IRVING, Texas – Lydia Ko sent her caddie up a pine tree behind the 14th green – and tumbled down the leaderboard Thursday in the North Texas Shootout.

Lydia Ko had a triple bogey after losing a ball in the tree and dropped three more strokes on the next two holes Thursday to put her career-long LPGA Tour cuts streak in jeopardy.

“I would never have imagined for it to be stuck up there,” Ko said.

Coming off a victory Sunday in California in the Swinging Skirts LPGA Classic, Ko finished with a 4-over 75 to fall nine strokes behind leaders Juli Inkster, Cristie Kerr and Sydnee Michaels.

On the par-4 14th, Ko’s second shot flew past the green and behind the tree. The top-ranked New Zealander tried to go over the tree coming back, but failed to clear it. She was given a penalty drop beneath the tree for an unplayable lie even though caddie Jason Hamilton was unable to identify the ball.

“You just get those days where things that you least expect happen,” Ko said. “It’s good to know my caddie is always there to do what’s best for me. I didn’t know he was that good climbing trees.”

Said Hamilton: “Not being able to see it from the ground, I felt I better get up there.”

The 18-year-old Ko followed the triple bogey with a double bogey after hitting into the water on the par-4 15th and lost another stroke with a bogey on the par-4 16th.

Ko was tied for 117th in the 144-player field that will be cut to the top 70 and ties after the second round and to the top 50 and ties after the third. She has made the 36-hole cuts in all 50 of her tour starts.

“Hopefully, I’ll be able to pull off something amazing,” Ko said.

Ko said Wednesday that she will donate her earnings to the earthquake relief effort in Nepal. She has two LPGA Tour victories this year and leads the money list with $908,810.

The 54-year-old Inkster also shared the first-round lead last week in California and ended up tying for 15th. She won the last of her 31 tour titles in 2006.

“Hopefully, I can build on this,” Inkster said. “I’m not really looking forward to winning. I mean, as (Jack) Nicklaus said, `I’ve played good at first rounds and really haven’t played good my second rounds.'”

Kerr won the Kia Classic in late March for her 17th tour victory.

Kerr and Michaels each had only 24 putts.

“The greens are really good here,” Kerr said. “So, if you hit the greens, even if you have a little longer than you wanted with your shot, you have some opportunities. So, it was a good day for me.”

Fort Worth resident Angela Stanford was a stroke back at 67 along with Lexi Thompson, Natalie Gulbis, Maria Hernandez, Ryann O’Toole, Karine Icher, Sandra Gal, Gerina Piller, Wei-Ling Hsu and Alena Sharp.

Michelle Wie topped the group at 68.

Defending champion Stacy Lewis opened with a 69 in her home-state event.

After qualifying on Monday, Smiths Falls, Ont., native Brooke Henderson finished at -2. Rebecca Lee-Bentham carded a 4-over 75 on the day while fellow Canadians Sue Kim and Jennifer Kirby opened at +5.

Canada’s Brooke Henderson is off to a great start since turning pro a few months ago.

The 17-year-old from Smiths Falls, Ont., is coming off a third-place finish at her second LPGA Tour event this season and will be brimming with confidence at this week’s stop in Irving, Tex. Henderson said Wednesday she’s feeling really good about her game and is excited about her future at this level.

“I think the possibilities are endless,” Henderson said on a conference call. “I just have to go out there, everything is meant to happen for a reason. Hopefully good things will happen.”

Henderson earned US$132,721 for her result at last week’s Swinging Skirts LPGA Classic. She opened the season in early February by finishing tied for 33rd at the Pure Silk-Bahamas LPGA Classic.

Next up is an appearance at this week’s $1.3-million Volunteers of America North Texas Shootout at Las Colinas Country Club. She won a playoff Tuesday to secure the second qualifying spot.

“This year is a learning experience year for me,” Henderson said. “It’s my first year as a pro and I’m sort of on a mixture of tours.

