teams are coming to golf at the Los Angeles Olympics.

The International Olympic Committee made it official Wednesday when it released the official program for the 2028 Games, in which female athletes are expected to have a slight majority for the first time.

Golf only returned to the Olympic program at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Games after a 112-year absence, and it has awarded medals to only one competition — 72 holes of stroke play — for men and for women.

The International Golf Federation had been lobbying for a mixed-team competition for the last several years without taking away too much time from golfers’ schedules on various tours.

Still to be determined are how many teams will compete and the qualification process.

“The International Golf Federation is thrilled with the IOC Executive Board’s decision to approve the addition of a mixed-team event to the Olympic Golf program,” the IGF said in a statement. It said more details would be released next week.

The IOC had an online board meeting Wednesday that was co-chaired in Lausanne, Switzerland, for the first time by Kirsty Coventry since she was elected IOC president last month. She takes over in June for Thomas Bach and will be the first female IOC president in its 131-year history.

The men’s competition would start on Wednesday — one day earlier than before — and end on Saturday. The mixed teams would be held on Sunday and Monday, with foursomes (alternate shot) used for one round and fourballs (better ball) the other.

Tuesday would be a practice day for the women, and their competition would start Wednesday through Saturday, one day before the Summer Games come to a close.

The golf competition is scheduled for Riviera Country Club, a revered PGA Tour stop that has hosted major championships. Riviera is to host the U.S. Women’s Open for the first time in 2026, and the U.S. Open returns in 2031.

A mixed team event would require only two more days for the players who qualify for the Olympics. It’s unlikely any of the top players would be competing the following week at a regular PGA Tour or LPGA Tour event.

Scottie Scheffler won the men’s gold medal at the 2024 Paris Games by closing with a 62 at Le Golf National. Lydia Ko won the women’s gold in Paris — she won the silver in Rio and the bronze in Tokyo in 2021 — which also gave her points required for the LPGA Hall of Fame.

Despite being one of the best Canadian golfers on the PGA Tour, Taylor Pendrith didn’t really grow up dreaming of playing in the Masters.

Instead, his goal was to play in Major League Baseball or the NHL.

Pendrith, who was the MVP of his high school baseball team in Richmond Hill, Ont., and also played junior A hockey, will make his Augusta National Golf Club debut on Thursday. 

“Honestly, even the first few years in college playing college golf, I didn’t really know I was going to play professionally,” Pendrith told reporters on Tuesday. “So obviously I watched the Masters tournament and followed golf, but never really thought I would be here until probably the last year of college.

“Once I got my PGA Tour card it became more of a reality that, ‘hey, if I do play well I could get here.'”

Pendrith played at Kent State University before turning pro in 2014, working his way up from the PGA Tour Canada to the Korn Ferry Tour and finally the PGA Tour. The 33-year-old qualified for the Masters, the first major of the men’s golf season, when he won the CJ Cup Byron Nelson on May 5.

“I had been a couple times as a spectator and it will be a really special week,” said Pendrith. “It’s already been such a cool week, and to have all my family and friends here, it’s awesome.”

Pendrith will be joined at Augusta by Corey Conners of Listowel, Ont., Nick Taylor of Abbotsford, B.C., and Mike Weir of Brights Grove, Ont.

Conners and Pendrith played together at Kent State and were the best men at each other’s weddings. They’ve gone on to play together on Golf Canada’s national team and were twice members of the International Team at the Presidents Cup.

“(Pendrith) looked great out there,” said Conners after the four Canadians practised together. “It was awesome to share that experience with him. 

“Tried to tell him a few of the things that I learned over the years. But I think this golf course is great for him.”

Conners is the highest ranked Canadian on the FedEx Cup standings, sitting sixth heading into the Masters. He’s played in the tournament seven times, finishing in the top 10 in 2020, 2021 and 2022.

“I think there is an added comfort level knowing you had some good rounds out here, knowing what it takes to play well,” said Conners, who is also 33. “I think that’s definitely huge here compared to some of the weeks.

“Obviously, it’s the biggest golf tournament in the world. Just fun to be here any time, but definitely having had some decent results, there is lots of positives I can draw from.”

Taylor is 16th on the FedEx Cup rankings and Pendrith is 39th. 

