CPKC WOMEN’S OPEN FINAL QUALIFIER SET FOR MONDAY

A field of 24 golfers will be competing for the final four spots in the 2024 CPKC Women’s Open during Monday’s Final Qualifier being held at Mickelson National Golf Club in Calgary, Alta. with a 11 a.m. MT start. For the field along with tee times please click here.

TWO CANADIANS EARN EXEMPTIONS INTO FIELD

Canadians Leah John (Vancouver, B.C.) and Mary Parsons (Delta, B.C.) have earned tournament exemptions increasing the number of Canadians competing in the 2024 CPKC Women’s Open to 17.

GOLF CANADA FOUNDATION PRO-AM SET FOR MONDAY

Tournament week at the 2024 CPKC Women’s Open kicks off Monday with the Golf Canada Foundation Pro-Am. Groups will tee off in a shotgun format beginning at 12:00 p.m. MT. The field will consist of professionals, amateurs and celebrities with funds being raised for the Golf Canada Foundation.

CPKC WOMEN’S LEADERSHIP SUMMIT RETURNS ON TUESDAY

Golf Canada and CPKC will host the seventh annual CPKC Women’s Leadership Summit on Tuesday, July 23 as part of the weeklong excitement of the 2024 CPKC Women’s Open. The CPKC Women’s Leadership Summit is headlined this year by Raven Jemison, President of the Kansas City Current, Mollie Marcoux Samaan, Commissioner of the LPGA and will be hosted by Lindsay Hamilton of TSN. The day will bring together like-minded businesspeople from across the country for a day of networking, empowerment, and philanthropy. For more information, click here.

Brooke Henderson is geared up for the most important four weeks of her year.

The winningest professional golfer in Canadian history will tee it up in the featured group of the Amundi Evian Championship on Thursday, the fourth major of the women’s season. She’ll then play in the CPKC Women’s Open — the Canadian national championship — at Calgary’s Earl Grey Golf Club before heading back to France for the Paris Olympics, all in the span of a month.

“It’s definitely a huge stretch, so it would be a great time for the game to really show up and be in a good spot,” said Henderson, who last played at the Dow Championship where she tied for eighth with partner Lexi Thompson of the United States. “I feel like it’s definitely trending in the right direction.

“It was a lot of fun playing with Lexi a couple weeks ago, and she is playing so well and has a lot of confidence right now. I was trying to feed off that and add some of that to my game as well.”

She’ll be playing alongside reigning champion Celine Boutier of France and 2021 winner Minjee Lee of Australia in the tournament’s first and second rounds on Thursday and Friday. Henderson won the fourth major of the season in 2022 and was runner-up to Boutier last year.

“I think it’s going to be really fun for all of us in the group to feed off (French fans cheering for Boutier) and be in a really amazing atmosphere,” said Henderson. “The show that she put on last year was incredible. Nobody was going to catch her. I tried, but I couldn’t keep up.

“She’s been playing some great golf and as everyone knows she’s a great person as well, so I’m looking forward to seeing how she does here this week.”

Savannah Grewal of Mississauga, Ont., is the other Canadian in the field at the Evian. The LPGA Tour rookie said “it still feels surreal” that she’s playing in her third major after turning professional in November.

“It’s still crazy to me that you know, I’m out on tour now and I get to play in major championships that I grew up watching on TV,” said Grewal.

“I remember watching Celine Boutier win this tournament last year and now I’m here, playing the holes that I watched on TV. 

“Every major I can check off it’s just another unreal opportunity to get to go do what I love.”

Both Henderson and Grewal remarked on the unique Evian Resort Golf Club in Evian-les-Bains, France, just by the Swiss border in the Alps.

“This course being built on a mountain, a slope, it’s very challenging,” said Henderson. “You never have a flat lie. You’re always compensating for something and always having to think your way around, which I think is really cool and very unique to this area.”

Grewal agreed.

“I’ve definitely noticed that there’s a lot more side slope lies in the fairway than what I’m used to,” said Grewal, after spending the day in Switzerland. “Even hilly courses that are in the mountains in North America, they tend to be more so hilly in the sense of up and down. 

“Whereas here, everything’s leaning toward one side. The front nine, I think everything’s kind of leaning left to right and then you have the back nine, where everything’s right to left.”

EPSON TOUR — Brigitte Thibault of Rosemere, Que., is the lone Canadian in the field at the Hartford HealthCare Women’s Championship. She’s 128th on the Race for the Card points list. The tournament at the Great River Golf Club in Milford, Conn., begins Friday.

PGA TOUR — Aaron Cockerill of Stony Mountain, Man., the only Canadian player on the European-base DP World Tour, will make a rare PGA Tour appearance at this week’s Genesis Scottish Open. Adam Hadwin of Abbotsford, B.C., is the highest-ranked Canadian in the lead-up event to the British Open. He’s 33rd on the FedEx Cup standings. Corey Conners (35th) of Listowel, Ont., Nick Taylor (43rd) of Abbotsford, and Mackenzie Hughes (51st) of Dundas, Ont., are also in the field.

