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Golf Canada​ – Quebec natives Christopher Vandette and Céleste Dao 
earn top Order of Merit honours in respective junior divisions

OAKVILLE, Ont. (Golf Canada) – Josh Whalen of Napanee, Ont. and Maddie Szeryk, a dual citizen from London, Ont. and Allen, Texas, have been recognized as Canada’s top male and female amateur golfers for 2017 as Golf Canada announced the final standings for its National Orders of Merit.

Whalen claims top spot in the men’s National Order of Merit ranking after an impressive season highlighted by a 3rd place finish at the Canadian Men’s Amateur Championship. The 22-year-old also posted a T6 finish at the Sunnehanna Amateur and recorded six NCAA top-20s in his senior year with the Kent State Golden Flashes, including a runner-up finish at the Boilermaker Invitational.

Hugo Bernard, 22, of Mont-Saint-Hilaire, Que., finished second on the Order of Merit thanks in part to earning medallist honours at the USGA’s U.S. Amateur Qualifying event in Maine, as well as strong showings at the Canadian Men’s Amateur Championship (T4), the French Open (T3) and the Mackenzie Investments Open (T7).

Joey Savoie, 23, of La Prairie, Que., rounded out the top-3 after recording runner-up finishes at the Duke of Kent, the USGA’s U.S. Amateur Qualifying event in Maine and the Monroe Invitational.

Whalen, Bernard and Savoie were all recently named to the 2018 Team Canada National Amateur Squad.

The 2017 season marks the third straight year that Maddie Szeryk has finished atop the women’s National Order of Merit. The 21-year-old recorded three victories this season—the B.C. Women’s Amateur and Women’s Western Amateur Championships, as well as the NCAA’s Dr. Donnis Thompson Invitational as part of the Texas A&M Women’s Golf Team.

Naomi Ko of Victoria, B.C., finished runner-up on the Order of Merit for the second consecutive time. In February, the 20-year-old picked up her first NCAA win at the Lady Puerto Rico Classic. Other notable showings included third place finishes at the Canadian Women’s Amateur and B.C. Women’s Amateur Championships, as well as the Women’s Porter Cup.

Calgary’s Jaclyn Lee finished third on the National Order of Merit. In 2017, the 20-year-old earned a runner-up finish at the B.C. Women’s Amateur Championship and two NCAA top-5s.

Szeryk, Ko and Lee are all returning members of Team Canada’s National Amateur Squad for 2018.

On the Future Links, driven by Acura National Junior Order Merit, Christopher Vandette of Beaconsfield, Que. and Céleste Dao of Notre-Dame-de-l’Île-Perrot, Que., took home top honours in their respective divisions.

Vandette, 16, tallied five victories this season, including the Quebec Men’s Amateur Championship, Canada Summer Games and the Future Links, driven by Acura Ontario Championship. He also finished third at the Canadian Junior Boys Championship.

Rounding out the top three on the Future Links, driven by Acura Junior Boys Order of Merit are Nolan Thoroughgood (17) of Victoria, B.C. and Ethan Choi (15) of Pincher Creek, Alta.

Vandette and Thoroughgood were recently named to the 2018 Team Canada Development Squad which will train out of Bear Mountain Resort in Victoria.

Dao topped the junior girl’s Order of Merit after a prolific 2017 season where she picked up wins at the Canada Summer Games, Quebec Junior Girls Championship, NIVO Quebec Women’s Provincial Championship, U.S. Junior Girls Qualifier at Fitchburg, Ma., Future Links, driven by Acura Quebec Championship and the CJGA Quebec Junior Open. The 16-year-old also represented Canada at the World Junior Girls Championship in late September.

Finishing runner-up behind Dao is 16-year-old Monet Chun from Richmond Hill, Ont., while Susan Xiao, a 15-year-old from Surrey, B.C., rounded out the top-3.

Dao and Chun were recently named to the 2018 Team Canada Development Squad.

Golf Canada’s National Orders of Merit are used to identify and give recognition to top-performing amateur golfers from across Canada. They also provide an objective national comparison and ranking system, enabling Canada’s top players to compare themselves to counterparts across Canada.

Golf Canada also uses the National Order of Merit to assist with the Team Canada player selection and International event player selection process. For full Order of Merit standings and a points breakdown, please visit www.golfcanada.ca/nationalordersofmerit/.

NOTE TO MEDIA: CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD IMAGES OF ALL ORDER OF MERIT WINNERS.