The 54-year-old Weir primarily plays on the Champions Tour and is therefore unranked on the PGA Tour, but automatically qualifies for the Masters as the 2003 champion. Weir is still the only Canadian man to win a major.

Taylor, 36, has won on the PGA Tour five times, including three playoffs. He thinks a major win could be close for him.

“I know I’m not far off, it’s just getting through that barrier of probably the belief standpoint and then I’ve played well enough at a vast majority of golf courses that there’s no reason I can’t compete out here,” said Taylor, who will be competing at the Masters for a third time. “So getting that belief is definitely probably the next step and then from there I can shoot some good scores.”

Each week we write to Golf Canada members who record a hole-in-one, congratulating them and asking if they’d tell us how it happened. These are their stories (edited for length and clarity).

Have you recently accomplished the feat of a hole-in-one? Tell us about it! Share your story, picture / video and course information with us at holeinone@golfcanada.ca.

Sergio Picco, Northlands Golf Course, Hole #14

I was playing with three gentlemen that are regulars at the course, as myself. My playing partners for the round were Stew, Norm and Sass. It was 10:58 am on hole #14 at Northlands Golf Course. It was playing 136 yards with the flag in the middle position of the two tiered green. My club of choice was a smooth 8 iron, which landed on the top tier and rolled down to the lower level and then in the hole. We all watched it go in the hole as I was playing a yellow Srixon ball.

Bryan Sandmaier, PGA West – The Citrus Club, Hole #7

Playing partners were Dallas Sandmaier, Garth Turgeon and Alison Turgeon. Hole #7 from 139 yards and the club used was a pitching wedge.

Philip Wade, Quarry Pines, Hole #6

I got a hole-in-one at Quarry Pines in Tucson. A group of us were visiting Tucson for a few weeks. It was on hole #6 and the pin was left centre. About 176 yards. The green had a high side on the right side. I hit a solid 7 iron but was right of the pin and hit the slope and the ball bounced towards the pin, but we could not see the hole. When we got up to the green we were expecting the ball to be on the green, but it was not there. We looked in the rough and couldn’t find it. Then looked in the cup, and there it was. Great time. My fourth hole-in-one.

Jeanne Glavec, Canoa Ranch Golf Club, Hole #8

Canoa Ranch Golf Course in Green Valley, Arizona on March 6, 2025. Par 3, hole #8 from the Blanco tees and the distance was 95 yards. Blanco tees are the senior men’s white tees. I used a 9 wood and the wind speed was between 15 – 20 kms per hour. My husband Andy Glavac witnessed along with two very good golfing friends from Montana, Cathy and Bob Repnak. Very exciting as this is my fifth hole-in-one.

Fred Mensink, Pestana Golf Resorts (Silves Golf), Hole #13

I was in Portugal and signed up to play the Silves Course in the Algarve. I was playing with two players from Norfolk, Great Britain; Matt and Sarah. It was an overcast day that started to drizzle. The hole was 150 yards and I used an 8 iron. The line looked good but the green was slightly elevated and there is a ridge from the bunker on the right side which I went over. I didn’t see it land or run out. Matt hit a good ball too, but it had a lower trajectory. When we went up to the green we only saw one ball. It was 20 feet past the hole. We both walked up to the ball and it was Matt’s. I knew I hit a higher ball so I walked back to the hole and there it was. Lucky #13! Never did see it go in!

Rob and Carolyn Grinton, Riverstrand Golf Club, Hole #2 and #5

Something quite unique and unusual happened at our Florida golf course. On Tuesday, March 11, 2025, my wife had her fourth hole-in-one at Riverstrand Golf Club Estuary Course hole #2 from 101 yards using an 8 iron. At our club, we have a hole-in-one pot that you can sign up for costing $5 each time a member gets a hole-in-one. We discussed several times that we need to sign up but neglected to do so. The next day, March 12th, I signed us up for the hole-in-one pot before I went out for my usual Wednesday afternoon round with three friends. On our Estuary hole #5 I also got a hole in one, from 195 yards using a 7 wood! I cashed in on the pot for quite a sum. I searched to see what the odds were that a couple made hole-in-one’s on consecutive days on a different hole and they are 1 in 17 million!

