ROTHESAY, N.B. – Michelle Xing fired her third consecutive round of 1-under 71 on Friday to win the 111th Canadian Women’s Amateur Championship, presented by BDO at The Riverside Country Club in Rothesay, N.B.
The 17-year-old from Richmond Hill, Ont. finished the tournament as the lone player under par at 2-under following rounds of 73-71-71-71=286 to claim the Duchess of Connaught Gold Cup by four shots over Macy Pate of Winston-Salem, N.C. and Eunseo Choi of Auckland, New Zealand who both finished tied for second at 2-over.
“It means everything to me,” said Xing after receiving her gold medal and the Duchess of Connaught Gold Cup. “It’s something I’ve been working towards since I was little and winning it a day after my birthday is the best present for me.”
Players battled the wind at The Riverside Country Club throughout the week and fog rolled in as players began play on Friday before lifting as the final groups teed off.
On the opening hole both Xing and Choi dropped a stroke to still co-lead the tournament at even par before Xing grabbed the solo lead with a birdie on No. 4. Choi responded with a birdie on No. 5 and took the lead on No. 7 following a bogey from Xing. That lead was short-lived as Xing carded another birdie on No. 9 to pull even with Choi heading to the back nine.
Xing said throughout the front nine that she was doing her best to stay present and not look too much into the future. “The back nine is quite scoreable so I wasn’t thinking too much. Just play my game, hit the green, give myself a look for birdie and if not two-putt.”
Choi opened the back nine with a pair of bogeys to put Xing atop the leaderboard by two. Xing dropped a stroke with a bogey on No. 13; it would be the closest anyone would get to her on Friday.
Xing fired back-to-back birdies on Nos. 14 and 15 to open up to a three-shot lead on Pate and went four ahead of Choi with three to play and that’s when it started to feel like she was closing in on the title.
“On 13 I hit my drive to a bad spot and knew that bogey was likely the outcome, on 14 I knew if I could hit a good drive, I could hit on and two putt for birdie,” she said.
“On 15 I hit a good putt and I kind of started to feel the pressure a little bit because we were coming into the closing three holes but again, I was just trying to stay present and distract myself with anything really,” she added.”
Xing closed her round with three consecutive pars, tapping in on 18 to win the national championship. After handshakes, she was greeted by her Team Canada teammates and friends who stormed the green and dumped water on her in a celebratory manner.
As for what Xing was feeling as she tapped in for par on 18.
“It was happiness and relief. It’s just something that I’ve been dreaming of really, to win a tournament of this level. It feels great honestly.”
In addition to winning the Duchess of Connaught Gold Cup, Xing has earned an exemption into the 2025 CPKC Women’s Open taking place at the Mississaugua Golf and Country Club in Mississauga, Ont. from August 20 – 24.
Xing will be making her second consecutive appearance in Canada’s National Women’s Open Championship having earned qualification through the She Plays Golf Championship Series last year.
“I am so excited. I was going to try, and Monday qualify for that but…” she paused and began to laugh. “Being exempt into the field feels great and I get to play with the pros again and try to learn from them.”
She has also earned an exemption into the 2025 U.S. Women’s Amateur Championship, taking place August 4 – 10 at Bandon Dunes Golf Resort in Bandon, Ore and an exemption into the 2026 Canadian Women’s Amateur, taking place at The Toronto Golf Club, July 20 – 24, 2026.
Xing joins a prestigious list of past champions in the tournament’s storied history led by Marlene Stewart Streit, a member of the World Golf Hall of Fame, who sits atop the class with 11 victories. In addition to some of golf’s brightest stars on the LPGA Tour including Ariya Jutanugarn (2012), Brooke Henderson (2013), Hye-Jin Choi (2016), Jennifer Kupcho (2017) and Yealimi Noh (2018).
Anna Iwanaga of Hyogo, Japan and Kaitlyn Schroeder of Jacksonville, Fla. finished tied for fourth at 3-over. Team Canada member, Vanessa Borovilos of Etobicoke, Ont. fired a 2-under 70 on Friday to jump up and finish sixth at 4-over. Fellow Team Canada members, Tillie Claggett of Calgary, Alta. and Vanessa Zhang of Vancouver, B.C. finished T7 at 6-over along with Jazy Roberts of West Bendigo, Australia. Molly Smith of Westford, Mass. Finished at 7-over to round out the top 10.
On Wednesday, Team British Columbia (B.C.) reclaimed the Inter-Provincial Team Championship from Team Ontario after consecutive runner-up finishes the past two years.
Team B.C. finished with a two-day collective score of 9-over, six shots clear of the two-time defending champions to claim the title for the first time since 2022. The team was represented by Angela Arora of Surrey, B.C., Yeeun (Jenny) Kwon of Vancouver, B.C. and Amy Seung Hyun Lee of Langley, B.C.
Arora’s back-to-back rounds of 2-over 74 and Kwon’s scores of 73 and 76 counted on both days for Team B.C. The two lowest scores from the three-person team counted towards the combined team total for each round. Team Ontario finished as runner-up with a combined score of 15-over. Team Alberta and Team Quebec finished in a tie for third at 30-over, with Team Manitoba rounding out the top five at 32-over.
For the final leaderboard following the 111th Canadian Women’s Amateur Championship, presented by BDO, please click here.
GOLF CANADA AMATEUR CHAMPIONSHIPS
Golf Canada annually conducts more than 30 golf competitions and qualifiers nation-wide – including 11 National Amateur Championships – which play host to more than 3,000 domestic and international athletes from all corners of the world. In partnership with our host clubs, thousands of volunteers, provincial golf associations and our proud sponsors, Golf Canada is dedicated to supporting player development through world-class competition since our inception in 1895. Officiated by certified Canadian Rules of Golf officials, Golf Canada’s amateur competitions are fully compliant with golf’s international governing bodies and include marquee events such as the Canadian Men’s and Women’s Amateur Championships as well as the Canadian Junior Girls and Junior Boys Championships. Golf Canada’s amateur championships are proudly supported by BDO Canada, Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CPKC), Titleist, FootJoy, Coca-Cola, Sport Canada, and Levelwear. For more information and scheduling visit www.golfcanada.ca/competitions-calendar/.
ABOUT GOLF CANADA
Golf Canada is the National Sports Federation and governing body for golf in Canada representing over 360,000 golfers and 1,522 member clubs across the country. A proud member of the Canadian Olympic Committee, Golf Canada’s mission is to increase Canadian participation and excellence in golf. By investing in the growth of the sport and introducing more participants of all ages to the game, our vision is to be a world leader in golf. For more information about what Golf Canada is doing to support golf in your community, visit www.golfcanada.ca/.
Media Contact
Mike Masaro
Sr. Manager, Communications
Golf Canada
647-482-1853
mmasaro@golfcanada.ca