KORN FERRY TOUR — Myles Creighton of Digby, N.S., is No. 23 on the second-tier Korn Ferry Tour’s points list heading into this week’s The Ascendant. Edmonton’s Wil Bateman (35th), Etienne Papineau (53rd) of St-Jean-Sur-Richelieu, Que., Sudarshan Yellamaraju (106th) of Mississauga, Ont., and Jared du Toit (122nd) of Kimberley, B.C., are also in the field at TPC Colorado in Berthoud, Colo.

CHAMPIONS TOUR — Calgary’s Stephen Ames is still No. 1 overall on the Champions Tour. He hopes to build his lead on the senior tour at this week’s Kaulig Companies Championship starting Friday. Mike Weir of Brights Grove, Ont., is No. 25 on the Schwab Cup points list heading into play at Firestone Country Club in Akron, Ohio.

PGA TOUR AMERICAS — Matthew Anderson of Mississauga, Ont., is second on the third-tier tour’s points list heading into the Explore NB Open. There are 18 Canadians in the field at Mactaquac Golf Course in Fredericton, N.B.

As Ellie Szeryk lined up her final putt to seal the win at the B.C. Women’s Open, she spied longtime friend Brooke Rivers lurking around the green with a bottle of water.

Sure enough, when Szeryk made the putt, the chase was on with Rivers trying to douse her with water.

“I ran as far as I could, but she still got me quite good,” Szeryk said with a laugh. “But it was fun. In golf you usually do that to your really good friends when they win. 

“So it was really sweet that she did that. It’s like an unspoken honour.”

Szeryk beat Rivers by four strokes at Pitt Meadows Golf Club on Sunday in their professional debuts. Both golfers also earned berths at the CPKC Women’s Open, July 25-28 at Calgary’s Earl Grey Golf Club.

“It was just really nice to be able to have followed through on something that I had been thinking about,” said Szeryk. “It’s not always easy to golf. It’s just three rounds and you have no idea what the course is like and how it’s going to play.”

Earning their way into the national women’s championship, rather than relying on a sponsor’s exemption, was a relief to both players.

“I knew that there’d be a good opportunity for that,” said Szeryk, from London, Ont. “It’s been on my mind the last couple of months, like since I signed up. 

“I knew I needed to make sure I had my game right so I could take advantage of it because I knew that they weren’t going to be a lot of sponsored exemptions for this Canadian Open.”

Rivers agreed.

“It does feel really good to earn the exemption spot on my own through good play,” said Rivers, from Brampton, Ont. “It also feels a little more rewarding while being there because you feel like you had done everything in order to put yourself there.”

Rivers added with a laugh: “It’s a little bit easier when booking travel that you don’t have to do it the week before.”

Both Szeryk and Rivers turned pro after the conclusion of the NCAA golf season. They’re both spending time with family and practising before the ORORO PGA Women’s Championship of Canada tees off at TPC Toronto at Osprey Valley in Caledon, Ont., on July 2.

“I’m really excited to turn pro, and it’s something that I’ve wanted to do my whole life,” said Rivers, who played one season at Wake Forest University. “It’s something I’ve been working toward my whole life. 

“I just felt that I was in a position where I was ready to turn pro and I was ready to start competing.”

Golf Canada announced the early commitments to the 50th playing of the Women’s Open on Monday, with eight of the current top-10 and 83 of the top-100 players on the Race to the CME Globe Standings entered in the national women’s championship.

The 156-player field will be competing at Earl Grey Golf Club for the first time in tournament history. It will be the seventh time that Alberta hosts the Women’s Open and first time since 2016.

LPGA TOUR — Hamilton’s Alena Sharp is in the Dow Championship three days after making Canada’s Olympic golf team for a third time. Maddie Szeryk, Ellie’s older sister, just missed out on beating Sharp to the Olympics by 1.41 points in the women’s world golf rankings. Brooke Henderson of Smiths Falls, Ont., No. 14 in the world, is also in the field at the Midland Country Club in Midland, Mich. They will be joined by Maude-Aimee Leblanc of Sherbrooke, Que., Savannah Grewal of Mississauga, Ont., and amateur Vanessa Borovilos of Toronto.

EPSON TOUR — Brigitte Thibault of Rosemere, Que., is the top-ranked Canadian playing in the Dream First Bank Charity Classic. She’s 120th on the second-tier Epson Tour’s points list. She’ll be joined at Buffalo Dunes Golf Course in Garden City, Kan., by Vancouver’s Leah John (160th), as well as Selena Costabile of Thornhill, Ont., and Kate Johnston of Ayr, Ont., who are unranked.

PGA TOUR — Taylor Pendrith of Richmond Hill, Ont., is the top ranked Canadian at No. 30 on the FedEx Cup standings. He will be in the field at the Rocket Mortgage Classic at Detroit Golf Club, where he finished tied for second in 2022. Adam Svensson (76th) of Surrey, B.C., Ben Silverman (113th) of Thornhill, Ont., and Roger Sloan (194th) of Merritt, B.C., are also in the field.

