Golf Canada announces amateur athletes named to 2024 Team Canada
Mike Masaro
Golf Canada is pleased to announce the names of 39 amateur athletes and 10 coaches named to the 2024 men’s and women’s Team Canada – NextGen and Team Canada squads.
The Team Canada – NextGen program supports juniors and young amateurs who are transitioning to college golf. The Team Canada program supports a group of experienced amateurs who are on the path towards professional golf along with a group of young professional golfers who are building their careers as touring pros.
Teams are selected based on results from the previous season (September-August), with the Team Canada – NextGen program considering performance at Golf Canada’s Selection Camp in September. Professional players that will be part of the 2024 Team Canada squad will be announced at a later date, upon the completion of Qualifying schools.
“We are excited to formally announce the amateur athletes who will be part of our 2024 Team Canada and Team Canada – NextGen teams, and we look forward to supporting their journeys to the LPGA and PGA TOUR,” said Kevin Blue, Chief Sport Officer. “I would like to extend our sincere thanks as well to our generous donors who support the player development program through the Golf Canada Foundation, along with our critical and fully aligned corporate partners for the continued commitment that is enabling the Team Canada player development program to help more Canadians excel at the highest levels of our sport.”
Golf Canada’s player development program provides individualized training and competition support to athletes on their journey to the LPGA and PGA TOUR. National team coaches work with athletes and their personal support teams to develop annual training plans and identify areas where impact can be made to help athletes improve in all areas of their game. Athletes are also supported by a comprehensive sport science team that includes mental performance, physical conditioning, and mental health supports. The players are brought together regularly for training camps where they receive support from national team coaches and sport science staff, and train with their peers.
The coaching staff for the men’s and women’s Team Canada squads will return in full for the 2024 season. Team Canada – Women will again be coached by Stollery Family Women’s Head Coach Salimah Mussani (Vancouver, B.C.) and Associate Coach Jennifer Greggain (Vancouver, B.C.). Team Canada – Men return Head Coach Derek Ingram (Winnipeg, Man.) and Assistant Coaches Louis Melanson (Moncton, N.B.) and Benoit Lemieux (Montréal, Que.).
The men’s amateur Team Canada squad features reigning Canadian Men’s Amateur Champion Ashton McCulloch. McCulloch also represented Canada along with teammates Piercen Hunt and Brady McKinlay at the 2023 Men’s World Amateur Team Championship. McKinlay will be joining Team Canada for the first time in 2024. Earlier this month, McKinlay was part of Canada’s fourth Tailhade Cup winning team in Buenos Aires, Argentina and also took home individual honours at the Argentina Amateur Championship. McKinlay and Hunt are expected to turn professional in 2024 and receive support alongside the group of young pros that will be named to Team Canada in the coming weeks.
The women’s amateur group features reigning Canadian Women’s Amateur Champion, Lauren Kim, along with World Amateur Team Championship teammates Monet Chun and Katie Cranston. Savannah Grewal also returns to Team Canada and has announced her intention to turn professional as she pursues LPGA Tour status at Q Series in early December. Ellie Szeryk returns to the team for her third year after being part of the junior squad in 2018 and 2019. Szeryk won her first collegiate title, representing Southern Methodist University at the Jim West Challenge this October.
Team Canada – Men
NAME
AGE
HOMETOWN
SCHOOL
YEARS IN PROGRAM
Ashton McCulloch
21
Kingston, Ont.
Michigan State (Jr.)
3
Brady McKinlay
21
Lacombe, Alta.
Utah Valley State
–
Laurent Desmarchais
22
Bromont, Que.
Tennessee (Jr.)
5
Piercen Hunt
22
Hartland, Wis.
Illinois (Sr.)
2
Team Canada – Women
NAME
AGE
HOMETOWN
SCHOOL
YEARS IN PROGRAM
Angela Arora
19
Surrey, B.C.
Tennessee (So.)
4
Alissa Xu
18
Richmond Hill, Ont.
Dartmouth (Fr.)
1
Brooke Rivers
18
Brampton, Ont.
Wake Forest (Fr.)
2
Ellie Szeryk
21
London, Ont.
SMU (Sr.)
2
Katie Cranston
19
Oakville, Ont.
Auburn (So.)
3
Lauren Kim
18
Surrey, B.C.
Texas (Fr.)
3
Lauren Zaretsky
19
Thornhill, Ont.
Texas Tech (So.)
1
Leah John
23
Vancouver, B.C.
Nevada (Gr.)
1
Michelle Liu
18
Vancouver, B.C.
3
Monet Chun
22
Richmond Hill, Ont.
Michigan (Sr.)
6
Nicole Gal
19
Oakville, Ont.
Ole Miss (So.)
3
Savannah Grewal
21
Mississauga, Ont.
Clemson (Gr.)
2
The Team Canada – NextGen coaching staff is led by Head Coach Robert Ratcliffe (Qualicum Beach, B.C.) with support from Associate Coach Jeff MacDonald (Fall River, N.S.) and Assistant Coaches Jennifer Ha (Calgary, Alta.) and Darcy Dhillon (Red Deer, Alta.).
Tristian Mullally of Dundas, Ont. will continue as the Head of National Talent Identification overseeing the national talent identification system that was established in 2022. In this role, Mullaly provides support to a promising group of younger junior golfers (11 – 16 years old) and their existing coaching teams to grow the pool of future Team Canada prospects.
The NextGen team features 15 returning players and eight new members for 2024. The boys team features 2023 Canadian Junior Boys Champion, Alex Zhang, two-time Canadian Junior Boys Champion, JP Parr along with 2023 tournament winners, Isaiah Ibit (NextGen Ontario) and Matthew Javier (Team Canada – NextGen Selection Camp).
