At the CP Women’s Open, we’re reminded of the many reasons why it’s great to be an Audi owner.

AURORA, Ont. – Brooke Henderson was off to a rough start at the CP Women’s Open, struggling to read the swirling winds at Magna Golf Club.

She had started the day in a three-way tie for third, just three shots back of second-round leader Nicole Broch Larsen. But after bogeys on Nos. 4 and 6, it seemed like Henderson had played herself out of Canada’s national championship on Saturday and would not be able to defend her crown.

But that all changed with the eighth hole.

“I felt like I was playing decent golf, but it just wasn’t really going my way,” said the 21-year-old Henderson. “Then on the seventh green a little boy gave me a high five and then he continued that the rest of the round.

“He kind of cheered me up a little bit. I think I tried to get back to even on the front nine. Going to the eighth tee I was trying to just make two birdies, get it back to even, and then see if I could go really low on the back.”

Yes, she could.

Henderson fired three-straight birdies after that high five, shooting 9-under par on her last 10 holes. Her 7-under 65 round closed the gap to finish the day just two shots back of co-leaders Broch Larsen and world No. 1 Jin Young Ko.

It was a miraculous comeback after Henderson trailed Broch Larsen by as many as eight shots and had slid back into 20th on the leaderboard.

“I can’t really remember the last time I was in the 20s through nine holes,” said the native of Smiths Falls, Ont. “I think just taking into tomorrow, if I can try to keep this momentum and energy that I had on the last few holes, hopefully maybe hit it a little bit better off the tee, hit it a little closer, and hopefully my putter can bail me out.”

No. 12 was also a key hole for Henderson. After a precise layup got her near the pin she drained a 10-foot putt for an eagle on the 513-yard par 5.

“I was 1 under on the day at that point and I was feeling a lot better about myself than 2 over,” said Henderson. “Once I made that eagle it just gave me a lot of energy and birdied the next two holes, and then just kind of periodically coming in.”

Broch Larsen and Ko were in the final pairing for the day and were focused on their own duel, essentially playing a one-on-one match. Broch Larsen had her third straight 6-under 66 at the tournament and Ko has a 7-under 65 to put them both at 18 under overall, two shots ahead of Henderson.

Although both of them were zeroed in on their own performances, Broch Larsen said they both knew something was up in the group ahead of them, judging purely from crowd reactions.

“We could definitely hear those roars coming in on the back nine,” said Broch Larsen after handing in her scorecard. “Every time they went a little bit louder than normal I knew Brooke made a birdie.

“I don’t know what she’s at but I knew she had a rough start and she had a good back nine, I guess.”

Henderson was the first Canadian to win the CP Women’s Open in 45 years when she triumphed at Wascana Country Club in Regina last year. If Henderson’s victorious on Sunday, she’ll become only the third player in the tournament’s history to win back-to-back titles, joining Lydia Ko (2012, 2013) and Pat Bradley (1985, 1986).

She’s not going to get ahead of herself, though.

“I’m really far from that. It’s going to a long 18 holes,” said Henderson, who will be in the final group with Ko and Broch Larsen on Sunday. “I’m not even in the lead, so it doesn’t really look likely. At the same time, I feel like if I can make a lot birdies and kind of get the momentum my way, you never know what can happen.”

Quebec City’s Anne-Catherine Tanguay, the other Canadian left in the field, shot a 1-under 71 to improve to 5-under overall.

Tanguay bogeyed the par-4 third hole before picking up birdies on two of her next three holes. She bogeyed the 10th but got the stroke back with a birdie on the 12th hole.

Defending champion Brooke Henderson shoots an electrifying 29 on the back nine to put the pressure on the leaders heading into Sunday at the CP Women’s Open.

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AURORA, Ont. – Watching Canadian Golf Hall of Famer Lorie Kane work the crowd at the CP Women’s Open, you’d have no idea she was coming off one of the worst performances of her pro career.

Kane was all smiles as she chatted with fans, shot promotional videos and watched some of the third-round action by a CP mini-train set up by the 12th tee at Magna Golf Club.

She struggled mightily in her record 29th career appearance at the tournament with an 87-80 scoreline that left her last in the 153-player field at 23-over-par 167.

“This is a humbling game,” Kane said. “It can take everything you’ve got and beat you up bad. But then you know, I get to come back, I have the fan support. That’s the part that I’m still amazed at – that people care.”

One of the most personable and engaging athletes going, Kane is a beloved figure in the Canadian golf community. She feels the support from fans at every turn when she plays in this annual tournament.