KORN FERRY TOUR — Myles Creighton of Digby, N.S., is No. 23 on the Tour’s points list heading into the Memorial Health Championship. Edmonton’s Wil Bateman (33rd), Etienne Papineau (50th) of St-Jean-Sur-Richelieu, Que., Sudarshan Yellamaraju (100th) of Mississauga, Ont., and Jared du Toit (118th) of Kimberley, B.C., are also in the field at Panther Creek Country Club in Springfield, Ill.

CHAMPIONS TOUR — Calgary’s Stephen Ames leads the Canadian contingent into the U.S. Senior Open Championship. He’s No. 1 on the Charles Schwab Cup money list with two victories so far this year. Mike Weir of Brights Grove, Ont., is 25th on the list and also in the field at Newport Country Club in Newport, R.I. David Morland IV of Aurora, Ont., is also playing the event.

AMERICAS TOUR — Matthew Anderson of Mississauga, Ont., remains the atop the points list of the third-tier Americas Tour heading into this week’s ATB Classic. He’s one of 18 Canadians playing Northern Bear Golf Club in Strathcona County, Alta.

CALGARY – The CPKC Women’s Open has been given the LPGA Tour’s top award the last two seasons. Being named ‘Tournament of the Year’ is something that encompasses so much – from ticketing to marketing to fan experience and more.

And now Canada’s National Open is back to try to do it all again.

“Golf fans in Calgary are in for a very memorable week at a beautiful golf course where the world’s best will compete for our National Open Championship,” Tournament Director Ryan Paul said. “The CPKC Women’s Open is one of the top three women’s sporting events in Canada and this year is shaping up to be a special one.”

This year’s CPKC Women’s Open marks the 50th playing of the storied event, which last year’s winner Megan Khang says feels like the sixth major on the LPGA Tour.

There are plenty of notable highlights for this year. Firstly – and perhaps most importantly – the tournament has set an ambitious fundraising goal of $2.75 million, the highest number in recent history. Since 2014, the tournament (which is the marquee event for the CPKC Has Heart community investment program) has helped to raise over $19 million for cardiac research, equipment, and care across North America.

The fan experience is set to be the biggest and most impressive, too. Paul says the build-out on site at first-time venue Earl Grey Golf Club will be 95,000 square feet – far and away the most of any event on the LPGA Tour.

The impressive effort from the entire CPKC Women’s Open management team means there is plenty of momentum behind doing things bigger and better. There’s been lots of good recognition for their work – not only is it the two-time Tournament of the Year on the LPGA Tour, but also the back-to-back winner of Best Sponsor Activation and it won Best Charity & Community Engagement in 2022.

The support from Earl Grey, just minutes from downtown Calgary, has also been overwhelmingly positive.

The targeted number of volunteers (which was 1,200 for 2024) was hit all the way back in March – and the event was named ‘Best Volunteer Program’ by the LPGA Tour in 2023. The support of the Calgary community, too, has been incredible. Ticket sales to this point in 2024 up 30 percent as compared to this point a year ago. This is the first time the tournament has returned to Calgary since 2016, with Priddis Golf and Country Club playing host that year along with 1999 and 2009.

Speaking of fans – ‘The Rink,’ the incredibly popular viewing experience, will make its return to the CPKC Women’s Open at the par-3 17th hole at Earl Grey.

Khang, who broke through for her first LPGA Tour title a year ago at Shaughnessy, recalled with a smile a nice moment with the crowds late in her day that is the exact one-of-a-kind interaction attendees get with LPGA Tour athletes.

“I walked off the green on 16 and I looked at the leaderboard and I was like, of course it’s (former world No. 1) Jin Young Ko (making a charge). I was so concerned about Sei Young Kim in my group but of course Jin Young was right there. I’m looking at the guys all around the boards and I’m like, ‘I need me a drink too guys,’” she said with a laugh.

For all the awards and fan opportunities and exciting new things to see and do, there’s no event without players – and the CPKC Women’s Open once again will boast almost all the world’s best.

Early commitments include eight of the top 10 in this year’s Race to CME Globe standings plus 83 of the top 100. There will be nine in-season winners and upwards of 30 Olympians.

The star of the show will of course be Canada’s own Brooke Henderson. Henderson won this championship in 2018 and it’s not lost on her how special, or important, that win has been on her resume.

“It’s a huge highlight of my career being able to win this event back in 2018,” said Henderson. “I’ve always dreamt of winning this event. It’s always played an important role in my life.”

Henderson will once again lead a hearty Canadian contingent at the CPKC Women’s Open which also includes fellow three-time Olympian Alena Sharp. Sharp finished fourth when the CPKC Women’s Open was last in Calgary, her best career LPGA Tour result.

“It’s good vibes only there,” Sharp said.

Ah, yes – good vibes.

If you ask Henderson about what she’s hoping for the most come July, it’s a lot of that exact thing. For the fans, for herself, for the community, and for charity.

“It’s so exciting to be able to be home and compete on home soil and to have the love and support of all the fans and everyone that comes out to watch, it’s pretty incredible,” said Henderson. “It’s kind of hard to put into words how grateful I am to everyone when they come out year after year and as we move across the country the crowds are always still huge and so much fun to be able to play in front of.

“I just hope I can put on a good show and give them something to cheer about.”

And if the current momentum of the CPKC Women’s Open is any indication, winning another set of big-time year-end awards may be something to cheer about, too.