The girls team features all three members of Canada’s winning side at the 2023 World Junior Girls Championship: Vanessa Borovilos, Anna Huang and Vanessa Zhang. Reigning Canadian Junior Girls Champion, Eileen Park, will be joining the team for the first time in 2024.
Team Canada – NextGen Boys
NAME
AGE
HOMETOWN
SCHOOL
YEARS ON TEAM
Alex Zhang
15
Richmond, B.C.
1
Alex Long
16
Toronto, Ont.
Texas A&M (2024)
–
Ben MacLean
19
Niagara Falls, Ont.
Kent State (So.)
2
Cooper Humphreys
18
Vernon, B.C.
Oregon State (2024)
2
Eric Zhao
16
North York, Ont.
2
Ethan Wilson
19
St. Albert, Alta.
Illinois (Fr.)
2
Hunter Thomson
19
Calgary, Alta.
Michigan (Jr.)
2
Isaiah Ibit
17
Orleans, Ont.
Kent State (2024)
–
JP Parr
19
Saint-Celestin, Que.
Tennessee (Fr.)
4
James Lee
16
Whistler, B.C.
–
Luke Smith
16
Toronto, Ont.
Tennessee (2025)
–
Matthew Javier
16
North York, Ont.
Southern Mississippi (2024)
–
Team Canada – NextGen Girls
NAME
AGE
HOMETOWN
SCHOOL
YEARS ON TEAM
Anna Huang
14
Vancouver, B.C.
1
Carlee Meilleur
15
Lansdowne, Ont.
1
Eileen Park
14
Red Deer, Alta.
–
Lindsay McGrath
16
Oakville, Ont.
1
Luna Lu
16
Burnaby, B.C.
2
Michelle Xing
15
Richmond Hill, Ont.
1
Shauna Liu
14
Maple, Ont.
–
Swetha Sathish
15
Oakville, Ont.
–
Vanessa Borovilos
17
Etobicoke, Ont.
Texas A&M (2024)
1
Vanessa Zhang
16
Vancouver, B.C.
1
Yeji Kwon
17
Port Coquitlam, B.C.
Baylor (2024)
2
For full Team Canada bios and additional information, please click here.
Team Canada is proudly supported by RBC, Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CPKC), Titleist, FootJoy, Hilton, Puma, Foresight, Golf Canada Foundation and Sport Canada.
Canada’s Szeryk looks to keep LPGA Tour status heading into season’s final full event
Maddie Szeryk tees off at the 2023 CPKC Women's Open in Vancouver (Bernard Brault/ Golf Canada)
Adam Stanley/ Canadian Press
Maddie Szeryk feels like her game has turned a corner the last couple of weeks. And that feeling has come at a good time as she prepares to tee it up at the final full-field event of the LPGA Tour’s 2023 schedule.
Szeryk, of London, Ont., currently sits 99th in the Race to CME Globe, the LPGA Tour’s season-long points list. The top 100 after this week’s event — The Annika at Pelican Golf Club — will keep their LPGA Tour status for 2024.
Szeryk is currently 2.6 points ahead of Spain’s Azahara Munoz at No. 100.
“It’s hard to make it bigger than it is, like, ‘Oh, I have to play amazing.’ At the end of the day, I’m going to try to play my best and play as well as I can and wherever I end up is where I end up,” Szeryk said by phone from Belleair, Fla.
“You don’t know how the other girls are going to play. We could all finish top 10 and it could be super close. Or we could finish all over the board. I can only do my part and play as well as I can and see where I end up at the end of the week.”
Szeryk is in her second full year on the LPGA Tour. Her best result of the season came in her first event, the LPGA Drive On Championship in March, where she finished tied for seventh.
The 27-year-old struggled through the summer, missing six of seven cuts from July until September. But she’s found the weekend in her last two tournaments and finished in a tie for 26th last month at the LPGA Shanghai tournament — her best result on tour in three months.
“Everyone gets on these little runs and it’s like, ‘OK, any time now would be great (to turn things around),” Szeryk said. “I felt like a lot of those weeks I was close. I could see things were getting a little closer and then the last few weeks it finally clicked.”
Szeryk says her comfort level this year has been “way higher” than 2022. Last year she had to return to the LPGA Tour’s qualifying school to earn full status again for 2023, a gruelling eight-round marathon with the top 45 and ties receiving their cards. Szeryk finished tied for 17th.
In speaking with other players on the LPGA Tour, she realized it takes about a year to feel comfortable with the travel and the logistics of women’s professional golf at the highest level.
“I’ve definitely had a better schedule and I know what I’m doing versus thinking about when I could play, what I should do, or where I should go,” Szeryk said.
Szeryk has tried to keep things as similar as possible through the year in terms of her gear and preparation, although she said her and her longtime caddie (they had been together since July of last year) split after the she missed the cut at the Canadian Women’s Open in Vancouver.
Szeryk said she’s been struggling off the tee this year and sits 106th on the LPGA Tour in driving accuracy. She was 57th in the same statistic last year.
“The last couple of weeks, most of the time when I made a bogey it was I was completely out of play,” Szeryk said. “(This week) really going to make sure the big focus is getting my driver at least in play.
“I feel like I’m heading in the right direction which is always comforting and what you want to see.”
Szeryk will be one of two Canadians in the field at The Annika, and the other one won’t be worrying about their position in the season-long standings.
Brooke Henderson of Smiths Falls, Ont., sits 14th in the points list and comes into the event after a tie for sixth at the Maybank Championship two weeks ago — her third top-10 of the year.
Henderson won the season-opening Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions for her 13th LPGA Tour title.
The top 60 on the Race to CME Globe at the end of the week earn their way into the LPGA Tour’s season finale, the CME Group Tour Championship, where they will compete for the biggest prize in women’s golf — a US$7-million purse, with $2 million going to the winner.
The Annika begins Thursday at Pelican Golf Club in Belleair. World No. 6 Nelly Korda is the two-time defending champion.
