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.

https://www.facebook.com/cpwomensopen/videos/1807037606031530/

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 – Celeste Dao wanted her first appearance at the CP Women’s Open to be an experience she’ll always remember.

Her first hole at the Wascana Country Club on Thursday was one she’ll likely never forget.

Battling nerves in her tournament debut, the 17-year-old developmental squad player nearly sent her opening drive out of bounds. Faced with a terrible lie under low-hanging tree branches, she whiffed on her second shot and later found the rough and the bunker before settling for a double-bogey six.

But showing remarkable mettle for a youngster not used to playing on the LPGA Tour, Dao responded with a birdie on the second hole.

“I turned the page,” Dao said. “I was ready to make birdies after.”

Dao bogeyed the seventh hole and had three birdies on the back nine for a solid 1-under-par 71.

“Being patient – that’s my big thing to play well,” she said. “I knew on the back nine there were par fives and par fours waiting for me.”

Dao, from Notre-Dame-de-l’Ile-Perrot, Que., is considered one of Canada’s top young prospects. She won her first international title at the 2018 Mexican Junior Girls Championship and also qualified to play in the U.S. Women’s Open.

Dao uses a slow backswing and comes down on the ball with a seemingly effortless motion. Her crisp ball striking and impressive short game were on display Thursday and she’ll be a good bet to make the cut if she keeps it up in the second round.

“All the skills are there,” said Golf Canada junior squad women’s coach Matt Wilson. “She just needs to keep chipping away at it. The more experience and exposure that she can get against the best competition possible, the better it is for Celeste.”

Dao, one of 16 Canadians in the field, was seven shots behind clubhouse co-leaders Colombia’s Mariajo Uribe and Thailand’s Ariya Jutanugarn.

Maude-Aimee LeBlanc of Sherbrooke, Que., was the low Canadian in the early going at 2-under 70. Alena Sharp of Hamilton, Ont. joined Dao at 71 while amateur Ellie Szeryk of London, Ont., was at even-par 72.

Elizabeth Tong of Thornhill, Ont., had a 73 and Augusta James of Bath, Ont., was at 74. Megan Osland of Kelowna, B.C., shot a 75 and Saskatoon native Bobbi Brandon had an 83.

Brooke Henderson of Smiths Falls, Ont., was one of several Canadian players with afternoon tee times. Jocelyne Bourassa was the last Canadian to win this tournament, taking the 1973 title in Montreal.

Dao said she also whiffed a shot in the fescue at last week’s Girls British Open Amateur in Northern Ireland.

This time, the ball settled under a large pine tree. She was forced to use a five-wood because her irons weren’t long enough due to the overhanging branches.

After the miss, her third shot found the long grass and fourth shot landed in the sand. Dao managed a nice save and hit the short putt.

She drank some water and quickly focused on the second hole, forgetting all about her opening struggles. Wilson said Dao knows she’s fully capable of recovering and putting a rough hole aside.

“It’s not common among teenagers especially when they would likely mostly panic in that situation,” he said. “But again, she’s a very resilient kid and just hyper-competitive.”

Play continues through Sunday at the US$2.25-million event.

VICTORIA, B.C. – As the brisk, windy conditions set in at Victoria Golf Club, Garrett Rank fought hard to keep the heat going during the second round of the Canadian Men’s Mid-Amateur Championship and hold on to his lead at Victoria Golf Club on Wednesday.

The three-time Canadian Men’s Mid-Amateur Champion started off strong with three birdies and an impressive eagle across his first twelve holes against a single bogey. However, the strength of the wind picked up, making for difficult playing conditions on the back-nine. 

“Sometimes you get the bad end of the draw and we got the bad end of the draw with nine holes of absolute survival in the wind,” said Rank. “I couldn’t really distance myself today and I guess mother nature didn’t cooperate, so it was a bit of a grind there.”

The less-than-ideal weather saw the 30-year-old make two more bogeys for a second round 68. With more wind forecasted for Thursday, the Elmira, Ont., talent will head into the third round with a three-stroke lead.

“I’m in a good condition after the first two days,” added the NHL referee. “Now everyone has to play in the same weather conditions, so it levels the playing field a little bit and I’m in a good spot.”

