Appendicitis forces American Michelle Wie out of CP Women’s Open in Ottawa
(Bernard Brault/ Golf Canada)
Canadian Press
OTTAWA – American star Michelle Wie was forced to withdraw from the CP Women’s Open with appendicitis on Sunday.
The 27-year-old was scheduled to have her appendix removed at Ottawa Hospital later Sunday.
Wie’s manager with IMG Golf announced the news in a statement, saying “further details on her condition will be provided when available.”
Wie was tied for 23rd, six strokes behind leaders Mo Martin and Nicole Broch Larsen through three rounds at Ottawa Hunt and Golf Club.
Wie has had seven top-10 finishes so far in 2017. Muscle spasms in her neck forced her to withdraw during the second round of the U.S. Women’s Open last month.
Thanks to a masterful weekend performance, Sung Hyun Park has won the Canadian Pacific Women’s Open and helped young patients seeking care at the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario (CHEO) in the process. Park shot 13 under par on her way to the victory and Canadian Pacific (CP) made a $2 million donation to a renovated catheterization lab and interventional suite at CHEO.
The total donation is the result of several fundraising efforts of the CP Has Heart campaign. Through CP Birdies for Heart, CP contributed $5,000 for each birdie made by a player on the 15th hole during tournament play. A total of 45 birdies represents a $225,000 donation. CP also matched all donations made online at www.cheoheart.com from April 1 to the end of the tournament.
“I have not been to a golf tournament before that had this level of support from the community and the fans,” said Keith Creel, CP President and Chief Executive Officer. “It was a privilege to watch Sung Hyun Park lead the field of world-class talent, including CP ambassadors Brooke Henderson and Lorie Kane, while simultaneously supporting CHEO’s important work. CP supports the cause of heart health because it’s an issue that touches so many Canadians. As part of ongoing Canada 150 celebrations, it’s our honour to leave a lasting charitable legacy here in the nation’s capital.”
To celebrate Canada’s sesquicentennial, CP launched the Beautiful Hearts campaign this year. In addition to the CP Women’s Open donation to CHEO, CP is sponsoring the Canadian Football League regular season, playoffs and the Grey Cup in Ottawa. That sponsorship will support the University of Ottawa Heart Institute.
Both of the Ottawa-based organizations CP is supporting with its Beautiful Hearts campaign are offering lifesaving care to Canadians who suffer from heart ailments. Children with congenital heart defects that benefit from CHEO’s work will later go on to receive care from the Ottawa Heart Institute.
“The CP Women’s Open coming to Ottawa is an incredible boost for our region, and all of us at CHEO are incredibly thankful that CP chose CHEO as the beneficiary of the CP Has Heart program,” said CHEO Foundation President and CEO Kevin Keohane. “The CP Has Heart campaign will help the doctors, nurses and staff provide the best care possible for patients and families at CHEO. CP, the LPGA, Golf Canada, the Ottawa Hunt and Golf Club, and the community have come together to support CHEO’s patients and for that we can’t thank them enough.”
CP ambassadors Lorie Kane and Brooke Henderson also contributed to the CHEO donation by participating in the Monday Brooke and Friends pro-am. Proceeds from the pro-am were split between the Golf Canada Foundation and the Team Henderson Foundation. Henderson also announced that her foundation will give back $5,000 to CHEO.
“On behalf of all the players this week, especially the Canadian contingent, I want to thank the fans and the community for the support,” said Smiths Falls, Ontario’s Brooke Henderson, the top Canadian at 7 under par and the new course record holder at Ottawa Hunt with her Saturday 63. “Joining Lorie as a CP ambassador and seeing the long-term impact of CP’s sponsorship of this tournament has been a privilege. A huge thanks to everyone who donated to CHEO and to CP for bringing the tournament and their charitable legacy to Ottawa.”
The 2018 CP Women’s Open will be played at the Wascana Country Club in Regina. For more details, visit www.cpwomensopen.com.
Brooke Henderson shoots course-record 63 to make big move at Ottawa Hunt
(Bernard Brault/ Golf Canada)
John Chidley-Hill/ Canadian Press
OTTAWA – Brooke Henderson said that it would take a miracle for her to get into contention at the CP Women’s Open after barely making the cut. She got that miracle on Saturday.