Kane said she still has the drive to test herself against the best players on the LPGA Tour and also enjoys giving back in her role as ambassador for the CP Has Heart community investment program.

“I’m probably on the back nine of playing regularly,” Kane said. “My relationship and my partnership with CP is extremely important to me. I’m hoping that I can continue to help them grow the heart health campaign and be a part of the CP Women’s Open until I probably don’t want to play.

“But next year, going to Shaughnessy (in Vancouver), is huge.”

Kane, a four-time winner on the LPGA Tour, plays a part-time competitive schedule that includes some Legends Tour stops. Despite the limited action, she was still surprised at her first-round struggles.

“I knew that I was going to be up against it a little bit,” she said. “I haven’t had many tournament rounds under my belt to date. I had an injury this past winter that stopped me from going down to Australia. I normally play six to eight weeks down there.

“I had low expectations but by no means did I think I would stumble like I did on Thursday.”

Kane went eight holes in a row with either a bogey or double-bogey in her opening round. She scored better on Friday despite hitting only five of 18 greens in regulation.

“It’s been a while since I’ve made it to the weekend,” she said. “I think the biggest thing for me is I don’t want to feel like I’m playing ceremonial golf because if I do that, then I’m taking up a spot. I want to be competitive and I want to give my best.

“Not only for myself but for Canadian Pacific because without the railway, women’s golf wouldn’t be where it is in this country.”

Kane, 54, is hoping to get more competitive rounds under her belt as she prepares for the Senior LPGA Championship in mid-October. She’ll likely play next week at the Cambia Portland Classic and also has pro-am and team events on her upcoming schedule.

“There’s golf being played and there’s competitive golf being played,” Kane said. “And I’ll tell you, the senior ladies are as competitive today as they (ever) were. Pat Bradley is stalking putts like she’s going to win the US Open. So the competition is fun.”

Kane has been the low Canadian at this tournament on nine occasions – eight outright and one tie – with her best result coming in 2001 with a third-place tie. It’s likely that she will receive exemptions to participate in the CP Women’s Open for as long as she wants to continue playing at the event.

Kane has 99 career top-10 finishes and has earned US$6.95 million since turning pro in 1993. She previously shared the tournament’s all-time appearance record with JoAnne Carner.

“I think if you ask any athlete, we’re always thinking forward,” Kane said. “We never go back, because you’re supposed to be living in the moment. I have revisited my accomplishments in my own little way and I’m proud of myself.

“But I’m also annoyed with myself that I can have days like I had on Thursday and even yesterday. I did clean some stuff up but still didn’t have my best. (But) yeah, I’m proud of what I’ve done.”

Learn about Titleist Golf Ball Education at the CP Women’s Open.

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AURORA, Ont. (Golf Canada) – Defending champion Brooke Henderson shot a 3-under-par 69 Friday and heads into the weekend tied for third at the CP Women’s Open at Magna Golf Club.

Henderson, who is looking for her third LPGA Tour win of 2019, trails Nicole Broch Larsen by just three shots, who leads at 12-under through two rounds.

Larsen has a one-shot lead over world No. 1 Jin Young Ko. Ko already has three victories this season and has a sizable lead in the Rolex Player of the Year race.

Henderson made two birdies on her first nine holes Friday and added another on the back-nine. She didn’t have as clean a day off the tee as Thursday when she shot a 6-under 66 – hitting only eight of 14 fairways.

Winds at Magna Golf Club picked up Friday, but Henderson escaped unscathed with a bogey-free second-round.

“No bogeys is always great, so that’s a good feeling,” said Henderson. “I feel like I played pretty solid. Unfortunately, I didn’t get some of those closer looks for birdie. But, I still feel like I hit a lot of greens and my putting was good enough.”

At 9-under through two rounds, Henderson is tied with China’s Yu Liu and Thailand’s Pajaree Anannarukarn.

On Red & White Day at the CP Women’s Open Henderson – clad in both colours, of course – had a throng of loyal Canadian followers hanging on to her every move at Magna Golf Club. She said the crowd support has been ‘amazing’ so far.

“So many people (here) early in the morning and late at night,” Henderson added. “It’s been awesome. It’s pretty special to have all these people out there following you around and cheering you on. Sometimes you just see a little kid smiling at you and wanting a high-five, and it takes you on out of the moment for a second. I feel like that’s good. Kind of brings you back to real life I guess you could say. They just have so much belief in you and I think that kind of inspires me a little bit.”

