EVIAN-LES-BAINS, France – Aiming to stylishly cap a rookie season that Hurricane Maria almost denied her, Maria Torres shared the first-round lead on 6 under at the final women’s golf major Thursday.

Torres, the first Puerto Rican player to get an LPGA Tour card, went birdie-birdie-eagle from the 13th to 15th holes in a 65 that tied her atop the Evian Championship leaderboard with Carlota Ciganda of Spain.

“I just want to come here and play, and whatever happens, happens,” Torres said.

Carefree laughs flowed from the 184th-ranked Torres, who last September was on her home island when the hurricane struck.

In the aftermath, the University of Florida graduate struggled to register for the second part of tour qualifying school. Finally, at Daytona Beach in December, Torres won a three-way playoff to claim the last tour card on offer.

Nine months later, the 2016 Southeastern Conference college player of the year is relishing her first competition in France.

“It’s awesome to be here,” Torres said. “I love it, I’m like almost rolling down the par-3s with all I’ve been eating here.”

Torres matched a target set by the 21st-ranked Ciganda, who had six birdies and no bogeys on the 6,523-yard Evian Resort Golf Club course.

Both excelled on the par-5s. Torres played the four long holes in 5 under, including her eagle at No. 15, against three birdies for the 28-year-old Ciganda, who previously helped Arizona State win a college title.

One shot back, Austin Ernst of the United States made eagle-3 at the 13th in a 5-under 66 to stand alone in third place.

A three-player group on 67 included Brooke Henderson of Canada, winner of the 2018 CP Women’s Open and 2016 PGA Championship; Nasa Hataoka of Japan, who won the qualifying school tournament,  and two-time major winner So Yeon Ryu of South Korea.

Highlights from @BrookeHenderson’s opening-round 67 ???? pic.twitter.com/yfrTd1G1jf

— CP Women's Open (@cpwomensopen) September 13, 2018

Canadian Alena Sharp of Hamilton, Ont., opened with a 2-over 73 to share 56th place. Brittany Marchand of Orangeville, Ont., sits right on the projected cut line of 3 over par.

Georgia Hall, a homegrown British Open champion last month, had a bogey-free 68 to stand in a big group on 3 under which included seven-time major winner Inbee Park of South Korea.

Top-ranked Sung Hyun Park had a tough day, shooting a 6-over 77 playing in the same afternoon group as Hall. The South Korean player, who won the PGA Championship in July, dropped shots at four of the first five holes.

“Nothing went well,” Park said through a translator. “It was a very disappointing day.”

Defending champion Anna Nordqvist of Sweden and fifth-ranked Lexi Thompson of the U.S. shot even-par 71s among the early starters, who enjoyed the best of 27 degrees Celsius (80 degrees F) heat.

Forecast stormy rain held off just until the last groups completed play, including 16-year-old American Rachel Heck who had a 1-under 70 in her second major.

“I was looking around thinking I can’t believe I am actually here,” said Heck, a native of Memphis, Tennessee who got a wild-card entry.

Annika Sorenstam has learned a thing or two about what it takes to be the best.

So when the World Golf Hall of Fame member says Canada’s Brooke Henderson is well on her way to becoming one of the top players on the LPGA Tour, it makes sense to pay attention.

Henderson’s emotional win at the CP Women’s Open last month in Regina could be just the beginning, the 72-time winner on the LPGA Tour said in an interview ahead of the final major of the season – the Evian Championship, starting Thursday in Evian-les-Bains, France.

“What Brooke did was an amazing display of golf,” Sorenstam said of Henderson’s triumph, which ended a 45-year drought for Canadians at their national championship.

“If this continues, she will soon be one of the best in the world.”

Sorenstam, who in 2014 was named the best Swedish female athlete in history, won three times in Sweden during her career.

She’s also a two-time winner of the Evian Championship, where Henderson will try to put an exclamation mark on a memorable year.

Sorenstam said she likes Henderson’s game, which mixes an aggressive approach off the tee with a nice short game.

