REGINA – Throughout the entire week at the CP Women’s Open, Alena Sharp would write the number 16 on her golf balls.
It was one the Hamilton native’s ways of paying tribute to the 16 people that died in the April 6 bus crash involving the Humboldt Broncos junior hockey team.
Sharp said earlier in the event that she felt as though she had 16 angels watching over her at the Wascana Country Club.
“I totally was thinking about them all day. Even on the last putt,” Sharp said after her final round on Sunday. “I wrote 16 on my ball just to give me a reminder of it.”
Thirteen people survived the crash that happened as the Broncos were on their way to a Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League playoff game.
Sharp played this year’s Canadian championship with a golf bag that featured the Broncos’s green and yellow colours and team logo. The bag is being given to the Jim Pattison Children’s Hospital and will be auctioned off at a fundraiser next month.
Sponsor obligations along with trying to learn the course prevented Sharp from making the trip to Humboldt, which is located 2 1/2 hours north of Regina. The busyness of the tournament also didn’t allow her to meet any of the survivors.
“I haven’t met them, but they’re always in my thoughts,” Sharp said.
Brooke Henderson of Smiths Falls, Ont., has captured the Canadian headlines during the tournament, but Sharp shot a 1-under 71 on Sunday to finish the event at 6 under. Anne-Catherine Tanguay (73) of Quebec City was 4 under.
As Sharp was walking on the cart path to the sixth hole on Sunday, she saw Henderson putting on the practice green and ran over to give her friend and Olympic teammate a hug before Henderson started her round.
Sharp said that she was excited for Henderson, who is aiming to become the first Canadian champion of the event since Jocelyne Bourassa won in Montreal in 1973.
“Hopefully she can stay strong in the last little bit, the last few holes and bring the win in,” Sharp said.
Sharp has struggled with consistency this season and said that it’s been a mentally tough year for her. She said that it’s always tougher to play at home but felt as though she has taken a step in the right direction with this week’s play.
“I’m just battling through some mental demons,” Sharp said. “I’m happy walking off of this week, I played well under the pressure and have a lot of positives to take to next week.”
REGINA – Brooke Henderson ended Canada’s long drought at the CP Women’s Open on Sunday, firing a final-round 7-under-par 65 to win the national championship by four strokes.
Henderson finished with a 21-under 267 total, sealing the win with a short birdie putt on the 18th hole at the Wascana Country Club.
“It’s amazing, just surreal,” Henderson said. “The crowds here have been so amazing all week, and to finish it off the way I did is really a dream come true.”
American Angel Yin was alone in second place after a 68 and American Jennifer Song (67) was six shots behind at 15 under. Australians Minjee Lee (68) and Su Oh (69) were seven strokes off the pace in a fourth-place tie with South Korea’s Amy Yang (68) and American Austin Ernst (69).
It was the first time a Canadian has won this tournament since Jocelyne Bourassa took the 1973 event – then called La Canadienne – at Montreal.
Henderson earned US$337,500 of the $2.25-million purse for her second victory of the season. It was her seventh career LPGA Tour win, moving her one behind Sandra Post’s record for all-time victories by a Canadian.
Henderson, who started the day with a one-shot lead, was aggressive from the start on an overcast, chilly morning in front of a vocal group of adoring supporters.
Displaying a steely focus and no sign of nerves, she found the fairway with her opening drive and cleared a greenside bunker with her second shot, sticking the ball 12 feet from the pin.
Henderson is one of the biggest hitters on the Tour but her short game can be inconsistent at times. The 20-year-old from Smiths Falls, Ont., set the early tone by sinking the birdie putt for a two-shot lead.
She gave the stroke back on the second hole after her drive found the rough. A line of fairway-hugging trees forced her to chip out on the fairway and Henderson would settle for bogey.
Back-to-back pars followed, allowing Oh to briefly pull even with the Canadian. However, Oh missed a 10-foot par putt on the fifth hole and Henderson drained a 25-footer for birdie to regain the lead.
After a birdie-bogey run, Henderson showed her form on the par-3, 206-yard eighth hole. With a challenging pin placement, she elevated her tee shot perfectly to clear a greenside ridge and bunker to leave herself an 18-foot putt.
She hit the birdie to move to 16-under for a three-shot cushion on Oh and defending champion Sung Hyun Park of South Korea.
Henderson was playing to win and not to just hang on.