“So when I have the an opportunity to play an LPGA event, I definitely want to take advantage of it and play the best that I can.”

Henderson already has sponsor’s exemptions to participate in the May 29-31 Shop-Rite LPGA Classic and the June 4-7 Manulife LPGA Classic in Cambridge, Ont.

She hopes to use the maximum six exemptions she’s allowed this season and also qualify for other tournaments through the summer. Playing for Canada at this summer’s Pan Am Games in Toronto is also a possibility.

It has been a hectic start to the season, but Henderson is used to the grind.

“I think travelling as an amateur on the international stage the last couple of years has really prepared me for this year because it has been a ton of travel,” Henderson said. “Playing not on one tour in particular, but travelling around LPGA, Symetra and mini-tour stuff, I’ve been trying to take advantage of as many opportunities to play as I can and to play well when I do get those opportunities.

“Like I say, it has been a ton of travel but I’m really enjoying it and I don’t regret my decision (to turn pro) one bit.”

Henderson, who won three times on the Canadian Women’s Tour as an amateur and was a runner-up in the U.S. Women’s Amateur, has already gained valuable experience in the early going this season. Playing in the final group at a pro event will only serve her well going forward, even if she came just short of her first LPGA Tour victory.

“Playing on Saturday, I was very, very comfortable, which I felt was a really good thing,” she said. “I didn’t have many nerves. I was really focused and ready to go. Sunday was a little bit different. I was a little more nervous and a couple shots just weren’t what I was really looking for.

“But I think feeling the way I did Saturday is a really good sign for future final groups and (playing) on the weekend.”

IRVING, TX – Team Canada Young Pro Squad member Brooke Henderson had little time to reflect on her third place finish at the Swinging Skirts LPGA Classic – a result that had Canadian golf fans glued to their television sets reeling with pride from coast-to-coast.

Just a few hours after recording her career best finish on the LPGA Tour, the Smiths Falls, Ont., native was on a plane leaving San Francisco, headed to Texas so she could attempt to “Monday qualify” for this week’s Volunteers of America North Texas Shootout Presented by JTBC.

“Yeah, it was a little bit crazy,” Henderson said. “We went straight to the airport Sunday night, and didn’t have a flight. We got one and it was delayed until 4 a.m., so we spent most of the night in the airport. We arrived here (at the golf course) just before 10 a.m. ‑ actually probably around 9 a.m. in the morning – and Brian, my caddie, went out and looked at the course a little bit, and I got some rest, and then was ready to play at 2 p.m.”

Despite the less than ideal travel arrangements, Henderson was 1-under thru 13 holes when her Monday qualifying round was suspended due to inclement weather at Las Colinas Country Club.

Henderson finished her round Tuesday at 1-under 70 to head into a four-person playoff. She sank a 10-foot birdie putt on the second hole to take the final qualifying spot.

“On the first playoff hole I gave myself a good look at birdie, was probably 15 feet straight up the hill,” she descibed. “I saw a little more break in it than it was, and then I was lucky. On the second playoff hole I was a foot away from where I was the previous time, so I knew the break a lot better and was able to make it.”

When asked about the wealth of encouragement she has received from her home country, Henderson reflected pensively on the state of golf in Canada. “The support back home is amazing. I think Canadian golf has been waiting for something. Mike Weir has definitely been a headliner, and there’s been a lot of other great players like Graham DeLaet and David Hearn and Brad Fritsch that have come up on the men’s side, and then of course Lorie Kane, Alena Sharp, and a few other young pros that are starting to make their way onto the Tour now.

“But I think over the last couple years, the amateur teams have been playing really well. Last year, Corey Conners and I, we were both finalists in the U.S. Amateur, and that had only happened once before, and it was pretty cool. I think the interest in Canada is continuing to grow, and I think golf in Canada is growing pretty rapidly.”

Henderson will join fellow Canadians Rebecca Lee-Bentham, Alena Sharp, Jennifer Kirby and Sue Kim in the North Texas Shootout field.