The combination, she said, is going to be beneficial for the native of Smiths Falls, Ont., for years to come.

“She has gotten off to a quick start in her young career,” Sorenstam said of Henderson, who turned 21 on Monday. “I am sure there will be many more wins to follow.”

Henderson has unfinished business at the Evian. She finished tied for ninth and tied for 25th in 2016 and 2015, respectively. Last year’s tournament was shortened to 54 holes due to weather, and she finished tied for 58th.

“It’s a beautiful golf course – usually challenging with the weather – but I think it suits my game well, particularly with how I’m striking the ball right now,” said Henderson.

“Hopefully all the pieces come together for the week and I can play well again.”

With more than US$1.2 million earned this season, Henderson sits second on the LPGA Tour money list with seven tournaments left. She’s also third on the year

that points list after the CME Group Tour Championship, the final event of the year, she’ll win a $1-million bonus prize.

Henderson’s CP Women’s Open victory was her second of the year. She also captured the Lotte Championship in Hawaii in April.

“I think it’s finally starting to sink in that I won our national championship, and it’s just such an amazing feeling and a dream come true to know that my name will always be on that trophy,” said Henderson.

With her win in Regina, Henderson figures to be a strong candidate for the Lou Marsh Trophy, given to Canada’s athlete of the year.

The award has been claimed by a golfer only three times: Marlene Streit (1956), Sandra Post (1979), and Mike Weir (2003).

“It’s something that would be an incredible achievement and honour to be in the conversation for,” said Henderson. “Hopefully my game and my achievements on the course can put me in that position some day.”

Henderson now has seven victories since turning professional. The most by a Canadian – male or female – is eight, a record held jointly by George Knudson, Post, and Weir, all of whom accomplished the feat much later in their careers.

Henderson celebrated her birthday at home with her family and said the week off was “definitely needed” after her win and then playing in the Cambia Portland Classic the week after, where she tied for 21st.

“It was nice having a tournament to just roll straight into to try and act as normal as possible, but to just be able to relax for a few days and reflect on everything has been great,” she said.

PORTLAND, Ore. – Marina Alex rallied to win the Cambia Portland Classic for her first LPGA Tour title, closing with a 7-under 65 on Sunday for a four-stroke victory over Georgia Hall.

Alex birdied the final five holes in a front-nine 30 to take the lead and added birdies on the par-5 12th and par-4 15th at tree-lined Columbia Edgewater. The 28-year-old former Vanderbilt star made her only bogey of the day on the par-4 18th, leaving her at 19-under 269.

“My goal was 8 under to give myself a chance, but I even thought maybe that wouldn’t have been good enough,” Alex said. “It was just an incredible day. I’m proud.”

She didn’t look at a leaderboard until the final hole.

“I was trying purposefully not to look at the leaderboard because I think sometimes it just gets me a little stressed out,” Alex said. “I get anxious, and then I think, ‘Oh, I have a lead, I need to protect it.’

“I kind of just pretended all day that I was behind and that I needed to play catch-up. I think it really helped me just play my best. I didn’t know I had a four-shot lead until basically the third shot – no, after the third shot – into the green here on 18.”

The New Jersey player gave caddie Travis Wilson his second straight victory in the event. Wilson is teaming with Alex with regular boss Stacy Lewis preparing for the birth of her first child.

“He’s such a wonderful guy,” Alex said. “He has such a calm demeanour about him, and it definitely helped me relax, We had so much fun the past three weeks.”

Wilson spent three weeks with Alex.

“I’m so happy for her.” Wilson said. “She’s a great girl. She works hard. She’s been close a number of times, and to be the guy that gets her through to get that first win, I’m going to remember that forever.”

Alex matched the course record with a 62 on Thursday, then shot 71-71 to begin the final round six strokes behind Women’s British Open champion Hall.

“It was tough to back up the first round with some good rounds,” Alex said.

