Golf Canada – Ten Team Canada members and players from 11 countries to play in Nova Scotia

NEW MINAS, N.S. – Ken-Wo Golf Club will host the world’s premier female amateur golfers from July 26-29 for the 103rd playing of the Canadian Women’s Amateur Championship.

Thirteen of the Top-100 players on the World Amateur Golf Ranking will take part in the championship’s return to Ken-Wo, which previously hosted the tournament in 2002. World No. 17 Hye-Jin Choi of Paju-si, Korea will compete alongside No. 40 Andrea Lee of Hermosa Beach, Calif., No. 45 Hannah Green from Perth, Australia and No. 60 Maria Fassi of Pachuca, Mexico. Choi, Green and Fassi represented their countries at the 2015 World Junior Girls Championship at The Marshes Golf Club in Ottawa with Choi collecting medallist honours in leading Korea to the team title.

Established in 1921, Ken-Wo is one of the oldest clubs in Nova Scotia. Its challenging layout developed by course designers Robbie Robinson, Geoffrey Cornish and Bill Robinson boasts a rich golfing history which includes four previous national championships.

“We are thrilled to have the Canadian Women’s Amateur Championship return to Ken-Wo and the province of Nova Scotia,” said Host Club Tournament Chair Rene MacKay. “The challenge and beauty of our course will bring out the best in this impressive field. We look forward to welcoming these players with all the care and hospitality of Ken-Wo and the East Coast.”

Montreal’s Lisa Meldrum won the second of her three consecutive Canadian Women’s Amateur titles 14 years ago at Ken-Wo. A new generation of Canadian and international amateurs will now look to continue their legacies by pursuing the Duchess of Connaught trophy.

“This tournament has proven to be a stepping stone for many amateurs working towards joining the professional ranks,” said Tournament Director Mary Beth McKenna. “Eight of our past nine winners, including 2013 champion Brooke Henderson, have gone on to find success as professionals. We are very excited to write the next chapter of the Canadian Women’s Amateur Championship at Ken-Wo.”

The complete contingent of Team Canada’s National Amateur Squad will be in attendance. World No. 37 and top-ranked Canadian amateur Maddie Szeryk of London, Ont., will be joined by teammates Josée Doyon (St-Georges-de-Beauce, Que.), Naomi Ko (Victoria), Michelle Kim (Surrey, B.C.) and Jaclyn Lee (Calgary).

A final-round 4-under earned Szeryk a T6 result in last year’s competition at Riverside Country Club in Saskatoon. The 20-year-old – who claimed her first-career NCAA victory this year at the Florida State Match-Up – and Ko have qualified for the 2016 U.S. Women’s Amateur Championship from August 1-7 at Rolling Green Golf Club in Springfield, Pa.

Doyon is hoping to build upon a season in which she has already claimed victory at the 2016 Women’s Porter Cup and successfully defended her title at the 2016 NIVO Quebec Women’s Amateur Championship. Lee earned a wire-to-wire nine-stroke win at the Sun Life Financial Alberta Ladies Amateur Championship. Kim, a University of Idaho Vandal, posted five Top-10 results in nine tournaments to garner Freshman of the Year honours and a first-team all-Big Sky Conference selection.

Grace St-Germain of Orleans, Ont. – the newly crowned Ontario Women’s Amateur champion – and Chloe Currie from Mississauga, Ont., who is coming off a successful title defence at the Ontario Junior Girls Championship will compete in the competition. The pair will be joined by Hannah Lee (Surrey, B.C.), Tiffany Kong (Vancouver) and Kathrine Chan (Richmond, B.C.) to represent the entirety of Team Canada’s Development Squad.

Returning from last year’s Top-5 are Sarah Burnham of Maple Grove, Minn., and Peru’s Lucia Gutierrez; the pair will attempt to improve upon the T3 results they claimed in 2015.

A practice round will be conducted on July 25 prior to the championship’s opening round. Following the first two rounds of play, the field will be reduced to the low-70 and ties. An inter-provincial team championship will take place in conjunction with the first two rounds of play. Team Alberta comprised of Calgarians Jennifer Ha, Jaclyn Lee and Sabrine Garrison claimed the team title in 2015.