A steady rain started to fall as the last few groups made the turn. Some of the Tour’s biggest names were chasing Henderson but no one could get hot enough on the back nine to get close.
Yin hovered a few shots back but Henderson wouldn’t budge.
“It’s great for golf in Canada, women’s golf, and it’s great for her too,” Yin said. “I mean, people shouting her name left to right since the first hole, like (since) nine in the morning. I bet you she feels pressure.
“But she’s used to it and she handles it pretty well, and she finished the job.”
The Canadian was making almost every shot look easy. The greens softened up a touch and Henderson was going for the pins. Approach shots were usually in tight and the putter was working.
Yin rolled in her third straight birdie on No. 15, and Henderson answered by knocking in her fourth birdie putt in a row to keep her three-shot lead.
She maintained that cushion through the 17th hole, allowing her to fully enjoy the moment on No. 18 as the packed gallery roared during her walk up the fairway.
After a beautiful drive, Henderson’s approach shot from 69 yards out cozied up to the hole. She tapped in the short putt and the celebration was on.
Henderson raised her arms in the air and hugged her sister Brittany, who was on her bag all week. Their ecstatic father, Dave, ran on to the green and doused them in champagne.
Park (71), who finished at 13 under, will retain her No. 1 position in the world rankings. She was tied with three-time CP Women’s Open champion Lydia Ko (69) and several others.
American Mo Martin was another shot back at 12 under after firing a course-record 62.
Hamilton’s Alena Sharp (71) was at 6 under, two shots ahead of Quebec City’s Anne-Catherine Tanguay (73).
The 2019 CP Women’s Open will be held at the Magna Golf Club in Aurora, Ont.
Greg Strong/ Canadian Press
REGINA – Canada’s Brooke Henderson feels most comfortable with her game when she’s on top of the leaderboard.
A solid third round has left her in that very position as she prepares to take a run at history at the CP Women’s Open.
Henderson moved into the lead Saturday with a 2-under-par 70, leaving her at 14-under 202 and one shot ahead of Japan’s Nasa Hataoka (69) and American Angel Yin (71).
“It’s a lot more fun (on top) and I feel like I can kind of go off the crowd a little bit more,” Henderson said. “It’s just really exciting and I feel like when I have a lot of confidence in my game, that’s when I tend to make a lot of birdies and I tend to play really well.”
After back-to-back scores of 66, Henderson had to deal with windier conditions at the Wascana Country Club.
Her length off the tee was impressive but her short game was inconsistent at times. Henderson did manage to hit some big putts when she needed to and spent most of the afternoon alone in first place.
On Sunday, she’ll try to become the first Canadian since Jocelyne Bourassa to win this tournament. Bourassa was victorious in 1973 in Montreal.
Yin missed an eight-foot birdie putt on her final hole that would have given her a share of the lead. Defending champion and world No. 1 Sung Hyun Park of South Korea (70) was two shots back.
Australia’s Su Oh (69) and American Austin Ernst (70) were three strokes off the lead.
The 6,675-yard course sets up well for Henderson’s style. She’s one of the LPGA Tour’s longest hitters and is not afraid to go for it.
If Henderson can attack the par-5 holes and stay consistent on the greens, she’s got a great shot of winning the event.
“I definitely do play better when I’m aggressive,” she said. “I play smart but aggressive and when I’m kind of chasing birdies, I feel like that’s kind of where I’m playing my best. But it just kind of depends on the conditions.”
Play will begin earlier than usual in an attempt to avoid the wet weather that’s expected to arrive by lunch hour. The fourth round will start at 7 a.m. local time and the last group will tee off at 9:01 a.m.
Henderson, from Smiths Falls, Ont., started the day one shot behind second-round leader Amy Yang, but the South Korean bogeyed her first two holes to give the Canadian the outright lead.
They were joined in a group with Yin, who hovered near the top of the leaderboard for most of the day.
With a vocal group of supporters cheering her at every turn, Henderson opened with four straight pars before a drive on the par-4 fifth hole found the rough and led to a bogey. She responded by rolling in a 12-foot birdie putt on the sixth.
She was aggressive after the turn with birdies on Nos. 12 and 13. Henderson nearly eagled the 14th hole, but her chip from the rough hit the back of the cup and bounced out for a tap-in birdie.
She ran into some trouble on the 16th hole but recovered nicely. Henderson pulled her drive and her second shot landed in the rough beside a greenside bunker.