Hall had a 75. The 22-year-old Englishwoman played the front nine in 2 over, with bogeys on the par-4 first and par-5 seventh.

“The pin positions were really, really tough,” Hall said. “The front nine was unbelievable. I couldn’t even get to hardly any of them. I was just trying to like stay patient and do what I could to kind of stay in it. I mean, she shot, what, 7 under? That’s incredible. … My hats off to her.”

Rookie Brittany Marchand of Orangeville, Ont., was in a tie for fourth heading into the final round, but shot a 77 to fall into a tie for 16th alongside Team Canada Young Pro Squad teammate Anne-Catherine Tanguay of Quebec City (73).

Brooke Henderson of Smith Falls, Ont., had a 75 to tie for 21st at 4 under. The Canadian star, the 2015 and 2016 winner at Columbia Edgewater, won the CP Women’s Open last week on home soil in Saskatchewan, then opened with a 64 on Thursday, before slipping back with rounds of 71 and 74.

Japan’s Ayako Uehara was third at 13 under after a 69.

Australia’s Minjee Lee, two strokes behind playing partner Hall entering round, had a 77 to finish fourth at 11 under.

“It was very bad,” Lee said. “I didn’t really have my ‘A’ game on.”

Lexi Thompson shot 70 to tie for ninth at 7 under in her third event following a three-week break for emotional and mental fatigue.

PORTLAND, Ore. – Canadian LPGA rookie Brittany Marchand is one round away from the best finish of her young career.

The 26-year-old Marchand carded a 2-under 70 on Saturday to sit in a tie for fourth place at 10-under heading into the final round of the Cambia Portland Classic.

Marchand placed seventh at the Thornberry Creek LPGA Classic back in July for the only Top-10 finish in her first season on the Tour.

“It’s a good spot. You know, I mean, I didn’t really have too high an expectations of myself this week,” said Marchand. “I wasn’t thinking, ‘I’m going to win this tournament,’ but now that I’m in this position, obviously, that’s my goal. But I don’t feel pressure. I mean, it would be amazing, so if everything clicks tomorrow, that’s great.”

Marchand birdied four of her first eight holes and turned the corner at 12-under, but a double bogey on the par-3 13th dropped her two strokes and she finished with five straight pars.

“I had one bad hole, but actually hit a really good shot. I’m still a little dumbfounded how it went that far over the green,” said the Orangeville, Ont., native.

“Otherwise, I hit a few not great shots coming down the stretch, but had some good saves, so that was good, and played the front nine really well. So overall, I’m pretty happy.”

Georgia Hall pulled away from Minjee Lee late in the third round to take a two-stroke lead into Sunday. Hall is 18 under.

Marchand is tied alongside Ayako Uehara (70).

Brooke Henderson of Smiths Falls, Ont., had a 74 to fall into a tie for sixth at 7 under. The Canadian star, the 2015 and 2016 winner at Columbia Edgewater, won the CP Women’s Open last week on home soil in Regina for her seventh career victory.

Meanwhile, Quebec City’s Anne-Catherine Tanguay shot 67 to move up to 12th spot at 6 under.

Marchand has had some ups and downs at times this season, missing the cut in each of the past three events she’s played including the CP Women’s Open. But she believes she’s got the right frame of mind with 18 holes remaining.

“I think the last week of the Canadian Open … there too much in my head. Put a little pressure on myself, obviously, being Canadian, and had a little bit too much technical stuff going on, so I’m happy with myself this week,” said Marchand. “I feel like I’ve been playing really well all year, and I had a little bit of a slip the last couple weeks, but I’m happy to feel comfortable again.”

PORTLAND, Ore. – Brooke Henderson followed her opening 64 with a 71 to drop into a tie for fifth at 9 under. The 20-year-old Canadian star, the 2015 and 2016 winner at Columbia Edgewater, is coming off a victory Sunday in the CP Women’s Open on home soil in Saskatchewan.

Georgia Hall shot a 9-under 63 on Friday to take a three-stroke lead in the Cambia Portland Classic and break the tournament 36-hole record.