Henderson fired a course record 8-under 63 at the Ottawa Hunt and Golf Club to rocket up the leaderboard into a temporary tie for second at 7-under par before several players passed her. Still, finishing the day tied for sixth, three shots behind co-leaders Mo Martin and Nicole Broch Larsen, was a big improvement after needing a birdie on her final hole Friday to even play in the third round.
“Having the cut out of the way kind of gave me a little bit of a scare yesterday, being so close and almost not even playing the weekend,” said Henderson. “So I knew I had to get going.”
She added with a laugh: “Today is moving day, so I moved, that’s for sure.”
Brittany Marchand of Orangeville, Ont., was the only other Canadian left in the field after Friday night’s cuts. She shot a 1-over 72 to finish the day at 1-under par tied for 45th.
“It does a lot for my confidence no matter how the weekend goes,” said Marchand, who was a sponsor exemption that usually plays on the Symetra Tour. “Maybe today a few mistakes here and there. But overall I’m happy I’m playing the weekend. To know that I can play out here gives me confidence when I go back to Symetra.”
Henderson, who is from nearby Smiths Falls, Ont., and an honorary member at the Ottawa Hunt and Golf Club, doesn’t normally keep score when she’s playing the course for fun. The history books are telling though: the previous course record was a 64 set by Yani Tseng in 2008 before the course was redesigned in 2013. The men’s record was a 65 set by golfing legend Jack Nicklaus in 1960 as an amateur at the America’s Cup.
It looked like Henderson was going to earn her only bogey of the day on the 381-yard, par 4 No. 16.
Her approach shot shanked a little, falling on the green 70 feet from the hole. A long putt settled about 20 feet away from the pin, making par seem unlikely. But Henderson steadied herself and drained the shot, her knees buckling slightly from relief as the hundreds of fans trailing her from hole to hole burst into applause.
“I was really disappointed with that second shot. I kind of mentally got in my way there, and then that two-putt, when I went up to it, I was hoping for a two-putt and I was able to get it,” said Henderson. “Just kind of fell in the side door there, and then it led to two more birdies on 17 and 18.
Marchand was also frustrated on No. 16, bogeying before recovering on the next hole with a birdie.
“I three-putted on 16, and that was just frustration because I was mad that I missed my birdie putt again. Then I go and three-putt from ten feet. Just little things like that, I think those are the frustration parts a few times. But then I’m glad I bounced back with a birdie and little things.
The crowds following Henderson around the course have been the talk of the tournament. Although the 19-year-old Henderson admitted on Friday that she felt a lot of pressure as the star of the show, she was more relaxed and happy on Saturday and enjoying the support of the fans.
“Coming up 18 I kind of just took a peek around and I didn’t see any green grass outside of the ropes,” said Henderson. “Everybody was everywhere. So it’s such an incredible feeling. Being so close to home makes this week so much more special.”
Canadians Henderson, Marchand advance to weekend at CP Women’s Open
(Bernard Brault/ Golf Canada)
OTTAWA – Brooke Henderson’s sister and caddy Britt asked the gallery to be quiet, no pictures even, as the Canadian golf superstar settled over the ball. She was 25 feet away from an eagle putt that would guarantee she made the cut at the CP Women’s Open. A birdie might work too, with the cutline wavering around 1-over par.
“Nobody was doing anything. They all wanted me to have the best opportunity to make it,” said Brooke Henderson, who grew up in Smiths Falls, Ont., just over 60 kilometres from the Ottawa Hunt andGolf Club.
She struck the ball and the crowd started to cheer, with calls of “come on!” as the ball followed the contours of the green on No. 9. But then it tailed a little and came up less than a foot short. Henderson strode over, looked at her grouping partners to ask if she could finish, then sank the putt to finish the second round at 1 over.
“I was just trying to give myself an easy tap-in to make birdie,” said Henderson. “I didn’t want anymore pressure on myself. I just wanted to nestle it up close. It looked really good. As soon as I hit it I was like that’s going to go in, but a little bit short.”
