Team Canada Ready For World Amateur Team Championship

TEAM CANADA SET TO TEE-OFF AT WORLD AMATEUR TEAM CHAMPIONSHIP

- Mackenzie Hughes, Albin Choi and Corey Conners to represent Canada in Turkey -

Oakville, Ont. (Golf Canada) – Mackenzie Hughes of Dundas, Ont., Albin Choi of Toronto and Corey Conners of Listowel, Ont. will represent Canada at the 2012 World Amateur Team Championship held October 4-7 at Antalya Golf Club (PGA Sultan Course) and Cornelia Golf Club in Antalya, Turkey.

Hughes, a member of Team Canada’s National Squad, captured his second consecutive Canadian Men’s Amateur Championship title in early August. A product of Kent State University, Hughes capped off the 2012 collegiate season by leading the Golden Flashes to a tie for fifth in the country at the 2012 NCAA Division I Men’s Golf Championship. He posted five top 10s and three top-5 finishes in 14 events for Kent State and made his PGA TOUR debut at the 2012 RBC Canadian Open. Hughes qualified for match play at both the 2012 U.S. Amateur Championship and 2012 British Amateur Championship. He also earned runner-up honours at the 2012 Ontario Amateur Championship and reached the Round of 16 at the 2012 Western Amateur Championship.

Choi, a member of Team Canada’s National Squad, is in his junior season at North Carolina State University after a stellar 2011-12 campaign in which he posted his third and fourth career collegiate victories, including claiming medalist honors at the NCAA Ann Arbor Regional. Over the summer, Choi earned low amateur honours at the 2012 RBC Canadian Open, won the 2012 Ontario Amateur Championship and reached the Round of 16 at the 2012 U.S. Amateur Championship. He also finished tied for first in stroke play at the 2012 North & South Men’s Amateur Championship, and tied for fifth at the 2012 Canadian Men’s Amateur Championship. Choi opened the 2012-13 season by earning his fifth career collegiate win with a victory at the Tar Heel Intercollegiate.

Conners, a former member of Team Canada’s National Squad and a junior at Kent State University, is coming off a standout sophomore season in which he claimed individual medalist honors at the 2012 Mid-American Conference (MAC) Championship and was also named MAC Golfer of the Year. He posted four top-5 and five top-10 finishes on the season for the Golden Flashes, and tied for fourth individually at the 2012 NCAA Division I Men’s Golf Championship. Conners placed fourth at the 2012 Canadian Men’s Amateur Championship and also qualified for match play at the 2012 U.S. Amateur Championship. Conners has posted top-20 finishes in his first three collegiate starts thus far this season, earning a victory at the season-opening Gopher Invitational.

“The level of play at the World Amateur will provide a true test of golf for Mackenzie, Albin and Corey, and I am confident that the guys are up to the challenge,” said Team Canada Men’s Squad Head Coach Derek Ingram. “Our team looks forward to the opportunity to compete for the coveted Eisenhower Trophy in Turkey, and I have no doubt that the players will showcase their tremendous ability over the course of the competition and do Canada proud. We’re excited to get the championship underway.”

A biennial competition, the World Amateur Team Championship has been played since 1958, with the winner taking home the Eisenhower Trophy. France won the 2010 title in Buenos Aires, Argentina by four strokes over Denmark. The Canadian contingent of Choi, Cam Burke of Kitchener, Ont. and Eugene Wong of North Vancouver, B.C. finished tied for eighth.

The World Amateur Team Championship will feature 72 teams which tops the previous mark of 70 in South Africa in 2006.

In 26 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-three top-10 finishes.

The World Amateur Team title is determined by four days of stroke play. In each round, the total of the two lowest scores constitutes the team score for the round. The four-day total is 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.