The key to Maude-Aimée LeBlanc’s improved play of late has been lightening up on herself, in more ways than one.

The challenge for Maude-Aimée LeBlanc has never been talent.

The 6-1 native of Sherbrooke, Que., uses her long levers to power a swing that has her ranked eighth on the LPGA Tour in average driving distance at close to 270 yards, just three behind leader Lexi Thompson.

The 28-year-old has shown such abilities throughout her career, winning the 2006 Canadian Junior Girls championship, the 2006 Junior Orange Bowl International and the 2010 NCAA Division I Team Championship for Purdue University.

The challenge for LeBlanc hasn’t been work ethic either.

At the 2016 KPMG Women’s PGA Championship, she took up a spot on the far left side of the range at Sahalee Country Club. A crowd formed to watch the tall woman with the athletic swing knock out long shot after long shot.

People wandered off to watch other players tee off, followed them for nine holes and when they made the turn, walked by the range to see LeBlanc still in the same place, still knocking out long shot after long shot.

No, LeBlanc has always had an extreme talent for the game since she took it up at five, accompanying her dad, Gaston, to the course. She’s always had the drive and motivation too.

LeBlanc’s challenge, almost since the day she picked up a club, is controlling herself and the fire that she admits is sometimes all consuming, a greater obstacle than the course, the distance between her and the cup or even one of her opponents.

You might call her The Towering Inferno.

At the 2009 U.S. Women’s Amateur, Leblanc told Golfweek: “I think I have the worst temper here.”

Later that summer she stormed off the course at the Canadian Pacific Women’s Open when, still an amateur, she hit a shot into the water on her 36th hole, made a double-bogey and missed the cut by a stroke. She said she brooded for weeks and didn’t sleep because of that chunked shot into the drink at Priddis Greens near Calgary.

A year later, when she was at Purdue, her self-loathing on the golf course was judged to be unacceptable. She was the sixth-ranked player in the nation when her coach, Devon Brouse, sent her to the clubhouse after 11 holes of the second round of the Tiger/Wave Classic in New Orleans for unsportsmanlike conduct. She was 11 over par at the time. Brouse repeatedly used the word “disrespect” in explaining his decision.

Two months later, LeBlanc led the Boilermakers to that national championship.

She knows it. She knows she can’t conquer this game until she learns to find a way to regulate the pressures that threaten to suppress her talent and work ethic.

Pressure. It’s a word in a couple different definitions that defines what is happening in LeBlanc’s game and life right now.

“I always set really high standards for myself and I’m very hard on myself and I’m still working on that,” she said.

When she doesn’t meet those standards, LeBlanc admits she feels pressured to abandon whatever game plan she’s following at the time.

“Whenever I have a bad week or if I didn’t play the way I wanted that week, I have a lot of doubts in my head about what I’m doing,” she said. “That’s what is affecting me the most — when I start doubting what I’m doing. I’ll start making changes I shouldn’t be making.”

She’s working with her current coach, Diane Lavigne, on all aspects of her game, but mostly on managing pressure in all its forms.

The numbers say LeBlanc is making progress. A graduate of Golf Canada’s national team program, she turned pro in 2011 and earned her LPGA card at Q-School on her first try. Following a severe back injury that stunted her career for a couple of seasons, LeBlanc was demoted to the developmental Symetra Tour in 2015 but with five top-five finishes in 22 starts she earned her way back to the LPGA last year.

After being bothered by a right shoulder injury for the first half of the 2016 season, LeBlanc finished the year making 13 straight cuts (including her best career finish, a T11 at the Marathon Classic) to earn her card for 2017. She enjoyed a fine showing in last year’s CP Women’s Open with a wonderfully consistent run of 69-69-70-69 and a tie for 14th, coincidentally at Priddis Greens.

Of her nearly $300,000 in career earnings, she netted well over half of that last year with $173,443 to finish 81st on the money list.