After Henderson, Cristie Kerr and So Yeon Ryu signed their scorecards, the cutline moved up to 2-over par, guaranteeing the Canadian would play in the third round of Canada’s national women’s golfchampionship.
The 19-year-old phenom admitted after the dramatic final hole on Friday that the pressure of playing in front of what amounts to her hometown crowd was getting to her.
“I feel like I’ve handled it pretty well so far,” said Henderson. “I think now that the cut is kind of over with, I can focus on my game and try to shoot maybe 4- or 5-under these next two and see if I can be in the top 10 or just climb that leaderboard a little bit more.”
Playing in front of the large red-and-white clad crowds didn’t just affect Henderson. She and Brittany Marchand of Orangeville, Ont., were the only players from the field of 14 Canadians to make the cut.
Marchand, who was playing two groupings back of Henderson, often had dozens of fans waiting for her at every hole after Henderson moved on. Although Henderson got the lion’s share of the attention, Marchand actually finished the second round as the low Canadian, tied for 23rd at 2-under par, six shots back of leader In Gee Chun.
“I like playing for the Canadians and playing at home,” said Marchand, who earned a sponsor exemption for the tournament. “Having my family and people turn out. It’s nice when people cheer for you.
“On the Symetra Tour we don’t often have anybody. Maybe your host family, maybe your mom comes. It feels like it really boosts your mood and gives you confidence. Because no matter how well you do, they’re probably going to cheer for you because you’re Canadian.”
Quebec City’s Anne-Catherine Tanguay and Augusta James of Bath, Ont., as well as amateurs Maddie Szeryk of London, Ont., and Calgary’s Jaclyn Lee tied at 7 over.
Maude-Aimee Leblanc of Sherbrooke, Que., was 8 over, Hamilton’s Alena Sharp was 9 over, amateur Grace St-Germain of Ottawa was 10 over and Calgary’s Jennifer Ha was 12.
Hannah Hellyer of Sterling, Ont., was 14 over, Samantha Richdale of Kelowna, B.C., was 15 over and amateur Naomi Ko from Victoria was 16 over. Charlottetown’s Lorie Kane finished the day at 19 over.
Although she does feel like she’s under a microscope, Henderson wants the crowds following her to get even bigger.
“I look around and the whole green is covered, the fairways are covered. Not just covered, they’re like eight people deep, which is truly amazing,” said Henderson. “I just hope they continue to grow over the next two days.”
In Gee Chun takes lead at CP Women’s Open with American trio two shots back
(Bernard Brault/ Golf Canada)
John Chidley-Hill/ Canadian Press
OTTAWA – Brittany Lincicome and Mo Martin will spend their Friday night splitting a pizza and probably talking about what it will take to catch In Gee Chun.
The two Americans were both 6-under par and leading after two rounds at the CP Women’s Open before Chun passed them on the leaderboard for a two-stroke lead by the end of the day. Lincicome and Martin had plans for a pizza party with their caddies and some other golfers about the same time Chun was finishing her 4-under round to sit at 8 under on the tournament.
Lincicome relies on her caddy, Missy Pederson, to make pizza from scratch at most tournaments. She even has an unusual go-to toppings combo.
“Sausage and pepperoni, and then this Mascarpone, which is like a sweet cream which is super weird,” said Lincicome in the early afternoon. “Everyone’s like, ‘oh, my gosh, what is that?’ But it’s delicious.
“My caddy found it at the British Open a few years ago, and now it’s a whole thing.”
Martin had four birdies on the back nine, including one on No. 18, to take over first from first-round leader Marina Alex, who teed off in the afternoon. Alex had a 1-under round to join Lincicome and Martin in second.
“Super-solid finish,” said Martin after her round. “It’s nice that things are coming together. I think I’ve been playing better than I’ve been scoring this summer, so nice to see those things connect.”
Lincicome tied it two groups later when she drained her own birdie on the par-5 523-yard final hole. Martin’s biggest concern after resting all afternoon was getting too lethargic from the pizza.
“It should be a fun night. Just need to stay active,” said Martin. “Try not to sleep in too much tomorrow morning, and I’ve got the same game plan and I’ll be ready to go. Just conserve energy for the weekend.”
