It was a beautiful day at The Marshes Golf Club in Ottawa as the 2015 World Junior Girls Championship officially began. This year’s competition has gathered 14 countries, 15 teams and 44 players in the nation’s capital.

Making their debuts in this year’s event are teams representing the People’s Republic of China, the Republic of Korea and France, who join returning countries Canada, Australia, Denmark, England, Finland, Italy, Mexico, Norway, Spain, Sweden and the defending champions from the United States.

With the lowest two scores from each round counting towards the team’s daily total, Korea took the opening-round lead at 2-under 142. Hye-Jin Choi led her team with a round of 2-under 70 while Eun-Soo Jang shot even-par. The third member of the team, Shin Hye Kim, posted a 4-over-par performance.

After the round, Korean coach Sang-Won Ko reflected pensively on his team’s first round. “I told the team that they were leading at lunch, but that they could have been playing even better. I think all three can work on their putting heading into the second round. It is always a great experience to be a member of a team that represents Korea, it’s all the motivation they need.”

Choi’s round of 70 also has her tied atop the individual competition. Despite her share of the lead, the 16-year-old laments the opportunities she was unable to capitalize upon.

“It is hard to pinpoint one particular strength of my game today. I finished with five birdies, but could have had more,” said Choi. “I missed a few chances that could have led to two or three more birdies. Having a share of the lead is nice because it makes me comfortable heading into the rest of the tournament. I just have to play even better tomorrow now that everyone is warmed up.”

Two shots back of Korea in the team competition are the United States and Sweden who both sit at even-par 144. Team USA was led by a strong performance from Elizabeth Wang who holds a share of the lead.

“I started out pretty well with my putting really helping me out,” noted Wang. “I got a little tired on the back nine and my putting suffered. This is a very beautiful course, the greens are pretty firm, each hole is unique and you can definitely score on the course.”

The San Marino, Calif., native beamed with pride when asked about taking part in this competition. “This event is just such a privilege for me to represent the United States and I am very grateful for the opportunity.”

Also factoring into the team score was Alyaa Abdulghany of Newport Beach, Calif., who finished 2-over 74. Completing the American contingent was Frisco, Texas native Courtney Dow who carded a 5-over 77.

Sweden – last year’s silver medalists – counted Frida Kinhult and Filippa Moork’s identical even-par rounds. The pair’s performances have them knotted in an 11-way tie for fourth. Elin Esborn completed the day at 1-over 73.

Both Canadian sides finished with room for improvement following the first day of competition. Team Canada Two made up of B.C. natives Euna Han (Coquitlam), Alisha Lau (Richmond) and Katherine Chan (Richmond) finished at 7-over 151 while Team Canada One consisting of Grace St-Germain (Orleans, Ont.) Hannah Lee (Surrey, B.C.) and Tiffany Kong (Vancouver) were 8-over.

Team Canada Two coach Mike Martz sees positives to be taken from his team’s performance. “I think they did a good job today. They didn’t have the greatest start, but they fought really hard on the back nine to come back two or three shots. They could have just folded, but they pulled everything together and fought back. We will put some work in today and hopefully they will be able to continue to improve tomorrow.”

For full tournament information, including the leaderboard and pairings see the tournament site at www.worldjuniorgirls.com.

OTTAWA – It’s pretty easy to see how much the World Junior Girls Championship means to its participants. And you don’t even need to hear the golfers say anything – and with representatives of 14 different countries, you may not understand them anyway – you just need to look at their smiles.

For the six Canadians, and golfers from around the world, like Elin Esborn of Sweden, the World Junior Girls Championship – starting Tuesday from the Marshes Golf Club about 30 minutes from downtown Ottawa – is the pinnacle of many of their young careers.

“It feels really good to be one of the top three junior golfers in Sweden, but this is amazing,” Esborn says. The 18-year-old from Gothenburg (Sweden’s second-largest city) will be attending the University of North Carolina next year on a scholarship. But this is her first time on an international stage – after competing in the Junior Solheim Cup last week – and she is relishing the opportunity to be in Canada.

