St. Catharines Golf & Country Club set to host the tenth playing of the world championship
ST. CATHARINES, Ont. – Golf Canada announced Thursday the six athletes that will comprise Team Canada 1 and Team Canada 2 at the tenth playing of the World Junior Girls Golf Championship, taking place September 15 – 20 at St. Catharines Golf & Country Club in St. Catharines, Ont.
Representing Team Canada will be six members of the NextGen Team: Shauna Liu of Maple, Ont., Michelle Xing of Richmond Hill, Ont., Clairey Lin of Langley, B.C., Eileen Park of Red Deer, Alta., Kendria Wang of Vancouver, B.C. and Clara Ding of White Rock, B.C. Team designations will be announced closer to the tournament.
Liu recently won her second consecutive Canadian Junior Girls Championship earlier this month, coming from behind to win the Brokenshire Trophy. The 16-year-old has four additional wins this season including The Peloton Glencoe Invitational as part of the She Plays Golf Championship Series, the Junior Orange Bowl International, the NXXT Epson Tour Qualifier at LPGA INTL and The Nelly Invitational on the AJGA. Liu will be making her second consecutive appearance at the WJG and was part of Team Canada 1 last year and finished T7 in the individual standings.
Xing won the 111th Canadian Women’s Amateur Championship in July to join a prestigious list of past champions. The 17-year-old will be making her second appearance at the World Junior Girls Golf Championship, having represented Canada at the 2022 tournament. Xing has won five tournaments over the past two years.
Lin will be making her second consecutive appearance at the WJG. Lin was part of Team Canada 1 and finished T16 in the individual standings last year. The 17-year-old has one win this season, at the AJGA Thunderbird Heather Farr Classic, along with a pair of runner-up finishes and a third-place finish at the Canadian Junior Girls Championship earlier this month.
Park will be competing in her third straight WJG, having represented Canada the past two tournaments. Last year, the 16-year-old finished T34 in the individual standings and helped Team Canada 2 finish T12. This season, Park has earned three runner-up finishes in AJGA events.
Ding and Wang will both be making their first appearances at the WJG. The 14-year-old Ding has two wins this season, including the GolfBC Group BC Women’s Open as part of the She Plays Golf Championship Series and the Women’s Orlando International Amateur Championship. Wang recently finished as runner-up at the Canadian Junior Girls Championship. The 16-year-old won three times last season.
“We are very proud and excited to announce the six players who will represent Team Canada at the 2025 World Junior Girls Golf Championship. All of the players have had very strong seasons and are deserving of this selection,” said Emily Phoenix, Director, High Performance, Golf Canada. “We are confident that both teams will be in the hunt for the championship and represent Canada proudly, led by our coaches Jeff and Jennifer.”
Team Canada – NextGen Girls Head Coach Jeff MacDonald of Chester, N.S. and Assistant Coach Jennifer Ha of Calgary, Alta. will be coaching Team Canada at the championship. MacDonald has over 20 years of coaching experience and is a three-time PGA of Atlantic Canada Coach of the Year recipient. He is a past provincial coach of the Nova Scotia Golf Association and is currently the Director of Instruction at Ashburn Golf in Halifax, N.S.
Ha 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 an associate professional at Priddis Greens in Calgary, Alta.
The tenth playing of the global showcase will feature 23 countries and 72 competitors in St. Catharines. In total, 24 teams will compete for the championship while also competing for individual honours. The individual champion will earn an exemption into the 2026 CPKC Women’s Open being held at the Royal Mayfair Golf Club in Edmonton, Alta., August 17-23, 2026.
“We are very excited for the tenth playing of this prestigious world championship to get underway next month at St. Catharines Golf and Country Club as we welcome the world’s best junior golfers to Canada,” said Adam Cinel, Tournament Director, Golf Canada. “The World Junior Girls Golf Championship is 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 St. Catharines Golf and Country Club for being exceptional partners and welcoming hosts.”
Joining Canada are past champions, Italy (2018), Republic of Korea (2015, 2019, 2024), Spain (2017, 2022) and the United States (2014). In the nine-year history of the tournament, aside from the host nation, five other countries have participated in every tournament including: England, Italy, Mexico, Spain and Sweden.
The Republic of Korea (Korea) are the most successful team in tournament history. In addition to three championships, the team has also finished in second on three occasions (2016, 2017, 2023).
Sweden have finished on the podium on four occasions including two runner-up finishes (2014, 2022) and two third place finishes (2015, 2017). The United States have also earned a second-place finish (2018) and two third place finishes (2016, 2024) along with being the inaugural champions. In addition to winning gold in 2023, Team Canada 1 has earned a second-place finish last year and a third-place finish in 2014. Italy also earned a third-place finish in 2014.
This year’s tournament will mark the debut of Argentina and India, who will both be competing for the first time. Last year, Morocco made their debut while Iceland and Poland will be making their third consecutive appearances after debuting in 2023.
The following is the full list of countries that will be competing in the tenth playing of the championship: Argentina, Austria, Belgium, Canada (Team 1 and Team 2), Chinese Taipei, Colombia, England, Finland, France, Germany, Iceland, India, Italy, Mexico, Morocco, Norway, Poland, Republic of Korea, Scotland, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the United States.
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 14-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 Jeeno 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 and Maja Stark and Linn Grant of Sweden. Hye-Jin Choi from the Republic of 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.
St. Catharines Golf and Country Club (STGCC) was founded in 1899 and redesigned by legendary architect Stanley Thompson. STGCC offers a par-72 championship layout featuring mature trees, strategic elevation changes, and scenic views along Dick’s Creek. As a proven venue for major amateur and professional events, including the Ontario Men’s Amateur (2024), USGA Junior Qualifiers (2023), and the Canadian PGA Women’s Championship, STGCC promises a world-class stage for the world’s next generation of golf stars.
Practice rounds for the 72-hole competition will take place September 15-16, with the first round of play set for Wednesday, September 17. The tournament’s closing ceremony will immediately follow the conclusion of play on Saturday, September 20.
Admission to the 2025 World Junior Girls Golf Championship is free for all spectators. For more information on the championship, please click here.