Chun said that she doesn’t need to relax because she enjoys playing in Canada so much. Instead, she’ll stick to her usual practice routine.
“I will do the same,” said Chun. “I really enjoy playing on the course, I really like playing in Canada. So I’m just enjoying everything.”
Alex is going to spend her Saturday morning focusing her ball striking at the windy Ottawa Hunt and Golf Club.
“Just get a few better drives on the fairway and just a couple more closer iron shots and give myself better percentage putts,” said Alex. “I’m putting well, but I just want to give myself as many great chances as I can going through this weekend.”
Brittany Marchand of Orangeville, Ont., and Brooke Henderson of nearby Smiths Falls, Ont., were the only two Canadians from a field of 14 to make the cut.
Henderson had to birdie on her final hole of the day to slip under the cutline and finish at 1 under. The teenage phenom was followed from hole to hole by hundreds of fans, most wearing red and white, a tradition at professional golf tournaments in Canada. She acknowledged that there was extra pressure playing just an hour away from her hometown.
“I feel like I’ve handled it pretty well so far,” said Henderson. “I think now that the cut is kind of over with, I can focus on my game and try to shoot maybe 4- or 5-under these next two and see if I can be in the top 10 or just climb that leaderboard a little bit more.”
Marchand, who was playing two groups behind Henderson, was tied for 23rd at 2 under.
Quebec City’s Anne-Catherine Tanguay and Augusta James of Bath, Ont., as well as amateurs Maddie Szeryk of London, Ont., and Calgary’s Jaclyn Lee tied at 7 over.
Maude-Aimee Leblanc of Sherbrooke, Que., was 8 over, Hamilton’s Alena Sharp was 9 over, amateur Grace St-Germain of Ottawa was 10 over and Calgary’s Jennifer Ha was 12 over.
Hannah Hellyer of Sterling, Ont., was 14 over, Samantha Richdale of Kelowna, B.C., was 15 over and amateur Naomi Ko from Victoria was 16 over. Charlottetown’s Lorie Kane finished the day at 19 over.
Canadians honour Dawn Coe Jones with yellow ribbons at CP Women’s Open
(Bernard Brault/ Golf Canada)
John Chidley-Hill/ Canadian Press
OTTAWA – Alena Sharp knelt down beside her bag and wrote the initials DC-J on each of her golf balls. She tucked the marker back into her bag and grabbed a pair of yellow ribbons with the same three letters monogrammed on them and scanned the crowd to hand them to her mom.
Sharp, who had an identical ribbon pinned to her hat, then lined up her shot from the No. 1 tee to start her first round at the CP Women’s Open on Thursday. She was one of several golfers honouring Canadian golf hall of famer Dawn Coe-Jones at the LPGA Tour event.
Coe-Jones left an indelible mark on women’s golf in Canada, winning three LPGA Tour events and the 1992 Match Play Championship, with 44 top-10 finishes over a 24-year career. She lost her battle with sarcoma, a form of bone cancer, on Nov. 12 at the age of 59.
“It’s just so sad that someone that young and that healthy can have that kind of bad luck,” said Sharp, a native of Hamilton, after completing a 7-over 78 in the first round of the tournament. “She’s not with us anymore, which is so sad.”
Sharp began marking her balls with Coe-Jones’s initials toward the end of last season and resumed the practice this week at the Ottawa Hunt and Golf Club to tie in with Golf Canada’s ribbon campaign honouring the pioneer of the sport.
“I’m really happy to see everybody wearing the ribbons this week and honouring her,” said Sharp. “It’s a great tribute.”
Coe-Jones competed in the Canadian Women’s Open 24 times and had seven top-10 finishes. She was the low Canadian (or tied) on 13 occasions and her $326,554 in earnings are the most by a Canadian playing in the Women’s Open. She retired from the LPGA at the 2008 national championship.
“It does mean a lot, not only to me, but I know her husband and son, are taking this in this week,” said Charlottetown’s Lorie Kane, who was a close friend of Coe-Jones. “It’s just nice for them to know their mom is loved.”
