UXBRIDGE— The Golf Association of Ontario is pleased to welcome the three new members who will be inducted into the Ontario Golf Hall of Fame at a ceremony tentatively set to take place on May 4, 2016 at Wooden Sticks Golf Club in Uxbridge. Dave Mills, John Gordon, and Patty Howard will become the 73rd, 74th and 75th members of the Hall.  In addition, Bill ‘Skip’ Johns will be receiving the Lorne Rubenstein Award, which is presented annually to accredited members of the Ontario media for “major contributions to golf.”

The Ontario Golf Hall of Fame is dedicated to the recognition of extraordinary contributions and accomplishments in the game of golf in Ontario. Founded in 2000 by the Ontario Golf Association and the Ontario Ladies’ Golf Association, the Ontario Golf Hall of Fame is housed at Wooden Sticks Golf Club in Uxbridge.

2016 Ontario Golf Hall of Fame Inductees

Dave Mills

Dave Mills has been involved with the GAO/OGA since 1986. He served on the board of directors from 1989-1997, before being appointed Executive Director in 1997. He turned around an association that was experiencing significant financial and administrative challenges.

Mills led several initiatives during his time as Executive Director including: the GAO Scholarship Program, educational seminars, Golf in Schools, learn to play clinics, new provincial championships, Team Ontario, participation in Canadian and Ontario Summer Games, a partnership with Ontario Golf Magazine to be official magazine of Association, led the process to establish Ontario Golf Hall of Fame and helped to have golf recognized as an “Official Sport” by Sport Canada. Perhaps one of his greatest accomplishments was leading the process to amalgamate the Ontario Golf Association with the Ontario Ladies Golf Association to create one of the largest amateur golf Associations in North America.

Mills is also a certified rules official and has volunteered his expertise at numerous GAO events and at the Canadian Open, Canadian Amateur and Telus Skins Game. He retired from the GAO in 2014, but continues to volunteer at provincial events.

John Gordon

John Gordon left the Canadian Press to become managing editor of SCOREGolf in 1986 and has been involved in the golf industry ever since. Recruited by the Royal Canadian Golf Association (now Golf Canada) in 1990, he initiated their communications and member services departments and was the founding editor of the Golf Canada Magazine. After a stint as executive director of the Golf Association of Ontario, he founded The Gordon Group, specializing in communications and consulting for the golf industry, in 1994. He has contributed to the National Post and Toronto Sun and appeared on multiple television stations as a golf analyst. He has also provided Rogers Sportsnet with online material and served as an associate editor of the Sportsnet Magazine.

Gordon is a past chairman of the NGCOA Canada and has conducted golf-related seminars and presentations across Canada, the U.S., and Scotland. Gordon was a founding board member of the Professional Golf Management program at Georgian College, where he also taught. In 2008, he was hired by ClubLink to build an in-house communications department, re-launch their member magazine and build out more than 50 web sites.

Gordon has written hundreds of articles for golf consumer and trade publications and is the author of eight golf books. John recently has returned to freelance golf writing.

Patty Howard

Patty Howard achieved success as professional golfer and as a teacher. She notched three provincial championships: 1988 Ontario Ladies Professional Championship, 1988 Ontario Ladies Summer Championship and the 1991 Ladies Professional Summer Championship. She also captured a pair of wins on the Florida Mini Tour (now Symetra Tour).

Howard’s impact on the game stretched past her playing career. She was the first female head professional at a private mixed club in Canada. She originally joined the PGA of Canada in 1975 and received Class A status in 1981. She was the first female to sit on the PGA of Ontario Board of Directors.

Howard has been recognized on numerous occasions for her work in the game. Honours she has received include: 2001 YWCA London Women of Excellence Award for Sport, Fitness and Recreation, 2007 Ontario Club Professional of the Year, 2007 Canadian Club Professional of the Year, 2007 Score Golf Club Professional of the Year, 2008 London Sports Person of the Year, 2009 London Sports Hall of Fame Induction, and 2013 London Heart Award.

Bill ‘Skip’ Johns- Lorne Rubenstein Award

Skip Johns began a career in journalism at the Niagara Falls Review in 1957. In 1972 he moved on to the Kitchener-Waterloo Record to continue his top priority: Sports Journalism. Throughout his 58-years in sports journalism, Johns always had a passion for golf. His work also included writing for Ontario Golf News and Golf Scene. Even now at 77-years-old, Johns continues to cover golf online. In 2002, John was honoured, where he started, as he was inducted into the Niagara Falls Virtual Wall of Fame.