It’s been three years since Hamilton’s Alena Sharp played in a major and she feels like her game has evolved to better suit the best-on-best women’s golf tournament.

The 43-year-old Sharp joins Brooke Henderson of Smiths Falls, Ont., and Savannah Grewal of Mississauga, Ont., at the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship on Thursday. Sharp last competed in a major in 2021, playing in the Women’s PGA Championship and the Amundi Evian Championship that year.

“I’ve definitely changed quite a bit,” said Sharp. “I used to hit a draw and now I’m hitting a fade, so I think that helps a little bit in majors because usually things are firm, so it might not run out as much on the green. 

“You need to keep evolving and I feel like my game has, so I’m ready for the challenge for the week.”

Sharp tied for 25th at the Women’s PGA Championship in June 2021 and tied for 70th a month later at the Evian Championship. Although a regular on the LPGA Tour in 2022, she didn’t qualify for any of the five majors in women’s golf. 

She held dual membership with the top women’s circuit and the second-tier Epson Tour in 2023, playing in four LPGA events that year.

Sharp qualified for this year’s Women’s PGA Championship based on her 146th ranking on this season’s CME Globe points list.

“We’re playing amazing golf courses and the PGA of America does a great job in elevating the event,” said Sharp, who noted she was glad to see the tournament return to Sahalee Country Club in Sammamish, Wash., outside of Seattle. “The purse has gone up so much since we started, it’s gone up like 300 per cent.

“Everything about the tournament is top notch.”

Henderson was also glad to return to Salahee, where she won the Women’s PGA Championship in 2016, the first major title of her career and her second win on the LPGA Tour.

“It definitely changed my life back in 2016,” said Henderson. “I received a lot more attention from the fans and the media, and just what I believed I could do moving forward I think changed. 

“Felt like anything was possible after this victory. I really gained a lot from playing and winning here in 2016.”

The women’s world golf rankings will be finalized for Olympics qualifications on Monday, following the conclusion of the Women’s PGA Championship. As the world No. 13 player, Henderson is a lock to represent Canada at the Paris Games in August. 

“Any time you can go and represent your country it’s a very proud moment,” said Henderson, who played for Canada at the 2016 Rio Games and again in Tokyo in 2021, both times with Sharp. “To be able to wear the Maple Leaf and go to Paris is really exciting for me.”

Despite mainly playing in the Epson Tour over the past two years, Sharp is the front-runner to be Henderson’s teammate for a third consecutive Olympics.

“It’s been on my mind,” said Sharp. “I’ve been watching (the rankings) obviously, and I was eager to get back out on the LPGA Tour because you don’t get a lot of points playing on Epson.

“The last two tournaments I was able to make the cut and then just didn’t play well on the weekend but I’ve learned from those two experiences and hope to apply it this week.”

EPSON TOUR — Brigitte Thibault of Rosemere, Que., leads a group of five Canadians into the Island Resort Championship on Friday. She’s No. 111 in the Race for the Card standings. Maddie Szeryk (140th) of London, Ont., as well as unranked players Selena Costabile of Thornhill, Ont., Vancouver’s Leah John and Kate Johnston of Ayr, Ont., are also playing at Sweetgrass Golf Club in Harris, Mich.

RIVERS GOES PRO — Collegiate star Brooke Rivers of Brampton, Ont., has turned professional. The Wake Forest University freshman will play the B.C. Open at Pitt Meadows Golf Club on Thursday. She will also play in the ORORO PGA Women’s Championship of Canada at TPC Toronto at Osprey Valley in Caledon, Ont., on July 2.

PGA TOUR — Adam Hadwin of Abbotsford, B.C., is still the top-ranked Canadian heading into the Travelers Championship on Thursday although the rankings are very close. He’s 30th, Taylor Pendrith of Richmond Hill, Ont., is 31st, Corey Conners of Listowel, is 33rd and Nick Taylor of Abbotsford is 37th. All four are in the field at TPC Highlands in Cromwell, Conn. Mackenzie Hughes (46th) of Dundas, Ont., and Adam Svensson (88th) of Surrey, B.C., will also tee it up.

KORN FERRY TOUR — Edmonton’s Wil Bateman is the highest ranked Canadian playing in this week’s Compliance Solutions Championship. Bateman is 30th on the second-tier tour’s points list. He’ll be joined at Jimmie Austin OU Golf Club in Norman, Okla., by Etienne Papineau (48th) of St-Jean-Sur-Richelieu, Que., Sudarshan Yellmaraju (96th) of Mississauga, Ont., and Jared du Toit (117th) of Kimberley, B.C.

CHAMPIONS TOUR — Calgary’s Stephen Ames leads the Schwab Cup points list heading into DICK’S Open En-Joie Golf Club in Endicott, N.Y. Mike Weir of Brights Grove, Ont., is 35th on the points list heading into Friday’s first round.

PGA TOUR AMERICAS — The North American swing of the Americas Tour begins on Thursday with The Beachlands Victoria Open at Uplands Golf Club in Victoria. Matthew Anderson of Mississauga and Vancouver’s Stuart Macdonald are Nos. 1 and 4 on the Fortinet Cup standings coming out of the break between the Latin American and North American legs of the third-tier circuit.