And that is exactly the experience Jeff Thompson, the Chief Sport Officer for Golf Canada, had in mind when they brought the idea to the International Golf Federation (IGF) for this particular championship.

“It’s been on our radar screen for the last five years or so,” Thompson explains. “There’s always been the Junior Boys’ in Japan but nothing for the girls. The IGF thought it was a good concept and they said they’d be happy to support us.”

2014 was the inaugural championship at Angus Glen Golf Club, the site of this year’s Pan American Games golf competition, where “Team Canada One” (as host nation, Canada gets two teams) finished third. Brooke Henderson led that squad, and, as everyone knows, has gone on to become a star on the LPGA Tour.

Two members of Golf Canada’s developmental squad are at The Marshes this week – Grace St-Germain (who is from Ottawa) and Alisha Lau. Four other British Columbians round out the rest of Team Canada: Hannah Lee, Euna Hun, and 15-year-old Kathrine Chan. Other than St-Germain and Lau, Team Canada is getting its first taste at international competition.

“This is a benchmarking opportunity for us, and it’s an opportunity for us to see how the girls are stacking up,” says Thompson. “But it’s also an opportunity for the girls to see how they’re stacking up too. This gives the girls an opportunity to see what’s going on around them in the world of golf.”

Golf Canada’s developmental team head coach Ann Carroll says the girls are feeling a new layer of pressure – being on home turf and representing Canada – but part of her job (and coach of ‘Team Canada Two’ Mike Martz) is to get the girls to feel as comfortable as they can so they can perform at their best.

“I think they’re felling very proud to be selected for this team, and we have to lessen that kind of pressure they put on themselves,” says Caroll.

Chan, who is hoping to make the Golf Canada National Team next year, says she feels a little bit more pressure this week to perform well. But, she states she wants to treat this as any other event and have fun.

“It’s so exciting to be here and represent Canada,” she explains.

But if this whole golf thing doesn’t work out for Chan, she admits she has a back-up plan.

“I want to go to college before maybe turning professional. I want to play golf, but I want to be a neurosurgeon too,” Chan says, nonchalantly, of her secondary career choice.

And that’s what this week is about, really.

There are girls who may never make it beyond junior golf, and some who might become household names playing this week. Thompson says he is excited for what the future holds for this event.

“We’ve made a commitment to put some momentum behind it and get it off the ground. We need to get partners engaged who have the same passion for it,” he explains.

There’s no doubt that the talent is here this week, and clearly, the event means a lot to both the participants, and the organizers.

“When you look at the field, the best countries in the world have their best players here,” says Thompson. “I think it’s the premier junior girls event in the world.”

For golfers like Chan, Esborn and all the others, hearing that is worth smiling about.

SAN MARTIN, Calif. – Former PGA Tour player Omar Uresti and Sean Dougherty won two matches Friday to help the United States take a 4 1/2-3 1/2 lead over Great Britain and Ireland in the PGA Cup.

Uresti and Dougherty beat Englishmen Lee Clarke and Paul Hendriksen 1 up for the Americans’ lone point in the morning fourball matches at CordeValle in the competition for club professionals. The U.S. duo topped Ireland’s Niall Kearney and England’s Alex Wright 3 and 1 in the afternoon foursomes.

“Pars weren’t very good out there today. You had to make birdies,” said Dougherty, the PGA head professional at Oakwood Country Club in Kansas City, Missouri. “Omar and I have similar personalities. Our games fit well together. We both like to attack the golf course, but we are still gritty. Seeing our teammates post (U.S.) flags on the scoreboard this afternoon really helped our momentum.”

In the other foursomes matches, Bon Sowards and Jamie Broce routed Englishmen Cameron Clark and Lee Clarke 8 and 7, Michael Block and Stuart Deane beat Scotland’s Graham Fox and England’s David Dixon 4 and 3, and Matt Dobyns and Ben Polland halved with England’s Jason Livermore and Scotland’s Gareth Wright.