DALY CITY, Calif. – Lydia Ko celebrated another birthday week at Lake Merced with another victory Sunday in the Swinging Skirts LPGA Classic.

Ko won for the second straight year, this time beating Morgan Pressel on the second playoff hole by rolling in a 5-foot birdie putt on the par-5 18th for her seventh career LPGA Tour victory. She turned 18 on Friday.

Ko made two birdies in the three times she played the closing hole at Lake Merced. She made an 8-footer in regulation to close with a 2-under 70.

Pressel had to settle for three pars on the 18th. She missed a 15-footer in regulation for the win, closing with a 72. Her best chance was a 10-foot birdie putt on the first extra hole that grazed the edge of the cup. Pressel badly pulled an 8-foot birdie putt on her third try with Ko in close.

“At the start of the day, I didn’t know how it was going to go,” Ko said. “It’s been a great birthday week again.”

Brooke Henderson, the 17-year-old from Smiths Falls, Ont., holed a bunker shot for eagle on the par-5 14th to stay close to the lead and she had a 25-foot birdie putt on the final hole to join the playoff. It missed on the low side and she had to settle for a 74.

Ko, already the No. 1 player in women’s golf, moved to the top of the LPGA Tour money list with her second tour victory and third worldwide title this year. But it was hard work. She never had the lead until making her winning putt on the 20th hole of the day.

Equally important was a 40-foot birdie putt on the par-3 15th that curled in from the left side right when it looked as if this was Pressel’s tournament to win. Ko missed a 6-foot birdie putt on the 17th for a share of the lead, though she converted on the 18th to finish at 8-under 280.

It was a tough loss for Pressel, whose last victory was in 2008 at the Kapalua LPGA Classic. She had a two-shot lead with four holes to play until making back-to-back bogeys, and then failing to make a birdie on the 18th.

The par-5 closing hole could not be reached in two, so it effectively came down to a wedge and a putt.

“I just couldn’t convert the putts,” Pressel said. “It all comes down to putting. She birdied it twice and I didn’t.”

Ko opened with two straight bogeys and fell as many as four shots behind. She also chopped up the 16th hole with a poor tee shot and an approach that went well long, leading to a bogey. But the Korean-born Kiwi was spared by sloppy play all around her over the final hour on a crisp afternoon.

Henderson, trying to become the third player in history to win on the LPGA Tour before turning 18, was shaky from the start. She hit her opening tee shot to the right behind trees and had to punch out to the fairway, leading to bogey. She came up well short on the par-3 third and made another bogey, and fell out of the lead for the first time since Friday morning.

The Canadian never caught up, though she was never out of it until missing her 25-foot birdie attempt on the 18th.

“It was one of the least nervous putts I had all day,” Henderson said. “I could see it going in in my mind, but it didn’t happen in real life.”

She headed for Texas to try to Monday qualify for the next LPGA event. Finishing in the top 10 only makes a player eligible for the next tournament if she is an LPGA member. Henderson last year was denied a waiver to the LPGA’s minimum age requirement of 18.

Pressel took the lead by making pars, and she started to seize control when she rolled in a 45-foot eagle putt on No. 6 for a two-shot lead. But she missed three short putts on the front nine – two for birdie, one for par – that kept her from getting a little more separation.

The final hour took shape with three big shots. Henderson holed her bunker shot for eagle on the 14th to reach 8 under and get within one shot of the lead. Moments later, Pressel got up-and-down from behind the green to get to 10 under and, in the group ahead of them, Ko made her big birdie putt to reach 8 under.

Pressel dropped shots on the next two holes. Henderson chunked a chip on the 15th and made bogey. Ko went well long on the 16th and missed a 10-foot par putt. Pressel had a one-shot lead going to the last hole and could hear the gallery’s big cheer on the green when Ko made her 8-foot putt to tie her for the lead.