Checking her email regularly has paid off for Canadian golfer Maddie Szeryk.

The native of London, Ont., who resides in Texas, was going through her inbox three weeks ago when she noticed a message from the organizers of the Texas Women’s Open reminding her that there was still four days left to sign up for the tournament at Grapevine Golf Course. 

Seeing that it would be a great opportunity to tune up before she returned to the LPGA Tour, she decided to register.

“I wasn’t playing enough tournament rounds so I was like, ‘I need to do this,'” Szeryk, who lives fewer than 60 kilometres from Grapevine, Texas, said Wednesday. “It was perfect that the deadline hadn’t passed or anything, the timing worked out, I could stay at home, and my boyfriend was on the bag.

“It was just really good to see some solid golf again, and just to get comfortable out there.”

Originally schedule for three days, the Texas Women’s Open was reduced to two because of heavy storms in the area. Szeryk started the second round two shots behind leader Hailee Cooper. 

After a bogey on No. 17, she hit a wedge shot to get within 10 feet of the 18th green and drained the putt for the tournament-winning birdie.

Szeryk won US$17,000 and, perhaps more importantly, sharpened her game ahead of this week’s ShopRite LPGA Classic in Galloway, N.J. It will be her first LPGA Tour start of the season, after she was unable to maintain her status from last season.

“I feel like I’m getting on a roll and scrambling better and just playing more solid and just making it come together,” she said. “You can play games and stuff when practising and playing by yourself but it’s just not the same as tournament golf and the pressure of that.

“So it’s good. I just tried to really treat (the Texas Women’s Open) as a big tournament just trying to play and get comfortable again.”

Szeryk is one of five Canadians that will be playing at Seaview Bay Course when the tournament begins Friday.

Brooke Henderson of Smiths Falls, Ont., is seventh on the Race to CME Globe standings. Savannah Grewal (76th) of Mississauga, Ont., Maude-Aimee Leblanc (129th) of Sherbrooke, Que., and Hamilton’s Alena Sharp (132nd) are also in the field.

“I love playing out here and getting to see all my close friends again,” said Szeryk, noting that she was especially excited to practice and possibly play alongside good friends Lauren Hartlage and Amanda Doherty. “It was so fun to be out there with them again and just to see other friends that I’m close with and just the feel of like, ‘OK, this is a big tournament this is really real. 

“I’m just so excited to finally be back this year, my first one of the year.”

Szeryk may have more LPGA Tour events in June.

She’s the first alternate for the Meijer LPGA Classic at Blythefield Country Club in Belmont, Mich., and will play in the Dow Championship at Midland Country Club in Midland, Mich.

EPSON TOUR — Brigitte Thibault of Rosemere, Que., will be the highest ranked Canadian playing at the FireKeepers Casino Hotel Championship when it tees off on Friday. She enters the tournament as No. 98 on the Epson Tour’s points list. She’ll be joined at Battle Creek Country Club in Battle Creek, Mich., by Selena Costabile of Thornhill, Ont., Vancouver’s Leah John and Kate Johnston of Ayr, Ont., all of whom are unranked.

PGA TOUR — Taylor Pendrith of Richmond Hill, Ont., has moved up to 30th on the FedEx Cup standings, making him the highest ranked Canadian on the PGA Tour. He’ll be back in action this week at the Memorial Tournament, one of the Tour’s signature events. Five other Canadians are in the field at Muirfield Village Golf Club in Dublin, Ohio. Nick Taylor (34th) of Abbotsford, B.C., Mackenzie Hughes (40th) of Dundas, Ont., Corey Conners (45th) of Listowel, Ont., Adam Hadwin (48th) of Abbotsford, and Adam Svensson (94th) of Surrey, B.C., will all tee it up.

PRESIDENTS CUP — U.S. team captain Jim Furyk announced his assistants for the Presidents Cup at Royal Montreal Golf Club in late September. Stewart Cink, Justin Leonard and Kevin Kisner will all join Furyk in Montreal

“The three of them have a tremendous history with this event, but more importantly, they will be trusted voices in the team room and on the course for our guys,” said Furyk. “I look forward to working with them closely as we build a 12-man U.S. team that is ready to compete at Royal Montreal this fall.”

KORN FERRY TOUR — Myles Creighton of Digby, N.S., is ranked 18th on the second-tier Korn Ferry Tour’s points list. He’s the top-ranked Canadian playing in the BMW Charity Pro-Am in Greer, S.C. He and Sudarshan Yellamaraju of Mississauga, Ont., will play at Carolina Country Club, while Etienne Papineau of St-Jean-Sur-Richelieu, Que., and Jared du Toit of Kimberley, B.C., will be at Thornblade Club.

CHAMPIONS TOUR — Calgary’s Stephen Ames is ranked second in the Schwab Cup points list heading into Friday’s American Family Insurance Championship. He’ll be the lone Canadian playing at University Ridge Golf Club in Madison, Wisc.

So much has changed for Brooke Henderson since she last played in a U.S. Women’s Open at Lancaster Country Club.

