RCGA Names Golfers to 2010 Team Canada

11 athletes selected to represent Team Canada; Under-22 Development Team welcomes six players

Oakville, Ont. (RCGA) – The Royal Canadian Golf Association (RCGA) announced today the names of the athletes who have been selected to join Team Canada’s 2010 golf team.
In all, 11 players comprise Team Canada including five on the men’s side and six on the women’s. Team Canada welcomes back six returning players, a trio of Development Team members graduating to the amateur ranks, one athlete returning after a year hiatus and the addition of a single rookie.

Coming off a stellar 2009 campaign, Nick Taylor of Abbotsford, B.C., will anchor the 2010 edition of the men’s Team Canada squad. The 21-year old was solidified as one of the world’s most predominant amateur golfers in 2009. After finishing first at the U.S. Open Sectional Qualifier in Roslyn, WA, Taylor went on to capture the Low Amateur Medal at the U.S. Open held at Bethpage State Park - Black Course after finishing tied for 36th.

Taylor also captured the Sahalee Players Championship, was a member of Canada’s champion Four Nations Cup team, was runner-up at the U.S. Amateur Public Links Championship and managed a tied for third at the Canadian Men's Amateur Championship.

The University of Washington Husky also enjoyed great success on the NCAA circuit with three individual victories (Hawai’i-Hilo Intercollegiate, Oregon Duck Invitational, and U.S. Intercollegiate) and a tie for medalist honours at the CordeValle Collegiate. He also finished second at the NCAA Regional Championship and the Pac-10 Championship, tied for ninth at the NCAA Championship and was named Pac-10 Player of the Year as well as a semi-finalist for the prestigious Ben Hogan Award.

Taylor was also ranked No. 1 on the Royal and Ancient’s (R&A) World Amateur Golf Ranking for 21 weeks.

Returning Team Canada member and Bright’s Grove, Ont. native, Matt Hill, also catapulted himself to international notoriety with an outstanding 2009 golf season. The 21-year old North Carolina State sophomore rewrote collegiate golf’s record books with eight individual NCAA wins, including six in a row.
He became only the second Canadian to win the NCAA Individual Championship and the first since Tiger Woods to win his regional championship, conference (ACC) championship and the NCAA individual title. For his efforts, Hill was awarded with the Jack Nicklaus award as the NCAA’s top golfer.

Hill was also a member of Canada’s winning Four Nations Cup team, won the Ontario Men’s Amateur Championship, tied for third at the Canadian Men's Amateur Championship and made the cut at the PGA TOUR’s AT&T National (T70).

Hill also enjoyed notoriety on the R&A’s World Amateur Golf Rankings, spending consecutive weeks ranked as the No. 2 player.

Eugene Wong, 19, of North Vancouver, B.C. returns to Team Canada fresh off a solid 2009 season. Wong’s accomplishments in 2009 include making it to second round of match play at the British Amateur Championship, a tie for 10th at the Canadian amateur and a tie for 19th at the Sahalee Players Championship.

Collegiately, as a member of the University of Oregon Ducks, Wong tied for ninth at the Pac-10 Championship and tied for fifth at the West Regional Championship.
Wong, who was a member of Team Canada’s Developmental Team in 2007, also captured victory as part of Canada’s winning Four Nations Cup contingent.

New to Team Canada for 2010 is 22-year old, two-time Canadian Amateur Champion (2008, 2009) Cam Burke of New Hamburg, Ont. In 2009, the Eastern Michigan Eagle became just the fourth person to win back-to-back Canadian Amateur titles, rounding out his 2009 season with a third place finish at the Ontario Amateur Championship.

Mitch Sutton, 18, of London, Ont., a two-time Canadian Junior Champion (2008, 2009) graduates from Canada’s Developmental Team to join Team Canada after a standout season.

In addition to successfully defending his Canadian Junior title, Sutton finished second at the Canadian Men's Amateur Championship, tied for eighth at the Ontario Men's Amateur Championship, won the Ontario Junior Boys Match Play Championship as well as the Ontario Men's Better-Ball Championship. Sutton also joins Team Canada teammate Matt Hill this fall as a member of the N.C. State Wolfpack golf team.

On the women’s side, Team Canada will have one of the strongest teams in years with a lineup of seasoned experience and exuberant youth. The 2010 women’s team includes Sara Maude Juneau of Fossambault, Que., Stephanie Sherlock of Barrie, Ont., Maude-Aimée LeBlanc of Sherbrooke, Que., Sue Kim of Langley, B.C., Jennifer Kirby of Paris, Ont. and Nicole Vandermade of Brantford, Ont. All six players enjoyed tremendous success in 2009.

Rejoining the National Team program after a year hiatus is Sara Maude Juneau. Juneau, 22, is a junior at the University of Louisville, where she finished last season ranked second on the team with a 74.5 stroke average and had one top 10 finish and two top 20 finishes. She was also named an All-BIG EAST selection for the second consecutive season, finished third in the Royale Cup Canadian Women’s Amateur Championship and qualified for her third U.S. Amateur after winning her qualifier, where she advanced to the first round of match play.