In fourball play, Clark and England’s Michael Watson beat Polland and Dobyns 3 and 2, Fox and Dixon topped Sowards and Broce 2 and 1, and Levermore and Wright edged Alan Morin and Grant Sturgeon 3 and 2.

The U.S. leads the series 17-5-4.

The 2015 edition of the World Junior Girls Championship will be held at The Marshes Golf Club in Ottawa from September 20-25. In addition to showcasing a number of the world’s most talented 18-and-under female golfers, the event will focus on the continued development of the sport.

“The World Junior Girls Championship is about more than this year’s participants and their opportunity to learn through international competition,” said Jeff Thompson, Chief Sport Officer of Golf Canada. “It is also about the sustainable development of golf in Canada and strengthening the relationship between the national golf associations around the world.”

Mike Kelly, Interim Executive Director of the Golf Association of Ontario, mirrored Thompson’s sentiments. “The chance to gather a number of elite coaching minds from around the world to share their knowledge and experiences is an invaluable opportunity. Through the junior girls skills development clinic and the junior-amateur fundraiser, we hope to leave a lasting imprint on the golfing community in the Ottawa area.”

A coaching summit is set to take place on Sunday, September 20 at The Marshes Golf Club. During the competitors’ practice rounds, PGA of Canada coaches will be paired with international coaches to exchange ideas and share in coaching methodology. Following the practice rounds, the PGA of Canada coaches will gather with Team Canada Women’s Head Coach Tristan Mullally and PGA of Canada Technical Director Glenn Cundari in a round-table discussion.

A junior girls skills development clinic will be conducted with PGA of Canada coaches introducing and developing golf-specific skills with junior golfers invited from the community. The junior-amateur fundraiser will see World Junior Girls Championship competitors play with local golfing enthusiasts to raise funds towards the development of golf in Ontario.

LYTHAM ST ANNES, England – Britain and Ireland regained the Walker Cup with the team’s highest points total on Sunday, beating the United States 16.5 to 9.5 at Royal Lytham and St Annes.

Leading 7-5 after the first day of the biennial amateur event, Britain and Ireland again won the morning foursomes 3-1 to lead 10-6.

That left the hosts needing just 3.5 points from the 10 afternoon singles, and Britain and Ireland clinched victory with six matches still out on the course on England’s north west coast.

“We fought hard and lost with grace and dignity, that’s what sport is all about,” said United States captain John `Spider’ Miller.

Britain and Ireland captain Nigel Edwards, a four-time Walker Cup player, also led his team to victory at Royal Aberdeen in 2011.

“The lads’ short games are fantastic, which is probably what has given us the edge,” Edwards said. “Some of the bunker shots were exceptional.”

England’s Ashley Chesters and Jimmy Mullen and Ireland’s Cormac Sharvin won three of the first four singles before Paul Dunne, who shared the lead after three rounds of this year’s British Open, halved his match with Maverick McNealy to seal victory.

Chesters’ 3 and 1 victory over Jordan Niebrugge gave him 3.5 points out of a possible four while his England teammate Mullen claimed his fourth point with a 3 and 2 win over Denny McCarthy.

Sharvin’s 4 and 3 win over Mike McCoy also gave him a perfect record with three wins in three matches. He was four up after six holes against the veteran American and, although McCoy got it back to two by the 11th, Sharvin regained his four-hole advantage with birdies at the 12th and 14th.

Dunne always had the edge against McNealy, who never held the lead but could have won it on the 18th. Dunne putted first from eight feet and missed, leaving McNealy with a five footer to win the match, but the ball slid by, giving Britain and Ireland victory.

There were further home wins for Scotland’s Grant Forrest, who beat Scott Harvey 2 and 1, and Gary Hurley, who won by one hole against Hunter Stewart.