Maude-Aimee Leblanc of Sherbrooke, Que., Brittany Marchand of Orangeville, Ont., and Augusta James of Bath, Ont., were the low Canadians on Thursday at 2-over 73.
“(Coe-Jones) along with all the others were just really inspirational, especially being from Canada and not having that many people to look up to,” said Marchand, who also had a yellow ribbon affixed to her hat. “The few that have paved the way, it’s pretty awesome. It’s been great to be able to remember her this week and kind of keep her in everyone’s hearts.”
Calgary’s Jennifer Ha and superstar Brooke Henderson of nearby Smiths Falls, Ont., finished their rounds at 3-over par.
Honoring Dawn Coe-Jones this week at the CP Women's Open. Thank you for paving the way for… https://t.co/E1RBTABDe5
Henderson was followed from hole to hole by droves of fans, but despite the vocal support she struggled with her putting. Henderson went to the practice green after her morning round.
“I think if I can just get a good night’s rest tonight, maybe practice a little bit, tune in things a little bit more, and then go out tomorrow and hopefully just make a few more putts,” said Henderson. “That’s all it is, and hopefully make a few more birdies.”
Amateur Jaclyn Lee of Calgary was 4 over, Quebec City’s Anne-Catherine Tanguay was 5 over, Samantha Richdale of Kelowna, B.C., was 6 over, Hannah Hellyer of Sterling, Ont., was 7 over and amateur Maddie Szeryk of London, Ont., was 8 over.
Kane tied with amateur Grace St. Germain of Ottawa at 9 over, while Victoria amateur Naomi Ko finished at 12 over.
Marina Alex shoots opening round of 5 under, takes early lead at CP Women’s Open
(Vaughn Ridley/Getty Images)
John Chidley-Hill/ Canadian Press
OTTAWA – Playing professional golf isn’t that much different from having a standard 9-5 job. There’s a similar litany of problems. In the first round of the CP Women’s Open, it was a traffic jam.
Marina Alex had four birdies on the back nine and finished 5-under 66 to take the clubhouse lead at the Women’s Open on Thursday and held on to a one-stroke lead by the end of the round in part thanks to high winds. Those gusts forced golfers to take more time on their drives and approach shots which slowed down the pace of play at the Ottawa Hunt and Golf Club.
“It was kind of hard to get momentum, I think, for any of us because we would sit on the tee box and wait sometimes three and four minutes,” said Alex, who said the pace of play was slow from her second hole on. “It’s just hard to get a good group, and if you have a good group, it really kind of gets disrupted, so it’s tough.
“You have pretty challenging conditions right now. Every shot was kind of just difficult as we approached it, and it’s hard to get into a flow when you’re stopping and starting and stopping and starting.”
Weather has played a big role in the Women’s Open. Tuesday’s practice rounds were called off after a rainstorm drenched the course. Winds during the storm blew down some trees in the area and delayed or detoured flights at nearby Ottawa Macdonald-Cartier International Airport.
Despite the rain, greens were very fast on Thursday. Alex said that it was easy getting optimal shots in the morning until the wind picked up and started messing with drives.
“I thought that (the greens) were almost just as fast as what we played at the U.S. Open,” said Alex. “They are rolling unbelievably well. Really quick. The nice thing is they’re still a bit soft, so the shots are holding into the greens, so it kind of makes for a good combo.
“You can hit shots in there pretty tight, and then you have really nice pace to hold them.”
Holly Clyburn, who started on the back nine, eagled on her final hole in the afternoon to enter into a tie with In Gee Chun, who fired a bogey-free 4-under 67 to sit second in the morning group.
Clyburn hoped her strong finish on No. 9 would give her momentum into the second round of play.
“I’ve just been waiting for something to drop like that all day, actually. I played solid all day, and that was just a nice present on the last, really,” said Clyburn. “Just missed a few birdie putts out there, and hit a nice 5-wood in there and holed that putt.”
Maude-Aimee Leblanc of Sherbrooke, Que., Brittany Marchand of Orangeville, Ont., and Augusta James of Bath, Ont., were the low Canadians on Thursday at 2-over 73.