The Fall/Winter Issue of Ontario Golf News is now available. Click here to read!

Province Focusing on Participation, Development and Excellence in Sport

TORONTO – Ontario is launching a new sport plan that will help more Ontarians participate and excel in sport.

Building on the success of the TORONTO 2015 Pan Am / Parapan Am Games, the province is releasing Game ON – The Ontario Government’s Sport Plan.

Game ON targets actions in three priority areas:

• Participation: actions that enable all Ontarians to participate in safe, organized amateur sport
• Development: actions that help Ontario’s athletes receive the right support as their skills develop
• Excellence: actions to help Ontario’s high-performance athletes pursue excellence by facilitating access to the latest training, programs, facilities, resources and technical experts

Game ON builds on a strong existing foundation of sport organizations, programs and investments. It recognizes the many ways in which organized sport can be good for people and communities, from the health benefits of physical activity to the economic benefits of hosting major events.

Progress is already underway on a number of initiatives, including:

• Minister’s Advisory Panel: the province has named prominent sport sector leaders and experts to its new Minister’s Advisory Panel to help achieve the priorities set out in Game ON
• Roundtable on Women and Girls in Sport: in early 2016, Ontario will gather sector leaders to explore opportunities for women and girls in sport, built around the plan’s priority areas
• Ontario Sport Symposium: in spring 2016, the province will bring together leaders in the sport sector to highlight research, trends and issues and to plan the best ways to implement Game ON.

Investing in the development of Ontario athletes and providing them with more opportunities to succeed is part of the government’s plan to build Ontario up. The four-part plan includes investing in people’s talents and skills, making the largest investment in public infrastructure in Ontario’s history, creating a dynamic, innovative environment where business thrives, and building a secure retirement savings plan.

“Participation in sport improves health and wellness and helps to strengthen people and communities. That’s why, I am proud that we are building on the success of the Pan Am/Parapan Am Games to launch Game ON – The Ontario Government’s Sport Plan. Through this plan, we will collaborate with our sport partners to create a world-class sport system and support our athletes from the playground to the podium,” said Michael Coteau, Minister of Tourism, Culture and Sport and Minister Responsible for the Pan and Parapan American Games.

“The sport plan will help address the gaps and ensure we have all parts of the system, from government to education to local communities working together to support our athletes and coaches along the pathway. I look forward to working with my colleagues on the Advisory Panel to provide guidance on the new plan for Ontario’s sport system in all contexts, ” added Susan Kitchen, Executive Director, Coaches Association of Ontario, Member of Minister’s Advisory Panel.

• In Ontario, there are at least 2.1 million registered athletes, supported by 121,000 coaches, 58,000 officials and 363,000 volunteers.
• The sport industry contributes an estimated $2.1 billion to Ontario’s GDP and supports 43,730 jobs.
• Ontario has almost tripled its support for amateur sport from $8.78 million in 2003 to more than $25 million in 2015-16.
• The Ontario government is investing almost $985,000 in 2015-16 to provide Sport Priority Funding to 15 Provincial and Multi-Sport Organizations, supporting services and specialized training for athletes and coaches.
• Ontario is committed to providing access and opportunities for our children and students to participate in 60 minutes of physical activity, both in and outside of school. Promoting well-being is a key goal of Achieving Excellence, Ontario’s renewed vision for education.

UXBRIDGE — The Golf Association of Ontario (GAO) is very pleased to name the 2015-16 rosters for the Under-17 High Performance Regional Team Program.

The program, which debuted in 2013-14, was well received in its initial season and expanded in 2014-15 from three to five teams. Once again in 2015-16, the program will sport five squads from across the province. The team members were selected based on their 2015 tournament scores, 2015 GAO Order of Merit standing, as well as testing results from GAO Skills Combines held earlier this fall.

The five teams in 2015-16 will be Ottawa, York, Waterloo, Essex-Kent and Niagara. The program will see 54 promising young athletes on the various teams, which will include monthly technical and physical training at a regional centre and a five-day camp during March Break in South Carolina. The teams will also compete in the Team Ontario Cup, with members of the GAO’s provincial team, to be played at Grand Niagara Golf Course in Thorold, April 22-24.

