Victory for Canada at the 2023 World Junior Girls Golf Championship
Denisa Vodickova of the Czech Republic wins individual title at Brampton Golf Club
Brampton, Ont. – The most successful season in Canadian golf history added another exciting chapter on Saturday as Team Canada won its first-ever team title at the World Junior Girls Golf Championship, presented by Sargent Farms.
The Canada 1 Team comprised 14-year-old Anna Huang of Vancouver (71-69-70-70—280), 17-year-old Vanessa Borovilos of Toronto (70-73-73-75—291), and 17-year-old Vanessa Zhang of Vancouver (72-75-80-68—295) shot a team-total 138 under cool and blustery conditions at Brampton Golf Club in Brampton, Ont. to finish at 4-under 564 for the championship, a single shot clear of the Republic of Korea.
Canada 1, who began the day with a share of the third-round lead alongside Korea and the United States, needed a late-round charge to overtake Korea, who held a one-shot team lead through 16 holes.
The tournament shifted on the par-5 17th hole when Huang made a birdie for Canada and Korea’s Soomin Oh made a bogey. Zhang then stepped up with a birdie on the par-4 18th, followed by Huang rolling in a par-putt to secure Canada’s first-ever team gold medal at the prestigious international junior championship.
Team Canada 1 Coach Jeff MacDonald of Chester, N.S. was proud of how his team battled all week, going head-to-head with powerhouse challengers from Korea and the United States to earn the prestigious title – of world champions.
“It feels really amazing, the girls have worked so hard, they all contributed so much today, it was really close all day and they dealt with the stress really, really well,” said MacDonald, who was especially proud of the team’s resolve and self-belief that they could win. “Anna made a huge birdie on 17 while Vanessa was rolling in an incredible 30-footer on 18. We always knew it was a good company to be in, they (Korea and the USA) weren’t going to back down. The Koreans made a lot of putts today, they were exceptional, and our Canadians really stepped up to the occasion. They never felt like they couldn’t win this golf tournament. The whole time they knew they belonged, and they knew they could compete with those countries. They were competing, they wanted to win, and they knew they could win the whole time.”
“I think me, and Vanessa (Zhang) did a great job on the last four holes, we both made two birdies, so that was a really great comeback for us, I’m just really proud of how we all did as a team, its not just individual scores, its all about the team effort,” said Huang.
Canada’s previous best team finish at the World Junior Girls Golf Championship was a bronze medal in 2014.
“I don’t think we all had super high expectations going into this event, we just set out to do our best every single day and it was nice that we saw ourselves on the leaderboard, it more just came down to keeping our practice routines the same and trying our best each and every shot,” said Zhang.
“It’s such a cool experience, I said this earlier this week, you’re playing for something bigger than yourself, you’re playing for a team, and to do this together, feels pretty cool,” added Borovilos.
The two-time past winners from Korea would finish with the silver medal, shooting a team-total 3-under 565 followed by Czech Republic earning bronze at 4-over 572. Rounding out the top-five were Sweden (5-over 573) and Mexico (8-over 576).
The Team Canada 2 squad of 14-year-old Miranda Lu of Vancouver, 16-year-old Luna Lu of Burnaby, B.C. and 14-year-old Eileen Park of Red Deer, Alta. finished 18th.
World Junior Girls Championship, presented by Sargent Farms – final team standings:
1 Canada 1 (-4) 141-142-143-138—564
2 Korea (-3) 143-141-142-139—565
3 Czech Republic (+4) 145-142-142-143—572
4 Sweden (+5) 140-147-144-142—573
5 Mexico (+8) 144-144-149-139—576
6 United States (+9) 139-142-145-151—577
7 Belgium (+12) 142-149-146-143—580
8 Spain (+15) 143-144-149-147—583
9 Italy (+16) 146-144-152-142—584
10 England (+17) 141-148-149-147—585
11Germany (+26) 148-147-149-150—594
12 Finland (+28) 146-147-154-149—596
13 Denmark (+29) 151-147-147-152—597
14 Poland (+32) 148-147-150-155—600
15 Chinese Taipei (+35) 148-153-146-156—603
T16 Switzerland (+36) 148-147-158-151—604
T16 Colombia (+36) 153-150-151-150—604
18 Canada 2 (+43) 154-151-153-153—611
19 Peru (+44) 151-155-158-148—612
20 Iceland (+47) 152-156-154-153—615
T21 Austria (+51) 149-154-159-157—619
T21 Wales (+51) 155-158-156-150—619
Click here for the full team competition leaderboard.
In the individual competition, third-round leader Denisa Vodickova of the Czech Republic followed up yesterday’s scorching 66 with a final-round even par 71 to win the Czech Republic’s first-ever individual medal in the eight-year history of the championship. An adjustment a month ago to her putting grip brought a great sense of confidence into the championship, finishing 7-under 277 for the tournament.
“It’s amazing, I feel great. I was very nervous today, I messed up the 17th hole a little bit and wasn’t sure I was still leading but was very glad about the finish,” said Vodickova, who plans to play college golf at Wake Forest next year. “My putting was really good, I’m putting cross-handed now, I changed a month ago and it’s working really well.”
With the victory, the 18-year-old earns an exemption into the 2024 CPKC Women’s Open next July at the Earl Grey Golf Club in Calgary, Alta.
Canadian Anna Huang capped off a tournament to remember, earning runner-up honours in the individual competition in addition to helping Canada win its first-ever team title. Huang, who finished T11 in 2022, shot a final-round 1-under 70 to finish at 4-under 280 for the championship, three shots back.