Henderson was one of two Canadians to make the cut, as AC Tanguay finished at 4-under and is T-25 heading into the weekend. After a tough stretch to open her round Friday – she went bogey-double-double on holes 4 thru 6 – Tanguay managed to right the ship.

“I didn’t feel like I did anything wrong. It just went wrong. It went south real quick,” she admitted. “But I knew I was hitting it well and really in a good place. I built so much momentum on the back nine and felt so much better over the ball today than yesterday, so I think I’m going to build on that for the weekend.”

Broch Larsen, meanwhile, said she played similarly to Thursday – where she shot another 66.

“I’m not flushing it, but I’m just playing kind of steady and getting away with my bad shots,” she said. “Today I made a couple good putts out there, which helps.”

Broch Larsen, of Denmark, was the 2015 Ladies European Tour Player of the Year. She hasn’t yet won on the LPGA Tour, but did win the 2016 Symetra Tour Championship to earn her LPGA Tour card for 2017.

The last time Larsen held the lead on the LPGA Tour was two years ago at the CP Women’s Open in Ottawa. She said she learned a lot from being in that position then.

“I feel like I’m more confident in this position now than I was two years ago even though I haven’t been here for a while,” she explained. “I’m just trying to play as free as possible.”

Broch Larsen admitted she had a “terrible” warm-up on the driving range Friday, overthinking everything. She said was having trouble finding the right swing, but she wanted to go out and commit to her shots and see where it took her.

Where it took her, through two rounds at the CP Women’s Open, was the top of the leaderboard.

The cut fell at 1-under with 71 players finding the weekend.

12-YEAR-OLD MICHELLE LIU WRAPS UP CP WOMEN’S OPEN DEBUT

Although it wasn’t the LPGA Tour debut Michelle Liu would have wanted score-wise, the experience for the 12-year-old couldn’t have been better.

Liu (81-82) said she had ‘a lot of fun’ being able to tee it up alongside the best in the world. She was grouped with 2019 Augusta National Women’s Amateur winner Jennifer Kupcho, a tournament Liu said she’d like to try to win one day.

“I think it’s great that I get to play with such great players,” said Liu. “Hopefully, I learn something from them.”

No amateurs, including Liu, made the cut at the CP Women’s Open. American Brianna Navarrosa – the 2019 Canadian Women’s Amateur champion – had the best finish out of the  six amateurs in the field at 3-over par in her first-ever LPGA Tour event.

Liu said the highlight of the week was her walk up the 18th fairway to a chorus of cheers from the legion of fans she made at Magna Golf Club. The biggest challenge, she said, was with her mental game.

“I’m really glad that I’m able to like experience this challenge as an amateur and at such a young age,” Liu said. “I think being able to get this over with and make it an experience – it’ll really help me moving forward and in other tournaments, because now I it’s going to be pretty hard to play in a tournament larger than this one.”

The 2020 CP Women’s Open will be played at Shaughnessy Golf and Country Club, Liu’s home course in Vancouver. She said she’s already got that event circled on her calendar.

But first Liu, who goes into grade eight this September, will be playing a few local tournaments and then she’ll be off on a camping trip before school starts.  And what a good campfire story this week will make.

Whipping up a cookie chat with TSN Sports anchor Natasha Staniszewsi, talking about the strength of women’s sport in Canada

AURORA, Ont. – Just four years ago, Canadian amateur Michelle Liu was leaning on the ropes at the CP Women’s Open to ask LPGA Tour professionals for autographs.

This week at Magna Golf Club it was the 12-year-old Liu who was thrilling fans with her signature.

After carding a 10-over-par 82 on Friday, Liu spent 15 minutes signing mementoes and taking pictures with spectators after becoming the youngest golfer to play in the national Open championship.

“It’s so surreal to see her playing with the same people who once signed her hat,” said older sister Lucy Liu.

After taking up golf at age six, Michelle Liu quickly discovered a passion for the game.

She was also a quick study. Working with coach Rob Houlding, Liu developed a well-rounded skillset and results soon followed.

The Vancouver youngster has become a regular winner of events in her age category and can hold her own with junior players late in their teenage years.

When Liu finished as the top Canadian at the recent national women’s amateur championship, she booked her ticket for this year’s CP Women’s Open.

Expectations were naturally modest and her 19-over-par 163 total was well off the weekend cutline. But the scoreline wasn’t really important.

Liu got to experience everything that comes with participating in a tournament featuring most of the sport’s top players.