Calgary’s Jennifer Ha and superstar Brooke Henderson of nearby Smiths Falls, Ont., finished their rounds at 3-over par. Henderson had the opposite day of Alex, with her drives on target but her putts failing to drop.
“I hit the ball for the majority extremely well and just the putter kind of let me down at times,” said Henderson, who had a large crowd following her from hole to hole. “But you know, the crowds were amazing. There was a lot of great things happening out there, and like I said, my ball-striking was awesome. It was like right on, and just hopefully tomorrow I can make a couple more of those 10-footers, 15-footers, and then we’ll see what happens.”
She then went to the practice green to “teach (her putter) a lesson.”
Amateur Jaclyn Lee of Calgary was 4 over, Quebec City’s Anne-Catherine Tanguay was 5 over, Samantha Richdale of Kelowna, B.C., was 6 over, Hamilton’s Alena Sharp and Hannah Hellyer of Sterling, Ont., tied at 7 over. Amateur Maddie Szeryk of London, Ont., was 8 over.
Charlottetown’s Lorie Kane tied with amateur Grace St. Germain of Ottawa at 9 over, while Victoria amateur Naomi Ko finished at 12 over.
OTTAWA – Ariya Jutanugarn has won the last two times she’s stepped onto Canadian soil. This week, she’s hoping to make it three-for-three at Ottawa Hunt & Golf Club.
Last year, Jutanugarn capped her five-win season with a four-stroke win at the 2016 CP Women’s Open at Priddis Greens Golf and Country Club in Calgary. And in June 2017, she won the Manulife LPGA Classic in Kitchener, draining a 25-foot birdie putt on the first playoff hole to beat In Gee Chun and Lexi Thompson.
“I love everything here,” said Jutanugarn, who also had success here as an amateur, winning the 2012 Canadian Women’s Amateur Championship. “All the spectators, they’re so nice. They come support us and not only the tournament days. Even practice rounds they come out and give us full support. I feel like (it’s) my second home.”
Since the Thailand native’s victory in June, a nagging shoulder injury dating back to 2013 has been bothering the young player. She was forced to withdraw from one event and missed the cut at three of her last five starts. However, Jutanugarn comes into Ottawa off two weeks of rest and rehab and is ready to defend her title.
Jutanugarn will tee off on No. 10 on Thursday at 1:42 p.m. with Angel Yin, who sank the clinching putt for the USA at last week’s Solheim Cup, and 2017 U.S. Women’s Open champion Sung Hyun Park.
Lydia Ko already has her name on the CP Women’s Open trophy three times, twice as an amateur in 2012 and 2013 and then as a professional in 2015. This week in Ottawa, she would love nothing more than to add a fourth title and second as a professional to that tally.
“I’ve been working hard with my team to be a bit more consistent,” said Ko, who is looking for her first title of 2017. “I think consistency is so important on Tour because you’re playing week in and week out, and to have that consistency is going to help to, I guess, build confidence too. I love playing in Canada, so hopefully I’ll be able to have a good result this week.”
Ko actually almost became a Canadian rather than a New Zealander as a young child. Ko was born in the Republic of
Korea, and her parents contemplated both countries before ultimately deciding to become Kiwis.
“I feel like there are a lot of similarities between New Zealand and Canada,” said Ko. “The people are great, super nice.
The towns and the cities remind me a lot of New Zealand. So, I know I’m going to a different country, but it feels like home almost. The Canadians have really taken me in as one of their own.”
Ko will tee off on No. 1 on Thursday at 8:27 a.m. with 2010 CPWO champion Michelle Wie and 2017 LPGA rookie Nelly Korda.
This week marks Katherine Kirk’s first visit to the Ottawa Hunt & Golf Club since 2008, when she won the CP Women’s Open for her first LPGA victory. You might think that all the excitement would make this a can’t-forget moment. But with a sheepish grin, Kirk admits that it’s all a blur.
“I remember a little bit of Thursday’s round and a little of Sunday’s round, but Friday, Saturday, not so much,” said Kirk, who trailed Yani Tseng by six strokes going into Sunday’s final round. “If you asked me what I shot, I don’t think I could tell you. Actually, I’d have to look it up.”