Brooke Henderson (Robert Laberge/ Getty Images)

DALY CITY, Calif. – Not old enough to join the LPGA Tour without permission, 17-year-old Brooke Henderson has been good enough for long enough to know about pressure.

She could get her fill of that in the Swinging Skirts LPGA Classic.

Leading by as many as five shots Saturday with Lake Merced at its toughest all week, Henderson closed with a pair of bogeys that reduced the Canadian teen’s margin to one shot over Morgan Pressel and Min Seo Kwak going into the final round.

Henderson had to settle for an even-par 72. She kept the lead, even though she lost some momentum.

And she kept her engaging smile.

“Overall, it was a great day and I’m really happy to be where I am,” Henderson said. “If someone told me at the beginning of the week I would be leading going into the final round, I would have taken it.”

Even so, the final two holes changed the dynamics of this tournament.

Henderson had looked unflappable even in conditions so tough that Pressel (67) and Kwak (69) were the only players to break 70. The wind made the Pacific air feel close to 50 degrees, and overnight rain made the course soft and longer. Pressel hit a 5-wood into the seventh hole Saturday; she had been hitting 9-iron.

Henderson didn’t miss a fairway until the par-5 14th hole, and she converted that into birdie with an up-and-down from a greenside bunker. But she couldn’t escape a pair of mistakes to close out her round, and it didn’t help that her group was on the clock over the final two hours.

From a bad lie in the left rough on the 17th, she worried about going right and down a steep slope and instead went short and left. Then, she didn’t realize until making contact on her pitch that “something really hard” was under the turf. Her club bounced and the ball shot over the green, and only a tough up-and-down from there allowed her to get away with no more than a bogey.

On the par-5 18th, she thought her third shot was good until she didn’t hear anyone clap. It was long and in the rough, and she couldn’t get up-and-down.

Henderson was at 9-under 207, and suddenly had more contenders than just Pressel and Kwak.

Defending champion Lydia Ko, who turned 18 on Friday and now is chasing someone even younger, salvaged a 71 and was three shots behind. Ko was as many as six shots behind and was happy to be that close to Henderson.

“I saw the leaderboard, and every time it’s there, even though we played a couple tough holes, she wasn’t losing shots. She was gaining shots,” Ko said. “Shows how strong she is in her mental game, too.”

Pressel birdied four of her last six holes, including a 5-iron hybrid to 15 feet on the 15th hole, for a 67 on a day when the average score was 74.6.

Stacy Lewis and Shanshan Feng of China each had 71 and were four shots behind.

More than just her first LPGA victory is at stake for Henderson. She was denied a waiver to the LPGA Tour’s minimum age requirement of 18 last year. Commissioner Mike Whan has granted only two exceptions to the rule – Ko and Lexi Thompson – mainly because both had already won on the LPGA.

Perhaps a victory by Henderson will change his mind. This is only her second LPGA event since she turned pro in December.

And while there might be some truth that teenagers on tour are too young to appreciate nerves, Henderson is different. She has been a starlet in Canada for years, winning three times on the Canadian Women’s Tour as an amateur, capturing the Canadian Women’s Amateur and finishing runner-up in the U.S. Women’s Amateur. She also was medalist at the Women’s Amateur Team Championship.

Expectations are high in Canada, a country that loves its golf and hasn’t had an LPGA winner since Lorie Kane in 2001. Henderson is used to that.

“If you have pressure, it means you’re doing something right,” Henderson said. “I try and use it to my advantage and try and use it to help me get better.”

The most pressure might be seeing Pressel with her on the first tee Sunday, along with Kwak.

Henderson recalls meeting Pressel, who won the Kraft Nabisco at 18 and remains the LPGA Tour’s youngest major champion, at a golf outing in Ottawa when Henderson was 8. She refers to Pressel as her biggest role model in golf and concedes she still gets a little nervous around her.

Pressel remembers what it was like to be a teen in the spotlight. She was poised to win the U.S. Women’s Open at 17 until Birdie Kim beat her with a bunker shot on the last hole at Cherry Hills, and Pressel came through two years later at Mission Hills. She has been following Henderson’s progress over the years.