Canada secures fourth Tailhade Cup title in Argentina
Felix Bouchard of Otterburn Park, Que. and Brady McKinlay won the Tailhade Cup for Canada's 4th ever win at the event.
Terry Lenyk
(Buenos Aires, Argentina) – Felix Bouchard of Otterburn Park, Que. and Brady McKinlay of Lacombe, Alta., led Team Canada to victory in the 51st edition of the Tailhade Cup at Los Lagartos Country Club.
With a total of 422 strokes, Canada clinched their fourth title, finishing four strokes ahead of Denmark and Switzerland. Their strong performance was attributed to Bouchard and McKinlay’s combined rounds of 142, 137, and 143 strokes.
In the Individual Ranking, Spain’s Luis Roncal Masaveu finished first with 205 strokes at -8, with Bouchard closely following behind by three strokes, ending the tourney at -5.
Sharp wins bronze medal, Papineau finishes T4 at the 2023 PanAm Games
Team Canada 2023 PanAm Games
Photo: Chris Dornan
Mike Masaro
Alena Sharp has won the bronze medal after finishing the 2023 PanAmerican (PanAm) Games at 7-under, following a 1-under 71 in Sunday’s final round at the Prince of Wales Country Club in Santiago, Chile.
This marks Canada’s second bronze medal in golf all-time at the PanAm Games. At Lima 2019, Team Canada consisting of, Austin Connelly, Mary Parsons, Joey Savoie and Brigitte Thibeault won the bronze medal, in the mixed team event, its first Pan Am Games medal in golf.
Sharp of Hamilton, Ont. recorded three birdies during her final round, but the highlight came on the par-3 15th hole. Sharp chipped on with her second shot leaving a 30-foot putt, which she drained to save par. Sharp went on to par the final three holes to close with six consecutive pars to secure the bronze. Sharp finished with rounds of 67-73-70-71-281.
“I’m kind of shocked a little bit, I thought I would be in a playoff. I had a lot of good luck this week and I’m floored and to the moon to take home a medal for Canada. I’ve played in two Olympics and this and it’s nice to walk away with a medal,” said Sharp following her round on Sunday.
Sofia Garcia of Paraguay completed the wire-to-wire victory to win the gold medal. Garcia shot an even par 72 on Sunday to stay at 14-under and win by four shots over Maria Uribe of Colombia who won the silver medal. Uribe finished with a 4-under 68 in the final round to finish the tournament at 10-under.
Selena Costabile of Thornhill, Ont. closed with a 3-over 75 on Sunday. Costabile finished the tournament in 18th at 14-over (77-76-74-75-302).
Women’s Final Top 3 Standings following the 2023 Pan Am Games
GOLD
Sofia Garcia
Paraguay
65, 70, 67, 72 – 274
-14
SILVER
Maria Uribe
Colombia
69, 73, 68, 68 – 278
-10
BRONZE
Alena Sharp
Canada
67, 73, 70, 71 – 281
-7
Étienne Papineau battled right to the end and came up just short finishing in a tie for fourth.
Papineau of St-Jean-Sur-Richelieu, Que. shot a 1-under 71 on Sunday to finish the tournament at 16-under (63-71-67-71-272) just one shot back of a podium finish.
“I didn’t really make anything today, I would say nothing really went my way to be honest. I had a bad break on 10 which cost me a bogey. The ball flew to the hole and bounced 30 yards backwards so that was kind of hard on me mentally a little bit, but I tried to stay in it, with birdies 13 and 15 to get back into it. I had a chance on 17 and on 18 I just didn’t take advantage of it. It is what it is. It stinks a little bit, but it’s part of the game,” said Papineau.
Abraham Ancer of Mexico fired a final round 5-under 67 to jump ahead of Sebastian Muñoz of Colombia to win the gold medal. Ancer closed the tournament at 21-under, one shot better than Munoz who finished 20-under. Dylan Menante of the United States closed with a 6-under 66 on Sunday to pull into third and win the bronze medal, finishing at 17-under.
Myles Creighton of Digby, N.S. closed the tournament with a 3-under 69 on Sunday to finish at 8-under (73-68-70-69-280), tied for 11th. Creighton carded three birdies on the front nine and closed with nine straight pars on the back nine during Sunday’s final round.
Men’s Final Top 3 Standings following the 2023 Pan Am Games
GOLD
Abraham Ancer
Mexico
68, 67, 65, 67 – 267
-21
SILVER
Sebastian Muñoz
Colombia
66, 66, 68, 63 – 268
-20
BRONZE
Dylan Menante
United States
66, 69, 70, 66 – 271
-17
Golf joined the Pan Am Games program at Toronto 2015. Santiago 2023 featured individual events only in golf with 32 men and 32 women competing over 72-holes of stroke play. The 2027 Pan Am Games will be held in Barranquilla, Colombia.
Papineau one back of leaders, Sharp in medal contention heading into final round of the 2023 PanAm Games
Team Canada (Alena Sharp, Selena Constabile, Etienne Papieau (pictured) and Myles Creighton) get in a practice session ahead of the golf tournament during the Panam Games in Santiago, Chile on November 1, 2023. (Photo: Dave Holland/CSI Calgary)
Mike Masaro
Étienne Papineau heads into the final round of 2023 PanAmerican (PanAm) Games one shot back of leaders Sebastian Muñoz and Abraham Ancer, following a 5-under 67 on Saturday at the Prince of Wales Country Club in Santiago, Chile.
With another strong round, Papineau of St-Jean-Sur-Richelieu, Que. moved to 15-under for the tournament, while Munoz and Ancer are at 16-under. Papineau recorded six birdies in his round, with three on the front nine and three on the back and had a share of the lead before an unfortunate bogey on the par 5 18th.