Bryson DeChambeau claimed the biggest win of the whole competition, beating Gavin Moynihan 6 and 5, and Beau Hossler was the only other U.S. singles winner Sunday, edging out Ewen Ferguson with a birdie at the final hole.

Hossler got the most points for the U.S., winning three of his four matches.

Earlier, in the morning session, English pair Chesters and Mullen claimed their second foursomes win, fighting back after losing the first two holes to beat Hossler and McCarthy 3 and 2.

Dunne and Hurley got the home side’s second point with a one-hole victory over Mike McCoy and Harvey, while DeChambeau and Robby Shelton won the sole U.S. point, beating Moynihan and Jack Hume 3 and 2.

Britain and Ireland’s final morning point came in a see-saw match, with Sharvin and Jack McDonald beating Stewart and Lee McCoy by two holes.

LYTHAM ST ANNES, England – Britain and Ireland enjoyed a 7-5 lead over holders United States on Saturday after the first day of the 45th Walker Cup on the links of Royal Lytham and St Annes.

The hosts led 3-1 after morning foursomes in northwest England of the biennial amateur event before the eight afternoon singles were shared, with each side winning three matches and the other two halved.

“Given our start this morning I was pleased with the way we came back this afternoon,” United States captain John `Spider’ Miller said.

The 37-year-old Scott Harvey, one of the senior members of the American team, won his singles by sinking a 55-foot putt at the 17th.

“There are 14 points available tomorrow, so being two down is not bad in the scheme of things,” Harvey said after an enthralling day’s play in blustery conditions.

There was never more than one hole in it in the first match between Bryson DeChambeau and Ashley Chesters. The American twice went one up on the front nine only for Chesters to pull him back. After the lead switched hands, DeChambeau leveled with his fifth birdie of the match at the 16th and they parred the two closing holes to share the spoils.

Hunter Stewart was one down for the U.S. with three to play against Paul Dunne but birdied the 16th and 18th and parred the 17th, when Dunne three putted, to win the match by two holes.

Another American point came when Scott Harvey won the 16th with a par and then took the match 2 and 1 when he sank a 55-foot birdie putt at No. 17 when Grant Forrest narrowly missed a birdie.

England’s Jimmy Mullen got the first singles point on the board for Britain and Ireland when he beat Denny McCarthy by two holes. Mullen played faultless golf with 14 pars and four birdies at Nos. 9, 12, 13 and 18.

Maverick McNealy was never ahead against Ewen Ferguson, but came back from three down after seven to take him to the 18th where the Scot won by one hole.

Gavin Moynihan claimed Britain and Ireland’s third singles point with a 4 and 2 win over Jordan Niebrugge.

Robby Shelton was three up after seven in his match with another Irishman Gary Hurley, but ended up halving the match.

Beau Hossler for the U.S. was three down after 10 holes against Ireland’s Jack Hume but fought back to win by one hole.

Earlier, Britain and Ireland took a 3-1 lead after the morning foursomes in windy conditions.

English pairing Chesters and Mullen claimed the first point for the home side with a 3 and 2 victory over McNealy and Stewart. Ireland’s Cormac Sharvin and Scotland’s Jack McDonald dominated Jordan Niebrugge and Shelton, winning three of the first four holes on their way to a 5 and 4 victory.

Hossler and Denny McCarthy claimed the Americans’ only point in the third match with a 3 and 1 win over Irish pair Dunne and Hurley. The second Irish pair of Hume and Moynihan never trailed in their match against Lee McCoy and Mike McCoy before winning 3 and 2.

LYTHAM ST ANNES, England – United States captain John `Spider’ Miller wants his team to have “fun” against Britain and Ireland in the 45th Walker Cup when the biennial amateur event starts Saturday.

Playing on the Lancashire links at Royal Lytham & St Annes Golf Club in north west England, the Americans are seeking to retain the trophy they won 17-9 at the National Golf Links of America in New York two years ago.