Then there’s this stat: On March 28, 2016, she was ranked 415th in the world. One day short of a year later, she was 182nd, a climb of 233 spots.

The key, as it turns out, has not only been managing that aforementioned pressure she heaps on her shoulders, but her grip pressure as well. Her climb up performance pecking orders has been in lockstep with a major improvement in her putting.

“The thing that has helped the most for my putting was the simplest thing ever, just grip pressure,” she said. “The one thing I changed in my grip was the pressure I apply on the grip with certain fingers. That made all the difference in the world and it makes my stroke so much more consistent every week.”

Specifically, she’s been focused on loosening the last three fingers of her right hand. “It takes the fingers out of the stroke and makes the face much more square,” she explained.

In 2013, LeBlanc ranked 109th on the LPGA Tour with an average of 30.56 putts per round. She improved to 75th last year (29.97) and is up to 59th at press time this year, having shaved another third of a putt off her average to 29.60.

“A light bulb came on and since then it’s been really good,” she said of her improved stroke.

It’s been such a revelation that LeBlanc has expanded the grip pressure change to her full swing too.

“Keeping a light grip, very light grip pressure and trying to relax my arms through the swing, take any tension out of the swing. That’s what I’ve been trying to work on the most. It’s really harder than it sounds on the full swing, for me, anyway,” she explained.

“I feel like things are coming together if I can trust things on the course and just get out of my own way, pretty much.

“All these little things and trying to keep it simple on the course and trying not to put too much pressure on myself which is probably the hardest thing to do.”

As it turns out, a lighter touch is what LeBlanc has always needed, in more ways than one.

This article was originally published in the Summer Issue edition of Golf Canada Magazine. Click here to view the full magazine

From September 18–22, Golf Canada will be celebrating all those who donate towards a Golf in Schools kit this year during the second annual Adopt a School Week.

The week will represent a coast-to-coast celebration to mark the efforts of all Golf in Schools adoptions taking place during that week, in addition to all adoptions that occur throughout the year.

In 2016, 234 new schools were adopted, introducing an average of 120 students per school to the game of golf.

Since the program’s inception in 2009, adoptions have accounted for close to 50% of the over 3,200 registered schools delivering the curriculum. As a result, Golf Canada, the PGA of Canada the National Golf Course Owners Association (NGCOA), and all provincial partners have aligned to celebrate the generosity of golf enthusiasts across the country.

“As partners, we recognize the value of Golf in Schools adoptions—getting Canada’s youth exposed to the sport of golf in the regular school curriculum is critical to the continued growth of our sport at the entry level,” said Jeff Thompson, Golf Canada’s Chief Sport Officer. “At the same time, adopting a school into this program presents a great business opportunity for facilities as well. Through the process of adopting a school, a connection is established between the school, its students and the golf facility. After experiencing golf at school, the natural transition to an established golf facility will ideally result in more young golfers.”

Every student should experience the wonders of golf. With each school adoption, facilities can help make this vision a reality. By adopting a school, the donor donates the full program kit which includes age-appropriate golf clubs and a teacher-friendly learning resource. Developed in conjunction with the PGA of Canada and Physical Health Education (PHE) Canada, the learning resource now incorporates Life Skills into the curriculum—placing added focus on transferrable skills both on and off the golf course.

Following Adopt a School Week, Golf Canada will be announcing all elementary, intermediate and high school adoptions conducted in 2017.

Find out more or adopt a school in your community at golfcanada.ca/adoptaschool

There is great debate around when specializing a child in a sport should occur. Most believe the earlier the better, but is that really best?

If you want your child to become a professional golfer, figure skater, or other high-performance athlete, when should they specialize in that one sport?

It’s a question that often generates heated discussion among coaches and sport parents. All too often, in most sports, children are pushed to specialize too early.

Too many coaches and parents push them to focus on one sport long before high school in the belief that they will miss out if they don’t. The thinking is that they need to “get ahead of the pack” by putting in the extra hours and staying away from other sports.