It was a different story for the three local golfers who round out the top-three. With the Victoria crowds cheering them on during the earlier wave, they are still within reach of winning the championship on home soil. As the familiar green of his home club lay under his feet, Victoria native Jordan Caron shot a 67 to sit in solo-second.

“I just wanted to come in with low expectations,” said the former host club Assistant Professional. “But it’s easy to get on your home golf course in a tournament like this and start thinking more about where not to hit instead of where to hit it, so I’ve been reigning myself in.”

Despite struggling with his swing, Caron registered four birdies and three bogeys enroute to a two-round score of 4 under par.

“I grinded well and kept my head and made a lot of par putts which is good and a few birdie putts here,” added Caron. “It was kind of fun to start getting to the part when I was under par again, so it’s exciting but at the same time you’re trying to treat it like a regular round of golf out here.” 

Another Victoria Golf Club member, Saare Adams, started on the back-nine weighed down by four bogeys, but made three consecutive birdies after making the turn. The 34-year-old finished the round sharing a piece of third at 2 under with fellow Victorian Kevin Carrigan, who won the tournament in 2012 and 2013.

In the Mid-Master division, Todd Fanning from Winnipeg, Man., held on to first place, recovering from a shaky start that included two bogeys and two double bogeys.

“Today was a little more up and down than yesterday,” said the defending champion. “I had a lot of silly shots and a lot of good shots and turned out to be an even-par 70 which was a bit of a grind because I had to finish 3 under on my last seven.”

After recording the first ace of the tournament on the sixth hole, Sandy Harper of Nanaimo, B.C. is in second, three shots behind Fanning at 2 over. David Greenaway of Barrie, Ont., and host club member Craig Doell of Victoria, B.C., are tied for third at 4 over par.

Team Ontario cemented their spot in the tournament’s history, defending their inter-provincial title with an impressive 10-stroke margin to win the R. Bruce Forbes Trophy for the fourth straight year.  Thanks to Rank’s lead, three-time Mid-Amateur champion Dave Bunker of Brampton, Ont., and Patrick Forbes of Toronto, Team Ontario secured their 14th win in the inter-provincial division, the most wins by a team since the division was established in 1992.

Team British Columbia finished in second with a total 2-over-par 282 while Team Manitoba came in third at 9-over-par 289.

In addition to the Canadian Men’s Mid-Amateur title, the 2018 champion will receive an exemption into the 2019 RBC Canadian Open at Hamilton Golf & Country Club in Hamilton, Ont. 

REGINA – A look at five players to watch at this week’s CP Women’s Open at Wascana Country Club:

BROOKE HENDERSON

All eyes will be on the 20-year-old native of Smiths Falls, Ont., as she goes for her second LPGA Tour win of the season.

Henderson, who won last April in Hawaii, is brimming with confidence after closing with a 63 last week in Indianapolis to finish tied for seventh.

She made her CP Women’s Open debut as a 14-year-old and quickly rose up the rankings as a teenager. Henderson currently holds the No. 14 position.

Two more victories will pull her into a tie with Sandra Post for most career wins (eight) on the LPGA Tour.

LYDIA KO

Three of Ko’s 15 career LPGA Tour wins have come in Canada: two as an amateur and one as a pro.

Ko became the youngest winner in LPGA history in 2012 when she won in Edmonton at the age of 15 years four months two days.

She defended her title a year later and won again in 2015.

The world No. 16 from New Zealand would set a tournament record with a fourth title at this event.

SUNG HYUN PARK

The defending champion from South Korea has picked up where she left off after an impressive rookie season last year.

Park and Ariya Jutanugarn lead all LPGA Tour players with three wins apiece this year. Park’s victory last week bumped Jutanugarn down to second in the world rankings.

Park became the fastest player in LPGA history to reach US$2 million in career earnings. She did it in seven months 13 days, needing only 19 starts to reach the plateau.

CELESTE DAO

Dao leads an impressive group of Canadian youngsters in the field this week at Wascana Country Club.

The 17-year-old national development squad member earned her first international title this year by winning the Mexican Junior Girls Championship.

She also led Canada to a third-place finish at the Junior World Cup in Japan.

Dao, from Notre-Dame-de-l’Ile-Perrot, Que., also qualified for the U.S. Women’s Open but did not make the cut.