Muñoz of Colombia held a two-shot lead heading into the final round and recorded a 4-under 68 on Saturday, while Ancer of Mexico fired his way into tie for the lead with a 7-under 65 to join Muñoz at 16-under.
Independent Athletes Team member Jose Toledo moved up to fourth place at 12-under following a 5-under 67 on Saturday. Dylan Menante of the United States rounds out the top five at 11-under after shooting a 2-under 70.
Myles Creighton of Digby, N.S. followed up his solid second round with a 2-under 70 on Saturday. Creighton carded two birdies on the front nine and went on to record 10 consecutive pars on holes seven through 16. Following a bogey on 17, Creighton quickly grabbed a stroke back closing with a birdie on 18. Creighton now moves to 5-under and sits 13th.
Men’s Top 5 Standings following the third round of the 2023 Pan Am Games
T1
Sebastian Muñoz
Colombia
66, 66, 68
-16
T1
Abraham Ancer
Mexico
68, 67, 65
-16
3
Étienne Papineau
Canada
63, 71, 67
-15
4
Jose Toledo
Independent Athletes Team
70, 67, 67
-12
5
Dylan Menante
United States
66, 69, 70
-11
Alena Sharp of Hamilton, Ont. improved to 6-under for the tournament following a round of 2-under 70 on Saturday and is tied for third, eight shots back of leader Sofia Garcia of Paraguay who sits at 14-under after three rounds.
Sharp recorded four of her five birdies on the back nine during her round to pull back under par. Garcia meanwhile takes a seven-shot lead over Valery Plata of Colombia in Sunday’s final round following a 5-under 67 on Saturday.
Maria Uribe of Colombia is tied with Sharp for third place at 6-under. Uribe recorded a 4-under 68 in round three. Magdalena Simmermacher of Argentina and Anna Davis of the United States are tied for fifth at 1-under.
Selena Costabile of Thornhill, Ont. recorded her best round of the tournament with a 2-over 74 on Saturday. Costabile is now at 11-over and sits tied for 19th.
Women’s Top 5 Standings following the third round of the 2023 Pan Am Games
1
Sofia Garcia
Paraguay
65, 70, 67
-14
2
Valery Plata
Colombia
70, 70, 69
-7
T3
Alena Sharp
Canada
67, 73, 70
-6
T3
Maria Uribe
Colombia
69, 73, 68
-6
T5
Magdalena Simmermacher
Argentina
73, 71, 71
-1
T5
Anna Davis
United States
73, 74, 68
-1
Golf joined the Pan American Games program at Toronto 2015. At Lima 2019, Team Canada consisting of, Austin Connelly, Mary Parsons, Joey Savoie and Brigitte Thibeault won the bronze medal, in the mixed team event, its first Pan Am Games medal in golf.
Santiago 2023 features individual events only in golf with 32 men and 32 women competing over 72-holes of stroke play. Sunday’s final round will begin at 7:00 a.m. local time, 9:00 a.m. ET/6:00 a.m. PT.
Papineau and Sharp sit second after two rounds at the 2023 Pan American Games
Team Canada (Alena Sharp, Selena Constabile, Etienne Papieau (pictured) and Myles Creighton) get in a practice session ahead of the golf tournament during the Panam Games in Santiago, Chile on November 1, 2023. (Photo: Dave Holland/CSI Calgary)
Mike Masaro
Étienne Papineau and Alena Sharp both find themselves in second place in their respective divisions after two rounds of the 2023 Pan American (Pan Am) Games at the Price of Wales Country Club in Santiago, Chile.
Papineau followed up his opening round 63 with a 1-under 71 on Friday and is two-shots back of Sebastian Muñoz of Colombia who shot a 6-under 66 for the second straight day to move to 12-under for the tournament.
“Obviously not as good as yesterday but we’re still in it, just some bad luck on par 5’s today on 14 and 9 outside of that it was ok, I guess. I will work on some things on the range but we’re still in it, obviously not the round I wanted today but as I said we’re still in it and there’s 36 more holes to play so I’ll do my best and then we’ll see after Sunday,” said Papineau.
Papineau of St-Jean-Sur-Richelieu, Que. began his round on the back nine on Friday and exchanged two birdies and two bogeys for an even 36. Finishing up on the front nine, Papineau opened with two pars, followed by an eagle on the third hole and a run of five consecutive pars before dropping a stroke on the ninth hole to finish with a 71.
Myles Creigton of Digby, N.S. responded with a solid 4-under 68 on Friday to improve to 3-under for the tournament and sits 12th, carding six birdies during his round.
“I really struggled yesterday, just wasn’t hitting it great and shot as good as I probably could have shot…was all over the place and this course exposes you a little bit if you’re just a little off so worked on it a little bit yesterday and came out with a better round today. I got off to a bad start with a bogey and fought pretty hard from there with not my full game but was able to get around today,” said Creighton.
Carlos Ortiz and Abraham Ancer of Mexico and Dylan Menante are in a three-way tie for third after two rounds and sit three shots back of Muñoz at 9-under.
Men’s Top 5 Standings following the second round of the 2023 Pan Am Games
1
Sebastian Muñoz
Colombia
66, 66
-12
2
Étienne Papineau
Canada
63, 71
-10
T3
Carlos Ortiz
Mexico
71, 64
-9
T3
Abraham Ancer
Mexico
68, 67
-9
T3
Dylan Menante
United States
66, 69
-9
Sharp of Hamilton, Ont. finished her second round with a 1-over 73, dropping one stroke to sit 4-under and is tied for second with Valery Plata of Colombia. Plata recorded a second consecutive round of 2-under 70, both Sharp and Plata are five shots back of Sofia Garcia of Paraguay who leads at 9-under. Garcia followed up an opening round 65 with a 2-under 70 on Friday. Alexandra Swayne of the Virgin Islands and Maria Uribe at tied for fourth at 2-under.