Meanwhile, research suggests that specializing too early probably prevents most kids from reaching their full potential in their sport. They might win the district championships for Grade 8 or Grade 10 basketball, but that will be their peak achievement. They won’t make the cut for the national team and go on to have success in their given sport internationally at age 19.

It seems counterintuitive. How could specialization reduce your success? It’s connected to physical literacy and the need to develop a wide range of physical, mental and emotional skills within sport. When researchers look at top athletes across a range of sports, the majority of them are distinguished by broad athletic ability from playing a variety of sports as children. This kind of broad athleticism doesn’t happen when kids specialize in one sport from an early age.

(Please note: We haven’t even mentioned the problem of overuse injuries to tendons, ligaments and bone growth plates due to premature specialization. There’s enough research on that subject to write a book. Premature specialization is also linked to kids dropping out of sports early.)

Is early specialization wrong for all sports? No. But research shows very few sports where it helps. Sports and activities such as gymnastics, figure skating, diving and dancing generally require early specialization. To reach the highest levels of competition, your child needs to start young and spend most of their time practising that sport or activity.

However, sports such as golf, hockey, soccer, basketball, baseball and tennis are late-specialization sports. If you want your child to have a chance to go to the highest levels in these activities, the evidence suggests they should also play other sports until at least age 14. This is called sampling or early diversification.

When you feel the urge to make your child specialize early, remember that Steve Nash didn’t even start playing basketball until he was 13 years old. Wayne Gretzky started hockey young, but he also played baseball, lacrosse and tennis into his teens.

The debate between early specialization and multi-sport participation among children is one of the many topics presented in the Long-Term Player Development Guide for Canadian golf. Find out more at golfcanada.ca/ltpd.

This article was originally published in the Summer Issue edition of Golf Canada Magazine. Click here to view the full magazine

Saskatoon’s Anna Young fired an even par 72 in the final round of Stage I of LPGA Tour Qualifying School to finish tied for 70th at Mission Hills Country Club in Rancho Mirage, Calif., and advance to Stage II.

Young finished the four day qualifying tournament at 2 over par (70-73-75-72). She is lone Canadian of the ten who started the week vying for their LPGA Tour card to advance to Stage II of Qualifying school.

This season on the Symetra Tour Young has made three starts. Her best result was a T41 finish at the Fucillo Classic of NY.

The second stage of LPGA Qualifying School will take place at Plantation Golf & Country Club in Venice, Fla., from Oct. 16-22.

The Final Stage of LPGA Qualifying School is Nov. 27 – Dec. 3 at LPGA International in Daytona Beach, Fla. The top 20 finishers at Final Stage of LPGA Qualifying School earn LPGA Tour membership.

Click here to view the full leaderboard.

Thornhill, Ont., native Ben Silverman fired a 5-under-par 66 in the final round of the WinCo Foods Portland Open presented by Kraft Heinz to finish tied for second at Pumpkin Ridge Golf Club in North Plains, Oreg., and secure his PGA TOUR card for the 2017-18 season.

Silverman had four birdies, an eagle and just one bogey in the final round to move to 14 under par for the tournament and finish four strokes back of winner Brice Garnett (Gallatin, Mo.).

Fellow Canadian Corey Conners of Listowel, Ont., carded a 4-under-par 67 in the final round to finish T19.

With his second place finish in the final event of the Web.com Tour regular season Silverman moves into tenth on the Web.com Tour money list and secures one of the 25 PGA TOUR cards available to the top-25 finishers on the regular season money list.

His second place finish is his fourth straight top-10 result, a stretch that includes his first career win on the Web.com Tour at the Price Cutter Charity Championship presented by Dr. Pepper.

Canadian Ben Silverman is just one shot back on the @WebDotComTour. Looking for win No.2 on the season (and second in three weeks)

— Adam Stanley (@adam_stanley) August 27, 2017

Silverman’s next step is to carry some of his recent momentum into the Web.com Tour Finals which begin next week at the Nationwide Charity Championship.