“I knew she would be something special out on our tour as well,” Pressel said.

DALY CITY, Calif. – Brooke Henderson fiddles with her earrings between shots, purses her lips and anxiously watches each shot, then politely responds and makes eye contact when someone in the gallery engages her with a compliment.

Henderson is the new 17-year-old with serious swagger in women’s golf.

She shot a tournament-record 7-under 65 to take the lead halfway through the second round of the Swinging Skirts LPGA Classic on Friday.

“That’s pretty cool,” the 17-year-old Smiths Falls, Ont., native said about her low score.

That round put her at 9 under at Lake Merced Golf Club, where world No. 1 and defending champion Lydia Ko shot an even-par 72 to remain 5 under after taking the first-round lead Thursday. There were still afternoon rounds to play Friday, including by local favorite Juli Inkster after her opening 68.

Na Yeon Choi was two strokes back at after a 68. The 27-year-old South Korean eagled the par-5, 475-yard 14th and had three birdies on her front nine.

Yueer Cindy Feng of China stood in third place at 6 under.

As Ko celebrated her 18th birthday, she cleared the way for a new teen star to shine.

“I think I’m ready. Yeah, 17 is young,” Henderson said. “As you’ve seen with Lydia Ko and Lexi Thompson and even Jessica Korda, there are a lot of great names that have been able to do it. I’m hoping that I’m one of them.”

The long-driving Henderson eagled the 14th, hitting a 3-wood approach and making a 15-foot putt. She also had six birdies.

Henderson regularly hears how she is fearless and goes for it on shots when others might be more conservative, and that approach sure worked for her in the tricky conditions at Lake Merced.

Not that she has necessarily noticed any extra hype.

Caddie Bunk Lee insists they didn’t even know she had jumped to the top of the leaderboard in just her 10th career LPGA Tour event. Though Henderson grabbed a few glances at the leaderboard “here and there.”

“I was able to stay in a rhythm today,” Henderson said. “I got into it early, and I was able stay there all day, which was nice.”

She and her older sister, Brittany, tied for second place in last month’s Florida’s Natural Charity Classic, a Symetra Tour event that earned them each $10,000-plus paydays.

In many ways, Henderson – a member of Team Canada’s Young Pro Squad – appears to be a veteran unfazed by golf’s big stage.

“She’s far above most 17 year olds as far as maturity is concerned,” Lee said. “She’s very calm, she’s very patient, her thought process is very clear. Her ability to focus is astounding. … It’s an absolute joy to be on this bag.”

While she wasn’t particularly happy with her golf, Ko was serenaded with “Happy Birthday” and presented with a cake, and she covered her face briefly in embarrassment. Some 300 people followed her group in the gallery for parts of the round.

Ko, the first-round leader after a leading after a 67, drew an early tee time and had evening dinner plans to celebrate with friends. She got a new iPhone from her mother and her peers have told her she “upgraded.”

She was headed for some Korean barbecue, “go to the original roots.”

“No more singing, please,” Ko joked after her round. “Really cool to share this birthday with a lot of the people out here. Lots more time to celebrate tonight. It was a good day. It is really cool that now I’m an adult … big 18.”

And Ko found herself again talking about the fact age is no issue in golf, this time not about Inkster but someone younger – Henderson.

“She’s still 17 in a lot of ways, and that’s a good thing,” the caddie, Lee, said. “She’s not getting ahead of herself, and I think it’s very refreshing. We rolled into the parking lot and it started from there, and it was a good day.”

DALY CITY, Calif. – As Lydia Ko geared up to turn 18 on Friday at the Swinging Skirts LPGA Classic, right behind her on the leaderboard was 54-year-old Juli Inkster.

Refreshed and ready to make a run at defending her title, the top-ranked Ko returned from two weeks off to take the first-day lead Thursday at 5-under 67.

