Local golfer Ethan Wilson, 17, will represent St. Albert on a national scale after being announced last week as one of the 13 men who made the national junior team.
The announcement is a long time coming for Wilson, who first got into the sport by chance in his childhood.
“My family [are members] at the Glendale Golf and Country Club and there’s a pool there,” said Wilson. “I used to go to the pool and then kind of migrated toward the driving range and then to the course.
“I fell in love [with the sport] and now I golf competitively all throughout Canada.”
Golfing casually and golfing professionally are two very different mindsets. Wilson said he realized his talent after placing well in a few tournaments, which convinced him to take his passion to the next level.
“I started playing a couple of tournaments every year, and then it started to get pretty competitive,” said Wilson. “I thought of the next steps — spending summers down south, playing college, and then eventually professional golf.
“There was a point through some of those tournaments where I thought I could take this to the next level.”
The process of making the junior team dates back to September. Wilson travelled to Toronto to take part in the selection camp. Twenty-two golfers from across the country competed for 13 spots at the Professional Golfers’ Association (PGA) operated Tournament Players Club golf course.
“It was cool. I knew it was a pretty big event with all the top players in Canada,” said Wilson. “It was a couple of days of training and doing some drills and getting to know everyone.
“There was a three-day tournament at the end of the week. I was fortunate enough to play pretty well, so it was awesome.”
Wilson has known about his spot on the team for quite some time — he was informed a few weeks after the camp — but the news was just made official last week. He said it was a special moment to find out he would be the lone Alberta golfer on the team.
“It was pretty special. Coach called me, and it was so cool,” said Wilson. “I’m the only person from Alberta, so it feels good to represent St. Albert, the Glendale, and my home.”
Wilson's winter season is booked up. He plans to spend a lot of time attending various training camps and tournaments while repping the team.
“The top 13 golfers represent Canada throughout our tournament season wearing the merchandise and sponsors,” said Wilson. “[There are] training camps all throughout the winter that we go to as a team to develop and practice together.”
Wilson's goal is simple as he takes this next step: to get better.
“I’m developing my whole game and getting to know a lot of people and then taking the next step, hopefully, to college golf and one day professional.”