The field for the Web.com Tour Finals will be comprised of the top-75 on the Web.com Tour Order of Merit, PGA TOUR members who are 126-200 on the FedExCup points list following the Wyndham Championship, and non-members who would have earned enough FedExCup points to place them 126-200 on the official FedExCup points list.

An additional 25 PGA TOUR cards are up for grabs in Web.com Tour Finals and a separate money list is started to determine the players who receive them.

While Silverman has secured his PGA TOUR card the priority of that card will be determined by his play in the four Finals events.

The ordering of all 50 players after the Web.com Tour Finals will be done on an alternating basis, with the top position going to the No. 1 player from the combined Regular Season and Finals money list and the second position going to the leading money winner from the four Web.com Tour Finals. The sequence then alternates between the combined Regular Season and Finals money list.

Click here to view the full WinCo Food Portland Open presented by Kraft Heinz leaderboard.

Click here for more information on the Web.com Tour Finals.

Dustin Johnson a remonté la pente et il a remporté l’Omnium Northern Trust en battant Jordan Spieth en prolongation, dimanche.

Johnson a effacé un retard de cinq coups qu’il accusait au premier neuf. Lors du 18e trou de la quatrième ronde, il a tout juste réussi un coup roulé d’une distance de 18 pieds pour un oiselet, ce qui a forcé une prolongation.

De retour sur le tertre du 18e trou, Johnson a effectué un coup de départ de 341 verges, mettant la table pour une belle approche qui a laissé sa balle à quatre pieds de la coupe. Spieth devait absolument réussir un roulé d’une distance de 25 pieds pour l’oiselet, mais ce ne fut pas le cas. Johnson a ensuite complété sa remontée pour signer une quatrième victoire cette année.

Johnson a remis une carte de 66 (moins-4) et Spieth a joué 69 pour montrer un pointage cumulatif de moins-13, quatre coups devant leurs plus proches poursuivants.

C’est la première fois que Spieth perd une ronde lorsqu’il mène par au moins deux coups.

“Je n’ai pas perdu le tournoi, a déclaré Spieth. Il l’a gagné.”

Les deux golfeurs américains ont alimenté le spectacle lors de ce premier événement des séries de la Coupe FedEx.

“Je crois que c’était une performance amusante, a-t-il ajouté. J’espérais que ce ne soit pas aussi plaisant.”

Johnson a été couronné champion pour la première fois depuis qu’il a subi une blessure au dos en raison d’une chute dans les escaliers, qui l’a empêché de prendre part au tournoi des Maîtres. Il avait remporté trois tournois consécutifs sur des parcours difficiles, jusqu’à ce qu’il se blesse.

“Je sens que mon jeu est finalement revenu comme il était avant le Tournoi des Maîtres”, a raconté Johnson.

En 16 victoires, c’était la première fois que Johnson faisait face à un coup ultime au trou final, et il l’a réussi.

Le Venezuélien Jhonatthan Vegas a inscrit un 65 à sa carte et il s’est hissé au troisième échelon. L’Espagnol Jon Rahm (68) a réussi un oiselet au 18e trou et il a rejoint Vegas pour lui soutirer environ 87 000 $US de sa bourse.

L’Anglais Paul Casey a complété le top-5 grâce à une ronde de 71.

Le Canadien Mackenzie Hughes a éprouvé plusieurs difficultés dimanche et il a remis une carte de 75. Il s’est contenté d’une égalité en 62e place, à plus-7.

Cliquez ici pour le classement complet.

Dustin Johnson faced long odds all day against Jordan Spieth until the longest drive led to an unlike playoff victory Sunday in The Northern Trust.

Johnson rallied from a five-shot deficit on the front nine. And on the final hole in regulation, after one of the most powerful players in golf chose to lay up from the rough, his 18-foot par putt swirled around the cup and fell in the back side for a 4-under 66 to force a sudden-death playoff.

