Golf Canada is pleased to announce that the Canadian Junior Financial Assistance Program will expand the number of grants available for the 2024 season. The expansion of the program will reduce the financial burden of participating in championships across Canada for more eligible players and their families.

Initiated in 2022, the Canadian Junior Financial Assistance Program supports junior golfers and their families with need-based financial aid to help offset expenses associated with traveling and competing in national golf championships and NextGen championships. The program is funded by Golf Canada in partnership with the Canadian Seniors’ Golf Association and the Gary Cowan Heritage Fund.

The amount of funds and number of grants available to the Canadian Junior Financial Assistance Program have increased in two years – growth that is reflective of a broader commitment to provide more affordable access to competitions for junior golfers.

“We are excited to announce that the Canadian Junior Financial Assistance Program has increased for 2024 which allows us to accommodate more junior golfers and help to bring down their costs,” said Kevin Blue, chief sport officer, Golf Canada. “We’d like to thank our generous donors who care about junior golf affordability for their continued support with this program.”

The full breakdown of the maximum number of grants that will be awarded along with the criteria in which eligible participants can seek financial assistance can be found at golfcanada.ca/financial-assistance-program/.

The Canadian Junior Financial Assistance Program will be available to eligible participants and their families for the following competitions:

• All six NextGen Championships
• Canadian Junior Girls Championship, presented by BDO
• Canadian Junior Boys Championship, presented by BDO
• Canadian U15 Championship, presented by BDO

Applications will be reviewed and accepted beginning thirty (30) days prior to the respective championship. An approval letter will be sent to the participant that has submitted a successful application outlining next steps before the championship begins. Accepted applicants must compete in their respective championship to receive the approved funds through the Canadian Junior Financial Assistance Program.

19 professional athletes join the previously announced 16 amateur golfers to complete Team Canada roster for upcoming season

Emerging Professional Players of the Year Award, presented by Andrew Cook announced

Golf Canada is pleased to announce the names of 19 professional athletes that will be part of the 2024 men’s and women’s Team Canada squads.

The Team Canada program supports a group of experienced amateur golfers who are on the path towards professional golf along with a group of young professional golfers who are building their careers as touring pros. Teams are selected based on results from the previous calendar year. The professional players will join the 12 women and four men previously selected to Team Canada as amateurs in the fall.

With players choosing to turn professional at different points in the season, an athlete’s involvement in the Team Canada program including financial support continues during their transition from amateur to professional golf. 

“We are proud to announce the professional athletes that will be part of Team Canada for 2024. We have now completed our full roster of professional and amateur players for the upcoming season and look forward to supporting their development and journeys to the LPGA and PGA TOUR,” said Emily Phoenix, high performance director, Golf Canada. “I would like to extend our sincere thanks to our generous donors through the Golf Canada Foundation along with our corporate partners for their support of our athletes’ development within the Team Canada program. Their continued contributions are crucial in helping more Canadians excel at the highest levels of our sport.”

The men’s professional team features 15 returning players for the upcoming season which will supplement the four amateur players selected earlier in the fall. Three-time winner in 2023, Étienne Papineau enters his seventh season on the team. Papineau earned his Korn Ferry Tour card for 2024 by finishing as the top Canadian and fourth overall in the Fortinet Cup standings on the PGA TOUR Canada (now PGA TOUR Americas). In addition, Papineau earned a T4 finish at the 2023 Pan American (Pan Am) Games in Santiago, Chile. Myles Creighton returns for a third year, having won on the PGA TOUR Latinoamérica (now PGA TOUR Americas) last June and earned his Korn Ferry Tour card for 2024 by finishing second in the season point standings. Joining them on the Korn Ferry Tour is Sudarshan Yellamaraju who earned his card after finishing T14 during the final stage of PGA TOUR Q-School last December. Stuart Macdonald and Jared du Toit will also compete on the Korn Ferry Tour this season. Macdonald was also victorious last season, winning the Commissionaires Ottawa Open in July.

The women’s professional team features returning players: Brigitte Thibault, Maddie Szeryk, Selena Costabile and Maude-Aimee Leblanc who was previously on the team in 2022. These professionals will join the 12 previously selected Team Canada members from the amateur selection process in the fall. Szeryk returns for her 10th season as a member of Team Canada. She made 22 starts on the LPGA Tour last season and re-earned her LPGA Tour membership for 2024 through the LPGA Q-Series in December. Leblanc returns for her seventh season with Team Canada. Last season, she competed on the LPGA Tour making seven starts but missed the second half of the year due to injury. Joining Szeryk and Leblanc on the LPGA is Savannah Grewal who was previously selected to Team Canada as an amateur and has turned pro following an excellent Q-school showing. Costabile enters her third season as a Team Canada member having competed on the Epson Tour last season. Thibault earned her first professional win at the Kathy Whitworth Championship last October.

