Team Canada Finishes T6 At World Amateur Team Championship

TEAM CANADA FINISHES TIED FOR SIXTH AT WORLD AMATEUR TEAM CHAMPIONSHIP

- Mackenzie Hughes earns top-20 finish;

Team USA claims Eisenhower Trophy for the 14th time in tournament history -

Oakville, Ont. (Golf Canada) – The Team Canada contingent of Mackenzie Hughes of Dundas, Ont., Albin Choi of Toronto and Corey Conners of Listowel, Ont. combined to card a final-round 1-over par 143 at the 2012 World Amateur Team Championship in Antalya, Turkey to finish tied for sixth alongside Team Norway at the biennial stroke-play event which had been shortened to 54 holes due to weather.

Forced to complete the third and final round on Sunday morning at the par-71 Antalya Golf Club’s PGA Sultan Course after play was suspended because of darkness on Saturday evening, the Canadian trio posted a tournament-tally of 11-under par 417 to finish the competition 13 strokes back of Team USA’s squad of Chris Williams of Moscow, Idaho, Justin Thomas of Goshen, Ky., and Steven Fox of Hendersonville, Tenn.

The United States, which set 18, 36 and 54-hole scoring records for the championship en route to claiming the Eisenhower Trophy for the 14th time in tournament history, posted a 54-hole score of 24-under par 404. It was Team USA’s first World Amateur Team Championship title since 2004.

With four birdies on the back-nine, including three consecutive birdies on Nos. 14-16 on the PGA Sultan Course, Conners posted a final-round 1-under par 70, while Choi and Hughes shot 2-over par 73 and 4-over par 75 respectively to close out the championship.

“Mackenzie, Albin and Corey represented Canada and themselves in a first-class manner, and will benefit and learn from this great experience and so will I,” said Team Canada Men’s Squad Head Coach Derek Ingram. “Sixth place isn’t what the guys wanted, but I am very proud of the effort and professionalism the group showed throughout the championship. The guys really wanted to win the event and they prepared hard and well. We didn’t have our best stuff in the final round, but the guys battled the entire way.”

Team Mexico earned runner-up honours and a silver medal at 19-under par 409, while defending champion, Team France, Team Republic of Korea and Team Germany finished tied for third, earning bronze medals at 15-under par 413.

Hughes, a member of Team Canada’s National Squad, topped the Canadian contingent on the individual leaderboard, placing T19 with a 54-hole tally of 4-under par 210, 11 strokes back of Team Mexico’s Sebastian Vazquez, the two-time reigning Mexican Amateur champion. Vazquez bested the field individually with a score of 15-under par 199, one stroke better than Williams, the top-ranked player in the World Amateur Golf Ranking (WAGR).

Choi, a member of Team Canada’s National Squad and a junior at North Carolina State University, and Conners, a former member of Team Canada’s National Squad and a junior at Kent State University, both finished T33 at 1-under par 213 for the championship.

Team Canada’s sixth place showing in Turkey is the country’s best result at the World Amateur Team Championship since 2006 when the team of Richard Scott of Kingsville, Ont., James Love of Calgary and Andrew Parr of London, Ont. finished second in Stellenbosch, South Africa.

In 27 appearances at the World Amateur Team Championship, Canada has captured the Eisenhower Trophy on one occasion (1986), earned runner-up honours four times and posted twenty-four top-10 finishes.

The 2012 World Amateur Team Championship featured 72 teams, which topped the previous mark of 70 in South Africa in 2006.

In each round, the total of the two lowest scores from each team constituted the team score for the round. The 54-hole total was the team’s score for the championship.

The World Amateur Team Championships are conducted by the International Golf Federation, which was founded in 1958 to encourage the international development of the game and to employ golf as a vehicle to foster friendship and sportsmanship. The IGF, the International Olympic Committee’s international federation for golf, comprises the national governing bodies of golf in more than 125 countries, and is the organization that will conduct the golf competition at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro.

For more information on the 2012 World Amateur Team Championships, visit www.internationalgolffederation.org.

ABOUT CANADA’S NATIONAL AMATEUR TEAM PROGRAM

Canada’s National Amateur Team program incorporates advanced coaching, sport science expertise, training camps and world-class competition. Golf Canada 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 Golf Canada’s High Performance Program, provides access to world-class resources including coaching, nutrition, sport science, mental management, equipment and elite competitive opportunities. The program builds on the support team members have received in their development years from their family, member clubs, personal coaches, university programs and provincial golf associations. Golf Canada’s High Performance Program and Team Canada are proudly supported by RBC Wealth Management, Titleist, FootJoy, Under Armour, Under Armour Performance Eyewear, ClubLink and Heritage Canada.

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

RBC WEALTH MANAGEMENT SUPPORTS THE GAME OF GOLF

RBC Wealth Management is the industry leader in Canada, providing full-service investment and wealth management solutions to affluent and high net worth clients. Along with our parent company, RBC, one of North America’s leading diversified financial services companies, we proudly support golf around the world through high profile relationships with the PGATOUR, the PGA of America and Golf Canada. RBC is the Official Banking and Financial Services partner of touring professionals Luke Donald, Jim Furyk, Ernie Els, Matt Kuchar, Hunter Mahan, Fred Couples, Stephen Ames, Mike Weir, and Morgan Pressel. We are the Official Bank of the PGA of America and title sponsor of the RBC Heritage and RBC Canadian Open. RBC Wealth Management is particularly proud to support emerging Canadian golfers through Golf Canada’s developmental programming, their Canadian Amateur Championships and high performance national team. www.rbcwealthmanagement.com.

GOLF CANADA – LOVE THE GAME. GROW THE GAME.

Golf Canada is the governing body of golf in Canada, representing more than 340,000 members at close to 1,500 clubs across the country. Recognized by Sport Canada as the National Sport Organization (NSO) for golf in this country, Golf Canada’s mission is to grow participation, excellence and passion in the sport while upholding the integrity and traditions of the game.

A proud member of the Canadian Olympic Committee, Golf Canada conducts championships, programs and services to help shape the present and future of golf in Canada. High performance athlete development, Golf in Schools presented by Callaway, Golf Fore the Cure presented by Subaru, the Canadian Golf Hall of Fame and Museum, CN Canadian Women’s Tour and CN Future Links – Canada’s national junior golf program – are only some of the initiatives the association leads for golf in Canada. As the authority for golf in Canada, the association also administers the Rules of Golf, amateur status and handicapping and course rating.

In addition, Golf Canada conducts Canada’s most prestigious golf championships. The RBC Canadian Open and CN Canadian Women’s Open attract the best professional golfers in the world, while regional junior and national amateur championships provide world class competitive opportunities for Canada’s top golfers to showcase their talents.

For more information about what Golf Canada is doing to support golf in your community, visit us online at www.golfcanada.ca.