Henderson was playing in Monday qualifiers and earning sponsor exemptions for LPGA Tour events back in 2015 after her request for an age waiver to compete at Q School in late 2014 was denied. Then just 17 years old, she qualified for the 2015 U.S. Women’s Open based on her score at the previous year’s event, which she had earned her way into through a qualifying event as an amateur.

Despite that difficult road to the major, Henderson tied for fifth and turned pro the next month after winning her first-ever LPGA Tour title at the Cambia Portland Classic.

“That was an incredible week for me to finish top five,” said Henderson this week at Lancaster. “I was just trying to get my Tour card at that point, so any time I was able to play on such a big stage and especially an important event such as this.

“I played really well on the weekend, climbed up a bunch of spots, and to get that T-5 was really special.”

Henderson, from Smiths Falls, Ont., has racked up wins since that summer, and her 13 on the LPGA Tour are the most victories ever for a Canadian golfer regardless of gender. That tie for fifth, however, is still the best she’s ever done in a U.S. Women’s Open despite winning two other majors.

“Everything is just a little bit harder,” said Henderson of the unique challenge U.S. Women’s Opens present to golfers. “The course is a little bit longer. The rough is a little bit longer. Greens are quicker, more slope. Just everything about it.

“You’ve really got to pay attention and have a strategy. But then when that strategy doesn’t work, then to be gritty and grind it out.”

Henderson is fifth on the Race to CME Globe standings with five top-10 finishes in 10 events so far this year. American Nelly Korda is the runaway leader, however, with six wins and another top 10 finish in eight tournaments.

Korda took last week off, but credited her coaches and staying in a mental “bubble” away from all the attention that comes on the LPGA Tour for her success this season.

“We all just know that we’re out here doing what we love,” said Korda of her team. “We all have the same goals in mind, and we’re trying to accomplish one thing, and that’s to hopefully lift the trophy by the end of the week.”

Maude-Aimee Leblanc of Sherbrooke, Que., is the only other Canadian in the field at the second women’s golf major of the season. Leblanc is 131st in the LPGA Tour’s standings and earned a berth in a qualifier at Haworth Country Club in Haworth, N.J. on May 13.

American Lexi Thompson, an 11-time winner on the LPGA Tour, announced on Tuesday that she will retire from the top professional women’s golf circuit this season. The 29-year-old will be making her 18th appearance in the U.S. Women’s Open.

“This is my 14th full-time year. Golf has been my life ever since I was five years old, tournaments when I was seven,” she said at a news conference. “I haven’t really known much of a life different, but it’s been an amazing one.

“This sport has taught me a lot, and I’ve learned so much along the way, built so many friendships and relationships. I’m looking forward to what life has in store.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 29, 2024.

Brooke Henderson has started the LPGA Tour season on a wave, one she hopes to ride into the first major of the season.

The 26-year-old golfer from Smiths Falls, Ont., has four top 10 finishes in the first seven tournaments of the year, finishing no worse than a tie for 27th. That’s the kind of momentum she needs heading into this week’s Chevron Championship.

“I’m always trying to get those top 10s and be in contention on the weekend,” said Henderson on Wednesday. “So it’s been fun to be in that position a couple of times already this year.”

The Chevron Championship moved to The Club at Carlton Woods in The Woodlands, Texas, for the first time last year and Henderson found the course challenging, tying for 23rd after shooting an even-par overall. Lilia Vu won it in a playoff against fellow American Angel Yin after both shot 10 under.

Henderson said that she and her sister Brittany Sepanik, who is also her caddy, made a point of getting to The Club at Carlton Woods earlier this year to better prepare for the first of five women’s golf majors.

“Just getting a little better feel for it, knowing where to miss and where the good spots are to try to make birdie,” said Henderson, who noted that the greens are firmer this year. “I think that’s really key and just understanding the course a little bit better. I think that’ll be helpful on the weekend.”

Although Henderson finished 2023 in 15th in the LPGA Tour’s Race to CME Globe standings, she said she wasn’t happy with the year overall. But a tie for sixth at the Maybank Championship on Oct. 26, and taking second with partner Corey Conners of Listowel, Ont., at the Grant Thornton Invitational on Dec. 8, helped her shake off that slow start.

She opened the 2024 season with a third-place finish at the Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions on Jan. 18, tied for ninth at the Honda LPGA Thailand on Feb. 22, and tied for third at the HSBC Women’s World Championship.

Most recently, Henderson tied for ninth at the T-Mobile Match Play on April 3 for her fourth top 10 of the year, one more than she had in all of 2023.

“I think the game has been trending in the right direction for a few months now and it’s right there,” she said. “I just need a few things to go the right way and then I think hopefully, I’ll be back in the winner’s circle sometime soon.”

Henderson has won two other majors before: the Women’s PGA Championship in 2016 and the Evian Championship in 2022. Her best finish at the Chevron was a tie for second in 2020, when it was called the ANA Inspiration and played at the Mission Hills Country Club in Rancho Mirage, Calif.

Rookie Savannah Grewal of Mississauga, Ont., is also in the field, making her first appearance at a major. The 22-year-old said she’s excited for the chance to play against the best-of-the-best.

