Canada (Commonwealth) _ Golf Canada is delighted to announce the names of 39 amateur athletes and ten coaches who have been named to the men’s and women’s Team Canada – NextGen and Team Canada rosters for 2024.
The Team Canada – NextGen program provides assistance to juniors and young amateurs making the transition to collegiate golf. The Team Canada program assists a group of seasoned amateurs on their way to professional golf, as well as a group of young professional golfers establishing themselves as touring pros.
Teams are chosen based on previous season performances (September-August), with the Team Canada – NextGen program taking into account performance at Golf Canada’s Selection Camp in September. Professional players that will be part of the 2024 Team
Professional players that will be part of Team Canada in 2024 will be announced when Qualifying schools are completed. They stated, “We are delighted to officially introduce the young athletes who are going to be part of our 2024 Team Canada and Team Canada – NextGen teams, and we are looking ahead to supporting them on their paths to the LPGA and PGA TOUR,” according to Kevin Blue, Chief Sport Officer.
He also expressed gratitude to our benefactors who promote the player growth initiative through the Golf Canada Foundation, as well as our essential and fully aligned corporate partners, for their ongoing commitment, which enables the Team Canada participant development system to help more Canadians excel at the highest degree.
Golf Canada’s player development program offers athletes on their path to the LPGA and PGA TOUR specialized training and competitive assistance. National team coaches collaborate with athletes and their personal support teams to create annual training programs and find areas where players may improve in all aspects of their game. A complete sport science team that combines mental performance, physical conditioning, and mental health services is also available to athletes.
Players are brought together on a regular basis for training camps, where they are supported by national team coaches and sport science specialists and train alongside their peers.
The men’s and women’s Team Canada coaching staffs will be back in full for the 2024 season. Stollery Family Women’s Head Coach Salimah Mussani (Vancouver, B.C.) and Associate Coach Jennifer Greggain (Vancouver, B.C.) will lead Team Canada – Women once again. Head Coach Derek Ingram (Winnipeg, Man.) and Assistant Coaches Louis Melanson (Moncton, N.B.) and Benoit Lemieux (Montréal, Que.) return for Team Canada – Men.
Ashton McCulloch, the reigning Canadian Men’s Amateur Champion, is a member of Team Canada’s men’s amateur squad. McCulloch also represented Canada in the 2023 Men’s World Amateur Team Championship, alongside compatriots Piercen Hunt and Brady McKinlay. McKinlay will make his debut for Team Canada in 2024. McKinlay was part of Canada’s fourth Tailhade Cup-winning team earlier this month in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and also won individual honors in the Argentina Amateur Championship. McKinlay and Hunt are scheduled to turn professional in 2024 and will be supported by the young professionals who will be named to Team Canada in the following weeks.
Lauren Kim, the defending Canadian Women’s Amateur Champion, joins World Amateur Team Championship colleagues Monet Chun and Katie Cranston in the women’s amateur group. Savannah Grewal also returns to Team Canada and has stated her plan to turn professional in early December, pursuing LPGA Tour status at the Q Series
Ellie Szeryk is back for her third year with the team after being a member of the youth squad in 2018 and 2019. Szeryk earned her first collegiate title this October while representing Southern Methodist University at the Jim West Challenge.