The runner-up finish for Huang was the best by a Canadian in the individual competition since Brooke Henderson’s fourth-place finish in 2014.
Soomin Oh of Korea finished third at 3-under 281 while Savanah de Bock of Belgium (1-under 283) and Nora Sundberg of Sweeden (2-over 286) rounded out the top-five.
Click here for the third round individual leaderboard.
This year marked the largest field in tournament history, with a total of 66 athletes comprising 22 teams and representing 21 countries competing for the team and individual titles.
First pro win has Canada’s Thibault looking toward LPGA Tour’s Stage II qualifying
Right up until she was standing on the 18th green, making her final putt of the tournament, Brigitte Thibault didn’t know she was winning the Kathy Whitworth Championship.
The three-stroke win in Trophy Club, Texas, was the first victory of the 24-year-old Thibault’s professional career. Thibault said she had just kept her head down for the third and final round of the Women’s All Pro Tour season finale.
“I had no idea what the leaderboard was. I was just trying to score as best as I could,” said Thibault. “It’s almost like I didn’t want to get ahead of myself and just felt like I just needed to keep pushing.”
Thibault finished the tournament 71-68-68 for a total of 207. The native of Rosemere, Que., came out of the front nine of her third round at 5 under, having three birdies and an eagle on the par-5 seventh hole at the Trophy Club Country Club.
She bogeyed the par-3 No. 13 to arrive at her final round score of 4-under 68 and the win.
“I kept missing great opportunities on the back nine,” said Thibault. “I’d reach a lot of pins and then not make the putts.
“I felt like I was giving it away, but I ended up coming up on top. That was exciting.”
Having won a professional event, Thibault’s next goal is to move up to a higher tier of women’s golf. That means a good showing in Stage II of the LPGA Tour’s qualifying series at Plantation Golf and Country Club in Venice, Fla., Oct. 17 to Oct. 20.
Thibault said she’ll be working with coach Chuck Cook in Austin, Texas, to ready herself for Stage II.
“Just preparation for what the course is asking for,” said Thibault. “Really make sure I’m comfortable with the type of shots that I’m going to need to be hitting. Just a lot of short game, to be honest.”
Winning the Kathy Whitworth Championship has shown Thibault that she can do it.
“My work is paying off and just to see it come to fruition is really exciting,” said Thibault. “But also just confidence in terms of like I’m trying to stay ready for Q-School and just to have competitive reps and to be able to come out on top it’s very encouraging on my end.”
Canada’s Monet Chun tied for sixth at Augusta National Women’s Amateur
AUGUSTA, Ga. – Canada’s Monet Chun has made the cut at the Augusta National Women’s Amateur.
The 22-year-old from Richmond Hill, Ont., is tied for sixth at 2-under par after two rounds.
Rose Zhang of the United States fired a blistering 7-under round at the storied golf course to sit atop the leaderboard at 13 under.
Chun’s the first Canadian to make the cut at the event.
Brigitte Thibault of Rosemere, Que., missed the cut at the inaugural tournament in 2019 and again in 2021.
Savannah Grewal of Mississauga, Ont., missed the cut last year.
The opening 36 holes were held over two days on the Island and Bluff nines at Champions Retreat Golf Club in Augusta, Ga.
The entire field will then play Augusta National for an official practice round on Friday, followed by the final round featuring the top 30 competitors who made the cut.
Canada’s Katie Cranston to make NCAA tournament debut at Nexus Collegiate event
Katie Cranston was faced with a difficult decision after getting status on the Epson Tour – should she turn pro or go to school?
She chose Auburn University over the second-tier women’s professional golf tour, arriving at the American college halfway through the school year. Just three weeks into the semester, the Canadian golfer is already pleased with her decision.
“It’s just such a good opportunity for me to learn and grow,” said Cranston. “I feel like being here and doing school on top of golf is helping me gain very good time-management skills.
“Getting all my schoolwork done, get to practice, get to qualifying. That’s been really good for me.”
Cranston will make her NCAA tournament debut on Monday when she tees it up at the Nexus Collegiate event. Although it’s hosted by Auburn, the tournament will be held at Albany Golf Club in New Providence, Bahamas.
The 18-year-old native of Oakville, Ont., said that playing against tougher competition, both on her team and at collegiate tournaments, was one of the factors that drew her to Auburn over the professional ranks.
“It was an experience that I was scared to pass up,” said Cranston. “I was worried that I would regret not coming. It was just something that I I wanted to give at least a shot.”
Cranston originally committed to Auburn in November 2021 before tying for 69th at the second stage of the LPGA and Epson Tour’s qualifying tournament at Plantation Golf and Country Club in Venice, Fla., a year later.
“It was really good experience and I was happy with how I did,” said Cranston, who could have had regular starts on the Epson Tour this season. “But through the process, I realized that it wasn’t quite what I wanted to do yet.
“It’s definitely something that I will do in the future, but I just wasn’t quite ready for that.”
On top of her solid performance at Q-school, Cranston won several tournaments in 2022. She was victorious at the Dustin Johnson World Junior, the Scott Robertson Memorial, and the Women’s Porter Cup and also finished second at the Southwest Amateur and fourth at the NextGen Pacific Championship.
Auburn women’s golf head coach Melissa Luellen said that, due to NCAA rules during the COVID-19 pandemic, she wasn’t able to do any evaluations or even meet Cranston in person before the teenager agreed to come to the school. But when Luellen did see her new charge play in person, she was very impressed.