Ernie Parent, Mount Brenton Golf Course, Hole #7

I scored my first ever hole-in-one, March 16th at Mount Brenton Golf Course on hole #7. I hit my 6 iron 130 yards to a blue flag straight into the wind on a sunny, blustery morning. My first thought was that my shot had gone a little long and disappeared into the grass behind the green but my playing partners Charles Gallagher, Ted Valleau and Dan Whitelaw assured me that they thought the ball had gone in the hole.
Upon a closer inspection my Wilson Fifty Elite ball had landed six feet in front of the hole and rolled straight in. After high fives all around and a ball mark repair I left the green with a check mark in a box that all golfers hoped to get a chance to do.

Dave Sanders, Copetown Woods Golf Club, Hole #7

Long time golf buds from left to right , Jon, myself with the ball, Nick and brother Herb are pictured in the group photo.

The hole was playing about 160 yards, uphill, with the pin hidden behind a knoll so we didn’t actually see it drop. I used a 6 iron. Jon got to the green first and started hootin’ up a storm once he found it in the hole. This is my sixth hole-in-one, my first was back in 1992.

Nichoulas Hunter, Starfire at Scottsdale Country Club, Hole #14

My mom and I went down to Scottsdale for a trip over spring break and in my first round since October I got my hole-in-one. I was playing with my mom and two guys from Oregon who were there on a trip as well. It was hole #14. I remember shooting 154 yards on the tee box with my range finder. I hit my pitching wedge.

Christopher Love, Northview Golf & Country Club, Hole #11

I was playing with my buddy Brennen Ekelund. I had the hole playing at 140 yards, back pin. I used a 9 iron, dead straight, took two bounces and the ball disappeared into the cup. I just recently purchased a tripod to film a couple of holes per round as I have been pretty blessed to play some amazing courses over the years. Luckily this was one of the two holes I filmed that day so I have a video of it. Hole-in-one while on video and it was my 39th birthday to top it off. Needless to say I bought a lottery ticket that night.

Al Luomala, Yuma Golf & Country Club, Hole #8

I was golfing with Rod Brady, John McArthur and Jim Story on Wednesday, March 19th. Since Yuma is at sea level, I took one extra club on the par 3. The yardage was around 133 with a left to right cross wind. I hit a smooth 8 iron that was moved left to right and ended up in the hole. Couldn’t see it actually go in the hole but as I approached the green I thought at first I may have hit it long as a playing partners ball was on the green. I approached the hole, looking past the green first to see if it was long, then looked in the hole to find the ball was indeed there. This is my second hole-in-one with the last one being a number of years ago during the Club Championship at Kenogamisis Golf Club.

Darlene Caron, Peoria Pines, Hole #6

My foursome of Laurie Wohlfiel, Kathy Lange, Jeanne Schmidt and myself. The yardage was 82 to front of green. I used a 9 iron. There was a right to left breeze, with the pin in left centre front of an uphill green. I hit my 9 iron on right side of pin, with the ball landing on right side and rolling directly to the pin and disappeared.

Kyle Duggan, Indianwood Golf & Country Club, Hole #11

I was playing in a twosome with my great buddy and fellow caddy for the last three years at Cabot Cape Breton, Curtis Kuzmyk. It was a 183 yard par 3 over water, slight wind down and off the left, middle pin. Hit a high cut with an 8 iron with a touch of spin, landed a few feet past the hole and spun back in. We saw it disappear and before charging the green.

When she was just 17 years old, Monet Chun’s three big goals as an amateur were to win a national title, play collegiate golf in the NCAA and compete in an LPGA Tour event.  Today at 24, the university of Michigan grad has checked off all three – and now has her sights set on a successful career in professional golf.

Having worked with Chun as her personal coach since 2019, Matt Wilson speaks about the qualities that enable her to be successful and achieve her goals on the golf course.

“Monet’s general disposition allows her to be successful in the sport of golf which requires endless patience, tremendous determination, and a very clear vision,” he pointed out.

“She’s also got a healthy dose of curiosity.  You combine that with strong work ethic and you get continual improvement,” noted Wilson.

“Monet is a very steady player.  She’s pretty good at everything and plays a really tight game.  She’s a very special talent.”