Sherlock, 22, joins Team Canada for a fourth season. Last year she finished third at the Royale Cup Canadian Women's Amateur Championship and second at the Ontario Women's Amateur. As a member of the University of Denver golf team, she finished eighth at the East Regional Championship and tied for 11th as an individual at the NCAA Championships.

In 2009, LeBlanc, who plays for the Purdue Boilermakers golf team, amassed a fourth place individual finish at the Women’s Central Regional Championship in addition to a tie for seventh at the Royale Cup Canadian Women's Amateur Championship and a win at the Quebec Ladies Amateur Championship. LeBlanc, now 20, returns for a third year with Team Canada. She also spent a year with Team Canada’s Developmental Team in 2006.

Kim, a freshman at the University of Denver, continued to build upon her successes from 2008. Last summer, the 18-year old tallied a tie for fourth at the Royale Cup Canadian Junior Girls Championship, a second place finish at the Royale Cup Canadian Women's Amateur Championship, a fourth place finish at the CN Future Links Pacific Championship and a third place finish at the B.C. Women’s Amateur Championship.

Kirby is coming off of one of the most impressive amateur years in Canadian history. In 2008, the 18-year old claimed a slew of titles across Canada including the Royale Cup Canadian Junior Girls Championship, the Royale Cup Canadian Women's Amateur Championship, the Ontario Women' s Amateur Championship, the Ontario Junior Girls Championship, the 2009 CN Future Links Pacific Championship and the Toronto Star Women's Amateur Championship. This fall, she also joins the University of Alabama Crimson Tide golf team as a freshman.

Vandermade, 19, is a sophomore at the University of Texas. Her summer included a sixth place finish at the Royale Cup Canadian Women's Amateur Championship and a third place finish at the Ontario Women's Amateur Championship. She also made it to the round of 32 at the British Amateur Championship.
As part of Team Canada, the RCGA also named a 22-and-under Development Team which features three male and three female athletes. One additional male Development Team member will be named to join the team by March 31, 2010. The Development Team is designed to help facilitate the continued development for Canada’s top young players.

“We are proud, excited and privileged to welcome each of these athletes to Team Canada for 2010,” said Jeff Thompson, the RCGA’s Chief Sport Development Officer. “2009 was a monumental year for Canada’s most promising young golfers and we look to build upon those results for the upcoming season.”
The 2010 coaching team will consist of Master Canadian PGA Professional Henry Brunton who is returning as the men’s coach and newly appointed Derek Ingram as the women’s coach. Robert Ratcliffe will also return as women's assistant coach.

Team Canada is designed to offer athletes a year-round environment which incorporates state of the art coaching and sport science expertise. The intent of this aggressive program is to aid Canada’s top up and coming amateur players in all areas of their development to produce the best golfers in the world.

The program encompasses fitness, sports psychology, nutrition, technique development and exposure to international competition. Leaders in the field of sport science are an integral aspect of building and executing the program from the perspective of mental management, strength and conditioning as well as planning and periodization.

The RCGA’s Player Development programs have helped to foster the development of many Canadian players including; Jon Mills, Alena Sharp, David Hearn; Brad Fritsch, Chris Baryla, Richard Scott, James Lepp, Jessica Shepley and Cindy Pasechnik.

The following athletes have been selected to golf’s 2010 Team Canada

Team Canada – Women
Sara Maude Juneau, Fossambault, Que.
Jennifer Kirby, Paris, Ont.
Sue Kim, Langley, B.C.
Maude-Aimée LeBlanc, Windsor, Que.
Stephanie Sherlock, Barrie, Ont.
Nicole Vandermade, Brantford, Ont.

Team Canada – Men
Cam Burke, New Hamburg, Ont.
Matt Hill, Bright’s Grove, Ont.
Mitch Sutton, London, Ont.
Nick Taylor, Abbotsford, B.C.
Eugene Wong, North Vancouver, B.C.
The following athletes have been selected to the 2010 Team Canada - Development Team (22-and-under):

Women’s Development Team
Rebecca Lee-Bentham, Toronto, Ont.
Anne Catherine Tanguay, Quebec City, Que.
Christine Wong, Richmond, B.C.

Men’s Development Team
Albin Choi, Toronto, Ont.
Corey Conners, Listowel, Ont.
Richard Jung, Toronto, Ont.
TBD (March 31, 2010)

ABOUT THE RCGA NATIONAL TEAM PROGRAM
The RCGA National Team Program incorporates advanced coaching, sport science expertise, training camps and world-class competition. The RCGA allocates over $1 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 the RCGA’s High Performance Program, provides access to world class resources including coaching, nutrition, sport science, mental management, equipment, elite competitive opportunities and builds on the support that team members have received in their development years from their family, member clubs, personal coaches, university programs and provincial golf associations.
The RCGA’s High Performance Program and Team Canada are proudly sponsored by Titleist, Foot-Joy and Under Armour.

For more information about Team Canada or to make a donation towards the development of Canada’s future golf stars, please visit www.rcga.org/teamcanada.