“I watched her hit the first tee shot at the U.S. amateur at Westchester Country Club in New York and my jaw drops like, ‘Wow! That was awesome,” said Luellen. “She is a beautiful, strong ball striker. I’m feeling pretty good about my decision.”
Golf Canada announces amateur and professional athletes named to 2023 Team Canada
DECEMBER 21, 2022 – Golf Canada is pleased to announce the names of the 57 athletes and eight coaches named to Team Canada as major enhancements to Golf Canada’s national team program continue to take effect.
Golf Canada’s 2023 national team system now features three program tiers: Team Canada (both amateur and professionals); Team Canada – NextGen (U21 amateurs); and a national talent identification system aimed at growing the pool of future national team prospects.
The updated program tiers for 2023 including a record-breaking number of athletes and coaches reflect the enhancements to the high-performance program announced last year to accelerate Canada’s position in the global professional golf landscape with a goal to increase the number of Canadians on the LPGA and PGA Tours to 30 by 2032.
The Team Canada tier (formerly the Young Pro Squad and Amateur Squad) now includes both professionals and amateurs with training focused on helping players reach the major tours. Feeding into Team Canada is a new tier called Team Canada – NextGen (formerly the Junior Squad) focused on supporting top juniors and bridging the gap for players transitioning into amateur golf and the U.S. college system.
“Thanks to the Golf Canada Foundation as well as our generous donors and partners, the enhanced Team Canada program structure is well positioned to support more of this country’s top athletes towards our goal of getting 30 Canadians to the major tours over the next decade,” said Golf Canada Chief Sport Officer Kevin Blue. “We have continued to evaluate and analyze the current player development system, have made refinements to competition and training environments, and are working collaboratively with athletes, parents and PGA of Canada coaches toward a shared goal of enhanced Canadian excellence on the global golf stage. Canada has made significant progress in the development of world-class golfers and is poised to take another step forward.”
The enhancements to Golf Canada’s high-performance program, which were outlined in a detailed update authored by Blue in 2022, were made possible through major gift funding support from the Golf Canada Foundation’s network of Trustee donors.
TEAM CANADA – MEN
| A.J. Ewart (23) | Coquitlam, BC | Barry University (Sr.) | The Vancouver GC [AM] |
| Ashton McCulloch (20) | Kingston, ON | Michigan St. (So.) | Cataraqui G&CC [AM] |
| Johnny Travale (22) | Hamilton, ON | UCF (5th Yr.) | Hamilton G&CC [AM] |
| Laurent Desmarchais (21) | Bromont, QC | Tennessee (So.) | Vallée Du Richelieu Golf Club [AM] |
| Matt Anderson (22) | Mississauga, ON | San Francisco (5th Yr.) | Credit Valley G&CC [AM] |
| Piercen Hunt (21) | Hartland, WI | Illinois (Jr.) | The Club at Lac la Belle [AM] |
| Remi Chartier (21) | Naples, FL | East Tennessee State (Sr.) | Royal Montreal GC [AM] |
| Brendan MacDougall (25) | Calgary, AB | High Point/Nevada (’21) | The Glencoe C&CC [PRO] |
| Chris Crisologo (27) | Richmond, BC | Simon Fraser (’18) | Marine Drive GC [PRO] |
| Chris R. Wilson (27) | Toronto, ON | Colgate University (’17) | |N/A| [PRO] |
| Etienne Papineau (26) | Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, QC | West Virginia (’21) | Pinegrove CC [PRO] |
| Henry Lee (24) | Coquitlam, BC | University of Washington (’21) [PRO] | |
| Jared du Toit (27) | Kimberly, BC | ASU (’16) | [PRO] |
| Jeevan Sihota (18) | Victoria, BC | turned pro after high school [PRO] | |
| Joey Savoie (28) | La Prairie, QC | MTSU (’17) [PRO] | |
| Max Sekulic (23) | Rycroft, AB | Washington State (’22) | The Glencoe C&CC [PRO] |
| Myles Creighton (27) | Digby, NS | Radford (’18) | Banyan GC [PRO] |
| Noah Steele (25) | Kingston, ON | Sam Houston State (’20) | Cataraqui G&CC [PRO] |
| Stuart Macdonald (28) | Vancouver, BC | Purdue (’16) | [PRO] |
| Sudarshan Yellamaraju (21) | Mississauga, ON | turned pro after high school [PRO] |
TEAM CANADA – WOMEN
| Angela Arora (18) | Surrey, BC | Tennessee (Jan 2023) | Marine Drive GC [AM] |
| Brooke Rivers (17) | Brampton, ON | Wake Forest (2023) | Brampton GC [AM] |
| Celeste Dao (21) | Notre-Dame-de-l’Île-Perrot, QC | Georgia (Sr.) | Summerlea G&CC [AM] |
| Katie Cranston (18) | Oakville, ON | Auburn (Jan 2023) | Oakville GC [AM] |
| Lauren Kim (17) | Surrey, BC | Texas (2023) | Morgan Creek GC [AM] |
| Lauren Zaretsky (18) | Thornhill, ON | Texas Tech (Fr.) | Maple Downs G&CC [AM] |
| Leah John (22) | Vancouver, BC | Nevada (Sr.) | Marine Drive GC [AM] |
| Michelle Liu (16) | Vancouver, BC | High School (grade 11) | Shaugnessy GC [AM] |
| Monet Chun (21) | Richmond Hill, ON | Michigan (Jr.) | Summit GC [AM] |
| Nicole Gal (18) | Oakville, ON | Ole Miss (Fr.) | Oakville GC [AM] |
| Sarah-Eve Rhéaume (22) | Boischatel, QC | Furman (5th Yr.) | Royal Quebec [AM] |
| Savannah Grewal (21) | Mississauga, ON | Clemson (Sr.) | Piper’s Heath GC [AM] |
| Brigitte Thibault (24) | Rosemere, QC | Fresno/Texas (’22) | Rosemère Golf Club [PRO] |
| Maddie Szeryk (26) | London, ON | Texas A&M (’18) [PRO] | |
| Selena Costabile (24) | Thornhill, ON | turned pro after high school | Ladies GC of Toronto [PRO] |
The 2023 Team Canada roster is comprised of 35 players who are competing at the highest levels of amateur golf and refining their games on developmental professional tours. The program provides individualized training and competition support by collaborating with players’ support teams, including personal and college coaches, and adding value where gaps are identified. Members of Team Canada have access to The Legacy Golf Club in Phoenix, Ariz. where players can live and train in the winter months.