Ko nearly chipped in for eagle on the par-5 14th, but the ball deflected off the pin and she settled for a tap-in birdie putt, and that moved her to the top of the leaderboard at Lake Merced Golf Club.

“This is a very tough golf course. You need to position yourself well,” Ko said. “I hit the ball pretty good where I wasn’t in too much trouble. If I did miss it a little bit, I did get away with it, too. It’s a really good start but I know I’ve got three long days to go.”

Ko will celebrate her birthday on the course Friday then go out for a nice dinner with friends. Paired with Anna Nordqvist and Lexi Thompson, Ko pulled on a jacket midway through her round in the afternoon chill and finished strong.

Ko had a one-stroke lead over three others, including Inkster. Stacy Lewis, last year’s runner-up to Ko at Lake Merced, was two strokes back at 69.

“It was probably one of the craziest rounds of golf I’ve ever played,” said Lewis, who recovered from four bogeys on her front nine with an eagle on the par-4 11th and three birdies on the back.

Ko had birdies on consecutive holes three times – Nos. 5-6, 8-9 and 13-14 – with just one bogey.

“The first couple holes were playing down wind, so that made it a lot easier,” she said. “A lot depends on the wind. It really depends on the conditions of the day and the scores are really good.”

Ko was followed by a gallery of about 100 fans early, and first-day attendance seemed to be a noticeable improvement from a year ago for the tournament’s inaugural round. The wind picked up significantly in the afternoon.

Inkster, done hours earlier before the wind began whipping in earnest, quickly corrected the notion she is facing a talented LPGA field with women her daughters’ ages.

“Yeah, they’re a lot younger than my daughters,” she said with a grin. “They’re 25 and 21. Out here that’s a seasoned veteran. You know what, that’s the beauty about golf. I mean, age matters in a lot of things as far as how your body feels and how far you hit the ball and how much time you can put into it. You can still go out there and compete at 54.”

Inkster, a local icon, birdied six of her first 10 holes for a 68 on a cool, breezy morning off the ocean. She had no idea that put her on top of the leaderboard after the morning rounds.

“I didn’t know I was,” Inkster said. “The way I played today, no, I’m not surprised. … Coming into this week, my game feels pretty good.”

Lewis joked that a leaderboard with Inkster on top would make a good “Throwback Thursday” photo.

Ha Na Jang, who also shot a 68, made a 35-foot birdie putt on the par-3, 162-yard eighth for one of her eight birdies. P.K. Kongkraphan also had a 68.

Team Canada Young Pro Squad member Brooke Henderson had a share of ninth place after an opening-round 70.

British Columbia’s Sue Kim carded a 72 Thursday for a share of 28th.

Back for a second straight year at Lake Merced in the San Francisco suburbs, the tournament drew 18 of the top 20 players in the world – and it would have been one more before eighth-ranked Suzann Pettersen withdrew Wednesday because of an ailing shoulder.

Paula Creamer was at risk of missing the cut after a 10-over 82. She had four bogeys and a pair of double bogeys.

TORONTO — Team Canada Young Pro Squad member Brooke Henderson can add another award to her already extensive trophy case, as she was named the Syl Apps Ontario Athlete of the Year Award recipient by the Ontario Sports Hall of Fame.

The Hall announced their 2015 inductees and award winners April 22. Henderson, a Smiths Falls, Ont., native had a terrific 2014 season as an amateur before turning professional in December.  She will be presented the award at the 20^th annual Ontario Sports Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony, which will be held Sept. 24 in Toronto.

The Syl Apps Ontario Athlete of the Year Award was unveiled in 1998 and is named after former Toronto Maple Leafs captain and Olympic pole-vaulter Syl Apps.

As the 2014 winner, Henderson is the first female golfer to win the award and only the second female to take the prize. It is the fourth time an Ontario golfer has earned the honour as Mike Weir was the 1999, 2000 and 2003 recipient of the honour. At just 17-years-old, Henderson is also the youngest winner of the award.