“We are extremely excited about the upcoming season for our five regional teams,” said Mary Ann Hayward, GAO Manager of Sport Performance. “The regional teams continue to be a great feeder system for Team Ontario and the Team Ontario Cup is a great culminating event for our high performance athletes.”

Team Ottawa

Team Ottawa is made up of athletes from Ottawa and surrounding areas in Eastern Ontario. Adam Holden coaches the team and Allen Hicks is the team’s strength and conditioning coach. They will train out of the Kevin Haime Golf Centre in Kanata and the Ottawa Athletic Club.

Team Ottawa Athletes:

• Cameron Belanger (Stittsville, Ont.)
• Will Bellamy (Perth, Ont.)
• Daniel Costea (Kemptville, Ont.)
• Max Dragon (Ottawa, Ont.)
• Daniel Hinke (Ottawa, Ont.)
• Ethan Johnston (Belleville, Ont.)
• Tyler Read (Brockville, Ont.)
• Terrell Thomas (Akwesasne, Ont.)
• Brayden Valiquette (Cornwall, Ont.)
• Gabrielle Landriault (Cornwall, Ont.)
• Isabella Landry (Nepean, Ont.)
• Karianne Lefebvre (Orleans, Ont.)

For more information on the team and its players visit the Team Ottawa page at: https://gao.ca/team-ottawa/

Team York

Team York covers Toronto and the GTA. Jeff Overholt coaches the team and the strength and conditioning coach is Nick Martichenko. Team York will train out of Peak Performance Golf in Vaughan.

Team York Athletes:

• Eric Byun (Richmond Hill, Ont.)
• Kevin Doran (Sharon, Ont.)
• Brendan Dunphy (Whitby, Ont.)
• Daniel George (Richmond Hill, Ont.)
• Zack Mason (Toronto, Ont.)
• Nicklaus Naumovski (Halton Hills, Ont.)
• Tristan Renaud (Sudbury, Ont.)
• Vaijayanti Bharkhada (Brampton, Ont.)
• Madelin Boyd (Oshawa, Ont.)
• Logan Hackett (Oakville, Ont.)

For more information on the team and it’s athletes visit the Team York page at: https://gao.ca/team-york/

Team Waterloo

Team Waterloo is made up of players from the Kitchener-Waterloo and surrounding area. Mike Martz coaches the team and their strength and conditioning coach is Angella Lee. They will train out of the Golf Performance Centre at Whistle Bear Golf Club in Cambridge.

Team Waterloo Athletes:

• Luca Carestia (Ancaster, Ont.)
• Dylan Henderson (Waterloo, Ont.)
• Eli Mathew (Waterloo, Ont.)
• Noah Romeo (Puslinch, Ont.)
• Bennett Ruby (Waterloo, Ont.)
• Carter Snowden (Kitchener, Ont.)
• Matt Sommerville (Baden Ont.)
• Cole Tondeur (London, Ont.)
• Jillian Friyia (London, Ont.)
• Joy Liu (Kitchener, Ont.)
• Kyra Vandervoort (Kitchener, Ont.)
• Abby White (Simcoe, Ont.)

For more information on the team and it’s players visit the Team Waterloo page at:

https://gao.ca/team-waterloo/

Team Niagara

Team Niagara is comprised of golfers in the Niagara region, which includes Niagara Falls, St. Catharines and surrounding area. John White coaches the team and the strength and conditioning coach is Wayne Oliver. They will train out of Beechwood Golf & Country Club, in Niagara Falls and the Niagara Falls Sportsplex.

Team Niagara Athletes:

• Jordan Antonucci (Winona, Ont.)
• Mathew Gibson (Jordan, Ont.)
• Jason Maloney (Beamsville, Ont.)
• Zach Smith (Fonthill, Ont.)
• Max Vahrmeyer (St. Catharines, Ont.)
• Sasha Baker (Dunnville, Ont.)
• Kira Petriello (Thorold, Ont.)
• Taylor Simoneau (St. Catharines, Ont.)

For more information on the team and it’s athletes visit the Team Niagara page at: https://gao.ca/team-niagara/

Team Essex-Kent

Team Essex-Kent is made up of golfers from the Windsor and South-Western Ontario area. Randy McQueen coaches the team and the strength and conditioning coach is Ryan Carlone. They will train out of Roseland Golf & Curling Club, On The Green Indoor Golf (OTG), Dominion Dome, Silver Tee, and Tecumseh Golf.