Salimah Mussani returns as the Stollery Family Team Canada Women’s Head Coach supported by Associate Coach and fellow PGA of Canada professional Jennifer Greggain. Derek Ingram returns as Men’s Team Head Coach and will be supported by Assistant Coaches Louis Melanson and Benoit Lemieux.
The Team Canada coaching staff will be joined by an integrated support team that includes Greg Redman (Strength, Conditioning & Physio, Men’s Team), Dr. Adrienne Leslie-Toogood (Mental Performance & Psychologist, Men’s Team), Andrea Kosa (Strength, Conditioning & Physio, Women’s Team), Lindsay Berard (Mental Performance & Psychologist, Women’s Team), and Kelly Anne Erdman (Performance Dietician).
TEAM CANADA – NEXTGEN (BOYS)
| Alex Zhang (14) | Richmond, BC | High School (grade 9) | Marine Drive GC |
| Ben MacLean (18) | Niagara Falls, ON | Kent St. (Fr.) | Cherry Hill Club |
| Cooper Humphreys (17) | Vernon, BC | Oregon St. (2023) | The Harvest Golf Club |
| Eric Zhao (15) | Toronto, ON | High School (grade 10) | Bayview G&CC |
| Ethan Wilson (18) | St. Albert, AB | University of Illinois (2023) | Glendale G&CC |
| Félix Bouchard (19) | Otterburn Park, QC | Univ. of Kansas (2024) | La Vallée du Richelieu GC |
| Gavyn Knight (18) | Parksville, BC | Boise St. (Fr.) | Morningstar GC |
| Hunter Thomson (19) | Calgary, AB | University of Michigan (So.) | Calgary G&CC |
| James Newton (19) | Ottawa, ON | Rutgers (Fr.) | Royal Ottawa |
| JP Parr (18) | Saint-Celestin, QC | University of Tennessee (2023) | Club de Golf Ki-8-Eb |
| Owen Kim (18) | Oakville, ON | Coastal Carolina University (Fr.) | Hamilton G&CC |
| Owen Mullen (19) | Shortts Lake, NS | University of Notre Dame (So.) | Truro Golf Club |
TEAM CANADA – NEXTGEN (GIRLS)
| Alissa Xu (17) | Richmond Hill, ON | Dartmouth (2023) | Station Creek GC |
| Anna Huang (14) | Coto de Caza, CA | Junior High (grade 8) | Coto De Caza G&RC |
| Carlee Meilleur (14) | Lansdowne, ON | High school (grade 9) | Loyalist G&CC |
| Lindsay McGrath (15) | Oakville, ON | High School (grade 10) | RattleSnake Point GC |
| Luna Lu (15) | Burnaby, BC | High School (grade 10) | Pitt Meadows GC |
| Martina Yu (16) | Coquitlam, BC | High School (grade 11) | |
| Michelle Xing (14) | Richmond Hill, ON | High School (grade 9) | Station Creek GC |
| Vanessa Borovilos (16) | Etobicoke, ON | High School (grade 11) | Weston G&CC |
| Vanessa Zhang (16) | Vancouver, BC | High School (grade 11) | Marine Drive GC |
| Yeji Kwon (16) | Port Coquitlam, BC | High School (grade 11) | Swaneset Bay Resort & CC |
The 22-player Team Canada – NextGen roster will include both top junior golfers and U21 amateurs in a program to support their transition from junior competition to high-level amateur golf.
The NextGen coaching staff will be led by Head Coach Robert Ratcliffe with support from Assistant Coaches Jennifer Ha and Jeff MacDonald. The coaches will be joined by an integrated support team that includes Dr. Emily Wiggin (Strength & Conditioning) and Dr. Adam Kingsbury (Mental Performance & Psychologist).
Supporting the overall growth of elite golf in Canada is the national talent identification system, established in 2022 and led by Tristan Mullally, Head of National Talent Identification. The talent identification system provides assistance to younger juniors (11-16 years old) and their existing coaching support teams to grow the pool of future Team Canada prospects.
A key activity within the talent identification system will be the engagement of the National Talent ID Network, a group of more than 80 coaches across Canada working towards collaborative player development initiatives. Additionally, 2023 will see a broader introduction of talent ID camps across the country led by network members to deliver educational and skill-building opportunities to players, parents, and coaches.
The strategic enhancements for Golf Canada’s player development program were shaped by in-depth feedback from numerous stakeholders in Canadian high-performance golf and a global comparative analysis of other countries’ efficiency success in producing world top-200 players. The analysis considered factors such as participation base, culture, and financial investment into high-performance golf, with a particular focus on countries such as Denmark, Sweden, Australia, and England that are geopolitically and culturally similar to Canada.