Team Canada – Women

(In addition to the 12 players selected during the amateur selection process in the fall)

Team Canada – Men

(In addition to the four players selected during the amateur selection process in the fall)

As previously announced, the coaching staff for the men’s and women’s Team Canada squads will return in full for the 2024 season. Team Canada – Women will again be coached by Stollery Family Women’s Head Coach Salimah Mussani (Vancouver, B.C.) and Associate Coach Jennifer Greggain (Vancouver, B.C.). Team Canada – Men will be coached by Head Coach Derek Ingram (Winnipeg, Man.) and Assistant Coaches Louis Melanson (Moncton, N.B.) and Benoit Lemieux (Montréal, Que.).

For full Team Canada bios and additional information, please click here.

For the Team Canada – NextGen and Team Canada amateur squad announcement, please click here.

Golf Canada’s player development program provides individualized training and competition support to athletes on their journey to the LPGA and PGA TOUR. National team coaches work with athletes and their personal support teams to develop annual training plans and identify areas where impact can be made to help athletes improve in all areas of their game. Athletes are also supported by a comprehensive sport science team that includes mental performance, physical conditioning, and mental health supports. The players are brought together regularly for training camps where they receive support from national team coaches and sport science staff, and train with their peers. Team Canada members also receive access to a training hub in Phoenix, Ariz. where they can train and live during the winter months.

Team Canada is proudly supported by RBC, Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CPKC), Titleist, FootJoy, Hilton, Puma, Foresight, Golf Canada Foundation and Sport Canada.

EMERGING PROFESSIONAL PLAYERS OF THE YEAR AWARD

The Golf Canada Foundation is also proud to announce Savannah Grewal, Myles Creighton, and Étienne Papineau as the recipients of the Emerging Professional Players of the Year Award, presented by Andrew Cook. In 2020, Andrew Cook, a proud trustee of the Golf Canada Foundation, and past president of Golf Canada, established a $20,000 annual fund to recognize a top male and top female emerging Canadian professional golfer. Past recipients include current PGA TOUR member Taylor Pendrith, Korn Ferry Tour members Wil Bateman and Stuart Macdonald, and LPGA Tour members Maude-Aimee Leblanc and Maddie Szeryk.

“We are pleased to name Savannah, Myles and Étienne as the Emerging Professional Players of the Year,” said Martin Barnard, CEO of the Golf Canada Foundation. “The journey to the highest levels of professional golf requires significant resources, and we are incredibly grateful to Andrew Cook for his continued support.”

Grewal made her professional debut at LPGA Q-Series in December 2023 where she went on to secure full LPGA status for the 2024 season. A recent graduate of Clemson University, Grewal was first-team All-ACC for her accomplishments on the golf course and in the classroom. Grewal had a strong finish to her 2023 season, earning co-medalist honors at the Cougar Classic and tying for first at LPGA Q-school Stage I. 

Papineau and Creighton share the award following successful seasons that led both to secure Korn Ferry Tour status for the 2024 season. Creighton notched one victory on PGA TOUR Latinoamérica and finished second in the season-long points standings. Papineau secured a win on PGA TOUR Canada and finished fourth overall in the points standings.Go

Golf Manitoba and PUMA Golf are pleased to announce a new corporate partnership, naming PUMA as the Official Apparel and Footwear partner of Golf Manitoba.

The multi-year agreement will see all of Golf Manitoba provincial teams, staff and volunteers wear PUMA’s extensive lineup of performance apparel and footwear while representing Manitoba on the course during provincial and national-level competition.

“We are excited to embark on this partnership with PUMA Golf. The brand has become a leader in supporting high-performance golf across Canada and we are excited to have our talented athletes, staff and volunteers outfitted in PUMA’s elevated collection of apparel and footwear,” said Golf Manitoba Executive Director Jared Ladobruk. “This partnership will help our teams look and play their best on the biggest stages and is why we made it a priority.”

“We are very pleased to partner with Golf Manitoba and support the strong contingent of talented athletes and staff within the province,” said Dwayne Boecker, Head of Golf at COBRA PUMA GOLF – Canada. “It is a great opportunity to strengthen our connection with Manitoba’s top amateur players and we look forward to watching them succeed while sporting the iconic PUMA Cat.”

PUMA Golf is also the Official Apparel and Headwear Partner of Golf Canada’s National Team Program as well as the title sponsor of Golf Canada’s Junior Skills Challenge events.