“I want it to be fun for them,” said Miller, himself a Walker Cup player in 1999. “To make it an experience that they will never forget.”

Welshman Nigel Edwards, the Britain and Ireland captain for the third successive time, will be bidding to regain the trophy he won on his first occasion at the helm at Royal Aberdeen four years ago.

The teams play four foursomes and eight singles on Saturday, then four foursomes and 10 singles on Sunday.

Miller’s team ranges from 52-year-old Mike McCoy from Iowa and 37-year-old Scott Harvey from North Carolina to eight college players in their teens and early 20s.

“Cap’s done an incredible job for us, making us comfortable,” Hunter Stewart said. “He knows that each player on the team may prepare a little bit differently, so he’s done exactly what makes us feel comfortable before the first tee tomorrow.”

Edwards, who played in four successive Walker Cups from 2001 to 2007, said it was a “hard task” choosing “who to play and who not to play, which is great because quite often you come to the Walker Cup and not everybody has got their game.”

In Saturday morning foursomes, it’s: Maverick McNealy and Stewart (United States) vs Ashley Chesters and Jimmy Mullen (Britain and Ireland); Beau Hossler and Denny McCarthy vs Paul Dunne and Gary Hurley; Jordan Niebrugge and Robby Shelton vs Cormac Sharvin and Jack McDonald; Lee McCoy and Mike McCoy vs Jack Hume and Gavin Moynihan.

In Saturday afternoon singles, it’s: Bryson DeChambeau (United States) vs Chesters (Britain and Ireland); Stewart vs Dunne; Harvey vs Grant Forrest; McCarthy vs Mullen; McNealy vs Ewen Ferguson; Shelton vs Hurley; Hossler vs Hume; Niebrugge vs Moynihan.

The Britain and Ireland team has a record five Irishmen: Dunne, Hume, Hurley, Moynihan and Sharvin.

The event, first played in 1922 at National Golf Links, is named in honor of former USGA President George Herbert Walker – grandfather and great-grandfather of former U.S. presidents George H.W. Bush and George W. Bush.

The U.S. leads the series 35 to 8.

Bryson DeChambeau is a physics major with a unique approach to golf, and a set of irons all cut to the same length.

There is also the Ben Hogan-style cap the SMU senior wears when he plays, and the rare distinction that added him to a group of elite golfers: Jack Nicklaus, Phil Mickelson, Tiger Woods and Ryan Moore.

“I’ve been practicing my whole life for something like this, and to be able to finally do something history-worthy, I guess you could say is incredible,” said DeChambeau, only the fifth golfer to win both the U.S. Amateur and NCAA individual titles in the same year.

All with a swing of his own developed over years of experimentation since his coach, Mike Schy, threw the book “The Golfing Machine” at a then-15-year-old with the goal of being the best ball-striker in the world.

“It was a really difficult read, it was a college textbook, it was a foreign language to me,” DeChambeau said. “But after a couple of years of guidance from Mike, we came up with a single-plane swing … it’s called zero-shifting motion, more technically, and it’s helped me become the player I am today.”

DeChambeau explained that the book showed 24 components to a swing, with about 144 variations throughout those components. He picked a specific set of variations to come up with his swing.

That swing is then repeated over and over since all of DeChambeau’s iron shafts are about 37 1-2 inches long with differently weighted heads That allows him to consistently use the same motion, whether hitting a long iron or a pitch shot.

“I’m able to keep my posture the same, the swing is relatively the same, and it’s a lot easier to control the clubface because they’re relatively the same swing speed,” he said. “I have a very good guestimate … I’ve been able to understand how far I can hit it through those repetitions.”

DeChambeau last month won 7 and 6 over Virginia junior Derek Bard in the 36-hole final at Olympia Fields to claim the U.S. Amateur title. DeChambeau started the summer with a one-stroke victory over Washington’s Pan Cheng-Tsung for the NCAA individual title.

“I believe in myself that I can pull the shots off at any given point in time,” DeChambeau said.