Selena Costabile of Thornhill, Ont. shot a 4-over 76 on Friday and sits 21st at 9-over.
Women’s Top 5 Standings following the second round of the 2023 Pan Am Games
1
Sofia Garcia
Paraguay
65, 70
-9
T2
Alena Sharp
Canada
67, 73
-4
T2
Valery Plata
Colombia
70, 70
-4
T4
Alexandra Swayne
Virgin Islands
70, 72
-2
T4
Maria Uribe
Colombia
69, 73
-2
Golf joined the Pan American Games program at Toronto 2015. At Lima 2019, Team Canada consisting of, Austin Connelly, Mary Parsons, Joey Savoie and Brigitte Thibeault won the bronze medal, in the mixed team event, its first Pan Am Games medal in golf.
Santiago 2023 features individual events only in golf with 32 men and 32 women competing over 72-holes of stroke play. Saturday’s third round will begin at 8:00 a.m. local time, 9:00 a.m. ET/6:00 a.m. PT.
Étienne Papineau looks to continue successful season into Santiago 2023
Mike Masaro
Étienne Papineau is one of four players set to represent Canada, joining Selena Costabile of Thornhill, Ont., Alena Sharp of Hamilton, Ont., and Myles Creighton of Digby, N.S. for the 2023 Pan American Games in Santiago, Chile.
The 27-year-old from St-Jean-Sur-Richelieu, Que. has enjoyed a successful 2023 season earning three professional tournament wins. Included in the three was the PGA TOUR Canada season opening tournament, the Royal Beach Victoria Open in June. Papineau went on to add five top-10 finishes with 16 of 21 tournament cuts made. In addition, he finished the season as the top Canadian on PGA TOUR Canada’s Fortinet Cup standings, placing fourth and earning his 2024 Korn Ferry Tour card.
The games are now well underway with golf set to be contested over 72-holes of individual stroke play beginning on Thursday, November 2 through to Sunday, November 5 at the Prince of Wales Country Club in Santiago.
Golf Canada caught up with Papineau to look back on his successful season and his preparations ahead of the Pan Am Games.
Étienne, while the 2023 season was a successful one for you, the off-season involved knee surgery and rehabbing through injuries. Talk about the recovery process and preparing for the season… Last winter was probably not my best one. I went through one surgery and a couple other injuries, so it was definitely a long winter for me, but you know I went through the motions, went through the process, went through rehab and everything went well in terms of recovery from my injuries. But the hardest part was trusting my body again, which was the hardest part for me mentally, especially for the first couple weeks…just to trust my body, trust my recovery and once I went through that phase of trusting my body again, I was good to go.
You earned your first professional win at the Belleville Classic as part of the Toronto Players Tour in May. What did that mean to you to win your first professional tournament after a long off-season? It wasn’t a big field, only 30-35 players but just getting a win under my belt before the PGA TOUR Canada season started was really big for me. As I said it was a long winter, took a little bit of time for me to trust my body and I wanted to play as many events as possible before the PGA TOUR Canada season started. Getting that win was really big for me, momentum wise and confidence wise so I was really happy with that, and I was really excited going into the season with that win a couple weeks before the season started on the PGA TOUR Canada.
A couple weeks after your win in Belleville the PGA TOUR Canada season opens with the Royal Beach Victoria Open and you win that tournament as well. What can you say about the win and that stretch between May and June? It was crazy in the sense that if you told me that two months before that tournament that I was going to win, I would have told you that that was crazy. It was a great feeling to start the season with a win like that. I think that win in Belleville two weeks before and playing in the RBC Canadian Open the week before then gave me a lot of momentum and made me feel extremely ready for the season and I showed up there and played some great golf. It was a crazy week, and I was really excited to get that win and start the season on the right foot. It was definitely a great moment in my young career.
Photo Bernard Brault, Golf Canada
Toronto, Ontario:
Friday, June 9th, 2023
RBC CANADIAN OPEN
Oakdale Golf and Country Club
2nd round
Etienne Papineau
Speaking of the RBC Canadian Open, you made your first appearance in Canada’s National Open and finished 1-over, narrowly missing the cut. What was your experience like at Oakdale Golf & Country Club? It was definitely a really fun experience for me. I got to play in the Waste Management Phoenix Open the year before in February 2022, so I got a little bit of experience and a taste of how it works and see the best players in the world up close. Playing in the Canadian Open was a really fun experience for me…playing in my home country, I had a lot of family and friends that came to watch me play. As I said, it gave me a lot of momentum for the season. Obviously it’s always great to play in your country’s open and I was really grateful that I got my exemption from Golf Canada…it was awesome.
Fast forward to August and the Coupe Canada in Victoriaville. You earned your third win of the season but I’m sure that one was quite special being in Québec? It was definitely a tournament that I circled in my calendar when the schedule for PGA TOUR Canada came out, it fit right in the two weeks off we had, so I definitely wanted to play that one. It’s always a fun event, there’s always a lot of people watching, especially the final round and I was in the final group that last day and I had a lot of family and friends that came to watch me get my first professional win in Québec. Celebrating with family and friends was extremely fun. It’s always fun to win a tournament but winning one in Québec, in my home province makes it feel a little bit better.
You finished as the top Canadian in the Fortinet Cup standings and fourth overall, earning your Korn Ferry Tour card for 2024. What can you say about your season on the PGA TOUR Canada… It’s been a crazy journey so far, hopefully it’s just the beginning. I currently have my Korn Ferry Tour card and I’ll get ready for the next season and get out there and play some good golf and we’ll see what happens. It’s been a crazy last two years, year and a half…as I said, if you would have told me six to seven months ago that I’d have my Korn Ferry Tour card, I don’t think I would have believed you with all the injuries that I went through…but I got through it, I did the work that I had to do and had a great season and here we are now a couple months away from the Korn Ferry Tour season and I’m really excited…hopefully it’s just the beginning.