“It’s something I’ve always wanted to do,” said Grewal. “I feel like one of my bucket list goals has always been playing a major and now to start that path off is really exciting. 

“Hopefully, this will be the first of many.”

Pro-am rounds can be a fun opportunity for serious golf fans to meet their favourite players and for the golfers to get some extra practice in ahead of that week’s tournament.

But for Canadian golfer Selena Costabile and former NFL players Josh Scobee and Marcus Pollard it was a chance to get into the intricacies of the athlete’s mindset. The trio were grouped together for the pro-am on Tuesday ahead of the Epson Tour’s Atlantic Beach Classic and got into a lengthy discussion as they made their way around the course. 

Costabile, who is from Thornhill, Ont., and Scobee bonded over the similarities between being a golfer and a placekicker.

“Because you really just have one shot to perform,” said Costabile. “He was giving me a lot of insights about how you have to have two different mindsets. One is in practice, and then once you get in to a competition or the tournament, on the course or on the football field, whatever that may be, you have to almost switch to more of a performance mindset.

“Trying to just get the ball between the posts is similar to trying to get the ball in the hole and do that as best as you can while not really thinking about the mechanical side of it.”

Scobee was a kicker on the Jacksonville Jaguars for 11 seasons before being traded to the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2015 and then spending a couple of months with the New Orleans Saints in 2016 before retiring the next year. He connected on 80.1 per cent of his field-goal attempts and 98.2 per cent of his extra-point attempts for a total of 1,046 points.

He said that he developed his “how and where” approach about six years into his career.

“I told her what I’ve always tried to do — and it’s not always easy — but what I tried to do was to separate practice from the games,” said Scobee. “Practice is where you’re trying to figure out how to do it. You’re working on your technique, and little things that you practice to be ready for the game or a tournament or whatever. 

“Then separating that from where to hit it, or where to kick it whenever I was playing. So I told her it’s the how versus the where, how to do it versus where to hit it.”

Pollard was a tight end with the Indianapolis Colts, Detroit Lions, Seattle Seahawks and Atlanta Falcons over 14 seasons, catching 40 touchdowns and over 4,280 receiving yards. Although Pollard didn’t have much to add to Scobee and Costabile’s conversation on mechanics, the kicker said he had a lot to say about mindset in general.

“It’s fun to get in front of other athletes that play different sports and go around the table and talk about what we all thought about or how we prepared,” said Scobee, “It all basically comes back to the same things and that’s the beauty of sports.”

Costabile said the conversation came at a good time for her because she has missed two cuts to start the Epson Tour season.

“I’m trying to work on leaving all the work of the off-season in the off-season and trusting that I did the work and now I just have to go out to play,” said Costabile. 

She’ll be joined by Kate Johnston of Ayr, Ont., and Brigitte Thibault of Rosemere, Que., in the field at Atlantic Beach Country Club. 

Thibault, in her first full season on the Epson Tour, made the cut at the Florida’s Natural Charity Classic on March 8 and again at the IOA Golf Classic on March 15. She said she was happy with those results because her ball striking has not been up to its usual standard.

“To be honest, the focus hasn’t been on cuts because you’re trying to win it so it’s been more annoying in that sense,” said Thibault. “But I’m still excited because to start the season the top 50 women’s golfers in the world were in Asia so the first three Epson Tour events were probably the strongest fields we’re getting the whole year. 

“To be able to really not feel like you have your game and still fight and put those scores up, I’m extremely proud of that.”

The 25-year-old said that her focus this off-season has been to focus on the natural motion of her swing.

“I’m diving more into my creative side and more into my given talent and working with that instead of trying to fit into a box,” said Thibault. “I’ve been more of a sponge, going into tournaments and seeing what tendencies show up with adrenalin instead of being so technical, because I had really tried to fit into a box with a certain swing and it looked better but then I kind of lost a bit of lag there.”

LPGA TOUR — Brooke Henderson of Smiths Falls, Ont., is the top-ranked Canadian heading into this week’s Fir Hills Seri Pak Championship. She is fifth on the Race to CME Globe season standings, having finished in the top 10 in three of her first four tournaments of the year. Rookie Savannah Grewal (29th) of Mississauga, Ont., Hamilton’s Alena Sharp, and Maude-Aimee Leblanc of Sherbrooke, Que., are also in the field at Palos Verdes Golf Club in Palos Verdes Estates, Calif.

CPKC WOMEN’S OPEN — Golf Canada announced on Wednesday afternoon that Mississauga Golf and Country Club would host the CPKC Women’s Open Aug. 18-24, 2025. It’s the first time the national women’s championship has been in the Greater Toronto Area since 2019 when Magna Golf Club hosted it in Aurora, Ont.

PGA TOUR — Nick Taylor is 11th in the FedEx Cup standings heading into this week’s Valspar Championship. Adam Hadwin, who is also from Abbotsford, B.C., won the Valspar in 2017 and is No. 30 in the points list. Five other Canadians are in the field at Innisbrook Resort’s Copperhead Course in Palm Harbor, Fla., including Mackenzie Hughes (71st) of Dundas, Ont., Adam Svensson (72nd) of Surrey, B.C., Ben Silverman (88th) of Thornhill, Ont., Taylor Pendrith (93rd) of Richmond Hill, Ont., and Roger Sloan (201st) of Merritt, B.C.