Team Essex Athletes:

• Mitch DeMelo (Leamington, Ont.)
• Josh DiCarlo (Amherstburg, Ont.)
• Jack Ferguson (St. Thomas, Ont.)
• Austin Friesen (Essex, Ont.)
• Spencer Higginbottom (Lakeshore, Ont.)
• Shawn Sehra (Windsor, Ont.)
• Myles Thiessen (Kingsville, Ont.)
• Luc Warnock (McGregor, Ont.)
• Shannon Coffey (Windsor, Ont.)
• Rachel Cote (Windsor, Ont.)
• Brooke MacKinnon (Chatham, Ont.)
• Tess Scaman (Chatham, Ont.)

For more information on the team and it’s athletes visit the Team Essex-Kent page at: https://gao.ca/team-essex-kent/

ABOUT THE REGIONAL TEAM PROGRAM

The Regional Team Program is designed for golfers under the age of 17. A combination of skills combines results, tournament results and current Order of Merit standings, determine the players that are selected for each team. Team members take part in an eight-month training program with a PGA of Canada certified head coach and strength and conditioning consultant. They participate in multiple local winter indoor training sessions before a March break training camp in Myrtle Beach and the Team Ontario Cup competition to be held in Niagara at the end of April.

UXBRIDGE— The Golf Association of Ontario (GAO) is delighted and disheartened to announce the retirement of Manager of Sport Performance Mary Ann Hayward, with her final day being January 29, 2016.

Hayward has been with the GAO since May of 2009 when she came onboard as Sport Performance Coordinator. Hayward brought with her a long list of accomplishments as a competitive golfer including: numerous provincial and national championships; a member of the Canadian Women’s National Team for multiple years between 1990 and 2006, as well as being part of the Canadian World Amateur Team on eight occasions. Hayward, a Canadian, Ontario and Quebec Golf Hall of Famer, also served as a volunteer on the GAO’s sport committee before joining the staff.

Looking back, Hayward says that it was her role in the Team Ontario and Regional Team programs that she will remember most. “The athletes, families and coaches that have been a part of these programs have been phenomenal. I have learnt even more about golf and performance from them over the past six years.”

Being as close as she was with the athletes, in the various programs, Hayward offered some parting words to the players. “The only advice I can give is to put 100 per cent into everything they do. We do not always achieve the results we want, but there is never any excuse for not putting forth 100 per cent effort in training and preparation.”

“Although Mary Ann continues to have an incredibly decorated, Hall of Fame playing career, her impact on young juniors and their families is right up there,” added Mike Kelly, GAO Executive Director. “I am personally grateful and feel confident speaking on behalf of all staff and volunteers in sincerely thanking Mary Ann for her commitment and dedication to the GAO. We wish her all the best in this exciting, next phase of her life.”

Moving forward, Hayward says she is focused on playing in more competitions and achieving more goals as a golfer. The GAO wishes Hayward all the best and will surely be seeing her at many of the provincial championships in the coming years.

Uxbridge, Ontario – The Golf Association of Ontario (GAO) Board of Directors have appointed Mike Kelly as its next Executive Director, following a four month interim role.

“I am very pleased to announce Mike Kelly’s appointment as Executive Director of the GAO. Mike has been an integral part of the GAO for the last decade and has demonstrated a clear ability to lead this organization towards a prosperous future. His enthusiasm, work ethic, knowledge and creativity will enable the GAO to pursue our strategic plan that will serve golf in Ontario. I am very excited at the prospect of continuing to work with Michael,” stated GAO President Christian Osborne.

“It is a true honor and privilege to continue to serve the GAO as its next Executive Director, an opportunity which is very exciting for myself and my family,” said Kelly.

Kelly joined the GAO in 2006 after nine years with ClubLink Corporation and has served in a variety of roles, most recently as the Managing Director of Sport. During his tenure, he helped pioneer golf in schools, Team Ontario, National Junior Golf Development Centres and the World Junior Girls Golf Championship.

After receiving a golf scholarship to Union College in Kentucky, Kelly graduated from the Professional Golf Management program at Georgian College, where he received the Board of Governors Distinguished Alumni Award. A Class ‘A’ member of the PGA of Canada, Kelly is a two-time Zone and National Award winner.

“I’m very lucky to be surrounded by an incredible team at the GAO and look forward to meeting our many opportunities and challenges head on as we collectively work to build golf in every corner of the Province,” added Kelly.

