Golf Canada calls on Royal Colwood junior
Nolan Thoroughgood named to national development squad
Royal Colwood Golf Club has added a second member to the national program as junior Nolan Thoroughgood was named to Golf Canada’s development squad, joining Naomi Ko, who is a member of the amateur team.
The development squad — which includes five junior boys and five junior girls — continues to call Bear Mountain Resort home in the off-season as the team uses the facility as its official training centre from February to June.
“I’m definitely excited to officially be on the development team,” said Thoroughgood. “I knew that my last two years were pretty solid and that I was definitely in contention. I definitely had my hopes set on making that team, so when I received the invite I was definitely excited.”
The remainder of the team will reside with billets from February to June, practising after school and will compete in events wearing Canada’s colours. The teams were announced on Wednesday and a camp was held at Bear Mountain throughout the weekend.
“It will give me access to different opinions, technologies and practice plans. It’s a new learning environment and there’s lots to learn,” Thoroughgood, a 17-year-old Grade 12 student at Royal Bay who will attend Oregon State University next fall, said of the opportunity.
Thoroughgood competed in a number of high-end junior events this year, as well as the B.C. Men’s Amateur, which he won in 2016. He also participated in the B.C. and Canadian Juniors (finishing fourth in both events), the Canada Summer Games, the Glencoe Invitational (tied for seventh) and he won the Junior America’s Cup event in Washington. He, Keaton Gudz (Royal Colwood) and Tristan Mandur (Arbutus Ridge), represented B.C. at the Summer Games, where they finished second behind Quebec.
This will be Ko’s sixth year on Team Canada, spending three years on the development team (2013-15) before progressing to the national team. She is currently a junior at North Carolina State and has flourished in competition the last few years, qualifying for several LPGA events.
“Based on their outstanding performances this year, we are pleased to announce the young men and women chosen to represent Canada as part of the national team program,” Jeff Thompson, Golf Canada’s chief sport officer, said in a statement. “These talented athletes are a product of a circle of support that includes personal coaches, parents and provincial high-performance programs and will proudly represent Canada on the global golf stage.”
Joining Ko, 20, on the women’s team are Maddie Szeryk, Jaclyn Lee and Grace St-Germain, while Hugo Bernard, Josh Whalen, Joey Savoie and Richmond’s Chris Crisologo form the men’s squad.
Christopher Vandette, Johnny Travale, Peyton Callens and Thomas Critch join Thoroughgood on the boys’ development team, while Coquitlam’s Euna Han, Celeste Dao, Monet Chun, Ellie Szeryk and Alyssa DiMarcantonio form the girls’ squad.
Comox native Robert Ratcliffe is also the development squad’s lead coach.
The team held a camp at Bear Mountain this past week after the team was named.
“Camp was fun and it was nice to meet all the guys and to get to know the coach a bit better,” said Thoroughgood, who also benefits from the teaching experience of Mac McLeod at Royal Colwood throughout the year.
According to Golf Canada, the development squad program at Bear Mountain will immerse the young athletes in a focused centre of excellence, surrounded by world-class technical coaching staff and experts in the areas of mental performance, physiotherapy, biomechanics and nutrition.
The group will also tap into the training facilities at the Pacific Institute for Sport Excellence as well as attend school at Belmont Secondary in the mornings before training in the afternoons.