Chun put her special talents on full display at the 2022 Canadian Women’s Amateur Championship in Kitchener, Ont.  She finished the tournament at five under and won her first national title by two strokes over runner up and fellow Richmond Hill, Ont., golfer, Alissa Xu.

“It was huge goal of mine to win a national event and I guess it showed that all the hard work was paying off,” said Chun.

By winning the Canadian Women’s Amateur, Chun received an exemption to compete at the U.S. Women’s Amateur, along with an exemption to compete in her first LPGA event at the 2022 CPKC Women’s Open.

Chun put on an impressive showing at the 2022 U.S. Women’s Amateur where she made it all the way to the championship match and finished runner up to Saki Baba of Japan.

“That was the year that everything came together. I was playing some of my best golf,” recalled the talented Canadian National Team member.

In 2022, Chun also led the University of Michigan women’s golf squad to their first Big Ten conference title in school history.

“I spent four years there and had a great time with the team and the coaches. My game really improved during that time and it was great being part of the first women’s team to win the Big Ten conference title in 2022,” said Chun, who completed an undergrad in kinesiology.

Having achieved her top goals as an amateur, the University of Michigan grad now has a clear vision for success on the professional ranks.  This year she is competing on the Epson Tour and hopes to continue her learning on route to the LPGA Tour one day.

Wilson says Chun is on the right track and believes that by making continued improvements in her putting and getting it to a world class level, the goal of making it to the LPGA Tour is within reach.

“Her putting is good but by continuing to improve and getting it to a world class level, that’s what is going to get Monet onto the LPGA Tour and have a lot of success once she’s there.”

Chun identifies two former members of the Canadian National Team Program also from the Richmond Hill area who have provided her with a clear vision for success over the years through their success playing the sport at the highest level – specifically Rebecca Lee-Bentham and Taylor Pendrith.

“Growing up, I’ve known about Rebecca and watched her play throughout her junior career in college and on the LPGA; and its pretty cool to be in a position to try to have some of that success,” said Chun.

“I’ve played at Summit Golf and Country Club and I know Taylor has played there also. It’s inspiring to see the success he’s currently having as a professional on the PGA Tour.”

Having been on the National Team Program since her teenage years, Chun is thankful for the continued support and credits the program for playing a significant role in helping turn her vision and goals into reality.

“The program has helped improve not only my techniques, but has helped me improved physical strength and my mental game,” she noted.

“Being part of the program, we have access to so many resources to support us and help us reach our goals on the golf course.”

Brooke Henderson needed only 27 holes to win two matches. The Canadian needs to win one more to be assured of reaching the weekend at the T-Mobile Match Play.

One day after a 6-and-5 win in the opening round, Henderson of Smiths Falls, Ont., pulled away late by winning five of the last seven holes Thursday in a 5-and-4 win over Peiyun Chien of Taiwan.

One more day of round-robins matches remain at Shadow Creek before the winner of each of the 16 groups advance to the knockout stage on the weekend. While no one clinched her group, at least 18 players were eliminated on another day of this fickle format.

Nelly Korda, the defending champion and No. 1 player, will have to beat Ariya Jutanugarn to win her group. Korda halved her opening match and she had a few shaky moments in a 1-up win over Jennifer Kupcho.

Korda had a 4-foot putt to go 3 up with three holes to play, missed the putt, and then gave away the the par-5 16th with a bogey. It came down to the 18th, and Kupcho pulled her drive to the left side of the hazard. Her next shot clipped a tree and she stopped watching, only to discover the ball was on the green.

Korda’s approach was 40 feet long, and she did well to lag it to a foot. Kupcho missed her 30-foot birdie attempt and Korda moved on to a decisive match against Jutanugarn. The Thai is 2-0 and would only need a halve against Korda.

“Very questionable by me,” Korda said of her play. “Definitely don’t have my best stuff right now.. That’s the greatest thing about match play, is even if you don’t have your best stuff you have to grind it out.”

Lydia Ko joined Henderson as the only players who have yet to play the 15th hole in either of the two rounds. The difference is Ko lost her first match (6 and 4) before a 6-and-5 victory Thursday over Gabriela Ruffels. Everyone in Ko’s group is 1-1.