The Women’s British Open winner four weeks ago for her first LPGA Tour title, the 22-year-old Englishwoman made five straight birdies in the middle of the back nine. She missed a chance to match the course record of 62 when her long birdie try went to the right on the par-4 18th.

“The putts were really good,” Hall said. “I holed some really long ones, as well, and my long game was pretty good today, and I didn’t really miss a green that much. I’m extremely happy. I kind of stayed in there and kept trying to get more birdies, so I was happy with that.”

Hall had a 15-under 129 total. She had four birdies on the front nine, three in a row on Nos. 5-7, and began the birdie streak on the par-5 12th at tree-lined Columbia Edgewater.

“I love this golf course,” Hall said. “It’s very nice to play. It’s in great condition, so I look forward to the weekend and seeing what I can do.”

Minjee Lee was second, following her opening 64 with a 68. The 22-year-old Australian won the Volvik Championship in May in Michigan for her fourth LPGA Tour title.

“I just scrambled when I had to and just took advantage of the shots that I hit close,” Lee said. “It was all-around OK today.”

Marina Alex, the first-round leader after tying the course record with a 62, had a late bogey in a 71 to fall into a tie with Megan Khang at 11 under.

“Had some great looks that just didn’t go in,” Alex said. I just really didn’t make anything. They weren’t bad strokes or putts, they just didn’t go in. So just carry some good juju into tomorrow.“

Khang eagled the par-5 fifth in a 65.

“I just kind of hit some great shots, had some good numbers, and just kind of stayed patient out there,” Khang said. Definitely gave myself a lot of opportunities, and luckily a few of them dropped, and just kind of kept that mentality for the rest of the day.“

“Got off to a shaky start, two bogeys right back-to-back on the back nine, which was my front nine, and I just kind of fought the rest of the day to kind of get it under par,” Henderson said. “So, I’m happy with 1 under. I would have obviously liked to have been better and get up the leaderboard a little bit more, but I just felt like I kind of battled my way through, and I feel like I did a good job of that.”

Australia’s Su Oh also was 9 under after a 69.

Lexi Thompson was 3 under after a 73. She missed the cut last week in Canada after tying for 12th in Indianapolis following a three-week break for emotional and mental fatigue.

Karen Stupples shot 71-79 to miss the cut in her first tour start in more than two years. The 45-year-old English player is a commentator for Golf Channel.

“I accomplished what I set out to at the start of the week, which was to prove to myself that I still had potential to play, even though I don’t want to,” Stupples said.

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.

@brookehendersongolf shoots a 2-under 70 to lead heading into the final round at the #CPWO ??

A post shared by CP Women’s Open (@cpwomensopen) on Aug 25, 2018 at 3:00pm PDT

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.

One round to go ? #CPWO

A post shared by CP Women’s Open (@cpwomensopen) on Aug 25, 2018 at 4:01pm PDT

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 – 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.

.@BrookeHendersonGolf shoots a second-round 66 to sit in the clubhouse with a share of 2nd place, one off the lead #CPWO

A post shared by CP Women’s Open (@cpwomensopen) on Aug 24, 2018 at 2:03pm PDT

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.

Highlights from @BrookeHenderson’s second-round 66 at the #CPWO pic.twitter.com/8oB7WVXWwG

— CP Women’s Open (@cpwomensopen) August 24, 2018

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.

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.

Have a day @brookehendersongolf! The Smiths Falls, Ont. native trails the lead by 2 after the first round #CPWO

A post shared by CP Women’s Open (@cpwomensopen) on Aug 23, 2018 at 6:38pm PDT

“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 – 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.”

@BrookHendersonGolf will tee it up in Thursday’s opening round of the #CPWO alongside defending champ Sung Hyun Park ( @xxndl) and @A_Nordqvist

A post shared by CP Women’s Open (@cpwomensopen) on Aug 22, 2018 at 12:05pm PDT

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.