BOBBI BRANDON

The Saskatoon native will have a significant cheering section when she makes her first appearance at this event in 20 years.

Brandon earned one of the last four exemptions at Monday’s qualifying event at Royal Regina Golf Club.

The PGA of Canada professional, who works out of the Moon Lake Golf & Country Club, shot a 2-over-par 74 to finish tied for second in the 11-player qualifier field.

Brandon missed the cut at the 1998 tournament in Windsor, Ont.

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

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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.

VICTORIA, B.C. – Garrett Rank heated up an otherwise calm, windless day at Victoria Golf Club after he shot a 5-under-par 65 to lead the Canadian Men’s Mid-Amateur Championship after round one on Tuesday.

The Elmira, Ont., talent started the day on the back nine and didn’t waste any time before recording an eagle straight out of the gate on his first hole.

“I got off to a great start, eagled the first hole, made a nice putt for birdie on my third hole and it was off to the races. I made a few mistakes in the middle of the round but had a lot of really good putting today,” said Rank, whose 2016 Men’s Mid-Amateur win made him one of only three players to record three consecutive titles in the tournament’s history. “65 is a great score and I’m pleased with it, but definitely going to need to be a bit sharper if I’m going to take it home.”

After his eagle, the 30-year-old Team Canada Amateur Squad graduate would go on to card five birdies against two bogeys to lead the field. He has made quite the splash in amateur golf this season, most recently at the 114th Canadian Men’s Amateur Championship where he finished in third and was the low Canadian at the tournament by seven strokes.

“I’m in love with the game of golf and love playing golf,” added the NHL referee, when asked about competing in his fourth event in a row and his intense amateur golf summer schedule. “If this is what I get to do in the summer, then I need to play in events.”

Two B.C. players sit in second place as Jordan Caron of Victoria and Jay Snyder of Vancouver shot matching 3-under-par 67s. Both players played consistent golf throughout the day. Caron, who calls Victoria Golf Club home, registered four birdies and a sole bogey while Snyder, who earned an exemption into this week’s tournament after winning the 2018 B.C. Mid-Amateur Championship, carded five birdies and two bogeys.

Todd Fanning, the defending Men’s Mid-Amateur and Mid-Master champion from Winnipeg, Man., leads the over-40 Mid-Master division by two strokes.

“We had the afternoon draw and neither of us threw grass or discussed the wind direction with our caddies one time,” said the 50-year-old. “Only getting one practice round on a course this difficult and with the greens this tricky, I felt like I was thinking pretty conservatively and was just kind of unsure of a few different shots. All-in-all, I think that a 69 is a good way to start.”

Canadian Golf Hall of Fame Legend and seven-time Canadian Men’s Mid-Amateur Champion Graham Cooke from Hudson, Que., is in second alongside four other golfers —Senan Foley (Calgary, Alta.), Sandy Harper (Nanaimo, B.C.), Craig Doell (Victoria, B.C.) and Glenn Robinson (Middle Sackville, N.S.)— at 1-over-par 71.

Defending champion Team Ontario leads the inter-provincial competition in large part due to Rank’s low-round of the day. Fellow teammates Dave Bunker (Brampton, Ont.) and Patrick Forbes (Toronto, Ont.) have Ontario at the top of the leaderboard by a comfortable four-stroke margin at 7 under par.

Team British Columbia is in solo second at 3 under while Team Quebec is in third at 3 over.

In addition to the Canadian Men’s Mid-Amateur title, the 2018 champion will receive an exemption into the 2019 RBC Canadian Open at Hamilton Golf & Country Club in Hamilton, Ont.

REGINA – It’s a golf swing that is by no means of the textbook variety.

Brooke Henderson uses a long driver, grips down on it and rotates her body quickly, using impressive core strength to maintain the necessary stability and balance as she brings the club down.

The torque is intense, but it’s a motion that allows her to get every last bit of energy and power from her slight, yet taut, five-foot-six frame.

It can sound like a gunshot when the clubface meets the ball, which usually rockets down the fairway.

Henderson’s power game has always been there. Her short game has not been as consistent, but is showing signs of improvement entering this week’s CP Women’s Open.