Standing in the sand, she flopped a wedge that came up short but she hit a 20-footer to save par.
“To be able to get up and down when I kind of ran into a little bit of trouble there on 16 I think was really key and just (helped me) keep my composure a little bit,” Henderson said.
Henderson and Yin both struggled on the 17th green. Yin had an eagle putt but settled for par while Henderson missed a four-foot par putt.
Yang, meanwhile, struggled to a 75. She was in a five-way tie for seventh place at 10-under 206.
Hamilton’s Alena Sharp (70) and Anne-Catherine Tanguay (70) of Quebec City were nine shots off the lead.
Henderson, 20, has one victory this season and six wins over her LPGA Tour career. Her best career finish at this event came last year in Ottawa when she tied for 12th.
“She’s gritty and determined and aggressive,” Sharp said. “I think that is a huge thing to have out here, especially with the wind.”
The winner of the US$2.25-million tournament will earn $337,500. The runner-up will pocket $209,358.
REGINA (Golf Canada) – Golf Canada in partnership with title sponsor CP, the LPGA Tour and broadcast partner Golf Channel, are pleased to announce that Bell Media’s TSN will broadcast the final round of the 2018 CP Women’s Open at the Wascana Country Club on Sunday, August 26 live to Canadian audiences from coast to coast.
With possible inclement weather forecasted for Sunday in Regina and final round play adjusted to begin earlier, Golf Channel, the exclusive television rights holders for the 2018 CP Women’s Open, agreed to extend the Canadian broadcast television rights to TSN to bring live coverage of Canada’s National Women’s Open Championship directly to Canadian households.
Canadian Brooke Henderson, currently the 54-hole leader, looks to become the first Canadian golfer since Jocelyne Bourassa in 1973 to win Canada’s National Women’s Open Golf Championship.
The final round of the CP Women’s Open will be broadcast live on TSN1 and TSN3 from 1-4pm ET (11am to 2pm CT), and on TSN.ca and the TSN App for TSN and TSN Direct subscribers.
“Together with CP and the LPGA Tour, Golf Canada is so proud to work with our great partners at Golf Channel to ensure Canadians can experience this incredible moment in Canadian golf history,” said CP Women’s Open Tournament Director Ryan Paul. “We are also extremely thankful to Bell Media and TSN for coming together with Golf Channel to deliver Sunday’s final round live so that Canadians from coast to coast can experience the incredible finish to the CP Women’s Open.”
Golf Channel will broadcast the final round of the CP Women’s Open tape-delayed from 2-5pm CT and will also live-stream to US audiences on www.golfchannel.com.
With the forecast of rain and possible afternoon thunderstorms, the final round of the CP Women’s Open will start earlier than previously scheduled off the 1st and 10th tee beginning at 7:00 am CT in groups of three.
The final group of Canadian Brooke Henderson playing alongside Nasa Hataoka and Angel Yin will tee off at 9:01 am CT.
Greg Strong/ Canadian Press
REGINA – It’s a walk that never gets old for Canadian Golf Hall of Famer Lorie Kane.
She received a warm ovation as she strolled up the 18th fairway Friday after making a record-tying 28th appearance at the CP Women’s Open.
“I’m sure there will come a time where I may decide that might be the last,” Kane said. “As for right now, I don’t see that in my near future. At least I hope.”
The 53-year-old from Charlottetown struggled in both rounds at the Wascana Country Club. She missed the cut after shooting a 77 on Friday, a day after opening the tournament with an 83.
Brooke Henderson was the low Canadian as the last few groups finished second-round play. She shot a second straight 66 for a 12-under-par 132 total, one shot behind clubhouse leader Amy Yang of South Korea.
A total of 16 Canadians entered the tournament but most will miss the cut.
Anne-Catharine Tanguay of Quebec City (71) was a good bet for weekend play at 3-under 141, one stroke better than the projected cut line.
Bubble players included Alena Sharp of Hamilton, amateur Celeste Dao of Notre-Dame-de-l’Ile-Perrot, Que., and Maude-Aimee LeBlanc of Sherbrooke, Que. They were all on the windswept course in the late afternoon.
Brittany Marchand of Orangeville, Ont., (73) and Victoria amateur Naomi Ko (79) finished at 3-over-par 147, one stroke ahead of Vancouver amateur Tiffany Kong (72). Saskatoon’s Anna Young (75) was at 153 and Calgary’s Jennifer Ha (79) was at 154.
