Team Canada 1 is set to defend the title against the largest field in tournament history featuring 23 countries and 72 competitors
Mississauga, Ont. – Canada will once again play host to the world’s best junior golfers at the 2024 World Junior Girls Golf Championship. The annual global showcase will be contested September 30 – October 5 at Credit Valley Golf & Country Club in Mississauga, Ont. The ninth edition of the world championship will feature the largest field in tournament history, with 23 countries and 72 competitors in Mississauga. In total, 24 teams will compete for the championship while also competing for individual honours. The individual champion will earn an exemption into the 2025 CPKC Women’s Open being held at Mississaugua Golf and Country Club in Mississauga, Ont., August 18-24, 2025.
“We are very excited to get the ninth playing of this prestigious championship underway next week at Credit Valley Golf and Country Club as we welcome the world’s best junior golfers to Canada,” said Adam Cinel, Tournament Director, Golf Canada. “This championship has grown each year and has become a showcase event on our schedule, featuring talented young athletes competing for team and individual glory. We want to thank the staff and membership of Credit Valley Golf and Country Club and the City of Mississauga for being incredible partners and welcoming hosts.”
Team Canada 1 will be defending the championship after a thrilling final round in 2023 that saw them push ahead of the Republic of Korea to win the title for the first time in tournament history. Canada will be represented with two teams again this year. Team Canada 1 is represented by 15-year-old Shauna Liu of Maple, Ont., 14-year-old Aphrodite Deng of Calgary, Alta., and 14-year-old Clairey Lin of Langley, B.C.
Liu, a Team Canada NextGen member secured her spot on the team after winning the 2024 Canadian Junior Girls Championship in July at Marine Drive Golf Club in Vancouver, B.C. Liu also won the Team Canada NextGen Selection Camp tournament last month at TPC Toronto at Osprey Valley in Caledon, Ont. to secure her place on the 2025 Team Canada NextGen squad. She added her third title of the year after winning the CDW Girls Junior All-Star Championship in Riverwoods, Ill. last month as part of the American Junior Golf Association (AJGA).
Lin earned her spot through the Team Canada NextGen Selection Camp qualifying tournament and has won twice on the AJGA, including The AJGA Panama Junior, presented by St. Georges Bank in March and The Spin Junior Championship in August. Lin was also runner-up at the 2024 Canadian Junior Girls Championship.
Deng qualified as the low eligible Canadian on the World Amateur Golf Ranking (WAGR) as of August 7. Deng was ranked no. 175 and has since improved to no. 160 and is Canada’s lowest ranked player. She has won twice as part of the AJGA this season including The Nelly Invitational in Bradenton, Fla. in May and the New Jersey Junior Girls Championship in West Windsor Township, N.J. in June.
Team Canada 2 is represented by 15-year-old Eileen Park of Red Deer, Alta., 17-year-old Lindsay McGrath and 14-year-old Nobelle Park, both of Oakville, Ont. The trio all earned their places through qualification at the Team Canada NextGen Selection Camp. McGrath finished second followed by Nobelle Park and Eileen Park. McGrath has been part of the Team Canada NextGen squad for two seasons and won the Visit Goldsboro NC Junior Championship in Goldsboro, N.C. in April as part of the AJGA. Nobelle Park won the inaugural Canadian U15 Championship last month at Elmira Golf Club in Elmira, Ont. along with three Ontario Provincial Championships this season. Eileen Park is the lone returning player for Canada this year’s tournament, having played for Team Canada 2 last year in Brampton, Ont. This season, she won the NextGen Pacific Championship at the Summerland Golf and Country Club in Summerland, B.C. in May and the AJGA Junior All-Star at College Station in College Station, Texas in March.
Jeff MacDonald returns as the coach of Team Canada 1. MacDonald of Chester, N.S. coached Team Canada 1 to the championship last season and is currently coaching the Team Canada NextGen program. MacDonald has over 20 years of coaching experience, is a three-time PGA of Atlantic Canada Coach of the Year recipient and a past provincial coach of the Nova Scotia Golf Association.
Jennifer Ha of Calgary, Alta. will be the coach of Team Canada 2. Ha returns after coaching Team Canada at the 2022 World Junior Girls Championship. She spent eight years as part of Golf Canada’s National Team Program as a player and earned five NCAA wins as a member of the Kent State Golden Flashes. Ha played four years professionally including one year on the LPGA Tour. She is currently the assistant coach of the Team Canada – NextGen girls’ program.
Joining Canada are past champions, Italy (2018), Republic of Korea (2015, 2019), Spain (2017, 2022) and the United States (2014). In the eight-year history of the tournament, aside from the host nation, six other countries have participated in every tournament including: Denmark, England, Italy, Mexico, Spain, and Sweden. The Republic of Korea (Korea) is the most successful team in tournament history. In addition to two championships, the team has also finished in second on three occasions (2016, 2017, 2023). Sweden has finished on the podium on four occasions including two runner-up finishes (2014, 2022) and two third-place finishes (2015, 2017). The United States has also earned a second-place finish (2018) and third-place finish (2016) along with being the inaugural champions. In addition to tournament wins, Team Canada 1 and Italy have also earned a third-place finish in 2014 and 2019 respectively. This year’s tournament will mark the debut of Hong Kong, China, and Morocco who will both be competing for the first time. Last year’s tournament saw the first appearances from Iceland, Peru, and Poland. All three countries are returning this year.
This year’s field for the World Junior Girls Golf Championship features nine players in the top 200 of the WAGR. Soomin Oh from Korea is the lowest-ranked player in the field currently at no. 14. Oh was part of Korea’s runner-up finish last year in Brampton, Ont. and finished third in the individual competition. Teammate Seojin Park also returns this year and is currently ranked no. 80. The United States feature two players inside the top 200 including Nikki Oh (no. 112) and Scarlett Schremmer (no. 184). France and Hong Kong, China both feature two players inside the top 200. France will be represented by Sara Brentcheneff (no. 97) and Alice Kong (no. 128). Arianna Lau (no. 67) and Sophie Han (no. 98) will represent Hong Kong, China.
Several players who have competed in the World Junior Girls Golf Championship have gone on to great success on the LPGA Tour. Canadian Brooke Henderson, a 13-time LPGA Tour winner and Canada’s winningest professional golfer, finished fourth in the individual competition at the inaugural championship in 2014. Other notable competitors who went on to become LPGA Tour winners include Atthaya Thitikul of Thailand who won back-to-back World Junior titles in 2018 and 2019 as well as Yuka Saso of the Philippines who won the 2016 World Junior title. 2023 CPKC Women’s Open winner, Megan Khang of the United States competed in the inaugural tournament in 2014. Other former World Junior competitors who have gone on to win on the LPGA Tour include Hannah Green of Australia as well as Maja Stark and Linn Grant of Sweden. Hye-Jin Choi from Korea won both the 2015 team and individual championship at the World Junior Girls Golf Championship and has earned several top five finishes on the LPGA Tour.
Credit Valley Golf and Country Club will play host for the world championship and boasts a challenging 18-hole Robbie Robinson designed parkland course. Nestled alongside the winding Credit River and the natural setting of the valley, it offers members a hidden golf and country club oasis within the bustling cityscape of Mississauga.
