OAKVILLE (Golf Canada) – Golf Canada has announced the names of the athletes who have been selected to represent Team Canada as part of the 2015 National Amateur Squad and Development Squad programs.
In all, eight athletes comprise Team Canada’s National Amateur Squad, including four players on the women’s team and four players on the men’s team while the National Development Squad will include 11 athletes (five women and six men).
Returning to lead the men’s squad is 2014 US Amateur runner-up Corey Conners, 22, of Listowel, Ont. (No. 17 on the World Amateur Golf Ranking). Conners, who recently made it to the match play semi-finals at the Argentina Amateur and helped Canada win the Tailhade Cup, earned 2015 exemptions to play in The Masters and U.S. Open by way of his runner-up finish at the 2014 U.S. Men’s Amateur. He was also part of Canada’s runner-up team at the 2014 Men’s World Amateur Team Championship.
Surrey, B.C., native Adam Svensson, 20, ranked No. 37 on the World Amateur Golf Ranking and winner of the 2014 NCAA Division II Jack Nicklaus Award also returns to the Men’s National Amateur Squad. In 2014 as a sophomore at Barry University, Svensson’s seven victories set the school record for NCAA Division II victories en route to the team repeating as NCAA Division II champions. He alsofinished as the low Canadian in 7th position at the 2014 World Amateur Team Championship where he helped Canada finished runner-up.
Joining Conners and Svensson will be Burlington, Ont. native Blair Hamilton, 21, a sophomore at the University of Houston who is a year removed from the National Program when he was a member of the Development Squad in 2013. Rounding out the squad is 18-year old rising star Austin Connelly of Irving, Texas, a dual citizen who is currently ranked No. 18 on the World Amateur Golf Ranking. Connelly recently paired with Conners to win the Tailhade Cup and was also a finalist in the Argentine Amateur.
On the women’s side, Team Canada Amateur Squad returning members include Brittany Marchand, 22, of Orangeville, Ont., (No. 67 on the World Amateur Golf Ranking) and Jennifer Ha, 20, of Calgary (No. 90 on the World Amateur Golf Ranking). A senior at N.C. State, Marchand helped Canada to a runner-up finish at the 2014 Women’s World Amateur Team Championship while Ha, a junior at Kent State, finished second at the 2014 Porter Cup.
A pair of rookies will join Team Canada’s Women’s Amateur Squad including dual citizen Maddie Szeryk, 18, of Allen, Texas, (No. 63 on the World Amateur Golf Ranking) who represented Canada at the 2014 Youth Olympic Games and Elizabeth Tong, 21, of Thornhill, Ont. (No. 210 on the World Amateur Golf Ranking). Szeryk, a freshman at Texas A&M, has had a solid start to her college career, finishing 3rd, 4th, 4th and 2nd in her first four starts while Tong competed in both the U.S. and Canadian Pacific Women’s Open in 2014 and advanced to the round of 32 at the U.S. Women’s Amateur.
“We are very excited about the group of young men and women selected as members of Team Canada for 2015,” said Jeff Thompson, Golf Canada’s Chief Sport Officer. “It is at the very core of what we do; supporting, developing and nurturing Canada’s future stars of the sport. Investing in future heroes for our sport has a ripple affect across all areas of what we do. We have no doubt that the athletes selected will represent Canada to the best of their abilities and we look forward to assisting them in achieving their goals.”
The following athletes have been selected to Golf Canada’s 2015 Team Canada:
WOMEN’S NATIONAL AMATEUR SQUAD
– Brittany Marchand, Orangeville, Ont. (22)
– Jennifer Ha, Calgary, Alta. (20)
– Elizabeth Tong, Thornhill, Ont. (21)
– Maddie Szeryk, Allen, Texas (18)
Orangeville, Ontario’s Brittany Marchand
MEN’S NATIONAL AMATEUR SQUAD
– Corey Conners, Listowel, Ont. (22)
– Adam Svensson, Surrey, B.C. (20)
– Blair Hamilton, Burlington, Ont. (21)
– Austin Connelly, Irving, Texas (18)
As part of the National Amateur Team Program, Golf Canada also named the 22-and-under Development Squad that includes five female and six male athletes. The Development Squad is designed to help facilitate the continued development of Canada’s top young talents.
The following athletes have been selected to Team Canada’s 2015 Development Squad Program:
WOMEN’S DEVELOPMENT SQUAD
– Naomi Ko, Victoria, B.C. (17)
– Jaclyn Lee, Calgary, Alta. (17)
– Grace St-Germain, Ottawa, Ont. (16)
– Michelle Kim, Surrey, B.C. (17)
– Alisha Lau, Richmond, B.C. (15)
Ottawa, Ontario’s Grace St-Germain
MEN’S DEVELOPMENT SQUAD
– Tony Gil, Vaughan, Ont. (16)
– Tyler Saunders, Sturgeon County, Alta. (19)
– Patrick Murphy, Crossfield, Alta. (17)
– Trevor Ranton, Waterloo, Ont. (17)
– AJ Armstrong, St. Albert, Alta. (17)
– Étienne Papineau, St-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Que. (18)
Waterloo, Ontario’s Trevor Ranton
Complete National Amateur and Development Squad player bios can be found here.
Golf Canada also announced the 2015 Team Canada coaching staff with Derek Ingram returning as Men’s Squad Head Coach and Tristan Mullally returning as Women’s Squad Head Coach. Robert Ratcliffe returns as Lead Development Squad Coach and will be supported by Women’s Development Team Coach Ann Carroll. Ingram, Mullally, Ratcliffe and Carroll are all Class A level coaches with the PGA of Canada.
ABOUT CANADA’S NATIONAL AMATEUR TEAM PROGRAM
Canada’s National Amateur Team program incorporates advanced coaching, sport science expertise, training camps and world-class competition. Golf Canada allocates over $1.5 million of its resources annually to the National Team program, encompassing strength and conditioning, sports psychology, nutrition, biomechanics and technique development. Players who are selected to the National Amateur and National Developmental Teams represent Canada at six to 10 internationally-sanctioned golf competitions throughout the year. The intent of this comprehensive program is to aid Canada’s top up-and-coming amateur players in all areas of their development, helping Canada produce the best golfers in the world.
Team Canada, the pinnacle of Golf Canada’s High Performance Program, provides access to world-class resources including coaching, nutrition, sport science, mental management, equipment and elite competitive opportunities. The program builds on the support team members have received in their development years from their family, member clubs, personal coaches, university programs and provincial golf associations. Golf Canada’s High Performance Program and Team Canada are proudly supported by RBC, Canadian Pacific, Titleist, FootJoy, ClubLink and Heritage Canada.