Saskatoon’s Anna Young, Augusta James of Bath, Ont., Elizabeth Tong of Thornhill, Ont., Megan Osland of Kelowna, B.C., Ellie Szeryk of London, Ont., and Saskatoon native Bobbi Brandon were all well back with late tee times.
Kane plays the occasional event on the LPGA Tour and also keeps busy with appearances on the Legends Tour. Quick with a smile and always keen to sign autographs and chat with fans, she remains as popular as ever.
Like Henderson, Kane’s picture is featured on promotional banners around the course and she has become an ambassador for the game throughout the country.
Kane took part in a charity clinic this week and was also a featured speaker at a women’s leadership panel. She believes in a ‘Lift and Climb’ philosophy so that others can benefit.
“For me that means as I’m climbing, I want to bring somebody with me because I was lifted,” Kane said. “I was lifted high and I’m just trying to return the favour.”
Longtime golf analyst Bob Weeks of TSN said Kane is very passionate about her work on and off the course.
“It’s a feel-good story of someone who has gained a lot from golf but has probably given back 10 times more in terms of Canadian golf and where she’s taken it.”
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.
After hitting the 18th green with her approach shot on Friday, Kane acknowledged the supporters by taking off her red visor and waving at the crowd.
“I’ve never spent too much time looking back,” Kane said of her long career. “I hope to just be able to continue to look forward. But there is nothing like that walk up 18.”
The four-time LPGA Tour winner shares the tournament’s all-time appearance record with JoAnne Carner. The mark will likely be broken next year at the Magna Golf Club in Aurora, Ont.
In fact, chances are good that Kane will receive an exemption to participate for as long as she wants to continue to playing at the event.
Greg Strong/ Canadian Press
REGINA – Sung Hyun Park emerged from the scorer’s tent after a masterful round of 64 at the CP Women’s Open to a swarm of golf fans.
Few seemed to notice the defending champion and world’s best women’s golfer as she strolled undisturbed down the path, fresh from tying a course record at the Wascana Country Club.
This crowd had only one person on its mind. Canadian star Brooke Henderson is the star of this show, especially after a second straight 66 left her just one stroke behind clubhouse leader Amy Yang of South Korea.
“Brooke is almost like Canada’s Tiger Woods,” said Park, who played with Henderson and Sweden’s Anna Nordqvist. “I was really surprised at how many fans came out to support Brooke today. To witness that was pretty awesome.”
Dozens of fans – many clad in red and white and waving small Canadian flags – let out a roar when Henderson chipped in on her opening hole and they were just as vocal when she capped her round with another birdie.
The 20-year-old from Smiths Falls, Ont., was at 12-under-par 132 and right in the mix for what could be a very exciting weekend.
“I hit the ball in good spots and made birdie putts when I had them,” Henderson said. “I feel like I made the most of today’s round, which is always a great feeling.
“To be close to the top of the leaderboard heading into the weekend is awesome, especially when you’re here in Canada.”
Henderson has managed to score in different ways over the first two rounds. She took advantage of her impressive length on Thursday and had her short game working when the wind picked up Friday.
Yang shot a 65 to move into top spot at 13-under-par 131. American Angel Yin (67) joined Henderson in second place with several groups still on the course.
“I was hitting it pretty solid out there,” Yang said. “But I gave myself a lot of good chances and I think I made most of them out there.”
Park, from South Korea, was three shots off the lead after her 64, a score that three players attained a day earlier. She was joined at 10 under by first-round co-leader Nasa Hataoka of Japan (70) and Maria Torres of Puerto Rico (66).
Starting on the par-4 10th hole, Henderson had four birdies over her first six holes before missing a three-foot putt on the 16th for a bogey.
She started to spray the ball a little bit after that miscue, but the six-time winner on the LPGA Tour had some luck on her side too.
Her drive sailed well right on the 18th hole, hitting a grandstand post on a bounce before settling in the rough. Henderson found the green with her next shot and two-putted for par.
Five pars followed after the turn before Henderson found a late groove. She hit a tricky four-foot downhill putt on the sixth hole and drained a 22-footer from the fringe for another birdie on the seventh.
“Definitely have a lot of confidence in (my putter) this week, which is always amazing when you can depend on that club,” she said. “But I think overall, everything is kind of going really well.”