Team Canada’s Brooke Rivers hopes to elevate golf game at Wake Forest
By: John Chidley-Hill/Canadian Press
Team Canada’s Brooke Rivers is ready to take the next step in her golf career by following in Arnold Palmer’s footsteps.
Rivers has declared her intention to play for Wake Forest University in the new school year, Palmer’s alma mater. The decision isn’t just based on Palmer’s legacy, but the contemporary reality that the Demon Deacons are the No. 2 ranked women’s golf program in the NCAA.
LEARN MORE ABOUT TEAM CANADA’S BROOKE RIVERS
“I’m very excited to be going to such a top golf school, I will be around girls that are very competitive, and I’ll be able to learn from them and grow my golf game by learning from them,” said Rivers. “I will also be able to play in really high rank tournaments, which again, will expose me to play against really good competition, to better myself.”
Rivers, who was born in Brampton, Ont., and raised in Turks and Caicos, signed on at Wake Forest on Friday along with American Macy Pate. The Canadian said the legacy of Palmer, one of the greatest golfers of all time, was just one of the reasons why she wanted to play for Wake Forest.
“Having very good alumni that come out of school, just shows how great the golf program is,” said Rivers, referring to Palmer who arrived at Wake Forest in 1948 and was the school’s first individual NCAA champion in 1949.
But Rivers’s interest in the college in Winston-Salem, N.C., goes beyond its NCAA ranking or history of producing strong professional golfers. She was attracted to its facilities and the strength of its academic curriculum.
“I’m very excited to use the (Arnold Palmer Golf Complex) practice facilities and all of the technology and different resources that they have available there, as well as the amazing (Old Town Club) golf course,” said Rivers, who intends to study business.
“Everything is very close to the dorms so I will be able to spend my time practising and balance my time management.”
Kim Lewellen, the head coach of Wake Forest’s women’s golf team, said she has kept close tabs on Rivers throughout her junior and amateur career.
“She has a nice athletic stature, hits the ball a long way, and has a good golf IQ,” said Lewellen, who noted that Rivers’s parents Tammy Glugosh and Gregg Rivers are also impressive golfers. “I think she also probably got that from her parents, so this was a total package.”
Although Rivers said she chose Wake Forest to learn from some of the best collegiate golfers in the world, she’s no slouch herself. She impressed Lewellen when she tied for 10th representing Canada at the World Amateur Women’s Team Championship on Aug. 27.
Rivers also won the 2021 North and South Junior Championship and tied for eighth at the Scott Robertson Memorial that same year. In 2020, she won the AJGA Visit Tallahassee Junior Championship and tied for second at the Ontario Women’s Amateur Championship.
She also won the Coca-Cola Junior Championship in 2019 and the Future Links Quebec Championship the same year, and was runner-up at the Ontario Women’s Match Play.
“Golf is a tough game, you can have your good rounds, but you can have your bad rounds and golf can hurt your feelings. You have to have a little bit of thick skin,” said Lewellen. “I think Brooke shows the confidence that you need to have for those days that aren’t great.
“She’s not going to feel sorry for herself.”
Spain wins World Junior Girls Championship, presented by Sargent Farms
By: Dan Pino/Golf Canada
Canada 1 and Canada 2 finish sixth and eighth respectively in the team competition
Spain’s Cayetana Fernández finishes 6-under to win the individual title
MARKHAM, Ont. – Undeterred by cold and blustery conditions, Spaniard Cayetana Fernández saved her best for last at Angus Glen Club as the 17-year-old shot a final-round 2-under 70 to lead Spain to victory at the 2022 World Junior Girls Golf Championship, presented by Sargent Farms.
Competitors faced challenging conditions Saturday that included a 46-minute weather delay with heavy morning winds in the Markham area. When play resumed, Fernández would emerge as one of only two players to score under par, leading Spain to victory and claiming the tournament’s individual title.
Fernández paired with teammate Andrea Revuelta to deliver Spain (140-143-146-146—575) a cumulative team score of 2-over on the day and 1-under for the tournament. The Spanish duo along with teammate Paula Martin, who shot a non-counting final-round 76, began the tournament as early favourites with all three players ranked inside the top-100 on the World Amateur Golf Ranking (WAGR).
With the victory, the Spanish trio helped claim the country’s second-ever team title (2022 & 2017), joining the Republic of Korea (2019 & 2015) for most team titles at the annual World Junior Girls Golf Championship, presented by Sargent Farms.
“We are very proud to be world champions,” said Spanish team coach Alvaro Salto. “The golf course was tough test, it played really different conditions and the weather changed a lot, so patience was the key. With these three girls, we have a really special generation now in Spain, and with a few more that could have come to the team this year, we are in good position for the next two, three years.”
Team Sweden (147-138 -142-153—580), who entered final-round action with a two-shot lead over Spain, shot a cumulative score of 4-over to finish alone in second, five shots back. The runner-up placing was the Nordic country’s best result since finishing third in 2017.
Chinese Taipei (144-150-141-147—582) finished alone in third at 6-over followed by Colombia (145-146-147-151—589) in fourth at 13-over and Germany (147-150-146-152—595) at 19-over rounding out the top-five.
The Canada 1 squad of Lauren Kim of Surrey, B.C.(72-76-72-79—299), Angela Arora of Surrey, B.C. (68-80-75-80—303), and Michelle Liu of Vancouver (72-77-74-83—306) finished alone in sixth at 22-over.