So clutch. It’s been almost 2 hours and we still can’t believe it.@DJohnsonPGA on the 72nd hole to force a playoff … pic.twitter.com/K9DL8ZPT0N

— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) August 27, 2017

Returning to the 18th hole, Johnson felt the wind switch and took on the lake with a 341-yard tee shot – the longest of the week on that hole – that left him a lob wedge that he hit to 4 feet.

Spieth, who already made his share of big putts along the back nine at Glen Oaks, hit 7-iron to the back collar and missed his 25-foot birdie putt. Johnson rolled in his short birdie putt for his fourth victory of the year.

Spieth, who closed with a 69, lost for the first time in six tries when leading by at least two shots. There wasn’t much he could do except take back that tee shot into the water on the par-3 sixth hole after building a five-shot lead. Johnson played bogey-free in the final round, and played his final 29 holes at par or better.

“I didn’t lose the tournament,” Spieth said. “He won it.”

The opening FedEx Cup playoff event featured two of the biggest names in golf who put on an amazing show on Long Island.

“I thought that was a fun show,” Spieth said. “I was hoping it wasn’t going to be that much fun.”

Johnson made up a five-shot deficit in five holes, and they battled along the back nine with big shots and big moments. They were tied on the par-3 17th when both hit into a bunker, and Johnson blasted out to 4 feet with an easier shot and angle to the hole. Spieth had 18 feet for par and knocked it in, like he always seems to do.

On the closing hole, Johnson showed the kind of golf I.Q. that belies his simple outlook on life. After he sliced his drive up the hill and into a nasty lie in the rough, he chose to lay up instead of trying to hammer a shot to an elevated green.

Winning approach.
Winning reactions.

Paulina Gretzky and the fans approve. ? pic.twitter.com/gN6SCPp1Qw

— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) August 27, 2017

But he made it pay off with a par, that got him into the playoff after Spieth lagged a 75-foot putt perfectly to get his par.

They finished at 13-under 267.

Mackenzie Hughes of Dundas, Ont., finished in a tie for 62nd place.

Johnson won for the first time since he wrenched his back during a spill down the stairs that knocked him out of the Masters and derailed his dominance in golf. He had won three straight tournaments against strong fields until that injury.

“I feel like the game is finally back in form like it was before the Masters,” Johnson said.

Of his 16 victories, this was the first time Johnson faced a must-make putt on the final hole, and he delivered a par putt that even Spieth thought was going to miss on the high side of the hole.

The Northern Trust never looked as though it would contain so much drama.

Spieth began with a three-shot lead. He two-putted from long range for birdie on the par-5 third hole when Johnson, from closer range but putting from off the green, took three to get down for a par. And then the fifth hole felt like a dagger – Spieth poured in a 30-foot birdie putt, and Johnson missed his birdie from 8 feet.

That gave Spieth a five-shot lead – no one else was closer than seven – and it seemed even larger because Johnson wasn’t making any putts.

A couple gutsy pars on No. 17.

We head to the 18th with Spieth, DJ still tied. #QuickHits pic.twitter.com/MbqYLcxpPC

— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) August 27, 2017

Five holes later, they were tied.

Spieth’s tee shot on the next hole banged off the rock wall and into the water on the par-3 sixth, and he made double bogey. On the ninth hole, Spieth took three putts from just off the left side the green, and Johnson made a 7-foot birdie putt for another two-shot swing.

Johnson began the back nine with an 8-foot birdie, and they were tied.

The closest Johnson came to taking the lead was a 15-foot eagle attempt that narrowly missed. Spieth regained the lead with an 8-foot birdie on the 14th, and Johnson tied him again from 18 feet on the next hole.

It was great theatre, even before a crowd not nearly as large as other courses used in the rotation, and it lasted all the way until the end.

No one else really had a chance.

Jon Rahm ran off three straight birdies early on the back and briefly was one shot behind, though he had stronger holes ahead of him and fell back. Jhonattan Vegas was within two shots after playing the scoring holes.