The following are top-10 National Order of Merit finishers from each respective division:  

Men’s National Order of Merit Top-10

 

Name

Hometown

Counting Events

Points

1.

Josh Whalen

Napanee, ON

10

51,223.34

2.

Hugo Bernard

Mont-Saint-Hilaire, QC

10

48,162.93

3.

Joey Savoie

La Prairie, QC

10

42,250.58

4.

Matt Williams

Calgary, AB

10

32,472.50

5.

Garrett Rank

Elmira, ON

8

31,795.00

6.

Henry Lee

Coquitlam, BC

10

30,040.83

7.

Chris Crisologo

Richmond, BC

9

27,766.25

8.

Luke Moser

Waterloo, ON

10

27,010.14

9.

Blair Bursey

Gander, NL

8

21,675.00

10.

Emmett Oh

Calgary, AB

8

21,517.86

Women’s National Order of Merit Top-10

 

Name

Hometown

Counting Events

Points

1.

Maddie Szeryk

London, ON

10

63,646.67

2.

Naomi Ko

Victoria, BC

10

54,018.33

3.

Jaclyn Lee

Calgary, AB

10

44,576.10

4.

Grace St-Germain

Ottawa, ON

10

43,812.50

5.

Valérie Tanguay

St-Hyacinthe, QC

10

33,613.75

6.

Jessica Ip

Richmond Hill, ON

9

29,417.50

7.

Sabrine Garrison

Calgary, AB

9

20,751.72

8.

Michelle Kim

Surrey, BC

8

19,592.17

9.

Sophie Liu

Surrey, BC

9

18,423.50

10.

Vanessa Ha

Montreal, QC

5

17,361.00

Future Links, driven by Acura Junior Boys Order of Merit Top-10

 

Name

Hometown

Counting Events

Points

1.

Christopher Vandette

Beaconsfield, QC

8

28,985.00

2.

Nolan Thoroughgood

Victoria, BC

8

24,565.00

3.

Ethan Choi

Pincher Creek, AB

8

23,430.00

4.

Tristan Mandur

Mill Bay, BC

6

21,850.00

5.

Callum Davison

Duncan, BC

8

21,115.00

6.

Calvin Ross

Fredericton, NB

7

19,977.50

7.

Kelvin Lim

Thornhill, ON

8

19,562.06

8.

Louis-Alexandre Jobin-Colgan

Québec, QC

8

18,967.08

9.

Taylor Beckstead

Alliston, ON

8

18,330.00

10.

Jeevan Sihota

Victoria, BC

6

18,319.00

Future Links, driven by Acura Junior Girls Order of Merit Top-10

 

Name

Hometown

Counting Events

Points

1.

Céleste Dao

Notre-Dame-de-l’Île-Perrot, Que.

8

32,840.00

2.

Monet Chun

Richmond Hill, ON

8

31,156.88

3.

Susan Xiao

Surrey, BC

8

28,262.00

4.

Ellie Szeryk

London, ON

8

28,170.00

5.

Hannah Lee

Surrey, BC

8

23,378.88

6.

Alyssa DiMarcantonio

Maple, OnN

8

21,220.00

7.

Mary Parsons

Delta, BC

7

21,115.00

8.

Euna Han

Coquitlam, BC

8

18,160.00

9.

Emily Zhu

Richmond Hill, ON

8

17,535.00

10.

Brigitte Thibault

Rosemère, QC

7

17,445.00

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GOLF CANADA – LOVE THE GAME. GROW THE GAME.
Golf Canada is the National Sports Organization and governing body for golf in Canada representing 305,000 golfers and 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.

FUTURE LINKS, driven by Acura
Future Links, driven by Acura is Canada’s national junior golf program conducted by Golf Canada, the PGA of Canada and Canada’s provincial golf associations. Proudly supported by Acura, Puma, The R&A, NGCOA Canada, ClubLink and Sport Canada, the program is designed to forge a link between Canada’s youth and golf to ensure the future of the game in Canada. The program features three core areas of focus—in-school programming, facility programming and community outreach—including elements such as Golf in Schools, Learn to Play, Girl’s Club, Mobile Clinics, Junior Skills Competition and Community Golf Coach, along with six regional Future Links Junior Championships.  Since the inception of the program in 1996, more than 1.3 million young Canadians have taken part in Future Links.  For more information, visit www.golfcanada.ca/futurelinks

Media Contact:

Terry Lenyk
Manager, Media and Public Relations
Golf Canada
(t) 1-800-263-0009 x 335
(c) 416.407.3893
(e) tlenyk@golfcanada.ca