“I feel it’s in a really good place right now – at least the last few weeks,” Henderson said after Tuesday’s practice round at the Wascana Country Club. “Golf is sort of weird and (the) short game is really weird. You can putt great one day and putt terrible the next.

“It’s all about energy and staying positive and kind of believing that you can make everything. I feel like I’m getting closer to that spot, so I’m excited.”

Henderson’s putter was hot at last week’s LPGA Tour stop in Indianapolis. She closed with a 9-under-par 63 to finish tied for seventh.

It was her eighth top-10 result of the season.

“(I) made a lot of putts and it was cool to make a lot of birdies and kind of get that feeling back again,” she said.

The 20-year-old native of Smiths Falls, Ont., averages almost 270 yards per drive, good for seventh among all LPGA Tour players. Her driving accuracy is so-so at 71.79 per cent (69th overall) but she hits over 75 per cent of greens in regulation (third overall).

However, she averages 29.70 putts per round (54th) and her sand save percentage is a mediocre 40.98 per cent (104th).

Henderson will have plenty of opportunities this week on the 6,675-yard course, which plays long in spots, but can reward players who are aggressive.

Home sweet home ??? #CPWO

A post shared by CP Women's Open (@cpwomensopen) on Aug 21, 2018 at 11:20am PDT

That could work into Henderson’s hands as she tries to become the first Canadian to win this tournament since Jocelyne Bourassa won at Montreal in 1973.

“The way (Henderson) scores is she can go on a tear of like four of five birdies in a row,” Canadian golf legend Sandra Post said in a recent interview. “She’s not afraid to go low when she plays.”

Henderson earned her lone win of the season last April in Hawaii for her sixth career LPGA Tour victory, leaving her two behind Post for most all-time wins on Tour by a Canadian.

She has managed to maintain a solid world ranking position of No. 14 even though it has been a challenging season at times. Both of Henderson’s grandfathers died earlier this year.

“It’s been a really crazy and weird and kind of tough summer, for sure,” Henderson said. “But I feel like once I get inside the ropes I can kind of let that go and know that my two grandpas that did pass away, they’re always cheering me on and looking on from heaven. That kind of gives me that little bit (of an) extra boost.”

Henderson leads an impressive field that includes defending champion and world No. 1 Sung Hyun Park of South Korea, second-ranked Ariya Jutanugarn of Thailand, American Lexi Thompson and China’s Shanshan Feng.

On the coaching front, Henderson works with her father, Dave, and gets tips from her sister, Brittany – who also serves as her caddie. She has also worked with Golf Canada’s national women’s head coach Tristan Mullally in the past.

Kevin Haime, a past winner of the PGA of Canada national teacher of the year award, hosts a junior golf event in the Ottawa area that has featured Henderson and her sister. He regularly uses a video demo of Brooke’s swing for his students.

“There’s about six different things that you could say don’t make a lot of sense there,” Haime said. “But she’s such a wonderful athlete with wonderful timing, she drives the ball better than (almost) anybody on the LPGA Tour.”

As strong as Henderson can be off the tee, she can really be a force when the putter is going.

“When it’s on, she really goes low,” Post said. “But she’s got tremendous spirit, tremendous desire and will. I always find that’s the one thing that can’t be taught. You have to have all those other things.

“But it’s almost like that unknown – if you’ve got that in you – to sort of step up.”

Henderson said the friendly competition with her sister – who’s now 27 – during their formative years in the sport also helped give her game a big boost.

“I was always trying to beat her, be as good as her,” she said. “She was always a lot taller, a lot stronger, so I tried to hit the ball, outdrive her, which didn’t happen for a long time. But I think that’s why I didn’t have that unique strength, because I was just trying to use every ounce of my body to get the ball out there.

“I feel like she really pushed me to be better at a younger age.”

Henderson will return to the par-72 course on Wednesday for the championship pro-am competition. First-round play begins Thursday morning.

Saskatoon native Bobbi Brandon picked up one of four final exemptions in Monday’s qualifying to boost the number of Canadian players in the field to 16.

The US$2.25-million tournament will wrap up Sunday.

After shooting the round of his life to preserve his PGA Tour status, Canadian golfer Nick Taylor chose to mark the achievement with a modest celebration.