Otherwise, it was a matter of who finished among the top 100 in the FedEx Cup to move on to the TPC Boston next week for the next playoff event.

Bubba Watson shot a 70 and tied for 10th, to become one of eight players to qualify for the second playoff event all 11 years of the FedEx Cup. David Lingmerth, who started at No. 103, overcame a 40 on the front nine for a 73 to tie for 29th and move into the top 100.

These players climbed into the #FedExCup top 100 and advance to next week:@HV3-Golf 123➡️91@bubbawatson 113➡️72@dlingmerth 103➡️87 pic.twitter.com/vD5T4VzXZp

— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) August 28, 2017

Harold Varner III, not even among the top 125 going into the final regular-season event last week, made it to New York and then tied for 20th to crack the top 100.

The three players who moved into the top 100 were the fewest since two advanced in 2007 when the FedEx Cup began.

Click here to view the full leaderboard.

OTTAWA – Cristie Kerr waved at her caddy to stop for a second on the 18th fairway of the Ottawa Hunt and Golf Club. Mirim Lee and her bagman also held up.

Brooke Henderson, the third member of their trio for the final round of the CP Women’s Open, marched ahead with her sister and caddy Britt in tow, the standing ovation from the gallery theirs alone. Although Henderson had an even par round to finish at 7-under in a tie for 12th on Sunday, she was the star of the LPGA event all week and it was only fitting she had one last moment on the course with her legions of fans.

“It was amazing,” said Henderson minutes before accepting the Sandra Post Medal as the tournament’s low Canadian from the award’s namesake. “The crowds were incredible, and to have that support behind me from the very start of the week, Monday, when they were out here following me and cheering me on, it was so amazing.

“Today didn’t go quite as well as I would have liked, but still having that support around me was amazing, and I’m going to remember this week forever.”

South Korea’s Sung Hyun Park shot a 7-under 64 to finish at 13-under par to win the tournament, but she was almost an afterthought for the partisan crowd.

The 19-year-old Henderson, from nearby Smiths Falls, Ont., was on the covers of programs, played pro-ams, appeared on billboards, and did everything asked of her to be an ambassador for the event. On Friday, she almost missed the cut but birdied on her final hole of the second round to keep playing. The next day, Henderson fired a course-record 8-under 63 to rocket up the leaderboard and play in the second-last group in Sunday’s final round.

“She had so much pressure on her this week,” said Kerr, who played with Henderson in the first, second and final rounds. “You know, more than a major, I told her. I was joking around, but it was true. Look at the people out here for her, they all want her to do well, and she wants to do really well for them.”

Kerr tried to settle Henderson’s nerves when it looked like the younger player might miss the cut. When Henderson had a pair of bogeys in the front nine on Sunday Kerr was there again to cheer her up.

Then, of course, it was Kerr who insured that Henderson had one last moment in the sun at the Women’s Open, getting their group of golfers to slow their pace so the Henderson sisters could absorb the crowd’s applause.

What a week for the local favorite, @BrookeHenderson! ??❤️

Watch highlights from her final day #CPWO: pic.twitter.com/YbndLBqQWg

— LPGA (@LPGA) August 27, 2017

“She’s a role model, I look up to her,” said Henderson of Kerr. “To play with her three days this week really helped me. Just things like that, letting me walk up on to 18 and soak in the crowd and all those cheers, that was just really a class act.”

Brittany Marchand of Orangeville, Ont., was the only other Canadian to make the cut out of a field of 14. She shot a 2-under 69 to finish at 3-under par on the tournament. Marchand, who was a sponsor exemption that usually plays on the Symetra Tour, also drew some crowds.

“They’re always cheering you on no matter how it goes,” said Marchand. “It’s nice to have that support backing you, especially playing at home. Now that I’ve played two LPGA events at home, I’m getting more support than I probably would if I was just playing in the States somewhere.”