Her list of firsts was a long one.

Hearing her name called out on the first tee at an LPGA Tour stop. Her first news conference, first birdie at a pro event, and first walk up the 18th fairway in front of an adoring crowd.

There was even a little facetime on the Golf Channel on Friday morning. Not bad for someone who has yet to start the eighth grade.

“I definitely feel pretty good,” Liu said. “It definitely makes me feel proud about myself. Even if I’m not playing at the best of my ability, I still feel like I played a pretty good round and I’m pretty happy.”

As play continued Friday afternoon, only a few of the 15 Canadians in the field were expected to qualify for weekend play.

Brooke Henderson of Smiths Falls, Ont., shot 3-under 69 Friday and was near the top of the leaderboard at 9 under. Anne-Catherine Tanguay of Quebec City was also in good shape at 4-under 140 after a 74.

Alena Sharp of Hamilton and Megan Osland of Kelowna, B.C., were hovering near the projected cut of even par late in their respective rounds.

Lower down the leaderboard were Brittany Marchand of Orangeville, Ont., Maude-Aimee Leblanc of Sherbrooke, Que., Maddie Szeryk of London, Ont., Valerie Tanguay of Saint-Hyacinthe, Que., Mary Parsons of Delta, B.C., Emily Zhu of Richmond Hill, Ont., Brigitte Thibault of Rosemere, Que., Casey Ward of Picton, Ont., Celeste Dao of Notre-Dame-de-L’Ile-Perrot, Que., and Charlottetown’s Lorie Kane.

The emotional swings ran the gamut for Liu over her 36 holes.

Some tears were shed after she opened with an 81. But her bright smile returned early Friday after she hit it long and straight to kick off her second round.

Before hitting, Liu squats down near the blocks and uses both hands to set the ball on the tee.

She then coils her slight five-foot, 95-pound frame and unloads. Her impressive ball-striking form drew ooh’s and ahh’s from the few dozen supporters who followed her around the course.

Liu birdied the par-3 13th hole and had six bogeys and two double-bogeys on her first trip around the 6,709-yard track. She started bogey/double-bogey Friday before settling in for a round that included nine pars and six more bogeys.

Playing partners Austin Ernst and Jennifer Kupcho were able to reach par-5s in two. Liu, who normally plays courses about 1,000 yards shorter, couldn’t match their length and instead tried to set up for birdie putts rather than eagle attempts.

Her short game was steady and composure was remarkable for a pre-teen player competing on this stage for the first time.

“She’s very focused, very level-headed,” said Lucy, who’s entering her junior season at Yale University. “She’s not a player who’s easily intimidated either by the field or by the course itself. I feel like that has always been very crucial to her success.”

Houlding was on the bag for Liu this week and said the takeaways were numerous.

“I think it’ll take a few days to digest,” he said. “The biggest thing is that she’s seeing how some of the best players play. She can gauge her performance against theirs and get some reference on what she’s working towards.”

Lucy Liu, who’s seven years older than her sister, remembered her younger days when Michelle would follow her around the course.

Her sister’s work ethic and drive were noticeable from the start.

“It was very, very self-driven,” Lucy said. “She’s a hard-working, persevering 12-year-old. It wasn’t so much I had to encourage her to go to practice. She was there earlier than I was and staying later than I was. So honestly, I’ve been inspired by her.”

The differences of competing at an LPGA Tour stop are significant for non-regulars but can also be subtle. Amateurs can sometimes feel the gentle pressure of keeping pace with pros in their group who are competing for paycheques.

Liu was attentive to her surroundings and seemed to enjoy herself. She didn’t seem out of place at all.

“I love being able to play in a tournament like this because I feel like there is so much support … I just really enjoyed it,” she said.

Like Michelle, Lucy also attended the 2015 tournament at the Vancouver Golf Club in Coquitlam, B.C. She served as a volunteer, helping to operate the large scoreboard on the 18th hole.

In high school at the time, Lucy said Michelle helped motivate her to keep working on her game.

“Sometimes after school I’d be like, ‘I am too lazy,”’ Lucy recalled. “But she was like, ‘We’ve got to go (practise). We’ve got to go right now.’

“So I’m really grateful to her for that.”

Michelle’s mother, father and grandmother were also on hand to watch the second round. It was an experience the family won’t soon forget.

“I think it’s really shown her that professional golf is possible,” Lucy said. “It’s something that she can actually pursue if she’s passionate enough about it.”