He and his wife, Andie – who just turned 30 – went to Wendy’s for ice cream.

“It was a roller coaster week, let alone day,” Taylor, from Abbotsford, B.C., said in a phone interview. “We were just so exhausted.”

A winner on the PGA Tour in 2014, Taylor was outside the top-125 on the FedEx Cup standings going into last week at the Wyndham Championship. His 7-under-par 63 Sunday (his low round of the year) helped move him to 119th. That allows him to pick and choose his schedule on the PGA Tour next year.

“I knew just making the cut and getting to the weekend wasn’t what I needed,” said Taylor. “I needed a top-25 finish at minimum. I feel like that helped me. If I just tried to make the cut I might have been a little tighter and a little more defensive.”

Taylor said his season was an interesting one. He had three straight top-25 finishes in the first three events, but through March and into May he missed six straight cuts. He began working with new swing coach Mark McCann in May after The Players Championship and things have turned around favourably since.

“There was a different eye and different opinion and that helped,” said Taylor. “It kind of saved the season.”

Taylor will now play The Northern Trust at Ridgewood Country Club in New Jersey, the first FedEx Cup playoff event. Fellow Abbotsford golfer Adam Hadwin, who was 70th in the FedEx Cup standings, is also in the field.

Taylor said he feels like he’s got “nothing to lose” this week.

“I’m playing with house money a little bit,” he said. “I’m still trying to win and move on, but definitely not as much pressure as last week.”

Corey Conners of Listowel, Ont., Ben Silverman of Thornhill, Ont., and David Hearn of Brantford, Ont., finished outside the top 125 and will play the four-tournament Web.com Tour finals to try to improve on their PGA Tour status for next year.

Conners (130th), Silverman (136th), and Hearn (138th) will play out of the category for golfers 126-150 on the FedEx Cup standings and have partial status.

Hearn was in that category this season and still played 21 tournaments.

Graham DeLaet of Weyburn, Sask., finished 185th on the FedEx Cup standings but will start next year on a major medical exemption after having back surgery on August 3.

DeLaet’s agent, Danny Fritz, said in an email to The Canadian Press “all went well” and he is “resting and on the road to recovery.”

Mackenzie Hughes of Dundas, Ont., is fully exempt next year after his win at The RSM Classic in 2016.

REGINA – Canadian golfer Alena Sharp will be supporting the Humboldt Broncos this week.

The LPGA Tour veteran has a special golf bag and towel this week for the CP Women’s Open, featuring the Broncos’ logo.

Sixteen people were killed after the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League team’s bus collided with a transport truck in April.

The Hamilton golfer said she’ll donate the bag to the Jim Pattison Children’s Hospital in Saskatchewan after the event.

Excited to show my support for @HumboldtBroncos and @theSJHL with my new bag for the week @cpwomensopen ! This tragedy really hit home as it did for so many. I will be donating my bag to @PattisonKids after this week. Thanks @rbc for teaming up on this and Ken Hill @jukasaradio pic.twitter.com/LuwCQArcq4

— Alena Sharp (@AlenaSharp) August 21, 2018

REGINA, Sask. (Golf Canada) – Saskatoon native Bobbi Brandon was one of four golfers to claim the final exemptions into the 2018 CP Women’s Open via Monday’s qualifying event at Royal Regina Golf Club.

Brandon, a PGA of Canada Professional who works out of Moon Lake Golf & Country Club, carded a 2-over-par 74 to sit T2 among the 11-player field. This will be Brandon’s second appearance at the CP Women’s Open. She competed in Canada’s National Women’s Open in 1998 at Essex Golf and Country Club in Windsor, Ont., where she missed the cut.

Sweden’s Louise Stahle fired a 2-under par 70 to earn medalist honours.

American Jennifer Hahn (74) and Japanese amateur Kasumi Kuniyoshi (76) earned the final two spots.

Brandon will be the 16^th Canadian in the field at the CP Women’s Open. All are trying to become the first Canadian to win an LPGA Tour event on Canadian soil since Canadian Golf Hall of Fame honoured member Jocelyne Bourassa won La Canadienne in 1973.

Click here for full scores from 2018 CP Women’s Open Final Qualifying at Royal Regina Golf Club.