World No. 1 Jin Young Ko, Rising Star Rose Zhang & Canadian Sensation Brooke Henderson Headline Early Commitments to 2023 CPKC Women’s Open
Vancouver, B.C. (July 10, 2023) – Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CPKC), Golf Canada and the LPGA Tour today announced a new agreement for CPKC to extend its title sponsorship of the CPKC Women’s Open for up to four more years.
Since becoming title sponsor of the CPKC Women’s Open in November of 2013, CPKC has worked closely with Golf Canada to enhance Canada’s National Women’s Open Championship including the overall experience for players and fans. CPKC has also established a meaningful charitable legacy through CPKC Has Heart, which has helped raise more than $17.3M for heart health initiatives in the event’s host communities.
“We are excited to extend our partnership with Golf Canada as title sponsor of the CPKC Women’s Open and proud of the significant contributions this event has made to heart health in communities across Canada,” said Keith Creel, CPKC President and Chief Executive Officer. “The success of this tournament and the community benefits it brings have only grown in the last 10 years. We look forward to continuing that success in the years to come.”
In addition to being title sponsor of the CPKC Women’s Open, CPKC is extending its role as a premier partner of Golf Canada’s National Team Program (Team Canada) which supports Canadian emerging golf talents in their path to the LPGA Tour and PGA Tour. CPKC also proudly supports 13-time LPGA Tour winner Brooke Henderson along with Canadian golf legend Lorie Kane as CPKC Ambassadors. CPKC will also continue its support of the CPKC Women’s Leadership Summit as part of its multi-faceted support for Canadian women’s golf.
As part of CPKC’s title sponsorship extension, the prize purse for the CPKC Women’s Open will increase to $2.5M US, beginning with the 2023 event, August 22-27 at Shaughnessy Golf and Country Club in Vancouver.
“CPKC has made an incredible impact in supporting Canadian golf excellence and leaving a meaningful legacy in our host communities, and we are extremely honoured for their continued partnership.” said Golf Canada CEO Laurence Applebaum. “CPKC is a major supporter of women’s golf globally, and under the leadership of Keith Creel, their commitment to delivering a world-class experience for players, caddies, fans and charitable beneficiaries, has bolstered the status of Canada’s National Women’s Open to one of the premier events on the LPGA Tour.”
The new agreement keeps CPKC as the title sponsor for the 2025 and 2026 tournaments. The agreement contains an option to maintain the title sponsorship in 2027 and 2028. Additional terms of the partnership were not disclosed.
Early Field Commitments for 2023 CPKC Women’s Open….
Golf Canada and CPKC have also announced that many of the world’s top players have committed to compete in the 49th playing of Canada’s National Open Championship later this summer at Shaughnessy Golf & Country Club.
The list of early commitments features 9 of the current top-10 players on the 2023 Race to the CME Globe Standings, 9 of the current top-10 on the Rolex Rankings and 20 of the top-25 on the 2023 LPGA Tour Money List. Leading the field is Jin Young Ko, currently ranked no. 1 in the world and no. 3 on the current Race to the CME Globe Standings. The 2019 CPKC Women’s Open champion has won twice this season including the HSBC Women’s World Championship and the Cognizant Founders Cup.
Thirteen-time LPGA Tour winner and the winningest golfer in Canadian history Brooke Henderson of Smiths Falls, Ont., will join Ko in leading a field of early commitments including: Lydia Ko, Minjee Lee, Jennifer Kupcho, In Gee Chun, Danielle Kang, Lexi Thompson, Nelly Korda, Megan Khang, Sei Young Kim, Linn Grant, Stacy Lewis, and Paula Creamer.
Defending champion Paula Reto (2022) is among eight past CPKC Women’s Open champions competing for Canada’s National Open Championship including: Jin Young Ko (2019), Brooke Henderson (2018), Sung Hyun Park (2017), Ariya Jutanugarn (2016), Britney Lincicome (2011), Cristie Kerr (2006) and three-time winner Lydia Ko (2015, 2013, 2012) who will be chasing a record fourth CPKC Women’s Open title.
Shaughnessy Golf and Country Club will welcome 14 LPGA Tour in-year winners, including 2023 Major winners: Lilia Vu (The Chevron Championship), Ruoning Yin (KPMG Women’s PGA Championship), Allisen Corpuz (U.S. Women’s Open). Other in-year winners include Brooke Henderson, Grace Kim Jin Young Ko, Celine Boutier, Hannah Green, Pajaree Anannarukarn, Rose Zhang, Ashleigh Buhai, Patty Tavanatanakit, Ariya Jutanugarn, Moriya Jutanugarn.
Rising star Rose Zhang, who won in her first professional start at the Mizuho Americas Open last month, will draw one of the largest crowds on course. Zhang turned pro in May after a successful collegiate career and was the no. 1 ranked amateur in the world for a record 141 weeks. Since turning professional, Rose has finished in the Top 10 of all three events she has played including the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship & US Women’s Open.
Henderson, a CPKC Ambassador who made history at the Wascana Country Club in Regina in 2018 becoming the first Canadian since the late Jocelyne Bourassa 45 years earlier to win Canada’s National Women’s Open, will be joined by fellow Canadians Maude-Aimee Leblanc, Maddie Szeryk, Alena Sharp, Sarah-Eve Rheaume, Selena Costabile and Victoria Liu (Shaughnessy member and Glencoe Invitational winner), as well as a collection of talented Canadian athletes expected to receive tournament exemptions in the coming weeks to compete in Canada’s National Women’s Open Championship.