Henderson had an impressive 2014 where she won the Ontario Women’s Amateur Championship, Porter Cup, Scott Robertson Memorial Tournament, South Atlantic Ladies Amateur, Canadian Women’s Tour – Ontario, Espirito Santo Trophy and finished runner up at the U.S. Women’s Amateur. Henderson was also the number one ranked amateur in the world before turning professional.

Since turning pro, Henderson has already captured two Sun Coast Series championships and played in numerous LPGA and Symetra Tour tournaments.

The Syl Apps Ontario Athlete of the Year Award is voted on by Ontario-based sports writers, broadcasters/personalities (with at least 10 years experience covering sports in the province), members of the Ontario Sports Hall of Fame Board of Directors and the Hall’s Advisory Board. Points are awarded on a five, three and one point structure with voters asked to name their top three athletic performers on their ballot.

To be eligible for the Award, athletes must be Ontario-born or Ontario-based and made an outstanding and memorable contribution to Ontario sports during the previous calendar year.

EUSTIS, Fla. – 17-year-old Brooke Henderson continued her play in usual fashion on Friday, shooting a final-round 64 to take home the hardware at the SunCoast Series Winter Championship at Black Bear Golf Club.

The Young Pro Squad’s newest member went bogey-free in her final round, carding eight birdies in the process to take the lead from sister Brittany before running away with a nine-stroke victory. This marks Henderson’s second SunCoast Series win as a professional—she battled sister Brittany back in January as well, eventually winning with a birdie on the final hole.

The Smiths Falls, Ont., native finished at 15-under par (70-69-70-64) and will take home a cool $5,000 for her efforts.

Former Women’s Amateur Squad member Anne-Catherine Tanguay of Québec City joined the Henderson duo atop the leaderboard, placing 4^th at 3-under par.

Click here for full scoring.

Golf Canada is pleased to announce the six athletes – three female and three male – who have been selected to the 2015 Team Canada Young Pro Squad for the program’s second year of operation.

Comprising the team for 2015 is: Brooke Henderson (Smiths Falls, Ont.); Rebecca Lee-Bentham (Toronto); Sue Kim (Langley, B.C.); Albin Choi (Toronto); Mackenzie Hughes (Dundas, Ont.) and Taylor Pendrith (Richmond Hill, Ont.).

Developed in partnership with the PGA of Canada and supported by founding partner Canadian Pacific, as well as supporting partners Citi Canada and the Golf Canada Foundation Women’s Fund, the Young Pro Squad program bridges the gap for top graduating amateurs transitioning into professional golf.

“We are very proud of the Team Canada Young Pro Squad initiative,” said Scott Simmons, Golf Canada’s Chief Executive Officer. “We’re well ahead of where we were just a couple years ago in terms of helping to make the transition from elite amateur to the professional ranks as seamless and successful as possible.”

Headlining the female contingent is Team Canada National Amateur Team graduate Brooke Henderson. The 17-year-old declared herself as a professional golfer in conjunction with signing on with IMG as her management group in December of 2014.

In September 2014, Henderson made history by becoming the first Canadian to occupy the world’s No. 1 spot on the Women’s World Amateur Ranking. Henderson earned spots in the 2015 U.S. Women’s Open and the 2015 ANA Inspiration Championship (formerly the Kraft Nabisco Championship) as a result of her tie for 10th at the 2014 U.S. Women’s Open. In addition, Henderson is able to accept up to a maximum of six LPGA sponsor exemptions and is also eligible for Monday qualifiers.

“It’s been an unbelievable journey the past few years and now I’m excited for what lies ahead as a professional,” said Henderson, who won her first event as a professional (Suncoast Series Tour) and this past week qualified for the Pure Silk Bahamas LPGA Classic where she finished T-33. “I’ve been fortunate to be a part of the National Team program during my amateur career and now I’m proud to continue representing Team Canada as a pro.”