If any group ends in a tie, the winner is decided by a sudden-death playoff.

Hyo Joo Kim, coming off a playoff victory last week in Arizona, won the last four holes to rally against Nanna Koertz Madsen for her second win this week. Kim and Maja Stark are 2-0 and will play Friday to see who advances.

Rose Zhang conceded her match against Albane Valenzuela after three holes. Zhang had complained about a neck injury in the opening round. That sets up a strange scenario.

If Zhang can’t play against Meghan Khang, Valenzuela would be eliminated. If Zhang can play and beats Khang, Valenzuela could win the group by beating Nataliya Guseva.

Among those eliminated are Jin Young Ko and Leona Maguire in another bizarre situation. 

Ko needed to win the match to have any shot at the weekend. The match was dormie after 16, meaning Ko was eliminated. But the South Korean won the next two holes to halve the match, and that eliminated Maguire.

Oakville, ON – Golf Canada and the United States Golf Association (USGA) announced today that the Team Canada – NextGen program and the U.S. National Junior Team will compete in a two-day international friendly match play event, April 12-13 at Champions Golf Club in Houston, Texas.

The event will feature 12 players (six girls and six boys) representing each team in a mixed competition that will be World Amateur Golf Ranking (WAGR) sanctioned. The match play format will be as follows:

Saturday, April 12: Foursome Team matches (a.m.) and Four-Ball Team matches (p.m.)

Sunday, April 13: Individual Single matches

“We are excited for our young Canadian athletes to participate in this match play event and give these talented aspiring players another opportunity to compete internationally. We have seen great success with our NextGen players over the past couple years, especially at the World Junior Girls Golf Championship and these matches provide great experience to continue to learn and grow,” said Jeff MacDonald, head coach of the Team Canada – NextGen Girls team. “We also want to extend our thanks to the USGA, as these unique matches help to strengthen an already strong relationship between our two national golf federations.”

The Team Canada – NextGen squad will feature 10 current members of the High-Performance program. Two additional U17 players were selected on the boys’ side to round out the team. The roster for the event will include:

BOYS

Charlie Gillespie – 18, Calgary, Alta.

Antoine Jasmin – 19, Blainville, Que.

Austin Krahn – 17, Christina Lake, B.C.

*Dawson Lew – 15, Toronto, Ont.

Jager Pain – 16, Woodbridge, Ont.

*Alex Zhang – 16, Richmond, B.C.

Coaches: Darcy Dhillon – Calgary, Alta., Dr. Charles Fitsimmons (Mental Performance Coach) – King City, Ont.

*- denotes selected player

GIRLS

Aphrodite Deng – 15, Calgary, Alta.

Clara Ding – 14, White Rock, B.C.

Shauna Liu – 16, Maple, Ont.

Eileen Park – 15, Red Deer, Alta.

Nobelle Park – 15, Oakville, Ont.

Michelle Xing – 16, Richmond Hill, Ont.

Coaches: Jeff MacDonald – Halifax, N.S., Jennifer Ha – Calgary, Alta.

For more information on Team Canada, please click here.

Team USA will be comprised of:

BOYS
Ronin Banerjee – 16, Irvine, Calif.

Luke Colton – 17, Frisco, Texas

Phillip Dunham – 17, Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla.

Trevor Gutschewski – 17, Omaha, Neb.

Will Hartman – 18, Marvin, N.C.

Tyler Mawhinney – 17, Fleming Island, Fla. (2024 Canadian Men’s Amateur Champion)

GIRLS

Shyla Brown – 16, McKinney, Texas

Ryleigh Knaub – 18, DeBary, Fla.

Jude Lee – 17, Walnut, Calif.

Nikki Oh – 17, Torrance, Calif.

Scarlett Schremmer – 18, Birmingham, Ala.

Amelie Zalsman – 16, St. Petersburg, Fla.

For more information of the U.S. roster, please click here.

“Team match play has long been an important part of international competition and introducing our nation’s top junior talent to these formats, competitive situations and championship level courses early in their development is crucial to building confidence and preparing them for success on the game’s biggest stages,” said Chris Zambri, head coach of the U.S. National Teams. “We’re thankful to partner with Golf Canada on this initiative in support of friendly competition and development for all of our athletes.”