The 156-player field will be competing at Shaughnessy Golf and Country Club for the first time in tournament history. This marks the first time the province of British Columbia has hosted the CPKC Women’s Open since 2015. Shaughnessy also becomes the only Canadian golf club to host both the Women’s and Men’s National Open Championships in the last twenty years.
The 2023 edition of the CPKC Women’s Open will be a celebrated return of the LPGA Tour to British Columbia after Shaughnessy way originally tapped to host the 2020 (then 2021) events cancelled due to the pandemic. The Vancouver golf community is ready for the return with a full roster of 1,200 volunteers confirmed for the event, strong advance ticket sales and one of the largest corporate build footprints in event history with a record number of public viewing and hospitality built on nine holes.
“Together with our friends at CPKC, we are very excited to treat golf fans to the much-anticipated return of the CPKC Women’s Open to Vancouver,” said Tournament Director Ryan Paul. “Golf fans in this community have gotten behind our National Open Championship and major professional golf in a significant way and with a strengthening field, engaging fan activities and digital enhancements to the tournament experience, we can’t wait to host a can’t miss summer celebration.”
CPKC HAS HEART CAMPAIGN TO BENEFIT BC CHILDREN’S HOSPITAL FOUNDATION…
CPKC and Golf Canada are proud to support the BC Children’s Hospital Foundation as the primary charitable beneficiary for the 2023 CPKC Women’s Open. Among the charitable engagements tournament week will be the Birdies for Heart hole on no. 16 at Shaughnessy with a $5,000 donation made for every birdie made on the hole during the four rounds of the competition. In addition, CPKC is also proud to support a community beneficiary in Royal Inland Hospital Foundation in support of cardiac care. In nine years of title sponsorship of the CPKC Women’s Open, more than $16 million has been raised to support children’s heart health in the event’s host communities.
CPKC WOMEN’S LEADERSHIP SUMMIT RETURNS TO KICK OFF TOURNAMENT WEEK…
Golf Canada and CPKC will host the sixth annual CPKC Women’s Leadership Summit on Tuesday, August 22 at nearby Marine Drive Golf Club as part of the weeklong excitement of the 2023 CPKC Women’s Open. The CPKC Women’s Leadership Summit will bring together like-minded businesspeople from across the country for a day of networking, empowerment, and philanthropy. The Summit will also raise awareness for the CPKC Women’s Open, with attendees receiving access to the tournament during the week and participating in clinics.
“THE RINK” FAN EXPERIENCE RETURNS…
Golf Canada is pleased to announce that the fan-favourite Rink hole spectator experience will return following a successful debut last year in Ottawa. The energetic hockey-themed hole, complete with fan-pounding rink boards, volunteers dressed as referees and a surrounding hospitality experience will be situated on par-3 17th hole at Shaughnessy.
CPKC WOMEN’S OPEN BROADCAST…
The 2023 CPKC Women’s Open will feature four days of domestic and international television broadcast coverage including Canadian broadcast partner TSN as well as international coverage on GOLF channel.
KIDS 12-AND-UNDER GET IN FREE…
Golf Canada and CPKC are committed to offering a fan friendly, family event with the CPKC Women’s Open. To introduce more juniors to the sport, children aged 12-and-under get FREE admission to the CPKC Women’s Open for the entire week.
GOLF CANADA MOBILE APP EXPERIENCE…
Spectators at Shaughnessy will experience the CPKC Women’s Open like never before by downloading the Golf Canada Mobile App on their iOS or Android device. Essential features include a live map, mobile ordering, leaderboard and pairings, tickets, breaking news, and unique events. Golf enthusiasts can also use the Golf Canada Mobile App to enhance their everyday golf experience while playing! Find golf courses, track your game, set up matches against friends, access GPS yardages and more. Click here to download.
ABOUT THE CPKC WOMEN’S OPEN
The stars of the LPGA Tour will challenge for the CPKC Women’s Open from August 22-27, 2023, at the Shaughnessy Golf & Country Club in Vancouver, B.C. Through its CPKC Has Heart program, title sponsor CPKC will once again make a substantial donation to the host community of Canada’s National Open Golf Championship by supporting the B.C. Children’s Hospital Foundation. The 2023 CPKC Women’s Open is proudly sponsored by CPKC, BDO, Audi, RBC, theScore, Levelwear, Transitions, Titleist, FootJoy, Journie Rewards, Hilton, Sleeman Clear 2.0, Think Turkey, The Keg, Johnsonville, Cayman Islands, Masi, Celebrity Cruises, STALK&BARREL, Matt & Steve’s, Coca-Cola, Rolex and is supported by Sport Hosting Vancouver, the Province of British Columbia, and the Government of Canada.
For information visit www.cpkcwomensopen.com.
ABOUT CPKC
With its global headquarters in Calgary, Alta., Canada, CPKC is the first and only single-line transnational railway linking Canada, the United States and México, with unrivaled access to major ports from Vancouver to Atlantic Canada to the Gulf of México to Lázaro Cárdenas, México. Stretching approximately 20,000 route miles and employing 20,000 railroaders, CPKC provides North American customers unparalleled rail service and network reach to key markets across the continent. CPKC is growing with its customers, offering a suite of freight transportation services, logistics solutions and supply chain expertise. Visit cpkcr.com to learn more about the rail advantages of CPKC.
ABOUT GOLF CANADA
Golf Canada is the National Sports Federation and governing body for golf in Canada representing more than 319,000 golfers and 1,435 member clubs across the country. A proud member of the Canadian Olympic Committee, Golf Canada’s mission is to increase Canadian participation and excellence in golf. For more information about what Golf Canada is doing to support golf in your community, visit www.golfcanada.ca.