In addition to the 2016 Canadian Women’s Amateur title, the individual champion will earn exemptions into the 2016 U.S. Women’s Amateur Championship and two LPGA events: the Canadian Pacific Women’s Open at Priddis Greens Golf & Country Club in Calgary from August 22-28 and the Manulife LPGA Classic at Whistle Bear Golf Club in Cambridge, Ont., from September 1-4.

For more Information on the 2016 Canadian Women’s Amateur Championship including the full field, starting times and live scoring, click here.

– 30 –

RBC GOLF
RBC proudly supports golf around the world through high profile relationships with the PGA TOUR and Golf Canada. RBC is the Official Banking and Financial Services partner of touring professionals Jason Day, Graham DeLaet, Ernie Els, Jim Furyk, Adam Hadwin, David Hearn, Brooke Henderson, Matt Kuchar, Graeme McDowell, Ryan Palmer, Morgan Pressel, Brandt Snedeker, Nick Taylor and Mike Weir. As the title sponsor of both the RBC Heritage and the RBC Canadian Open, RBC also supports emerging Canadian golfers through Golf Canada’s grassroots developmental programming, the Canadian Amateur Golf Championships and the high performance national team. RBC is one of North America’s leading diversified financial services companies and among the largest banks in the world, as measured by market capitalization. For more information, visit www.rbc.com/golf.

ABOUT CANADIAN PACIFIC
Canadian Pacific (TSX:CP)(NYSE:CP) is a transcontinental railway in Canada and the United States with direct links to eight major ports, including Vancouver and Montreal, providing North American customers a competitive rail service with access to key markets in every corner of the globe. CP is a low-cost provider that is growing with its customers, offering a suite of freight transportation services, logistics solutions and supply chain expertise. Visit www.cpr.ca to see the rail advantages of Canadian Pacific.

TITLEIST
From the game’s top Tour players to PGA and LPGA teaching and club professionals to accomplished amateurs everywhere, Titleist is committed to providing golfers worldwide with golf equipment of superior quality and performance. The industry leading Pro V1 and Pro V1x, NXT Tour, NXT Tour S, Velocity and DT SoLo golf balls provide real performance differences to meet the wide range of golfers’ needs. From tee-to-green, Titleist golf clubs are also performance driven. The 915 D2 and D3 drivers, 915 F and Fd fairway metals and 915 H1 and H2 hybrids along with the Vokey Design SM6 wedges and Scotty Cameron putters can be found at the top of the leaderboards and in the bags of serious golfers across the globe. In addition, the 716 AP1 and AP2 irons are the most technologically advanced irons ever produced by Titleist, and are complemented by the CB and MB Forged series. PGA of Canada Club Professionals devote their careers to helping you play better golf. And when it comes to choosing the highest performing equipment for their own games, more choose Titleist. It’s the brand they recommend and the brand they trust themselves. www.titleist.ca

FOOTJOY
FootJoy. It’s about comfort. It’s about performance. It’s about tradition. For nearly 150 years, FootJoy has been committed to creating superior golf footwear, gloves, apparel, socks and accessories that will enhance your on-course experience. Second to none, FootJoy is the choice of those who love the game, from young to old, from amateur to top professional. For more than 55 years, FootJoy has been the leading golf shoe on the PGA Tour. This proves, when given a choice, the best golfers in the world choose the best golf shoes in the world. www.footjoy.ca

GOLF CANADA – LOVE THE GAME. GROW THE GAME.
Golf Canada is the National Sports Federation and governing body for golf in Canada representing close to 310,000 golfers at more than 1,400 member clubs across the country. A proud member of the Canadian Olympic Committee, Golf Canada’s mission is to grow participation, excellence and passion in the sport while upholding the integrity and traditions of the game. By investing in the growth of the sport and introducing more participants of all ages to the game, our goal is to be relevant to and respected by all Canadian golf enthusiasts from coast to coast. For more information about what Golf Canada is doing to support golf in your community, visit www.golfcanada.ca.

For more information:

Herb Fung
Coordinator, Media and Public Relations
Golf Canada
(t) 1-800-263-0009 x 258
(c) 647-709-3167
(e) hfung@golfcanada.ca

Taylor Craig
Intern, Media and Public Relations
Golf Canada
(t) 1-800-263-0009 x 256
(c) 905-599-9001
(e) tcraig@golfcanada.ca