UXBRIDGE— The Golf Association of Ontario (GAO) will be hosting an online Level 3 Rules Workshop beginning January 4, 2016. This seminar is being offered to all individuals who have successfully completed Golf Canada Level 2 Certification and are interested in proceeding to Level 3 certification.

For the past several years the GAO has offered Level 3 Rules Education through a weekly online webinar. This program will once again be offered in 2016 for those interested in becoming a Rules Official at the regional and provincial competitions.

The program runs one night per week for 13 weeks starting the week of January 4^th, with each session lasting 2 – 2.5 hours.

This year, increased emphasis will be placed on the new code that includes the new rule on anchoring. The USGA and The R&A, golf’s governing bodies, have adopted changes to Rule 14-1 of the Rules of Golf that prohibit anchoring the club in making a stroke. The new rule will go into effect on January 1, 2016, in accordance with the regular four-year cycle for changes to the Rules of Golf.

For more information on the workshop or to register visit: https://gao.bluegolf.com/bluegolf/gao16/event/gao161/index.htm

Registration closes December 14.

Highlights from the GAO’s 2015 Ontario Juvenile Boys’ and Girls’ Championship, Aug. 18-20, at Deerhurst Resort – Highlands Course in Huntsville.

OAKVILLE, Ont. (Golf Canada) – Golf Canada has announced the athletes who have been selected to represent Team Canada as part of the 2016 National Amateur Squad and Development Squad. In total, five Ontario golfers will be part of the program. Burlington’s Blair Hamilton returns to the Men’s Amateur Squad, Vaughn’s Tony Gil and Aurora’s Jack Simpson will be on the Men’s Development Squad, and Ottawa’s Grace St-Germain and Mississauga’s Chloe Currie, a 2015 member of Team Ontario, are part of the Women’s Development Squad.

In all, ten athletes comprise Team Canada’s National Amateur Squad including five players on the men’s team and five on the women’s. The National Development Squad, primarily a U19 program, will also feature 10 players (five men and five women).

Returning to the men’s Amateur Squad is 2015 Gary Cowan Award (low amateur at the RBC Canadian Open) winner Blair Hamilton, 22, of Burlington, Ont. Hamilton enters his senior year at the University of Houston on the heels of a strong junior year that included two collegiate victories and six other top-20 finishes. He finished T17 at the 2015 Canadian Men’s Amateur and currently boasts Canada’s top-amateur ranking at No. 104 in the World Amateur Golf Rankings (WAGR). This will be his second year on the Amateur Squad and his third in total with Team Canada (Development Squad in 2012).

Joining the team for his first official season is reining B.C. Amateur champion Jared du Toit of Kimberley, B.C. The 20-year-old currently sits as the team’s second-ranked amateur at No. 122 in the WAGR. He played his first two seasons at the University of Idaho before transferring to Arizona State this year for his junior season. During his time at Idaho, du Toit recorded eight top-10 finishes including a win at the Wyoming University Southern to go along with winning Freshman of the Year honours for the Western Athletic Conference.

After a two-year hiatus, Eric Banks of Truro, N.S., makes his return to Team Canada following a summer that featured top-25 finishes at the Northeast Amateur, Canadian Amateur and Monroe Invitational. Banks is also a former Nova Scotia Men’s Amateur champion (2011) and two-time Nova Scotia Junior Boys champion. He enters his fourth year with Team Canada after graduating from the University of Florida where he won the David Toms award—given to the collegiate golfer who most overcomes adversity. Banks, 22, recovered from successful open-heart surgery in June of 2012 that repaired a hole in his heart.

Also returning to Team Canada after a hiatus is Mont-Saint-Hilaire, Que., native Hugo Bernard. The 20-year-old was runner-up at the 2015 Canadian Amateur and also earned top-five finishes provincially at the Alexander of Tunis, Duke of Kent and the Quebec Men’s Amateur. He captured the Quebec Men’s Amateur title in 2013 as well as the 2012 Quebec Junior Boys championship.

Rounding out the men’s team is Purdue University senior and Vancouver native Stuart Macdonald. The 20-year-old finished runner-up at the 2015 B.C. Amateur, tallied two top-10 finishes in his junior season and finished tied for 13^th at the 2015 Canadian Amateur.