This weekend, days before his 22nd birthday, he is in England with the U.S. team in the Walker Cup for match play against a team of players from Britain and Ireland.

After that, DeChambeau plans to stay in school to finish work on his major and expects to play his final season with the Mustangs. As amateur champion, he would receive invitations to play next year in the Masters, the U.S. Open and the British Open.

The California native said he feels no pressure to turn pro right now, even while going to college in the hometown of 22-year-old Jordan Spieth, the Masters and U.S. Open champion.

“He’s different than me, so we all have our individual ways to get there. I’m going my route,” DeChambeau said. “I’m not thinking about the future. I’m thinking about right now, and what I can do not only for my school, but my country.”

With his own swing and same-sized irons.

OTTAWA, Ont. – The world’s top female junior golfers will gather in Ottawa for the second playing of the World Junior Girls Championship from September 20-25 at The Marshes Golf Club. Six Canadians will represent the host nation in team and individual competition as Canada vies for the title of World Junior Girls champion.

“The Marshes Golf Club is in great shape and we are excited to once again bring the world’s talented players to Canada,” said Tournament Director Mary Beth McKenna. “It is a true honour to be selected to represent your country and we know that all the athletes from across the globe will want to perform their best in this event.”

Grace St-Germain of Orleans, Ont., will return to the competition looking to improve upon Team Canada’s third-place result in 2014. The national team Development Squad member has had a banner year in 2015. St-Germain tallied a third-place result at the Golf Quebec Junior Spring Open before beginning Golf Canada’s championship season with a victory at the CN Future Links Pacific Championship. The 17-year-old repeated as the Golf Association of Ontario’s Junior Girls’ Match Play champion and closed the campaign with victories at the Canadian Junior Golf Association (CJGA) Mizuno National Junior Golf Championship and the Graham Cooke Junior Invitational – it was her third consecutive victory at the tournament named after the Canadian Golf Hall of Famer.

Playing alongside St-Germain is Hannah Lee of Surrey, B.C. The 15-year-old has demonstrated a great deal of consistency this summer, finishing runner-up at the British Columbia Juvenile Championships, third at the B.C. Junior Girls and T7 at the B.C. Women’s Amateur. She captured the 16-and-under Juvenile Division at the 2015 Canadian Junior Girls Championship and finished second overall in the national championship. The lessons she learned this summer culminated in Lee claiming the gold medal in the girls’ competition at the 2015 Western Canada Summer Games in Wood Buffalo, Alta.

Rounding-out the Team One contingent is 14-year-old Tiffany Kong. The Vancouver native’s second-place standing at the Maple Leaf Junior Golf Tour (MJT) Season Opener began a string of six events where she finished no lower than a tie for sixth-place. Kong finished fourth at the B.C. Junior Girls before capturing the silver medal in the individual competition at the Western Canada Summer Games. The highlight of Kong’s season would come at The Vancouver Golf Club in Coquitlam, B.C., where she competed in the 2015 Canadian Pacific Women’s Open after earning a spot through the Monday Qualifier.

As the host nation, Canada will field two teams in the World Junior Girls Championship. Euna Han of Coquitlam, B.C., will be a member of Canada’s second team in the competition. The 13-year-old notched five top-six finishes this summer, including a runner-up result at the MJT Odlum Brown Classic-PGA of BC Junior Championship, a third-place finish in the juvenile division of the Canadian Junior Girls Championship and a T6 at the B.C. Junior Girls Championship.

Alisha Lau will play in the World Junior Girls Championship for a second time. The product of Richmond, B.C., emerged victorious at the 2015 CN Future Links Prairie Championship at Cooke Municipal Golf Course in Prince Albert, Sask., and finished tied for third at the B.C. Women’s Amateur Championship. Lau claimed the bronze medal at the Western Canada Summer Games to complete a sweep of the podium for Team B.C. The trio of Lee, Kong and Lau’s combined score of 435 over two rounds earned them gold in the team competition – 58 strokes clear of second-place.

