St. Catharines Golf & Country Club set to host the tenth playing of the world championship, featuring 23 teams and 69 competitors
ST. CATHARINES, Ont. – The final field is now set ahead of the tenth playing of the World Junior Girls Golf Championship, featuring 22 countries and 69 players competing at St. Catharines Golf & Country Club in St. Catharines, Ont.
In total, 23 teams will battle for the team championship while also competing for individual honours, with the individual champion earning an exemption into the 2026 CPKC Women’s Open, taking place at Royal Mayfair Golf Club in Edmonton, Alta., August 17-23, 2026. The field features four players in the top 100, nine players in the top 200 and 21 in the top 500 on the World Amateur Golf Ranking (WAGR).
Golf Canada previously announced the six competitors that will represent Team Canada at the tournament and now have set the team rosters for the championship. Team Canada 1 will be represented by Shauna Liu of Maple, Ont. (no. 113 WAGR), Michelle Xing of Richmond Hill, Ont. (no. 142 WAGR), and Clairey Lin of Langley, B.C. (no. 174 WAGR). Both Liu and Lin were part of Team Canada 1 last year that finished as runners-up to the Republic of Korea. Last year, Liu finished T7, and Lin was T16 in the individual standings. Xing will be making her second appearance in the world championship, having previously represented Canada in 2022. Team Canada 1 will be led by Team Canada – NextGen Girls Head Coach, Jeff MacDonald of Chester, N.S.
Team Canada 2 will be represented by Clara Ding of White Rock, B.C. (no. 177 WAGR), Eileen Park of Red Deer, Alta. (no. 469 WAGR) and Kendria Wang of Vancouver, B.C. (no. 528 WAGR). Park will be competing in her third straight championship, having represented Canada the past two tournaments. Last year, Park finished T34 in the individual standings and helped Team Canada 2 finish T12. Ding and Wang will both be making their first appearances at the World Junior Girls Golf Championship. Team Canada 2 will be led by Team Canada – NextGen Girls Assistant Coach, Jennifer Ha of Calgary, Alta.
The Republic of Korea enter as defending champions, edging out Team Canada 1 last year in Mississauga, Ont. through a tiebreaker to win their third championship. The Republic of Korea are the most successful team in tournament history. In addition to three championships, the team has also finished as runner-up three times (2016, 2017, 2023).
Along with the Republic of Korea and Canada, three past champions are also in the field including, Italy (2018), 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.
This year’s tournament will mark the debut of Argentina, who will be competing for the first time. Last year, Morocco made its debut while Iceland and Poland will be making their third consecutive appearances after debuting in 2023. India was set to make their tournament debut in St. Catharines but have withdrawn from the competition.
This year’s field is highlighted by Seojin Park from the Republic of Korea (Korea) who is the lowest ranked player in the field at no. 39 on WAGR. Park will be making her third straight appearance at the World Junior Girls Golf Championship, having been apart of Korea’s championship team last year and runner-up finish in 2023. Park has had two top 10 finishes individually, finishing T4 in 2024 and T8 in 2023. Joining Park are teammates, Yunseo Yang (no. 62 on WAGR) and Yeon Seo Kim (no. 128 WAGR). France will also field a strong team with Louise Landgraf (no. 75 WAGR), Alice Kong (no. 83 WAGR) and Giselle Zhao (no. 423 WAGR). Kong is the lone returnee for France and helped her team finish T4 with Denmark last year and finished 20th in the individual standings. Mia Hammond returns for the United States (no. 320 WAGR) after competing in 2023. Hammond helped the Americans to a sixth-place finish, and T17 finish individually. For the full player roster, please click here.
“We are excited to announce the full field ahead of the tenth playing of the World Junior Girls Golf Championship this week in St. Catharines. Many players compete in prestigious amateur events around the world and strong finishes can change rankings quite significantly. The difference in ability is marginal at this level, which sets up this tournament to be a competitive one,” said Adam Cinel, Tournament Director, Golf Canada. “We want to thank St. Catharines for their exceptional assistance in the lead up to tournament week. In addition, the tournament organizing committee who have gone to great lengths to ensure this is a memorable week for everyone participating in this prestigious world championship.”
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 & 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.
“On behalf of the members at the St. Catharines Golf & Country Club we are proud to bring the world to our doorstep. It will be wonderful to see how the best junior-aged women in the world play the golf course we know and love,” said Cameron Thin, Head Professional, St. Catharines Golf & Country Club. “With the depth of talent in the field, our members will also look forward to following their careers moving forward as many will likely become the future stars of the game. Given the proven history of this event, we are likely going to watch future major champions compete here at the Club.”
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 2025 World Junior Girls Golf Championship is free for all spectators. For more information on the championship, please click here. To follow the leaderboard during the tournament, please click here.