Champions Golf Club was founded in 1957 by World Golf Hall of Fame members and past Masters champions, Jack Burke Jr. and Jimmy Demaret. The Cypress Creek course opened in 1959 and five years later the Jackrabbit course was built. Champions Golf Club has hosted numerous events including the Ryder Cup (1967), U.S. Open (1969), U.S. Amateur (1993), The TOUR Championship (1990, 1997, 1999, 2001, 2003) and the 2020 U.S. Women’s Open.

In addition to the match play competition, there will be a joint team dinner following practice rounds on Friday, April 11 and a closing awards ceremony following play on Sunday, April 13.

Lauren Kim’s first time playing in the Augusta National Women’s Amateur was a singular experience. Not just because it’s one of the most historic golf courses in North America, but because she played the final round of the elite tournament alone.

Kim had made the cut at Augusta last year but, because there was an odd number of competitors, she wound up playing her final round alongside a marker. Effectively playing by herself worked because she fired a 71 — one of the few to score under par that day — to tie for 14th.

“I wasn’t comparing myself to another player in the field,” she said. “I think that’s what made it more fun, because I was by myself, and I had no idea what was going on in other groups, and I was just playing golf, and I had crowds with me.

“I almost made a hole-in-one on No. 16, which is very exciting, because I had a lot of friends and people watching me on that hole, and I almost pulled it out and made the crowd go wild. That round in general was so fun and special, I think it’s pretty hard to forget.”

Kim, from Surrey, B.C., will get another chance to make memories on Wednesday when she tees off at the Augusta National Women’s Amateur for a second consecutive year.

“It’s such an amazing feeling. It’s Augusta National. Everybody wants to go there, and not everyone can,” Kim said. “But I’m playing there as well and I got the opportunity to play there last year, play a competitive round after making the cut. 

“That was a very magical feeling and I’m just so excited to go back. They run that tournament so well and treat us very well.”

Kim earned her Augusta return with one of the best seasons in U.S. collegiate golf this year in her sophomore year with the Texas Longhorns.

She’s earned six top-10 finishes since September 2024, most recently winning the Betsy Rawls Invitational. That performance anchored Texas’s 18-stroke team victory at the event in the Longhorns’ home tournament.

Laura Ianello, the head coach of the women’s golf team at Texas, said that Kim deserves the honour of being invited to Augusta.

“She has earned the right to be here, being the number 1 player out of Canada year after year the last couple of years,” said Ianello. “Lauren Kim is, without a doubt, a person that could easily win the Augusta National Women’s Amateur if she gets off to a good start, hits her fairways, greens and makes some putts early.”

Kim agreed with her university coach that her solid play all season should carry over to the storied course.

“With the momentum I have right now, it’s helping me head into events with the mindset that I am a great player, I can perform, and all I need to do is really just focus on that shot that I’m about to hit, instead of worrying about technical things or how I’m going to play or perform,” said Kim, who will be joined at Augusta by Longhorns teammates Farah O’Keefe and Cindy Hsu.

“Having all parts of my game clicking right now that really did help my mentality, keep me in it during tournaments.”

LPGA TOUR — Brooke Henderson of Smiths Falls, Ont., faces Ireland’s Leona Maguire in the first round of the T-Mobile Match Play event. Henderson, ranked No. 25 on the top women’s tour, is the only Canadian in the field at Shadow Creek Golf Course in North Las Vegas, Nev.

PGA TOUR — Two-time Valero Texas Open champion Corey Conners will return to TPC San Antonio this week. He’s seventh in the FedEx Cup standings, the highest-ranked Canadian on the PGA Tour. The player from Listowel, Ont., will be joined at the Texas Open by Ben Silverman (153rd) of Thornhill, Ont., and Adam Svensson (156th) of Surrey, B.C.

KORN FERRY TOUR — Sudarshan Yellamaraju of Mississauga, Ont., will return to action at this week’s Club Car Championship at The Landings Golf & Athletic Club in Savannah, Ga. He hasn’t played in a competitive tournament since he missed the cut at the Astara Golf Championship but is still No. 8 on the points list, making him the highest ranked Canadian on the second-tier circuit. No. 23 Matthew Anderson, also from Mississauga, Myles Creighton (62nd) of Digby, N.S., Etienne Papineau (109th) of Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Que., Roger Sloan (118th) of Merritt, B.C., and Vancouver’s Stuart Macdonald (136th) are also in the field.