Joining Henderson are two returning members of the Team Canada Young Pro Squad – Rebecca Lee-Bentham and Sue Kim. Both Lee-Bentham and Kim are also graduates of Team Canada’s National Amateur Team and maintain conditional status on the LPGA Tour for the 2015 season.

Lee-Bentham, 22, was the second-highest earning Canadian on the LPGA Tour last season. She played 18 events on tour, highlighted by a tie for 12th at the Marathon Classic presented by Owens Corning & O-I. She earned conditional status on the LPGA Tour in 2015 by finishing inside the top 125 on the LPGA Tour’s Race to the CME Globe.

“I’m grateful to be back with a program that is undoubtedly working and continues to be dedicated to developing players,” said Lee-Bentham. “Golf Canada has been with me for most of my golfing career and I am honoured to represent Canada each week on the LPGA Tour.”

Sue Kim, 23, finished as No. 120 on the LPGA Tour’s Race to the CME Globe to earn conditional status for 2015. Her best finish, a tie for 35th, came at the Manulife Financial LPGA Classic.

“The ongoing support from Golf Canada is a huge boost for me and my goals to improve my game and results on Tour,” added Kim. “I’m thankful to Head Coach Tristan (Mullally) and the rest of the support staff and really excited for what the future holds.”

Mackenzie Hughes and Albin Choi return as members of the Team Canada Young Pro Men’s Squad. They will be joined by newly turned professional Taylor Pendrith.

All three athletes will attend PGA TOUR Canada qualifying school in April with hopes of earning full status. Hughes, 24, is a two-time former Canadian Amateur champion. This year he hopes to repeat the success he had in 2013, when he captured the No. 1 spot on PGA TOUR Canada’s Order of Merit.

“I’m thrilled to be back on the Young Pro squad and getting the support from those who share a passion for helping me become better,” said Hughes. “The program is a huge deal; it’s helped me to focus on my goal of being successful at the highest level.”

Choi, 22, is also a former Canadian Amateur champion. His 2014 season on the Web.com Tour was highlighted by four top-30 finishes and a tie for 19th at the United Leasing Championship presented by TPI.

“Being with the Team Canada program for seven years now, it almost feels like a family,” said Choi. “Derek (Ingram), the coaching staff, and the other members of the squad are all so supportive of each other. Having that backing is a huge lift for the many challenges of competing professionally.”

Pendrith, 23, will look to hit the ground running after a successful amateur career which included winning the prestigious Monroe Invitational in 2014, as well as earning the Gary Cowan trophy (low amateur honours) at the 2014 RBC Canadian Open.

“This is a big honour for me,” said Pendrith. “I have high goals and aspirations for my career and I couldn’t think of a better team to support me in my journey. The National Team program has done a lot for my amateur career and I’m excited to transition that success over to the professional ranks.”

Men’s National Squad coach Derek Ingram and Women’s National Team coach Tristan Mullally will provide coaching to their respective Young Pro players. In addition to funding as part of the program, the athletes will have access to Team Canada’s sport science staff which includes Psychologist Dr. Adrienne Leslie-Toogood, Nutritionist Nicole Springle and Physiotherapist & Strength Coach Greg Redman.

“I’m excited to see these young athletes take the next stops as professional golfers,” said Gary Bernard, Chief Executive Officer of the PGA of Canada. “Golf Canada has shown great commitment in collaborating with the PGA of Canada in our world class teaching and coaching certification programs.”

Golf Canada’s ability to offer this program is due in large part to a focused fundraising effort on the part of the Golf Canada Foundation.

“Now in its second year, the board of the Golf Canada Foundation is excited to continue supporting these young athletes in their pursuit of golfing excellence,” said Golf Canada Foundation Chief Executive Officer Martin Barnard. “We are very proud to be behind this program and look forward to the future success of the Young Pro Squad.”

Throughout the season, Golf Canada will closely monitor the performance of elite Canadian amateurs transitioning to professional golf with the possibility of program expansion.

Click here for Team Canada player bios.