With the season now over, focuses shifts to the Pan Am Games. What did it mean to you to receive the call that you would be heading to Santiago? I was really excited. I wasn’t sure at first that I was going to go because there are a lot of other Canadian players in front of me, so I wasn’t sure if I was going to get picked to go. I was definitely going to be ready for it and when I got the call from Golf Canada, I was really pumped, really excited. It’s definitely going to be a fun week with Myles, Selena and Alena. I’ve never experienced something like this…I went to the Canada Summer Games ten years ago but I’m pretty sure it’s a totally different story. It’s definitely going to be awesome, and I’m going to enjoy it and go out there with the goal of getting a medal.
What have your preparations been like since the end of the season and ahead of Santiago? We finished the PGA TOUR Canada season in the second week of September, so I took a couple weeks off to recovery from the end of the season fatigue, but everything is good. I started up again the first week of October. This month has been a lot of golf and I’ve been in the gym a lot more the past month then the last four or five (months) because I was on the road so much. Being home and spending time with family and friends was great but the last month has been gym and golf focused, so we’re ready to go.
Étienne Papineau’s field of play uniform
What can you say about the look for Team Canada in Santiago? We got our uniforms a couple weeks before and they’re great and I think Canada is going to look good in our uniforms. We’ve received some great stuff and I’m excited to wear it and represent Canada.
Finally, you’ve been a member of Team Canada for six years. What does it mean to you to wear the Maple Leaf and represent Canada? As a kid you always dream to represent your country in your sport, and this is a dream for me to wear the Maple Leaf at the Pan Am Games. It was definitely a goal of mine, and I didn’t think about it until mid-season of PGA TOUR Canada, with that win. I knew maybe I’d be in the selection process at least and when I got the call, I was really pumped, really excited and to go out there and represent my country means a lot to me. I’m going to enjoy the week, enjoy the competition and hopefully bring a medal back home.
Korea Cruises to Gold in Abu Dhabi, Canada finishes 8th at the 2023 Women’s World Amateur Team Championship
Hyosong Lee, Minsol Kim and Kyorim Seo of Republic of Korea hoist the Espírito Santo Trophy at the 18th green following the final round of the Women’s World Amateur Team Championship at Abu Dhabi Golf Club, United Arab Emirates on Saturday, Oct. 28, 2023 (Copyright USGA/Steven Gibbons)
United States Golf Association
World No. 4 Minsol Kim’s 4-under 68 and a 71 from Kyrorim Seo led the Republic of Korea to the gold medal in the 30th World Amateur Team Championship Saturday at Abu Dhabi Golf Club. It is Korea’s fourth Espirito Santo Trophy victory in the last seven competitions and their fifth all time.
Korea jumped out to a solo lead early in the round and never surrendered it. Kim, who was the runner-up in the 2023 Women’s Amateur Asia Pacific, made back-to-back birdies on the par-5 second and par-4 third holes and again on the eighth and ninth.
Korea’s 72-hole score of 22-under-par 554 was four strokes better than silver-medal winning Chinese Taipei and five better than the bronze medal winners Spain.
Chinese Taipei, which began the day three back from the leaders, leaped into silver position after a birdie-birdie finish from Huai-Chien Hsu, a sophomore at the University of Texas. After missing the green left on the par-4 17th, Hsu chipped in from 18 yards for a three and followed with a 9-footer for birdie on the last hole to post a team score of 558.
This is Chinese Taipei’s first medal in its 16 Women’s World Amateur Team appearances.
Spain, the 54-hole co-leader, could not find its form of earlier in the week and posted a fourth-round 144, which included a 2-under 70 from Cayetana Fernandez Garcia-Poggio and a 74 from Carla Bernat Escuder.
The Spaniards managed to get within two shots of Korea with two holes to play but found heartbreak on the 72nd hole for the second year in a row. All three players bogeyed the par-5 18th hole to drop Spain from silver position to bronze at 559.
England had a share of the lead with Korea at one point Saturday afternoon after a batch of birdies from Florida State University teammates Lottie Woad and Charlotte Heath. Woad birdied every par 4 on the front nine to post a 31 at the turn but would cool off on the back nine as England finished with a 4-under 140 to post 560 alongside Thailand, one shot shy of the bronze behind Spain.
Australia and the United States of American finished in a tie for sixth at 561. Megan Schofill led the USA with a bogey-free 5-under 67 and Anna Davis added a 69 as the Americans posted the low-round of the day. Canada was eighth at 564 and New Zealand finished ninth at 565.
Canada finished the tournament at 12-under following a combined 4-under 140 in Saturday’s final round. Katie Cranston of Oakville, Ont. finished the tournament strong with a 3-under 69 to finish at 5-over following rounds of 74-75-75-69-293. 2023 Canadian Women’s Amateur winner, Lauren Kim of Surrey, B.C. closed her tournament with a 1-under 71 to finish T8 in the individual standings at 8-under. Kim posted rounds of 69-72-68-71-280. Monet Chun of Richmond Hill, Ont. finished with an even par 71 in the final round to finish at 1-under with rounds of 69-72-74-72-287.
Korea receives custody of the Espirito Santo Trophy until the next World Amateur Team Championship, which will be held in 2025 at Tenah Merah Country Club’s Tampines Course in Singapore. Members of the winning team receive gold medals; members of the second-place team receive silver medals; and members of the third-place team receive bronze medals.
Although there is no official recognition, Chinese Taipei’s Huai-Chien Hsu was the low individual scorer at 13-under 275.
Notable:
Korea now has nine medals in their 17 WWATC appearances – five gold, two silver and two bronze. Its previous four gold medals came in 1996, 2010, 2012 and 2016. This is Korea’s seventh consecutive top-10 finish in the Espirito Santo Trophy.