The 20-year-old from Smiths Falls, Ont., closed her round by going up-and-down from the side of the ninth green for birdie to the delight of the partisan gallery.
Americans Mariah Stackhouse (69) and Austin Ernst (69) were at 9-under-par 135, one shot ahead of Nordqvist (66) and several others.
It was hot and sunny again on the 6,675-yard course and the wind really started howling later in the day. First-round co-leaders Ariya Jutanugarn of Thailand and Colombia’s Mariajo Uribe had late tee times.
Anne-Catherine Tanguay of Quebec City (71), one of 16 Canadians in the field, was a good bet to make the cut at 3-under 141. The early projected cut line was 2 under.
Play continues through Sunday at the US$2.25-million event.
Greg Strong/ Canadian Press
REGINA – An early bogey may have been a good thing for Canada’s Brooke Henderson at the CP Women’s Open on Thursday.
She attacked the Wascana Country Club course with a vengeance after the early hiccup, firing six birdies over seven holes at one point en route to a 6-under-par 66 that left her two shots off the first-round lead.
“It was really solid today,” Henderson said. “I got off to a little bit of a shaky start with a bogey on the first hole but I made a ton of birdies today and that’s always a really good sign.”
Colombia’s Mariajo Uribe, Thailand’s Ariya Jutanugarn and Japan’s Nasa Hataoka shared the course record by opening at 64. American Angel Yin and Nanna Koerstz Madsen of Denmark were one shot back.
Henderson was joined at 66 by three-time CP Women’s Open champ Lydia Ko of New Zealand, Australia’s Minjee Lee and several others. Victoria amateur Naomi Ko was in a group at 68.
Uribe was in one of the opening threesomes and set the early tone by trimming a shot off the course record.
“It’s nice to start with a bogey-free round to actually see my golf game getting to where I know it is,” Uribe said. “It’s going to be a good week.”
Jutanugarn matched her score about an hour later. The world No. 2 opened with four straight birdies and had just one blemish with a bogey on the par-4 16th hole.
“Today my goal was (just) don’t worry about the future too much,” she said. “Don’t think about what I’m going to shoot today. Just try to focus on things I can control.”
Several players went low in the morning as they took advantage of ideal weather conditions. Hataoka and Henderson were two of the afternoon standouts.
Preferred lies were in effect on the 6,675-yard course. Greens were playing firm and fast and there was only a light breeze in the heat and sunshine.
Henderson was hitting the ball long off the tee and left a few strokes out there. She missed a seven-foot par putt on the 11th hole and settled for par on the 12th after missing an eight-footer.
Playing in a group with top-ranked Sung Hyun Park and Anna Nordqvist, Henderson moved back up the leaderboard with back-to-back birdies on the 14th and 15th. She saved par on the 17th hole after a nice up-and-down from the sand and just missed an eight-foot birdie putt on No. 18.
The course seems to set up well for the 20-year-old from Smiths Falls, Ont. If her short game is on point, Henderson could be in the mix on the weekend.
Another hot day was in the forecast for Friday but the wind was expected to pick up.
“I think this course is meant to be windy, so I think some holes can kind of play in your favour that way,” Henderson said. “It’s just going to be a challenge for the whole field.
“Hopefully I still hit the ball in good places, give myself a lot of birdie looks and hopefully capitalize.”
Nordqvist, from Sweden, and Park, from South Korea, were at 2-under 70 in a group that included Maude-Aimee LeBlanc of Sherbrooke, Que., and Anne-Catherine Tanguay of Quebec City. Alena Sharp of Hamilton and amateur Celeste Dao of Notre-Dame-de-l’Ile-Perrot, Que., opened at 71.
There are 16 Canadians in the field. Play will continue through Sunday at the US$2.25-million tournament.
Charles Fitzsimmons of London, Ont., and Todd Fanning of Winnipeg shared the previous course record at Wascana. They posted rounds of 65 at last year’s Canadian men’s mid-amateur championship.
REGINA, Sask. (Golf Canada) – Newly minted Rolex Ranking No. 1 Sung Hyun Park is excited to return to Canada and defend her 2017 CP Women’s Open title.
A more confident and experienced Park enters this week’s event at Wascana Country Club after taking her fifth career victory at last week’s Indy Women in Tech Championship driven by Group 1001, which bumped her ahead of Thailand’s Ariya Jutanugarn for the top spot in the Rolex Women’s World Golf Rankings.
