NEW MINAS, N.S. – Heavy rains prompted a 60-minute delay at Ken-Wo Golf Club prior to the opening round of the 2016 Canadian Women’s Amateur Championship. When the skies cleared and play commenced, Allisen Corpuz shot 2-under 68 to claim sole possession of the first-round lead.
The Honolulu, Hawaii native teed-off with the morning wave at 9:14 a.m. ADT. Four birdies through her first six holes – including a string of three-in-a-row on holes 2 to 4 – led the University of Southern California Trojan onto the back nine at 3-under. The 18-year-old extended her advantage with two birdies on holes 11 and 14, and recorded three bogeys through holes 12-16 to take the clubhouse lead at 2-under 68.
Ten players sit one stroke behind Corpuz in second, led by Maddie Szeryk of London, Ont. The Texas A&M Aggie who began the day on the back nine, posted a 3-under 32 across her first nine holes, but faltered with bogeys on holes 2, 8 and 9. The 20-year-old is the top-ranked Canadian Amateur in the world at No. 37. Szeryk returns to the national championship following a T6 result at last year’s tournament hosted by Riverside Country Club in Saskatoon.
Victoria’s Naomi Ko – also of the National Team – was bogey-free across her first 15 holes and notched two birdies on the day to claim her share of second at 1-under 69. 2015 World Junior Girls Championship medallist and World No. 14 Hye-jin Choi (Paju-si, Korea), Kelsey Sear (Unionville, Ont.), Selena Costabile (Thornhill, Ont.), Malia Nam (Kailua, Hawaii), Stephanie Lau (Fullerton, Calif.), Kristen Gillman (Austin,Texas), Andrea Lee (Hermosa Beach, Calif.) and Hannah Green (Perth, Australia) make up the remaining contingent tied for second.
National Team member Josée Doyon of St-Georges, Que., and Mississauga, Ont., native Michelle Ruiz sit two-strokes back of the lead as part of a nine-way tie for 12th.
Doyon collected one birdie on the day to lead Team Québec to a four-stroke lead at a combined 1-over 141 in the inter-provincial competition. Katherine Gravel-Coursol of Mirabel, Que., recorded a 71, while St-Hyacinthe, Que., native Valérie Tanguay was 3-over.
Team British Columbia – comprised of a pair of Team Canada Development Squad members in Hannah Lee (Surrey, B.C.) and Kathrine Chan (Richmond, B.C.) alongside Coquitlam, B.C.’s Jisoo Keel – follows with a total of 5-over 145.
In addition to the 2016 Canadian Women’s Amateur title, the individual champion will earn exemptions into the 2016 U.S. Women’s Amateur Championship and two LPGA events: the Canadian Pacific Women’s Open at Priddis Greens Golf & Country Club in Calgary from August 22-28 and the Manulife LPGA Classic at Whistle Bear Golf Club in Cambridge, Ont., from September 1-4.
For more Information on the 2016 Canadian Women’s Amateur Championship including the full field, starting times and live scoring, click here.