On the women’s side, the Amateur Squad is headlined by returning member and dual-citizen Maddie Szeryk who’s 2015 season includes a victory at the Ontario Women’s Amateur and T6 finish at the Canadian Women’s Amateur. In her freshman season at Texas A&M, Szeryk was named to the All-South Eastern Conference team in addition to winning Freshman of the Year honours for the conference thanks to nine top-10 finishes in 12 tournaments played. The 19-year old currently sits as Canada’s top-ranked female on the WAGR at No. 38.

Joining Team Canada is rookie Josée Doyon of St-Georges-de-Beauce, Que. Doyon is coming off a remarkable season that featured a win at the Quebec Women’s Amateur in addition to three collegiate victories for the Kent State Golden Flashes. The 22-year-old’s junior season earned her Mid-American Conference Golfer of the Year honours. Now in her senior year, Doyon currently sits at No. 61 on the WAGR.

Rounding out the women’s team are a trio of graduates from last season’s Development Squad including 18-year-old Naomi Ko of Victoria, B.C., who enters her fourth year with Team Canada and first as a member of the N.C. State Wolfpack. In 2015 she finished fifth at the B.C. Women’s Amateur, tied for second at the Ontario Women’s Amateur, third at the Canadian Junior Girls and tied for 24^th at the Canadian Women’s Amateur.

Calgary’s Jaclyn Lee, 18, heads into her third year with Team Canada and her freshman season at Ohio State. The 18-year old finished tied for seventh at the B.C. Women’s Amateur, third at the Alberta Ladies Amateur and 16^th at the Canadian Women’s Amateur. In 2014, Lee captured both the Alberta Ladies Amateur and Junior Girls titles.

Michelle Kim, an 18-year-old Surrey, B.C., native, moves up to the Amateur Squad after one season the Development Squad. Currently in her freshman year with University of Idaho, Kim won both the 2015 B.C. Women’s Amateur and Junior Girls, while adding a victory at the Canadian Junior Girls and a tie for 38^th at the Canadian Women’s Amateur.

“This is always an exciting time of year as we welcome the next group of young men and women selected as members of Team Canada,” said Jeff Thompson, Golf Canada’s Chief Sport Officer. “Supporting, developing and nurturing Canada’s future stars remains to be at the core of our primary objectives. We are committed to investing in high performance talent through elite coaching, training, sport science and preparation.”

The following athletes have been selected to Team Canada’s 2016 Amateur Squad:

WOMEN’S NATIONAL AMATEUR SQUAD
Maddie Szeryk, Allen, Tex. (19)

Josée Doyon, St-Georges-de-Beauce, Que. (22)

Michelle Kim, Surrey, B.C. (18)

Naomi Ko, Victoria, B.C. (18)

Jaclyn Lee, Calgary, Alta. (18)

MEN’S NATIONAL AMATEUR SQUAD

Blair Hamilton, Burlington, Ont. (22)

Jared du Toit, Kimberley, B.C. (20)

Eric Banks, Truro, N.S. (22)

Stuart Macdonald, Vancouver, B.C. (20)

Hugo Bernard, Mont-Saint-Hilaire, Que. (20)

Complete National Amateur Squad bios can be found here.

As part of the National Amateur Team Program, Golf Canada also named the 19-and-under Development Squad that includes five female and five 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 2016 Development Squad:

WOMEN’S DEVELOPMENT SQUAD

Grace St-Germain, Ottawa, Ont. (17)

Hannah Lee, Surrey, B.C. (15)

Tiffany Kong, Vancouver, B.C. (14)

Kathrine Chan, Richmond, B.C. (15)

Chloë Currie, Mississauga, Ont. (15)

MEN’S DEVELOPMENT SQUAD

Tony Gil, Vaughan, Ont. (17)

A.J. Ewart, Coquitlam, B.C. (16)

Thomas ‘Jack’ Simpson, Aurora, Ont. (17)

Alexander Smith, Calgary, Alta. (17)

Charles-Éric Bélanger, Québec, Que. (16)

Complete Development Squad player bios can be found here.

Golf Canada also announced the 2016 Team Canada coaching staff with Derek Ingram returning as Men’s Squad Head Coach, supported by Robert Ratcliffe who will also head up the Development Squad. On the women’s side, Tristan Mullally returns as Women’s Squad Head Coach and will receive support from Ann Carroll, who will oversee the Women’s Development Squad specifically. All coaches are all class “A” professionals with the PGA of Canada.

The athletes named to the 2016 National Amateur and Development Squads are a product of a circle of support that includes personal coaches, parents and high performance activities conducted by the respective provincial golf associations.