For the record, Kirk shot a final-round 69 to win by one stroke over Se Ri Pak and two strokes over Tseng. Of course, many people here at Ottawa Hunt still remember the Australian for her 2008 success.
“I’ve had a few volunteers come up to me and say, hey, we met you at the volunteer tent back in ‘08 and you signed a hat for us,” said Kirk, who captured the third win of her LPGA career at July’s Thornberry Creek LPGA Classic. “Or people would come up to me, hey, hopefully you can repeat from ‘08. So obviously there are a lot of folks that have come back or either volunteered or they’re going to come out and watch the tournament this week.”
Kirk will tee off on No. 10 on Thursday at 1:20 p.m. with Paula Creamer and Inbee Park.
Golf Town named official golf retailer of Future Links, driven by Acura junior golf program & 2017 professional championships
(Chuck Russell/ Golf Canada)
Golf Canada and Golf Town have announced the partnership in which Golf Town will become the official Golf Retailer of Future Links – Canada’s national junior golf program as well as the 2017 Professional Championships; The RBC Canadian Open and CP Women’s Open.
Future Links, driven by Acura, is a joint grassroots initiative of Golf Canada, the PGA of Canada and the provincial golf associations which offers a full suite of junior golf programs for boys and girls ages 6 to 18 – from beginnings to those with more experience or greater playing ability. The program is structured to focus on three core areas– facility programming, community outreach, and in-school programming.
In 2017, Golf Canada has also integrated the popular Golf in Schools program under the Future Links suite of junior golf activities. With more than 400,000 children currently learning golf at nearly 3,400 schools (elementary, intermediate, and high schools) as part of the Canadian Physical Education curriculum, Future Links, driven by Acura is supporting quality junior golf experience from in-schools to on-course at clubs across Canada.
As the official golf retailer of Canada’s national junior golf program, Golf Town has implemented a fundraising initiative at Golf Town locations across the country in support of Golf in Schools adoptions. This initiative will allow consumers at Golf Town retail locations to donate towards the adoption of a school in their local area. This adoption will equip a local school with a Golf in Schools kit, that can be incorporated into the Physical Education curriculum to introduce elementary, intermediate or high school students to the game of golf.
“Golf Town has been a tremendous partner since aligning their respected brand with Canada’s national junior golf program as well as our 2017 Professional Championships. We are thrilled with their deepened commitment to the growth of the game as a whole,” said Chief Sport Officer, Jeff Thompson. We are proud that Golf Town will continue to drive the Golf in Schools program forward and introduce hundreds of children to the game.”
“Growing the game, contributing to the community, and encouraging our associates to get behind an initiative we strongly believe in is what inspires us, so when the opportunity to partner with Golf Canada on an in-store fundraising campaign for Golf in Schools came up, we were more than excited to get on board,” said Chad McKinnon, President at Golf Town. “We’re grateful to have wonderful customers believe in growing the game in their communities just as much as we do, and their generosity shows. We look forward to continuing our support and growing the game with Future Links as a proud partner.”
In addition, Golf Town will be introducing their Brooke Brigade Viewing Zones at the CP Women’s Open August 21 – 27 at the Ottawa Hunt & Golf Club. These exclusive areas throughout the championship grounds will allow Golf Town juniors, known as “Brooke’s Brigade,” to watch their hometown hero, Brooke Henderson, compete in Canada’s National Women’s Open. Juniors will be outfitted in Golf Town Brooke Brigade t-shirts and will even enjoy some surprise and delights in The Golf Town Brooke Brigade Viewing Zones.
“We are extremely excited to have Golf Town as the official golf retailer of our Professional Championships,” said Bill Paul, Chief Championship Officer. “Golf Town’s investment in the Professional Championships further enhances its commitment within the golf marketplace in Canada.”
“We are very excited to be a part of the RBC Canadian Open and CP Women’s Open as the official retailer of both championships. Through our commitment to Future Links, we hope we can inspire young Canadians to pick up a club and get out on the course to have some fun with their friends and family. Who knows, maybe someday we may see the same junior golfers competing in one of these premium events and inspiring the next generation of golf to do the same,” said Chad McKinnon.