Spain’s bronze medal gives them six total medals and the first since their silver-medal performance in 2008.
Minsol Kim tied for 10th in her LPGA Tour debut at the BMW Ladies Championship last October. She was inside the top two after both 18 and 36 holes, and played in the final group in both the second and third rounds.
Spain’s Cayetana Fernandez Garcia-Poggio finished in second place in the individual scoring at 11-under after she tied for seventh in 2022. She is the only player to finish in the top 10 both years.
Thailand, competing in its 10th WWATC, earned its third top-10 finish and best showing since 2016.
New Zealand finished in ninth place for its first top-10 showing since 2012 and its fifth top-10 in its 29 appearances.
India (16th place) registered its best finish in a WWATC after placing T17 in 2014.
What’s Next:
The 2025 Women’s World Amateur Team Championship for the Espirito Santo Trophy will be held at Tenah Merah Country Club in Singapore.
Results from Saturday’s final round of the 2023 Women’s World Amateur Team Championships, played at par-72 Abu Dhabi Golf Club (National Course), in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.
1 Republic of Korea 140-137-138-139–554 Minsol Kim 73-70-71-68–282 Kyorim Seo 69-67-71-71–278 Hyosong Lee 71-70-67-74–282
2 Chinese Taipei 144-139-135-140–558 Huai-Chien Hsu 72-68-66-69–275 Ting-Hsuan Huang 76-71-75-71–293 Hsin Chun Liao 72-72-69-79–292
Korea and Spain tied for the lead, Canada remains T7 heading into the final round of the Women’s World Amateur Team Championship
Lauren Kim of Canada plays her tee shot at the first tee during the third round of the Women’s World Amateur Team Championship at Abu Dhabi Golf Club, United Arab Emirates on Friday, Oct. 27, 2023 (Copyright USGA/Steven Gibbons)
United States Golf Association
Lauren Kim fires 4-under round to sit three shots back in individual standings
Hyosong Lee, 14, posted a 5-under 67 on Friday to propel the Republic of Korea into a share of the lead with Spain after Round 3 of the 30th Women’s World Amateur Team Championship. The Koreans, who started the day two shots off the lead, and the Spaniards stand at 17-under-par 415, with Thailand one stroke back in solo third.
Lee, the winner of the last two Korean Women’s Amateurs, rode a hot putter with six birdies against one bogey while besting the field with 10 one-putts. Korea, which is seeking its fourth Espirito Santo Trophy in the last seven competitions, added a 71 from Minsol Kim, No. 4 in the Women’s World Amateur Golf Ranking®/WAGR®, to bring the team’s third round tally to a 6-under 138. Kyorim Seo carded a non-counting 71 as only two of each team’s best three scores count toward the day’s total.
The three co-leaders heading into Friday’s third round struggled to get anything going during their opening nine holes. Australia, Spain and Thailand all made the turn with team scores at even par or 1 under, while Korea emerged as the solo leader with a nine-hole total of 4 under par.
Lopez Ramirez and world No. 2 Cayetana Fernandez Garcia-Poggio led a back-nine charge for the Spaniards, combining for three birdies on the final three holes to jump back into a share of the lead. Spain is seeking its first Espirito Santo Trophy since 1992 and first medal since 2012.
Also making a run on the back nine was Thailand. Reigning Women’s Amateur Asia-Pacific champion Eila Galitsky birdied the par-4 17th and par-5 18th to post a 3-under 69 in addition to a 72 from Navaporn Soontreeyapas, who co-leads the individual scoring race.
Chinese Taipei had the lowest team score on Friday and climbed six spots into fourth place (418) on the strength of a 6-under 66 from Huai-Chien Hsu and a 69 from Hsin Chun Liao. Australia, the 36-hole co-leader, dropped into fifth place after an even-par 144, followed by England, who sits in sixth at 12-under 420.
Thailand’s Soontreeyapas shares the individual lead with Chinese Taipei’s Hsu at 10-under 206. They are one stroke ahead of Spain’s Fernandez Garcia-Poggio, Avani Prashanth, of India, and Korea’s Seo.
Canada posted a 2-under 142 to remain in a tie for seventh with New Zealand at 8-under for the tournament. 2023 Canadian Women’s Amateur champion Lauren Kim of Surrey, B.C. had the low round of the day for Canada firing a 4-under 68 on Friday to move to 7-under for the tournament and now sits T8, just three shots back of Soontreeyapas and Hsu in the individual standings.
Monet Chun of Richmond Hill, Ont. shot a 2-over 74 and is now T30 at 1-under. Katie Cranston of Oakville, Ont. finished the day with a 3-over 75 and is at 8-over after three rounds.
Notable:
Hyosong Lee, 14, is the third-youngest player in the field this week. Last December, she won the Malaysian Amateur Open.
Avani Prashanath went 42 consecutive holes without a bogey (or worse) before surrendering her first on the par-3 seventh hole. Prashanath posted her third sub-par round of the competition (68-68-71).
Francesca Fiorellini, of Italy, posted a bogey-free 7-under 65 to tie the low individual round of the competition and propel the Italians into a tie for 14th heading into the final round.
No. 1-ranked amateur Ingrid Lindblad, of Sweden, carded a 6-under 66, including an eagle 3 on the par-5 18th to lead the defending champions to a third-round score of 138. The Swedes sit in a tie for 14th place with Italy.
The United States of America, last year’s silver medal winner, sits in a tie for ninth place at 7-under.
Japan’s Mizuki Hashimoto is a past champion at Abu Dhabi Golf Club. She won the 2021 Women’s Amateur Asia-Pacific held on the club’s National Course.
Spain is vying to become the eighth wire-to-wire champion in Espirito Santo Trophy history, and the first since Sweden accomplished the feat in 2008.
Thailand, competing in its 10th WWATC, is seeking its second medal in team history after winning silver in 2002.