“I am so excited and happy to be ranked No. 1,” said Park, who became the first LPGA Tour rookie to reach the top of the world rankings when she held the spot for one week in November 2017. “Nothing has really changed. It does put a little bit of pressure on me, but I just want to maintain that type of play. I’m still going to focus on what I need to get done this week.”
The early portion of the 2018 season brought Park into a difficult patch in her game. Through her first 15 events, she grabbed two wins, but also uncharacteristically missed six cuts and only earned two other top-10 finishes. The hyper-competitive Park started to question if she would be able to live up to the lofty expectations set by her fans – and by herself. Now with those doubts cast aside, Park pursues more success in the last stretch of the 2018 season.
“I now have a lot more experience under my belt,” said the 24-year-old with five career LPGA Tour wins. “Even though I’ve had a couple missed cuts this season, I still feel like this is a really great season for me and I think I can win more tournaments this year.”
Most people don’t excel at professional sports at age 15. But most people aren’t Lydia Ko. The New Zealander won the 2012 CP Women’s Open as a 15-year-old amateur, becoming the youngest winner in LPGA history.
“I think even at that time it didn’t really settle in,” said Ko, who followed her maiden win up with another win in 2013 as an amateur and tacked on a third Canadian national title in 2015 as a professional. “I think you’re so young that you don’t really know what’s going on. Obviously, you’re super excited and super happy to have won, but, you know, I think I feel like I was very lucky right now looking back more than I was actually at that time. It was a lot to take in.”
Three years removed from that last win and Ko is primed for her fourth victory north of the border. The 21-year-old comes to Regina off a T16 finish at last week’s Indy Women in Tech Championship driven by Group 1001, and hopes to better her Canadian performance from 2017, when she missed the cut for the first time in her CP Women’s Open career.
“Every time I come back to Canada I feel like it’s another home for me,” said Ko. “It’s always great to come back to a place where you feel really welcomed and you don’t feel like a stranger. The crowds are there on practice rounds and Pro-Ams. That’s how excited they are to see us. I think that’s a cool thing for us to play in front of these massive crowds.”
The opening-round of the 2018 CP Women’s Open begins at 7:00 am off the first and 10th tees.
Greg Strong/ Canadian Press
REGINA – A look at five players to watch at this week’s CP Women’s Open at Wascana Country Club:
BROOKE HENDERSON
All eyes will be on the 20-year-old native of Smiths Falls, Ont., as she goes for her second LPGA Tour win of the season.
Henderson, who won last April in Hawaii, is brimming with confidence after closing with a 63 last week in Indianapolis to finish tied for seventh.
She made her CP Women’s Open debut as a 14-year-old and quickly rose up the rankings as a teenager. Henderson currently holds the No. 14 position.
Two more victories will pull her into a tie with Sandra Post for most career wins (eight) on the LPGA Tour.
LYDIA KO
Three of Ko’s 15 career LPGA Tour wins have come in Canada: two as an amateur and one as a pro.
Ko became the youngest winner in LPGA history in 2012 when she won in Edmonton at the age of 15 years four months two days.
She defended her title a year later and won again in 2015.
The world No. 16 from New Zealand would set a tournament record with a fourth title at this event.
SUNG HYUN PARK
The defending champion from South Korea has picked up where she left off after an impressive rookie season last year.
Park and Ariya Jutanugarn lead all LPGA Tour players with three wins apiece this year. Park’s victory last week bumped Jutanugarn down to second in the world rankings.
Park became the fastest player in LPGA history to reach US$2 million in career earnings. She did it in seven months 13 days, needing only 19 starts to reach the plateau.
CELESTE DAO
Dao leads an impressive group of Canadian youngsters in the field this week at Wascana Country Club.
The 17-year-old national development squad member earned her first international title this year by winning the Mexican Junior Girls Championship.
She also led Canada to a third-place finish at the Junior World Cup in Japan.
Dao, from Notre-Dame-de-l’Ile-Perrot, Que., also qualified for the U.S. Women’s Open but did not make the cut.
BOBBI BRANDON
The Saskatoon native will have a significant cheering section when she makes her first appearance at this event in 20 years.
Brandon earned one of the last four exemptions at Monday’s qualifying event at Royal Regina Golf Club.