PGA TOUR AMERICAS — The PGA Tour Americas begins its inaugural season on Thursday with the Bupa Championship. The third-tier tour is a combination of the PGA Tour Latinoamerica and PGA Tour Canada, that ended last year. Twelve Canadians will tee it up at PGA Riviera Maya in Tulum, Mexico.

DP WORLD TOUR — Aaron Cockerill of Stony Mountain, Man., is 15th on the Road to Dubai standings, the European-based DP World Tour’s points list. He’s the lone Canadian in the field at this week’s Porsche Singapore Classic at Laguna National Golf Resort Club.

Growing up Ellie Szeryk played a number of sports, but ultimately found her passion on the golf course. Today, with her sights set on playing golf at the highest level, the Canadian National Team member is confident she has the support and resources to reach that goal.

“Golf was something I was always around. My dad played it a lot and Maddie played a lot. So I was just born into,” said Szeryk, whose older sister Maddie Szeryk is currently in her third year on the LPGA Tour.

Szeryk – whose parents Neil and Karen relocated from London, Ont., shortly after being married – also played competitive soccer and basketball growing up.

“My mom played soccer and coached my soccer team. I played both soccer and basketball until the age of 13 but then I started to focus on golf,” said the five foot ten inch high performance athlete.

“I really enjoyed playing in golf tournaments and I remember in one small tournament I was competing against boys and I chipped in for my first eagle ever. My dad was caddying for me and I remember we were both pretty excited about that.”

She adds that some of her fondest memories growing up was through a healthy sibling rivalry with her older sister.

“My dad would go out with us when we were quite young and he would say ‘whoever won this competition could pick what we had for lunch’ and Maddie and I would get so competitive about it. Some of my fondest childhood memories were from playing golf with Maddie,”

She reminisced.

“I got to see Maddie go through high school and university and now playing professionally and seeing her overcome all these challenges.  She’s always been my biggest inspiration,” added the amateur squad member.

Similar to her older sister, she is dedicated to reaching her full potential on the golf course.

“I learned that if you want to get to the next level you have to put in more work than anyone else. Thankfully Maddie and I come from a really hardworking family.  My mentality has always been that I’m going to work as hard as my mom and dad do, but put in that work on the golf course,” she said.

The hard work started to pay off for Szeryk in 2017 when the then 15-year-old won the Ontario Junior Girls’ title and the following year she won the Ontario Women’s Amateur championship.

Szeryk would go on to attend Texas A&M university and in 2022 transferred to Southern Methodist University.

She has struggled a bit with her consistency while playing collegiate golf but managed to win her maiden NCAA tournament last year. In October of 2023, Szeryk won the Jim West Challenge by going 16 under for the tournament, winning by one stroke.

“It was my first win since winning the Ontario Amateur so it was a bit emotional. I cried, my family cried,” said the SMU senior. “It was a good feeling knowing I could handle the pressure and be able to pull it off to win by one stroke.”

Szeryk says the recent win has given her a bit more confidence; and in a sport like golf where a lot of it is played between the ears, that confidence goes a long way.

“People say golf is 75 percent mental but I think it’s even more than that.  It’s something I’ve been working on – just in terms of being aware of my tendencies, acknowledging my fears and learning to let them go. I feel I’m more in control mentally now,” she said.

“Being in the right mental state and having that self-confidence is so important to finding success on the golf course.”

The talented amateur golfer says being part of the National Team Program also gives her confidence that she’s on the right track.

“Being part of the National Team Program has given me the opportunity to play in so many big tournaments that I would not have a chance to play in otherwise.  Golf Canada is really supportive of their athletes and doing everything they can to get to them that next level,” she said.

Szeryk has had the chance to experience what the next level is like as she competed in a few LPGA tournaments already including the 2018 and 2023 CPKC Women’s Open and also the Ascendant LPGA tournament in October of 2023.

“The experience playing in LPGA tournaments.was so cool.  Overall, it was just a massive learning experience,” she said.

“You get to see these players are human and they also hit bad shots but they are just good at cleaning a few things up. It just gave me reassurance that I don’t need to be perfect and gave me a first-hand look at what I want to do next in my golf journey.”

According to Maddie Szeryk, being on Golf Canada’s National Team Program provides it’s athletes with the necessary resources and support to reach their full potential on the golf course.

“During my time with the National Team Program, I got to play in high level events and had a chance to test my game against the best amateurs in the world. I also got to play in a number of LPGA events,” said the third year LPGA pro. “The coaching and support has played a big role in getting me to where I am. Golf Canada has been awesome in support of my journey.”

The younger Szeryk sibling will graduate from SMU this spring and with the support of Golf Canada’s National Team Program, she is eager to follow in her sister’s footsteps and play the sport at the highest level.

“I would love to be able to compete in the Olympics and also play on the LPGA Tour one day but right now I’m just working on the process to get there; and I’m grateful to have Golf Canada supporting me on this journey,” she said.

“I think it’s good to have really big goals because it pushes you to work hard to achieve them.”