Completing the second team will be fellow British Columbian Kathrine Chan of Richmond. The 15-year-old’s 11^th place standing at the B.C. Junior Girls Championship was her lowest result this season. Chan finished second in the juvenile division of the Canadian Junior Girls Championship and fourth overall while also registering a T5 finish at the B.C. Juvenile Championships.

“These six athletes have been selected to represent Canada based on some fantastic results achieved throughout the season,” said Jeff Thompson, Golf Canada’s Chief Sport Officer. “The growth that these players have shown this year is a direct result of the support they have received from their home clubs, their skilled coaches and the provincial golf associations.”

Thompson credited the strength of competition in Canada as being a key component in the development of these players.

“The performances of Canada’s junior female athletes have been very strong this year. While that level of competition has made this selection process far from simple, it has provided excellent opportunities for the players to hone their skills against Canada’s best. The wealth of resources available to our athletes, beginning at the grassroots level and extending to the provincial and national levels, has resulted in a tremendous amount of golfing talent across the nation. We look forward to seeing this group proudly represent all of Canada as they learn and grow on the international stage.”

National team Development Squad women’s coach Ann Carroll will return to lead the Canadian teams in the competition. Assisting her will be Mike Martz, coach of the New Competitors team at the Golf Performance Centre at Whistle Bear.

Conducted by Golf Canada in partnership with the Golf Association of Ontario and supported by the International Golf Federation, the 2015 edition of the World Junior Girls Championship will take place in Ontario for a second consecutive year. The inaugural tournament in 2014 was held at Angus Glen Golf Club in Markham, Ont., where Team USA claimed team honours and Beverly Hills, Calif., native Mika Liu finished atop the leaderboard in individual competition.

In addition to the 72-hole team and individual competitions, the World Junior Girls Championship will be a celebration of the sport with a specific focus on the growth and development of the game. Golf Canada will host a Canadian Sport Institute Ontario (CSIO) coaching summit and a girls’ skill development clinic in the lead-up to the tournament.

Additional information regarding the 2015 World Junior Girls Championship can be found on the competition’s website.

WALLACE, N.S. – The first of two Golf Canada Performance Camps this year was conducted on Sept. 6–7 at the Fox Harb’r Resort in Wallace, N.S., as part of an initiative to support the growth and development of Canada’s next generation of junior golfers.

The Performance Camps, now in their fourth year, are conducted by Golf Canada in conjunction with the provincial associations to address the talent of budding athletes across the country—in this case, Atlantic Canada. Team Canada’s Lead Development Squad Coach, Robert Ratcliffe, has been at the helm of the project since the first camp was conducted in 2012.

“Each year, these camps provide great insight into the skill levels of some of Canada’s best young players,” said the PGA of Canada Class ‘A’ member. “We hope to help provide some guidance and information to assist them along the path to reaching their full potential.”

The Performance Camps have continued to adapt to best optimize the amount of time available between the athletes and PGA of Canada professionals on hand.

“We’re always looking at new ways of adjusting the itinerary to make the most of our time with the athletes,” said Ratcliffe, a Comox, B.C., native. “The coaches continue to make sure we collect valuable data while also providing one-on-one instruction and coaching.”

Supporting Ratcliffe at Fox Harb’r were four provincial coaches—all of whom are trained under the PGA of Canada’s Coach of Developing Competitor context. Together, they led over 30 participants through detailed training stations, which included FlightScope, Shot-by-Shot, uncommon short game and fitness tests. Those sessions were followed by in-depth performance analysis and one round of nine holes.

While the focus is on helping the athletes, the Performance Camps also serve as a means of talent identification for Team Canada’s High Performance programs. Each camp is concluded with a performance planning class that ends with insight into how to make Canada’s national squads.

The second and final Performance Camp of 2015 will be conducted at the Beauceville Golf Club in Québec from Sept. 18–19.