BC Wins 5 Spots On National Amateur Team

Named by the Royal Canadian Golf Association (RCGA) to represent Canada for upcoming international competitions are British Columbians Kira Meixner of Richmond and Sue Kim of Langley for the Women's team and Lindsay Renolds of Christina Lake, Abbotsford's Nick Taylor and Eugene Wong North Vancouver for the Men's side.

Team Canada, with four members on the women's side and four on the men's, welcomes back five returning players, one rookie and a pair of former Development Team members graduating to the amateur ranks.

On the women's side, Team Canada will have a veteran presence as all four members - Stephanie Sherlock of Barrie, Ont., Kira Meixner, Maude-Aimée LeBlanc of Windsor, Que. and Sue Kim - are returnees from last year's squad.

All four enjoyed tremendous success in 2008.

Meixner claimed the 2008 B.C. Women's Amateur Championship and also earned her professional DURAMED FUTURES TOUR card, although she intends to remain as an amateur for one more season

Kim won a pair of CN Canadian Women's Tour events en route to capturing the Jocelyne Bourassa Player of the Year Award and also topped the 2008 CN Future Links Junior Girls Order of Merit.

Sherlock captured the Sun Belt Conference Championship as well as a CN Canadian Women's Tour event in Winnipeg, while topping the 2008 National Women's Order of Merit.

Leblanc took home top-honours at the Quebec Women's Amateur Championship and tied for fourth in the individual standings of the 2008 World Amateur Team Championship.

Fresh off a solid 2008 season, Team Canada veteran Nick Taylor will anchor the 2009 edition of the Men's National Amateur Team. Taylor reached the round of 32 at the U.S. Men's Amateur; tied for second as an individual at the World Amateur Team Championships; tied for second at the NCAA Division 1 finals; finished 53rd at the RBC Canadian Open; and missed the cut by only three strokes at the U.S. Open. The lone holdover from the 2008 squad Taylore also topped the Men's National Order of Merit in 2008 and returns for his third year with the National Amateur Team.

Rejoining the National Team program after a year hiatus is Eugene Wong, who began the 2008 season by winning the BC High School Boy's title, then won the Callaway Junior World Golf Championships, as well as the B.C. Junior Boys and Men's Amateur Championships last year. Wong also finished second at the 2008 Canadian Men's Amateur Championship and topped the 2008 CN Future Links Junior Boys Order of Merit.

Matt Hill of Forest, Ont. graduates from the Development Team to the Amateur Team after a stellar season in 2008, while rookie Lindsay Renolds rounds out the men's squad.

As part of Team Canada, the RCGA also named a 22-and-under Development Team featuring five male and four female athletes. The Development Team is designed to help facilitate the transition for Canada's top young players from the junior to the senior amateur ranks.

The total number of athletes in the 2009 National Team Program was reduced from 26 to 17 in order to bring a more inclusive program with amplified support to each athlete. In 2008, the Men's Amateur Team was comprised of six athletes while the Women's side featured five. The Men's Developmental Team's was reduced from eight players in 2008 while the Women's Developmental Team was reduced by three players for the 2009 season. One additional male Development Team member will be named to join the team by March 31, 2009.

"We are proud to welcome each of these athletes to Team Canada 2009," said Jeff Thompson, the RCGA's Chief Sport Development Officer. "With a concentrated focus on results, we've streamlined the size of the team for 2009 in order to deliver a more comprehensive program and increased coaching and sports science support to this collection of our country's top athletes."

The following athletes have been selected to Canada's 2009 National Amateur Golf Team:

Women's National Team
Sue Kim, Langley, B.C.
Maude-Aimée LeBlanc, Windsor, Que.
Kira Meixner, Richmond, B.C.
Stephanie Sherlock, Barrie, Ont.

Men's National Team
Matt Hill, Forest, Ont.
Lindsay Renolds, Christina Lake, B.C.
Nick Taylor, Abbotsford, B.C.
Eugene Wong, North Vancouver, B.C.

The following athletes have been selected to the 2009 National Development Team (22-and-under):

Women's Development Team
Anne Catherine Tanguay, Quebec City, Que.
Jennifer Kirby, Paris, Ont.
Rebecca Lee-Bentham, Toronto, Ont.
Nicole Vandermade, Brantford, Ont.

Men's Development Team
Julien Goulet, St-Roch de l'Achigan, Que.
Richard Jung, Toronto, Ont.
Mathieu Rivard, Granby, Que.
Mitch Sutton, London, Ont.
TBD (*March 31, 2009)

The 2009 coaching team remains intact with Henry Brunton returning as the men's coach and Dean Spriddle returning as the women's coach.

The National Amateur Team program is designed to offer athletes a year-round environment which incorporates state of the art coaching and sport science expertise. The intent of this aggressive program is to aid Canada's top up and coming amateur players in all areas of their development to produce the best golfers in the world.

The program encompasses fitness, sports psychology, nutrition, technique development and exposure in international competition. Leaders in the field of sport science are an integral aspect of building and executing the program from the perspective of mental management, strength and conditioning as well as planning and periodization.

The RCGA's Player Development programs have helped to foster the development of many Canadian players including; Jon Mills, Alena Sharp, David Hearn; Brad Fritsch; Chris Baryla; Richard Scott; James Lepp; Dustin Risdon; Jessica Shepley and Cindy Pacesnik.

More information about the National Amateur Team is available on line at www.rcga.org/teamcanada.

ABOUT THE RCGA NATIONAL TEAM PROGRAM
The RCGA National Team Program incorporates advanced coaching, sport science expertise, training camps and world-class competition. The RCGA 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 the RCGA's High Performance Program, provides access to world class resources including coaching, nutrition, sport science, mental management, equipment and elite competitive opportunities.

For more information about Team Canada or to make a donation towards the development of Canada's future golf stars, visit www.rcga.org.

ABOUT THE ROYAL CANADIAN GOLF ASSOCIATION
The Royal Canadian Golf Association (RCGA) is the governing body of golf in Canada, representing 377,000 members at 1,600 clubs across the country. Recognized by Sport Canada as the National Sports Organization (NSO) for golf in this country, the RCGA's mission is to grow participation in and passion for the sport while upholding the integrity and traditions of the game. The RCGA conducts programs and services to help shape the future of golf in Canada. High performance athlete development, CN Future Links, Canada's national junior golf program, turfgrass and environmental research, the Canadian Golf Hall of Fame and Museum, Rules of Golf and amateur status, handicapping and course rating are only some of the initiatives the association leads for golf in Canada. In addition, the RCGA 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 showcase the best in Canadian golf.