2012 Can Am Matches

On the second day of the Can-Am Junior Team Matches, the American team earned 175 of 288 possible points to defeat the Canadian squad 254 to 178 to earn the 2012 title of Can Am Champions.

Sunday’s format featured singles match play with the South Carolina junior golfers facing off against junior golfers from the Canadian Province of Ontario.  Eighteen points were available per match – one per each hole.  In the event of a tie, each team gets ½ of a point.

The first day of the Can-Am Junior Team Matches had the American team holding a 14 point margin over the Canadian juniors 79 to 65 at Wachesaw Plantation Club in Murrells Inlet, SC.

The young ladies led off the Matches Sunday with the American Team consisting of the top eight female players from South Carolina winning all but one match.  Lauren Stephenson (Lexington) set a Can Am record by winning 10 up over her opponent.  After the eight Matches had concluded, the Americans added to their first day lead by a margin that was all but out of reach.  The boys took note of the exceptional play from their female teammates and added to the lead, also winning all but one match.  After the dust settled, it was a record day of great play from both Golf Association of Ontario and South Carolina Junior Golf Association players.  The American team was just too much of a force and as a result the Joseph T. Simons Can Am Trophy will remain in South Carolina.

It should be noted that the matches are less about the competition and more about building relationships and celebrating the growth of Junior Golf in both Ontario and South Carolina.  The Wachesaw Planatation members and club staff make this a truly unique event.  The 2012 Can Am Junior Team Matches were a success in terms of growing the game and strengthening the relationship between neighboring countries, especially with the addition of the females this year.  The American team win of the 14th annual edition of the Matches put the record to a 11-3 margin in the win-loss column in the 14 year history of the event in favor of the U.S.

A special note that this event would not be possible without the continued support from Wachesaw Plantation and more specifically a group of its members who help fund this event, appropriately named the “Wachesaw Warriors.”  Also, a special thanks to all of the host families that housed some of the players this year.

The matches were contested over the 6,853 (boys) / 5,940 (girls) yard par 72 Wachesaw Plantation Club in Murrells Inlet, SC.  Wachesaw Plantation has hosted the matches since 2002 and has agreed to host the event through 2018.   The series stands at 10 – 3 in favor of the SC team.  The team from South Carolina is selected by using the HERITAGE CLASSIC FOUNDATION Standings System from the previous December’s point standings.  The top eight ranked players are invited.

Overall Results USA – 254, Canada – 178

Day 2 Results USA – 175, Canada – 113
Taylor Ann Dodson 11– , Zaafina Naqvi – 7
Sydney Legacy – 11, Sonia Nagindas – 7
Chelsey Couch – 11 ½, Annika Haynes  – 6 ½
Jessica Hoang – 10 ½, Courtney Tolton – 7 ½
Kaitlin Matheson – 8 ½, Grace Chung – 9 ½
Kelli Murphy – 9 ½, Sophie Kitchen – 8 ½ -more-
Lauren Stephenson – 14, Meghan Bennett – 4
McKenzie Talbert – 12, Meghan McDougall – 6
Grant Waggoner – 9 ½, Tony Gil – 8 ½
Jackson Moore  – 11, Gavin McQueenie – 7
Jonathan Hardee – 12, Conner Watt – 6
Carson Young – 12 ½, Carter Simon – 5 ½
William Starke – 10 ½, Osama Khan – 7 ½
Austin Langdale – 12, Nicholas Crozier – 6
Matthew Nesmith – 12, Jeffrey Gardner – 6
Cody Proveaux – 7 ½, Taewon Kim – 10 ½

Day One Results
USA – 79, Canada – 65
Nesmith / Starke – 10, Kim / Gardner – 8
Proveaux / Moore – 9, Khan / McQueenie – 9
Langdale / Young – 10 ½, Watt / Simon – 7 ½
Hardee / Waggoner – 9 ½, Crozier / Bates – 8 ½
Talbert / Hoang – 7 ½, McDougall / Chung – 10 ½
Stephenson / Legacy – 10 ½, Bennett / Haynes – 7 ½
Couch / Murphy – 9 ½, Tolton / Kitchen – 8 ½
Matheson / Dodson – 12 ½, Naqvi / Nagindas – 5 ½

South Carolina Team
Cody Proveaux – Leesville, SC
McKenzie Talbert – North Augusta, SC
Matthew Nesmith – North Augusta, SC
Lauren Stephenson – Lexington, SC
Austin Langdale – Townville, SC
Kelli Murphy – Elgin, SC
William Starke – Chapin, SC
Kaitlin Matheson – Anderson, SC
Carson Young – Pendleton, SC
Jessica Hoang – North Augusta, SC
Jonathan Hardee – Greer, SC
Chelsey Couch – Ware Shoals, SC
Jackson Moore – Isle of Palms, SC
Sydney Legacy – Lexington, SC
Grant Waggoner – North Charleston, SC
Taylor Ann Dodson – Aiken, SC

Coaches: Joe Quick, Justin Fleming & Melanie Thomas

Canadian Team
Taewon Kim – Richmond Hill, Ontario
Meghan McDougall – Markham, Ontario
Jeffrey Gardner – Port Carling, Ontario
Meghan Bennett – Pickering, Ontario
Nicholas Crozier – Unionville, Ontario
Sophie Kitchen – Collingwood, Ontario
Osama Khan – Mississauga, Ontario
Grace Chung – Richmond Hill, Ontario
Carter Simon – Sutton, Ontario
Courtney Tolton – Mitchell, Ontario
Conner Watt – Mississauga, Ontario
Annika Haynes – Oakville, Ontario
Gavin McQueenie – Toronto, Ontario
Sonia Nagindas – Aurora, Ontario
Tony Gil – Markham, Ontario
Zaafina Naqvi – Sault Ste Marie,
Ontario Owen Bates – Mississauga, Ontario

Coaches: Mike Kelly, Jon Roy, Mary Ann Hayward & Claire Welsh