To view the latest styles from PUMA Golf, please visit ca.pumagolf.com. You can also follow PUMA Golf on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter/X.

Team Manitoba Girls Head Coach Bri-ann Tokariwski visits with Golf Manitoba Director of Communications & Development Brian Munz to talk about bringing home the 2023 Tex Noble Professional Development Award.

Tokariwski is also an Assistant Golf Professional at Elmhurst Golf & Country Club.

Fresh off another top 10 finish on the DP World Tour this past weekend, Stony Mountain’s Aaron Cockerill checks in with Golf Manitoba Director of Communications & Development Brian Munz.

Cockerill discusses the current status of his game, how he now feels playing against the best in the world, managing family time and much more!

For the second time in three weeks, Stony Mountain’s Aaron Cockerill continued to make waves on the DP World Tour.

Cockerill shot a final round 5-under par 67 to finish T6 on the Bahrain Championship’s leaderboard at 8-under par 280.

After bogeying the first hole in each of his prior three rounds, Sunday’s final round got off to a hot start with a birdie and then followed it up with three consecutive birds on holes four through six.

This week’s placing earned him 97.5 points and 74,707.91 euros ($108,535.65 Canadian).

For the final leaderboard, click here.

The 31 year old opened the 2024 calendar year at the Hero Dubai Desert Classic where he tied for fourth.

Golf Manitoba Director of Communications & Development Brian Munz sits down with Southwood Golf & Country Club Head Professional Andrew Steep to talk about the 2023 Murray Tucker Class “A” Professional of the Year award.

Steep also won this award in 2017.

Stony Mountain’s Aaron Cockerill shot a 5-under par 67 during Sunday’s final round of the DP World Tour’s Ras Al Khaimah Championship in Dubai.

Cockerill made an eagle on the 14th hole to go along with five birdies, 10 pars and two bogeys.

With a tournament total 12-under par 276 (67-70-72-67), Cockerill tied for 23rd on the leaderboard earning 28.8 points and 21,929.16 euros ($31,387.80 Canadian).

For the final leaderboard, click here.

Just nine tournaments into the DP World Tour season, Canada’s Aaron Cockerill is already in the best position of his career.

Cockerill, from Stony Mountain, Man., tied for fourth at the Dubai Desert Classic on Sunday, firing a 4-under fourth round to finish at 10 under, just four shots back of Northern Ireland’s Rory McIlroy. That performance moved Cockerill 33 points up the Race to Dubai rankings to ninth overall.

“There’s still a long way to go but it’s obviously better to start in a good position than be behind the 8-ball,” said Cockerill, who played in his fourth tournament of the season but first of 2024.

Cockerill is the eighth highest-ranked Canadian on the official world golf rankings, sitting 219th overall. Keeping pace with high-profile players like McIlroy and Chile’s Joaquin Niemann, who also tied for fourth, at the Dubai Desert Classic was encouraging.

“I only lost to three other guys and a couple of them are really, really highly ranked golfers,” said Cockerill. “I mean, those guys are all within the top 30 in the world, I think so, it’s exciting.”

The 32-year-old Cockerill had some strong performances last season on the European-based DP World Tour, with a tie for fourth at the Alfred Dunhill Championship on Dec. 12, 2022, and a second-place finish at the ISPS HANDA — Championship on April 22, but then he struggled through the summer. 

He said he’s learned from that experience and plans to do things differently in 2024.

“I think a lot of that has to do with my habits away from the golf course,” said Cockerill from his home in Dubai. “When we’re over here at the start of the season I’m kind of secluded, in terms of what my normal day to day would be at home. 

“Here it’s: golf course, practice, gym, work hard. I’m going pretty hard and not really doing a lot in between. Not that I want to be a drill sergeant to myself the whole season, but I also need to know that I need to stay pretty disciplined and keep up with my practice habits.”

Bri-ann Tokariwski, Head Coach of the Team Manitoba Junior Girls program, will receive the PGA of Canada’s Tex Noble Professional Development Award tonight during Canada Night at the 2024 PGA Show in Orlando, Florida.

Tokariwski, who is also an assistant professional out of the Elmhurst Golf & Country Club, has been the Head Coach of the Team Manitoba Junior Girls program since 2021. She joins fellow Manitoba Zone professionals Andrew Steep of the Southwood Golf & Country Club (2024 Murray Tucker Class A Professional of The Year) and Dustin Wilson of the Whitewater Golf Club in Thunder Bay Ontario (2024 Warren Crosbie Community Leader of the Year Award) as national award recipients at tonight’s event.

It is first national award for Tokariwski and the first time that three Manitoba Zone professionals have been recognized with national awards in the same year.

For more about the 2024 PGA of Canada national awards, please click here.