What was your introduction to golf?
My dad taught me when I was young [and] my grandfather taught [him], so it was kind of passed down through the family. My grandfather was a pretty good golfer … I was on the golf course pretty much immediately. Around 10 or 11, I started playing tournaments and loved it.
How was your first B.C. winter away from Quebec?
It did not feel like winter. It was really confusing for a little while. I absolutely love seeing how people react to snow, because it’s something that I’m pretty used to, and it gets really bad sometimes. I’ve had my fair share of snowed-in days, but a snowed-in day is quite different here. I still enjoy it … I’ll take a snow day any day when it’s a couple inches.
What is your go-to rain jacket?
I stick to the usual FootJoy rain jacket. We always get those ones on the team. Even as a kid when I would see golfers on the golf course … it’d be a rainy day [and] everyone put on their FootJoy rain jackets … and I was like, ‘they’re a big deal.’ It’s a big golf brand, especially for rain gear.
I’m not used to this much rain … I only have golf stuff to wear when it rains. So I end up looking like a golfer on and off the course.
Was it a dream come true to represent Team Canada?
I didn’t think it was going to be possible this past year. I felt like I didn’t perform that well in nationals, but they gave me the opportunity, and I know that there’s only a few times that I’m gonna be able to do that, so I definitely said yes.
Representing Canada [and] the leaf is a huge deal. That’s pretty much the dream for anyone, to represent their country … so the fact that I got to do that was amazing, [and for] everyone else that helped me get to that point … It was nice to show people that I made it to that point.
What was your trip to Finland like?
That was such a great experience! I’ve always had connections [to other golfers] through coaches and teammates but I’ve never met them before. We all got along instantly, it was amazing! We all were there for the same reasons … to do the best we could. The fact that we were representing Canada was so cool to every one of us.
How did you overcome a challenging front-nine at FISU?
I was in my head still. I’d be like, ‘Oh, I had a bad nine,’ and then it was like, ‘Oh, man, I’m playing in Finland right now!’ So coming through the [front] nine, I remember thinking about that … I saw the big board with everyone’s names coming up … and I was like, ‘This is not that bad! This is great!’ And so that kind of carried on to the back nine.
What does it mean to play golf the “Cascades way?”
It’s all about how you interact with people. Cascades always have leadership and politeness … win or lose, [we’re] always respectful.
Do you have any game-day superstitions?
If I play well my first round, I’ll stick to the exact same routine the second day. I’ll always use whatever ball marker I feel like is the luckiest and keep it going. I used the same ball marker throughout this entire season. I have a concerning amount because I always get one as a little gift from each golf course … but I used the same one every single tournament this year, and it worked well.
Have you picked up anything from golfing with Nick Taylor?
I think the fact that he does that much work with our school is amazing. He still has connections in the area which are really important. It’s nice seeing that he still makes the time for everyone around [Abbotsford].
Q&A has been edited for length and readability.
