Sudarshan Yellamaraju, Anna Hung and Leah John named
2025 Emerging Professional of the Year Award recipients
OAKVILLE, Ont. – Golf Canada is proud to announce the names of 20 professional athletes that have been named to the 2026 men’s and women’s Team Canada squads.
Golf Canada’s National Team program aims to help more Canadian athletes achieve success on the world’s leading professional tours, including the PGA TOUR and the LPGA Tour. The Team Canada program supports a group of experienced amateurs on the pathway to playing professional golf along with a group of young professional golfers building their careers as touring pros.
The professional players will join the 34 amateur and junior players that were previously announced as part of the Team Canada program last December. 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.
2026 Team Canada Rosters:
Team Canada – Women
| NAME | AGE | HOMETOWN | TOUR | TURNED PRO | YEARS IN PROGRAM |
| Monet Chun | 25 | Richmond Hill, Ont. | Epson | 2024 | 8 |
| Savannah Grewal | 24 | Mississauga, Ont. | Epson | 2023 | 4 |
| Anna Huang | 17 | Vancouver, B.C. | LET | 2025 | 3 |
| Yeji Kwon | 20 | Port Coquitlam, B.C. | LET | 2024 | 4 |
| Leah John | 25 | Vancouver, B.C. | LPGA | 2024 | 3 |
| Mary Parsons | 26 | Delta, B.C. | Epson | 2022 | 3 |
| Brooke Rivers | 20 | Brampton, Ont. | Epson | 2024 | 5 |
| Brigitte Thibault | 27 | Rosemère, Que. | Epson | 2022 | 7 |
Team Canada – Men
| NAME | AGE | HOMETOWN | TOUR | TURNED PRO | YEARS IN PROGRAM |
| Matthew Anderson | 25 | Mississauga, Ont. | KFT | 2023 | 5 |
| Peyton Callens | 26 | Langton, Ont. | AMR | 2023 | 3 |
| Myles Creighton | 30 | Digby, N.S. | KFT | 2018 | 4 |
| Piercen Hunt | 24 | Calgary, Alta. | TBD | 2024 | 4 |
| Henry Lee | 27 | Coquitlam, B.C. | ASA, KOR | 2021 | 3 |
| Stuart Macdonald | 31 | Vancouver, B.C. | KFT | 2017 | 8 |
| Brendan MacDougall | 29 | Calgary, Alta. | AMR | 2022 | 7 |
| Brady McKinlay | 25 | Lacombe, Alta. | TBD | 2024 | 2 |
| Étienne Papineau | 29 | St-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Que. | AMR | 2022 | 8 |
| Noah Steele | 28 | Kingston, Ont. | AMR | 2021 | 6 |
| Hunter Thomson | 22 | Calgary, Alta. | AMR | 2025 | 4 |
| Johnny Travale | 25 | Hamilton, Ont. | TBD | 2023 | 6 |
“Golf Canada is proud to announce the professional athletes selected to the 2026 Team Canada Men’s and Women’s National Team Program. Many of these players achieved significant milestones and enjoyed strong seasons last year, and we look forward to supporting their continued development across all tours while providing them with the resources they need to excel in 2026,” said Paul Perrier, Chief Sport Officer, Golf Canada. “We also extend our sincere thanks to the generous donors of the Golf Canada Foundation and our corporate partners. Their ongoing support of player development is critical in equipping our athletes to train, compete, and pursue success at the highest levels. We are also grateful to the Selection Committee for their diligence and commitment to a rigorous, athlete-focused selection process.”
Team Canada Coaches…
As previously announced, the coaching staff for the men’s and women’s Team Canada squads will return in full for the 2026 season. Team Canada – Men will be led by head coach Derek Ingram (Winnipeg, Man.) and assistant coach Louis Melanson (Moncton, N.B.). The coaching staff will be supported by mental performance coach, Dr. Adrienne Leslie-Toogood (Winnipeg, Man.) along with strength and conditioning coach Greg Redman (Kelowna, B.C.). Team Canada – Women will be led by Stollery Family Women’s head coach Salimah Mussani (Vancouver, B.C.) along with associate coach Jennifer Greggain (Vancouver, B.C.), strength and conditioning coach Andrea Kosa (Calgary, Alta.) and mental performance coach Judy Goss (Toronto, Ont.).
Team Canada coaches work with athletes and their personal support teams to develop annual training plans and identify areas to impact athlete growth in all areas of their game. Athletes are also supported by an integrated sport science team that includes physical conditioning, mental performance, and mental health support. Players are brought together regularly for training camps with national team coaches and sport science staff.
Team Canada Athletes….