AMERICAS TOUR — Ten Canadians are in the field at the 70th ECP Brazil Open this week, the second tournament of the third-tier circuit’s schedule. Anderson won it last year, paving the way for his promotion to the Korn Ferry Tour this season.

Regardless of the result at the 2025 Augusta National Women’s Amateur, Lauren Kim has already carved out a little piece of history as she is just the second Canadian in the event’s history to play in back-to-back seasons.  

But make no mistake – Kim, of Surrey, B.C., isn’t just there to hit a few shots, enjoy the walk, and add another note to her life’s scrapbook. After a breakthrough collegiate victory at the University of Texas in early March, Kim can’t help but smile and say, well, sure, she’s thinking about what it might be like to win the thing.

“It’s on my mind,” Kim told Golf Canada in a recent conversation from Austin as she prepared for this year’s Augusta National Women’s Amateur. “Everyone in this field is capable to win it but with where my game is at right now it’s not something I haven’t been thinking about – winning this championship. I’ve just got to keep chopping wood and keep thinking about what’s here and not end results.” 

Kim is a sophomore at the University of Texas and Canada’s top-ranked female amateur. The Augusta National Women’s Amateur field has always carved out a spot for a Canadian, and Brigitte Thibault – who played the first two editions of the championship – is the only other to play it more than once.  

There’s a chance Kim will be the first to play it three times, as she is No. 20 in the World Amateur Golf Ranking – 20 spots ahead of Vanessa Borovilos at No. 42 (Borovilos is 60 spots ahead of the next-highest ranked Canadian).  

Kim, who is in her fifth year as part of Golf Canada’s national team, finished T14 at the Augusta National Women’s Amateur last year after shooting 71 in the final round at Augusta National itself. Lottie Woad, the world’s top-ranked female amateur, won the title by one shot over Bailey Shoemaker.  

Kim’s T14 tied Monet Chun for the best result by a Canadian at the event.  

Kim’s Texas connection has been extremely beneficial for her as a member of the club, with Texas ties has taken her and some teammates to Augusta National for a bonus practice round two years in a row. She said the greens are much more challenging than you’d think they would be with “tiny breaks” that aren’t really seen by the naked eye.  

“It all comes down to the experience,” Kim said. “Having played there and having a local caddie – that was clutch. He knew the ins and outs and where Rae’s Creek was and all the different things that changed. Augusta changes their course every year.  

“To see the differences and my caddie to tell me, it’s really helpful.” 

Kim captured the Betsy Rawls Invitational for her first win of 2025 and second of her collegiate career. She was named the SEC Women’s Golfer of the Week in the process – about three weeks out from the Augusta National Women’s Amateur.

She said her game is “really solid” and is very pleased with all the work she did through the wintertime.   

“I’ve made a lot of swing changes and gained a lot of strength and speed. That’s what has helped me with my ball striking. I’ve never had an issue with it but now it’s more consistent than ever and all the training that I’ve done is really paying off,” Kim said. 

The Augusta National Women’s Amateur will once again consist of two rounds at nearby Champions Retreat Golf Club before the top 30 (and ties) will have a chance to play Augusta National.  

There are 72 players in the field to start the week. The event began in 2018.  

Kim knows that the week is unique and just because she is playing well and made the cut in 2024, the same success is not promised for 2025. But Kim has a solid game plan, and plenty of experience to lean on, for this year.  

“You definitely don’t want to think too far ahead of the end result and especially because there is qualifying to get onto Augusta National – it’s a big deal,” Kim said. “It can definitely captivate your entire mindset of thinking. Like, ‘I have to play well. I have to make the cut.’  

“For me it’s just thinking about what’s in front of me and what to deal with versus the whole big picture.”  

As her maturity shines through, Kim knows that a straightforward plan to her week will hopefully result in another good finish. Who knows – maybe there will be another Canadian to win at the famed fairways of Augusta National.  

“Right now,” Kim said, “My eyes are set on the trophy at Augusta.”