The Canada 2 squad of Anna Huang from Vancouver (72-77-76-76—301), Yeji Kwon of Port Coquitlam, B.C. (73-75-75-81—304) and Michelle Xing of Richmond Hill, Ont. (74-83-82-80—319) finished solo eighth (+28).
The following are final team results at the World Junior Girls Championship, presented by Sargent Farms:
1 Spain -1 (140-143-146-146—575)
2 Sweden +4 (147-138-142-153—580)
3 Chinese Taipei +6 (144-150-141-147—582)
4 Colombia +13 (145-146-147-151—589)
5 Germany +19 (147-150-146-152—595)
6 Canada 1 +22 (140-153-146-159—598)
7 France +24 (156-146-148-150—600)
8 Canada 2 +28 (145-152-151-156—604)
9 England +31 (150-151-152-154—607)
10 Belgium +33 (144-157-152-156—609)
11 Mexico +35 (146-152-155-158—611)
12 Denmark +40 (150-150-158-158—616)
T13 Italy +46 (154-156-154-158—622)
T13 Wales +46 (152-159-157-154—622)
15 Ireland +50 (150-158-155-163—626)
16 Switzerland +52 (156-158-154-160—628)
17 Finland +54 (154-161-153-162—630)
18 Austria +58 (156-158-155-165—634)
Click here for a link to the full team competition leaderboard.
In the individual competition, Spaniard Cayetana Fernández, who was T2 through 54 holes, hoisted double titles, shooting 2-under 70 in difficult conditions to finish at 6-under for the tournament (70-70-72-70—282).
“We feel great, super proud of ourselves,” said Fernández, whose older sister Bianca helped lead Spain to victory in 2017. “We knew today was going to be tough, and when we stopped with the weather, we knew we had to fight for it, give it our best and stay fighting. The whole team, we are very happy, we don’t have words!”
Fernández becomes the fourth player to win the individual title and lead their country to victory joining Yuka Saso of the Philippines (2016), Hye-jin Choi of Korea (2015) and Mika Kelly of the United States of America (2014) as the only players to accomplish the feat. Fernández’s finish is also the best individual result for a Spanish athlete since her older sister Bianca Fernández along with Dimana Viudes finished third and fourth respectively in 2017.
Runner-up María José Marin of Colombia (72-71-71-70—284) joined Fernández as the only players to score under par Saturday, finishing 2-under 70 on the day and 4-under for the tournament, two shots back.
Sweden’s Meja Őrtengren (71-68-70-76—285), who entered final round action with a 3-shot lead, struggled with a final-round 76 to finish solo third at 3-under. Ting-Hsuan Huang of Chinese Taipei (70-73-69-75—287) finished at 1-under in fourth with Sweden’s Nora Sundberg (76-70-72-77—295) and Belgium’s Savannah De Bock (69-76-74-76—295) at 7-over rounding out the top-five.
Lauren Kim of Surrey, B.C.(72-76-72-79—299) finished as the low Canadian at 11-over (T9), the lone Canuck to finish inside the top-10.
The following are Top-10 final results in the individual competition at the World Junior Girls Championship, presented by Sargent Farms:
1 Cayetana Fernández, Spain 70-70-72-72—282 (-6)
2 María José Marin, Colombia 72-71-71-70—284 (-4)
3 Meja Őrtengren, Sweden 71-68-70-76—285 (-3)
4 Ting-Hsuan Huang, Chinese Taipei 70-73-69-75—287 (-1)
T5 Nora Sundberg, Sweden 76-70-72-77—295 (+7)
T5 Savanah De Bock, Belgium 69-76-74-76—295 (+7)
7 Andrea Revuelta, Spain 70-76-74-76—296 (+8)
8 Larissa Carrillo, Mexico 71-75-76-76—298 (+10)
T9 Lauren Kim, Canada 1 72-76-72-79—299 (+11)
T9 Constance Fouillet, France 80-71-74-74—299 (+11)
Click here for a link to the full individual leaderboard.
The 2023 World Junior Girls Championship, presented by Sargent Farms will return to Angus Glen next year with the date still to be determined.
In total, 54 athletes on 18 teams representing 17 countries—including two teams from host nation Canada—competed Oct. 12-15 at Angus Glen for the team and individual titles. The event marked the celebrated return of the prestigious global competition after two years of cancellation due to the pandemic.
This year’s field for the World Junior Girls Championship, presented by Sargent Farms is highlighted by 11 competitors ranked inside the World Amateur Golf Rankings (WAGR) top 100. A full list of competitors including their WAGR position is here.
Angus Glen Golf Club, which hosted the World Junior Girls Championship for the third time, is home to two 18-hole championship golf courses in Markham, Ontario. The North and South courses offer variety, beauty, and challenges. Angus Glen has been ranked as one of the top 80 golf courses in the world outside of the United States. It was home to the 2002 and 2007 Canadian Open and an official host of the 2015 Toronto Pan/Parapan American Games. The 2022 World Junior Championship will be contested on the South course.
Additional information regarding the seventh annual World Junior Girls Championship can be found on the competition’s website.
Canada and Spain share opening-round lead at World Junior Girls Championship, presented by Sargent Farms
By: Dan Pino/Golf Canada
Angela Arora shoots 4-under 68 to lead Canada 1 in the prestigious global golf championship; Surrey, B.C. native leads individual competition by one shot through 18 holes
MARKHAM, Ont. – Team Canada entered the opening-round of play at Angus Glen Golf Club looking for a fast start and got just that—riding a sizzling opening-round 4-under 68 by Angela Arora of Surrey, B.C. to take a share of the opening-round lead with Team Spain at the seventh annual World Junior Girls Golf Championship, presented by Sargent Farms.