The women’s professional team sees seven returning players including 17-year-old Anna Huang of Vancouver, B.C. Huang turned professional in 2025 and went on to win twice on the Ladies European Tour (LET). Her first professional win came at the La Sella Open in Spain in September, she followed that up with a win at the Lacoste Ladies Open de France the next week. Huang added two top 10’s and six top 20’s over 19 tournaments and finished 11th in the Order of Merit on LET in her rookie season. Leah John of Vancouver, B.C. also found the winner’s circle last season, claiming the Four Winds Invitational in August for her first professional win. John added two top 10 finishes in 20 starts on the Epson Tour. In December, John finished in the top 25 at LPGA Final Qualifying to earn her LPGA Tour card for 2026. Five women will be competing on the Epson Tour this year including, Brooke Rivers of Brampton, Ont. Last season, Rivers earned five top 10’s including a third place finish at the Casella Golf Championship in July on the Epson Tour. Also returning are a pair of 2025 Epson Tour rookies including Monet Chun of Richmond Hill, Ont., who earned four top 20 finishes and made the cut in 16 of 19 tournaments played last season. Along with Chun is Mary Parsons of Delta, B.C. Last season, Parsons earned two top 25 finishes in 12 events on Epson. Savannah Grewal of Mississauga, Ont. returns to the Epson Tour after competing on the LPGA Tour last season. Grewal earned five top 50 finishes in 16 starts on the LPGA Tour. Brigitte Thibault of Rosemère, Que. will also be returning to Epson following three top 40 finishes last year. Yeji Kwon of Port Coquitlam, B.C. will be returning to the program for 2026. Last season, Kwon earned two top 40 finishes in 18 starts last year on Epson.
The men’s professional team sees 10 returning players from 2025 and two additional returnees from past years. Three players will compete on the Korn Ferry Tour (KFT) this season, including Myles Creighton of Digby, N.S., Stuart Macdonald of Vancouver, B.C. and Matthew Anderson of Mississauga, Ont. Last season, Creighton earned his first Korn Ferry Tour title at the Wichita Open in June. He added another top five, a top 10 and four top 25 finishes in 25 events on Tour. This season, Creighton has earned two top 25 finishes in five events on the KFT. Macdonald earned a runner-up finish at the Tulum Championship last May and added a top five, three top 10’s and five top 25 finishes on the KFT last season. Macdonald has two additional top 25 finishes this season in five events played. Anderson collected a third place finish, a top five, two top 10’s and three top 25’s last season on KFT; he also finished T47 at the 2025 RBC Canadian Open. Five players will compete on PGA TOUR Americas including Brendan MacDougall of Calgary, Alta., Hunter Thomson of Calgary, Alta., Noah Steele of Kingston, Ont., Étienne Papineau of St-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Que. and returning member, Peyton Callens of Langton, Ont. Callens was last a junior team national team member in 2019. Also returning to the national team after two seasons is Henry Lee of Coquitlam, B.C. Lee spent the past two years competing on the Vancouver Golf Tour and won twice in 2025 while adding five runner-up finishes. Lee earned playing status for both the Korean Tour and Asian Tour for the 2026 season. Piercen Hunt of Calgary, Alta. and Brady McKinlay of Lacombe, Alta. and Johnny Travale of Hamilton, Ont. who competed on PGA TOUR Americas last season will return to the national team for 2026. Sudarshan Yellamaraju of Mississauga, Ont. and A.J. Ewart of Coquitlam, B.C. have both graduated from the Team Canada program, following their progression to the PGA TOUR this season.
For full Team Canada athlete and coach bios along with tournament results and additional information, please click here.
Team Canada is proudly supported by RBC, Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CPKC), Titleist, FootJoy, Puma, Foresight, Golf Canada Foundation and Sport Canada.
EMERGING PROFESSIONAL PLAYERS OF THE YEAR AWARD
Golf Canada Foundation is proud to announce Sudarshan Yellamaraju as the male recipient of the Emerging Professional of the Year Award, presented by Andrew Cook. The female co-recipients are Anna Huang and Leah John.
“We are thrilled to continue the Emerging Professional awards again this year, with three deserving players getting a head start on their 2026 season with a grant to offset the many costs associated with starting your professional career,” said Martin Barnard, Chief Executive Officer, Golf Canada Foundation. “Andrew Cook has been a long-time supporter of the Foundation and golf in Canada, and his generous support is meaningful and impactful for Team Canada players again this year.”
The Emerging Professional of the Year Award is funded by a generous donation from Andrew Cook, a proud Trustee of the Golf Canada Foundation and past President of Golf Canada. Each year, the top male and female professionals receive a $10,000 grant to support their next season. Past recipients include PGA TOUR member Taylor Pendrith, current and former Korn Ferry Tour members Matthew Anderson, Myles Creighton, Stuart Macdonald, Wil Bateman, Etienne Papineau and current and former LPGA Tour members Maude‑Aimée Leblanc, Savannah Grewal and Maddie Szeryk.
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