The crowds were so vocal for Brooke Henderson that even her caddy Britt drew cheers with people calling out her name, encouraging her as she lugged her sister’s golf bag or gave advice.

“The crowds were so great all week and it’s so cool to play this kind of tournament at home and have that kind of crowd support, even the caddy,” said Britt. “It felt awesome.”

OTTAWA – Now that she’s won two LPGA championships, Sung Hyun Park is finally going to get to see the biggest attraction in her home away from home.

Park shot a 7-under 64 to finish at 13-under par to win the CP Women’s Open on Sunday, five weeks after winning the U.S. Women’s Open. Both wins came in her rookie season on the LPGA Tour and she feels it’s time for a rest, so she’s returning to her North American home in Orlando to relax.

“I’ve never been to Disney World. I think I’ve got to go this time,” said Park through a translator. “I have a dog named Ato. It’s been a while since I’ve seen my dog, so I’m planning to play with my dog during my vacation.”

Park started the day in a tie for 12th, but played a bogey-free final round with seven birdies – including back-to-back birdies on the Nos. 8 and 9 holes – to storm up the leaderboard. She had already sewn up the championship by the time the final groupings were on the 18th fairway.

“I feel a little nervous when I play in the last group. But I was not today,” said Park. “Today I was in an earlier group when I started, so I felt a little more comfortable when I played this round.”

Fellow Korean Mirim Lee finished second at 11 under, while China’s Shanshan Feng, Korea’s In Gee Chun, Denmark’s Nicole Broch Larsen and Americans Marina Alex and Cristie Kerr were in a five-way tie for third at 10 under.

Broch Larsen and American Mo Martin had been co-leaders at 10-under to start the day.

“Sung Hyun had a really good round today. But I don’t know, my game was not really bad,” said Chun. “I’m happy for her to win this week. I’ll just keep going to next week.”

Brooke Henderson of nearby Smiths Falls, Ont., shot an even-par round to finish at 7 under to tie for 12th, a disappointing result after her course-record 8-under 63 catapulted her into a tie for sixth after three rounds. The 19-year-old phenom drew the most fans of any golfer at the Ottawa Hunt and Golf Club and was followed from hole to hole by a sizable gallery.

“I wasn’t nervous, but I had some tension,” said Henderson. “I wanted it so badly that it kind of affected me a little bit with some of the shots that I hit. Some of the putts, they were so close to going in, and it kind of got me down a little bit that they just rubbed the edge or stayed on the lip a couple times.”

Brittany Marchand of Orangeville, Ont., was the only other Canadian to make the cut. She shot a 2-under 69 to finish at 3-under par on the tournament and tie for 30th.

“It was a rough start, but overall I played well. Like after the first few holes,” said Marchand. “It was a good day. I think it was what I kind of wanted to finish the tournament.”

Park believes that the key to her success in her first year on the LPGA Tour is that there are no expectations on her, so if she makes a mistake there’s little consequences.

“Because I am a rookie, I don’t really worry about every shot,” said Park. “I just did every shot with confidence. My confidence made me do well this year.”

Michelle Wie had to withdraw from play between the third and fourth rounds so she could have an emergency procedure to remove her appendix at Ottawa Hospital. Canadian Pacific, the title sponsor of the event, donated $2 million to the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario before play began on Sunday.

OTTAWA – American star Michelle Wie was forced to withdraw from the CP Women’s Open with appendicitis on Sunday.

The 27-year-old was scheduled to have her appendix removed at Ottawa Hospital later Sunday.

Wie’s manager with IMG Golf announced the news in a statement, saying “further details on her condition will be provided when available.”

Wie was tied for 23rd, six strokes behind leaders Mo Martin and Nicole Broch Larsen through three rounds at Ottawa Hunt and Golf Club.

Wie has had seven top-10 finishes so far in 2017. Muscle spasms in her neck forced her to withdraw during the second round of the U.S. Women’s Open last month.