The Canada 1 squad of Arora (4-under 68), along with 17-year-old Lauren Kim of Surrey, B.C.(E 72), and 15-year-old Michelle Liu of Vancouver (E 72) shot a team-total 4-under 140 with the top two of three individual scores counting towards the overall team total.
The opening-round co-leaders from Spain were led by matching scores of 2-under 70 by Andrea Revuelta and Cayetana Fernández under cool conditions at the Markham, Ont. layout. The pair were joined by teammate Paula Martin who shot a (non-counting) 4-over 76 for the Spanish favourites who came into the championship as the only country with all three players ranked inside the Top-100 of the World Amateur Golf Ranking (WAGR).
Spain is looking for their second team title, having previously won the championship in 2017.
Canada 1 and Spain head into Thursday’s second round with a four-shot lead over Belgium and Chinese Taipei who sit T3 at even par 144 through 18 holes.
As the host nation, Canada is fielding two teams in the international championship and while the Canada 1 squad holds a share of the opening-round lead, it was the younger Canada 2 squad comprised of 13-year-old Anna Huang from Vancouver (E 72), 16-year-old Yeji Kwon of Port Coquitlam, B.C. (1-over 73), and 14-year-old Michelle Xing of Richmond Hill, Ont. (2-over 74) that was equally as impressive, firing a team-total 1-over 145 to sit T5 with Colombia after the opening round of the championship.
With 54 holes still to be played on the South Course at Angus Glen, Canada is looking for their best-ever result in the team competition, having previously finished third in 2014 and fourth in 2018.
The following are round-one team results at the World Junior Girls Championship, presented by Sargent Farms:
1 Canada 1 -4 (140)
1 Spain -4 (140)
T3 Belgium E (144)
T3 Chinese Taipei E (144)
T5 Canada 2 +1 (145)
T5 Colombia +1 (145)
7 Mexico +2 (146)
T8 Germany +3 (147)
T8 Sweden +3 (147)
T10 Denmark +6 (150)
T10 England +6 (150)
T10 Ireland +6 (150)
13 Wales +8 (152)
T14 Finland +10 (154)
T14 Italy +10 (154)
T16 Austria +12 (156)
T16 France +12 (156)
T16 Switzerland +12 (156)
Click here for the full team competition leaderboard.
In the individual competition, Arora’s 4-under 68 leads by a single shot, followed closely by Savannah De Bock of Belgium at 3-under 69. A trio of players – Ting-Hsuan Huang of Chinese Taipei, along with Spanish teammates Andrea Revuelta and Cayetana Fernández – sit T3 to round out the top-five at 2-under 70 through 18 holes of play.
The following are Top-10 results in the individual competition at the World Junior Girls Championship, presented by Sargent Farms:
1 Angela Arora, Canada 68 (-4)
2 Savanah De Bock, Belgium 69 (-3)
T3 Ting-Hsuan Huang, Chinese Taipei 70 (-2)
T3 Andrea Revuelta, Spain 70 (-2)
T3 Cayetana Fernández, Spain 70 (-2)
T6 Larissa Carrillo, Mexico 71 (-1)
T6 Meja Őrtengren, Sweden 71 (-1)
T8 Emilia Väistö, Finland 72 (E)
T8 María José Marin, Colombia 72 (E)
T8 Marie-Agnes Fischer, Germany 72 (E)
T8 Anna Huang, Canada 2 72 (E)
T8 Lauren Kim, Canada 1 72 (E)
T8 Michelle Liu, Canada 1 72 (E)
Click here for a link to the full individual leaderboard.
In total, 54 athletes on 18 teams representing 17 countries—including two teams from host nation Canada—are competing Oct. 12-15 at Angus Glen for the team and individual titles. The event marks the celebrated return of the prestigious global competition after two years of cancellation due to the pandemic.
The second round of the 72-hole competition gets underway Thursday morning at 8:30am with the final groups teeing off at 9:50am. Admission to the competition is free.
This year’s field for the World Junior Girls Championship, presented by Sargent Farms is highlighted by 11 competitors ranked inside the World Golf Amateur Rankings (WAGR) top 100. A full list of competitors including their WAGR position is here.
With two victories (2015 & 2019) in the event’s six-year history, Republic of Korea has won the most team competition titles followed by USA (2014), Philippines (2016), Spain (2017), and Italy (2018). A history of past winners is available here.
A number of players who have competed in the World Junior Girls Championship have gone on great success on the LPGA Tour, led by Canadian Brooke Henderson, a 12-time LPGA winner and world no. 6 who finished fourth in the individual competition at the inaugural championship hosted in 2014.
Other notable competitors who went on to become LPGA Tour winners include world no. 2 Atthaya Thitikul of Thailand who won back-to-back World Junior titles in 2018 and 2019 as well as world no. 35 Yuka Saso of Philippines who won the 2016 World Junior title. Other former World Junior Girls competitors who have gone on to win on the LPGA Tour include Hannah Green of Australia and Maja Stark of Sweden.
In addition, 12 players who competed for the 2022 CP Women’s Open at Ottawa Hunt and Golf Club are alumni of the World Junior Girls Championship.