The PGA of Canada professional, who works out of the Moon Lake Golf & Country Club, shot a 2-over-par 74 to finish tied for second in the 11-player qualifier field.
Brandon missed the cut at the 1998 tournament in Windsor, Ont.
Greg Strong/ Canadian Press
REGINA – England’s Georgia Hall can relate to the pressure that Canadian golfers may be feeling at the CP Women’s Open.
Hall won the Women’s British Open earlier this month at Royal Lytham to become the first British player to win the tournament since 2009. She didn’t think about any added tension during her breakout performance and instead focused on the excitement at hand.
“Just enjoy being at home and enjoy having your family and friends come and watch,” Hall said Wednesday. “That’s what I did. Don’t really worry about the outcome. Four days is a lot of golf. So just enjoy it and see what happens.”
Brooke Henderson of Smiths Falls, Ont., headlines the list of 16 Canadians in the field this week at the Wascana Country Club. The world No. 14 has one victory and eight top-10 finishes this season.
Jocelyne Bourassa was the last Canadian to win this tournament, taking the 1973 title in Montreal.
“That’s a long time,” Henderson said. “Yeah, (there’s) a little bit (of pressure). I would love to win this tournament. I don’t know if that’s this year. Hopefully before my career is over.”
Henderson finished in a tie for 12th last year in Ottawa. She has an afternoon tee time for Thursday’s opening round with new world No. 1 Sung Hyun Park of South Korea and Sweden’s Anna Nordqvist.
“It’s kind of like the sixth major for me on the LPGA Tour,” Henderson said. “It’s very meaningful, very important to me, especially being a CP ambassador and playing here in my home country.”
Other Canadians include LPGA Tour regulars Alena Sharp of Hamilton, Maude-Aimee LeBlanc of Sherbrooke, Que., Anne-Catharine Tanguay of Quebec City and Brittany Marchand of Orangeville, Ont.
Symetra Tour players include Jennifer Ha of Calgary, Saskatoon’s Anna Young, Augusta James of Bath, Ont., Elizabeth Tong of Thornhill, Ont., and Megan Osland of Kelowna, B.C. Canadian Golf Hall of Famer Lorie Kane of Charlottetown will make her record-tying 28th appearance.
National amateur squad member Naomi Ko of Victoria is also in the field with development squad players Celeste Dao of Notre-Dame-de-l’Ile-Perrot, Que., and Ellie Szeryk of London, Ont. Amateur Grace St. Germain of Ottawa was a late withdrawal.
Vancouver teenager Tiffany Kong is playing on an exemption and Saskatoon native Bobbi Brandon earned a spot with a top-four finish in Monday’s qualifier.
“It’s about time that one of us wins it and it’d be awesome to do it this week,” Sharp said. “(I) just want to have a chance at it going into the weekend.”
Golf Canada’s national women’s head coach Tristan Mullally said it’s possible for players to treat the added pressure in a positive way.
“You can use that if you leverage it correctly,” he said. “I often say, ‘You can sit at the edge of a cliff and you can look down and be scared or you can look out and enjoy the view.’
“I think it’s that perspective. It’s got to be where, ‘These people are rooting for me. I can use that energy.”’
Second-ranked Ariya Jutanugarn of Thailand, China’s Shanshan Feng and Americans Morgan Pressel and Paula Creamer are some of the other big names in the field.
The wind was howling on a warm, sunny afternoon for Wednesday’s pro-am championship. Similar conditions are expected for the first two rounds but rain is in the forecast for the weekend.
There are opportunities to go low on the 6,675-yard course. It’s a flat track with long, narrow fairways, thick rough and fast greens.
Players who are long off the tee – like Henderson – could give themselves opportunities as the course often rewards aggressive play.
This will be Hall’s first tournament since her first major title – and first victory – on Tour. The rookie will play in a group with three-time CP Women’s Open champion Lydia Ko of New Zealand and American Lexi Thompson.
Play continues through Sunday at the US$2.25-million event. The champion will earn $337,500.
Notes: There won’t be a domestic television broadcast or simulcast this year as all four rounds will air on The Golf Channel. LPGA commissioner Mike Whan said both he and Golf Canada CEO Laurence Applebaum would like to rectify broadcast plans either next year or by 2020. … The 2019 CP Women’s Open will be held at the Magna Golf Club in Aurora, Ont.
Click here to visit the CP Women’s Open website.