India (T-9) is in position for its best-ever Espirito Santo finish. Its current best (T-17) came in 2014.
What’s Next:
The final round begins Saturday at 6:30 a.m. local time with a two-tee start on the National Course at Abu Dhabi Golf Club. The leading teams of the Republic of Korea, Spain and Thailand will occupy the final tee times of 12:06, 12:17 and 12:28 p.m. off the first tee.
Results from Friday’s third round of the 2023 Women’s World Amateur Team Championships, played at par-72 Abu Dhabi Golf Club (National Course), in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.
Australia, Thailand and Spain tied for lead after 36-holes, Canada sits T7 at the Women’s World Amateur Team Championship
Monet Chun of Canada plays her tee shot at the first hole during the second round of the Women’s World Amateur Team Championship at Abu Dhabi Golf Club, United Arab Emirates on Thursday, Oct. 26, 2023 (Copyright USGA/Steven Gibbons)
United States Golf Association
Australia and Thailand posted a pair of 10-under 134’s to surge into a three-way tie with Spain halfway through the 30th Women’s World Amateur Team Championship at Abu Dhabi Golf Club. The Aussies and the Thais jumped six spots on the leader board for a share of the top spot at 13-under 275 after Round 2.
The Australian duo of Maddison Hinson-Tolchard and 2023 South Australia Women’s Amateur champion Justice Bosio combined for 10 birdies and no bogeys. Hinson-Tolchard, a senior at Oklahoma State University who won the Big 12 Conference individual title last spring, led the Aussies with a 6-under 66.
Navaporn Soontreeyapas led a late-afternoon charge for Thailand, birdieing four of her final seven holes to post a 7-under 65, the lowest round of the competition thus far. Soontreeyapas, the 2023 Singapore Open Amateur champion, holds a two-shot advantage on the individual leaderboard at 10-under-par 134.
Thailand, which finished tied for 20th a year ago in France, added a bogey-free, 3-under 69 from Suvichaya Vinijchaitham.
Spain’s Cayetana Fernandez Garcia-Poggio, who holds a World Amateur Golf Ranking®/WAGR® of No. 2, and Julia Ramirez, No. 5 in WAGR®, both posted 69s, while teammate Carla Bernat Escuder added a non-counting 70. Spain, which held the first-round lead by one stroke, is the only team with all three players inside the top 10 of the championship’s individual scoring.
The Republic of Korea remains in solo fourth place at 11-under 277, two shots off the leaders, with England and the United States of America sharing fifth at 7-under 281.
After starting the day in 17th position, England made the biggest move among the morning wave behind a 5-under 67 from Caley McGinty, a redshirt senior at Ohio State University, and a 2-under 70 from world No. 9 Lottie Woad. After opening with a 77 on Wednesday, McGinty, a member of the last two Great Britain and Ireland Curtis Cup Teams, rattled off six birdies in windy morning conditions, including three of the four par-3s.
The USA added a 4-under 68 from world No. 6 Anna Davis and a 71 from Rachel Kuehn, who is competing in her third WWATC and her second as a member of the USA team following a silver-medal finish last year in France.
Canada, which began the day one stroke off the lead in solo second, posted an even-par 144 to position itself in a tie for seventh with India and Germany.
“They’re doing a great job staying steady and giving themselves opportunities,” said Canadian Captain Salimah Mussani. “That’s kind of our theme for the week is ‘give yourself opportunities.’ There’s 18 a day so take advantage of as many as you can.”
2022 U.S. Women’s Amateur runner-up Monet Chun of Richmond Hill, Ont. and 2023 Canadian Women’s Amateur champion Lauren Kim of Surrey, B.C. both recorded rounds of even par 72 to remain at 3-under for the tournament and are both T10 in the individual standings. Katie Cranston of Oakville, Ont. finished the day with a 3-over 75 and is at 5-over after 36-holes.
Quotable:
Captain Salimah Mussani, Canada: “In the morning, the conditions were a little tougher. It was obviously raining and a lot windier and gusting from different directions, but I think they managed pretty good. A lot of positives going into the weekend. It’s nice that there’s two days left for sure.”
Notable:
Thailand’s Soontreeyapas (10-under) leads the individual scoring by two strokes over Kyorim Seo, of the Republic of Korea, and Avani Prashanath, of India. Prashanath posted her second straight bogey-free 68 on Thursday. She is the only player in the field yet to make a bogey or worse.
Eila Galitsky celebrated her 17th birthday on Thursday with a non-counting 2-under 70 for co-leading Thailand. Galitsky won the 2023 Women’s Amateur Asia-Pacific and competed in three professional majors this year, including a low-amateur (T28) finish in the Chevron Championship in April.
Grace Pauline Quintanilla made the only eagle on Day 2. Quintanilla made a 3 on the par-5 8th hole en route to a 1-over 73 for the Philippines.
The United States of America is seeking to win the Espirito Santo and the Eisenhower trophies together in the same year for the eighth time. The U.S. is the only country to accomplish this feat and last did so in 1984. Last week, the American team of Nick Dunlap, David Ford and Gordon Sargent won the men’s championship by 11 strokes.
The National Course at Abu Dhabi Golf Club is playing to a yardage of 6,497 yards/5,940 meters this week for the Espirito Santo Trophy, which makes it the longest course in WWATC history.
Thursday was the coolest day of the week thus far at Abu Dhabi Golf Club and included the first precipitation. Light to moderate rain trickled in and out of the area throughout the morning with wind gusts up to 26 mph, while temperatures hovered between 25-30 degrees Celsius (77-86 degrees Fahrenheit).
What’s Next:
Round 3 begins Friday at 6:30 a.m. local time with a two-tee start on the National Course.
Results from Thursday’s second round of the 2023 Women’s World Amateur Team Championships, played at par-72 Abu Dhabi Golf Club (National Course), in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.