Angus Glen Golf Club, which is hosting the World Junior Girls Championship for the third time, is home to two 18-hole championship golf courses in Markham, Ontario. The North and South courses offer variety, beauty, and challenges. Angus Glen has been ranked as one of the top 80 golf courses in the world outside of the United States. It was home to the 2002 and 2007 Canadian Open and an official host of the 2015 Toronto Pan/Parapan American Games. The 2022 World Junior Championship will be contested on the South course.
Additional information regarding the seventh annual World Junior Girls Championship can be found on the competition’s website.
Team Canada – NextGen Selection Camp heads to TPC Toronto
CALEDON, ONT. – Forty-seven players from 8 Canadian provinces have travelled to TPC Toronto at Osprey Valley (North Course) in Caledon, Ont., to compete in the annual playing of the Team Canada – NextGen Selection Camp, which is taking place September 8-11, 2022
This event’s main purpose is to help Golf Canada’s High Performance staff assess and evaluate some of the best Canadian golfers under the age of 21 who are not currently playing collegiate golf.
The selection camp includes a skills testing portion run concurrent to a practice round and a 54-hole stroke play event which gets underway Friday, September 9th and concludes Sunday, September 11th.
The boy’s and girl’s division champions of the 54-hole stroke play event receive an exemption onto the 2023 Team Canada NextGen Squad. The top-3 girls also receive exemptions to the 2022 World Junior Girls team to be played October 10-15, 2022 at Angus Glen Golf Club in Markham, Ont.
Canada finishes T7 at Women’s World Amateur Team Championship
By: United States Golf Association
FRANCE – Canada’s trio of Lauren Kim of Surrey, B.C., Nicole Gal of Oakville, Ont., and Brooke Rivers of Brampton, Ont., finished in tie for seventh place at the 2022 World Amateur Team Championship in France this week.
The Canadians combined for a total score of 2-under-par on the tournament and were lead by Rivers who finished T10 in the Espirito Santo individual competition. The 17-year-old Rivers fired rounds of 75-70-71-69 to close her championship at 1-under-par.
Kim was T33, while Gal finished T64 in 164-player field which included representatives from 56 countries.
The top-10 result matches Canada’s efforts from the 2018 World Amateur Team Championship where Maddie Szeryk, Jaclyn Lee and Naomi Ko teamed up for a seventh place finish.
Sweden won the Espirito Santo Trophy for the third time on a tiebreaker over the hard-charging USA at the 29th Women’s World Amateur Team Championship at Golf de Saint-Nom-La-Bretèche on Saturday.
The Swedes and Americans tied at 13-under par 559 but after comparing non-counting scores, a 1-over-par 73 from Sweden’s Louise Rydqvist was one stroke better than Rachel Kuehn’s 74 giving Sweden the gold medal and the USA the silver. One stroke behind at 560, Germany and Japan tied for the bronze-medal position.
Ingrid Lindblad, ranked No 2 in the world, fired a 3-under 69 and Meja Ortengren added a 2-under 70 as Sweden made up five strokes on Germany, who held the 54-hole.
“Yesterday we were on our way to good scores (at Le Golf National), and we lost everything in the end,” said Sweden’s head of delegation Fredrik Wetterstrand. “Today, everything went our way, our scores and the other team’s scores. I admit it was a little lucky today. Our team played really well. They were fighting hard on the course, and they did it together”
In winning its first medal since capturing bronze in Turkey in 2012, Sweden rebounded from a disappointing fourth-place position in Round 3 after holding the 36-hole lead.
“I knew pretty much all day that I had a counting score,” said Lindblad. “We knew that after yesterday at Le Golf National we would have to go for it whether we finished second or 14th. Meja made about a seven-footer for par on the 18th which was so important for us. That was great.”
The USA, which began the day four strokes behind Germany, battled its way to a one-stroke lead on the tee of the 72nd hole after a birdie on the 17th by No.1-ranked Rose Zhang.
Zhang, a member of Stanford University’s 2022 NCAA Women’s Division I Championship team, missed the green with her approach on 18 and could not convert a par-saving putt that brought on the tiebreaker. She finished with a 3-under 69 and Stanford and USA Curtis Cup teammate Rachel Heck shot 70.
“There is obviously that tinge of disappointment,” Zhang said. “On that last putt, I actually hit a really good putt exactly where I wanted but it just didn’t go in the hole. It was disappointing to end that way, but I am really proud of how we fought back on the last day.”
Germany could not find its form of Round 3 and posted a fourth-round 145 left them tied with Japan, who held a short-lived lead early in the round based on a 4-under 68 from Mizuki Hashimoto, the 2021 Asia Pacific Amateur champion. Teammates Saki Baba, the 2022 U.S. Women’s Amateur champion, and Mika Ueta both shot 70.
Helen Briem led Germany with an even par 72 and Celina Rosa Sattelkau shot 73.
“It wasn’t our day, but the girls kept fighting,” said Germany captain Pia Gassner, who played in the WWATC in 2008 and 2010. “It was so close that we knew we needed to make birdies, but we just couldn’t make them. We didn’t lose the gold today; we won the bronze.”
Spain, who held a late lead, was fifth at 561, Chinese Taipei was sixth at 566, Canada and Scotland tied for seventh at 570 and the Czech Republic and the Republic of Korea tied for ninth at 572.
The winning team receives custody of the Espirito Santo Trophy until the next World Amateur Team Championship in Dubai, UAE, in October of 2023. Members of the winning team receive gold medals; members of the second-place team receive silver medals; and members of the third-place teams receive bronze medals.
Although there is no official recognition, Sweden’s Ortengren, Germany’s Briem and the USA’s Zhang tied for the low individual score at 7-under-par 279.