Corey Conners secured a sixth successive appearance at The Open by claiming the sole qualifying place on offer in the Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard.

A final-round 71 that featured 17 pars and a crucial birdie on the 16th was enough for Canada’s Conners to finish third in the PGA TOUR event at Bay Hill, part of The Open Qualifying Series.

That was ultimately enough to book a return to The Open – and the scene of his Championship debut in 2019 – as tournament winner Russell Henley and runner-up Collin Morikawa were already exempt.

Conners will now aim to improve on his best Open finish to date, a T15 finish at Royal St George’s in 2021.

1. Accept That Rust is Normal

Your swing might feel off, and that’s okay! Even the pros take time to get back into rhythm.

Expect some bad shots and inconsistent rounds early on. Focus on shaking off the rust instead of chasing perfect shots.

2. Focus on Progress, Not Perfection

Set small, realistic goals (e.g., “Hit more fairways” instead of “Shoot my lowest score”).

Track personal improvements rather than comparing yourself to others.

Find one key area to work on each round (e.g., driving accuracy, short game, or course management).

3. Start with Simple Practice Goals

Spend more time on short game (chipping & putting)—it’s the fastest way to lower scores.

Ease into full rounds by playing 9 holes before jumping into 18.

Play fun formats like best ball or scramble to remove pressure.

4. Enjoy the Game & The Outdoors

Appreciate being back on the course after winter. Fresh air, good company, and fun shots matter more than score.

Play with friends or family who help keep the game lighthearted.

Celebrate small wins—a great drive, solid chip, or long putt—even if your score isn’t perfect.

5. Don’t Let One Bad Shot Ruin Your Round

Every golfer, even pros, hits bad shots. Let them go quickly and focus on the next shot.

Try the “10-yard rule”—after 10 yards of walking, forget about the bad shot and move on.

6. Keep Your Expectations Realistic

If you didn’t play all winter, don’t expect mid-season form right away.

Improvement comes from consistent play and practice over time.

Remind yourself: The first few rounds are about getting comfortable, not setting records.

7. Play for Fun, Not Just Score

Try different game formats like match play, skins, or playing against your own past performance.

Use a positive mindset: Instead of thinking, “I have to play well,” think, “I get to play golf today!”

Would you like a printable checklist to help manage expectations and track your early-season progress? ⛳

Calgary – Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CPKC) said today that MacKids, the arm of Hamilton Health Sciences Foundation dedicated to fundraising for McMaster Children’s Hospital, has been chosen as the primary charity partner for the 2025 CPKC Women’s Open, to be held at the historic Mississaugua Golf and Country Club from August 18-24, 2025.

“We are proud to team up with MacKids as our 2025 CPKC Women’s Open primary charitable partner to raise money that will transform pediatric cardiac care across Ontario,” said Keith Creel, CPKC President and CEO. “Pediatric cardiac care is a key focus of our community investment program, CPKC Has Heart, and we look forward to investing in and helping MacKids’ young hearts.”   

This year’s goal is to raise more than $2.8 million for McMaster Children’s Hospital. These funds will support the creation of the Integrated Cardiac Health Initiative, a groundbreaking centre of excellence that will enhance pediatric cardiac care from newborn to adolescent.

“With the incredible generosity of the CPKC Women’s Open, MacKids is poised to support McMaster Children’s Hospital as it takes pediatric cardiac care to extraordinary new heights,” says Anissa Hilborn, CEO of Hamilton Health Sciences Foundation. “This partnership enables us to continue delivering life-saving, world-class care to our region’s youngest patients and their families, ensuring brighter futures for our community and far beyond.”

“CPKC Has Heart has left a meaningful impact in every host community of our National Women’s Open Championship, and we are honoured to work with our partners in welcoming MacKids as the charitable beneficiary of the 2025 CPKC Women’s Open,” said Laurence Applebaum, Chief Executive Officer, Golf Canada. “The return of the CPKC Women’s Open to the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area at the historic Mississaugua Golf and Country Club this August will be special with golf fans and event enthusiasts seeing the world’s best players and helping to support the incredible work of McMaster Children’s Hospital.”

The CPKC Women’s Open community charity partner will be announced in the coming weeks.

About CPKC

With its global headquarters in Calgary, Alta., Canada, CPKC is the first and only single-line transnational railway linking Canada, the United States and México, with unrivaled access to major ports from Vancouver to Atlantic Canada to the Gulf of México to Lázaro Cárdenas, México. Stretching approximately 20,000 route miles and employing 20,000 railroaders, CPKC provides North American customers unparalleled rail service and network reach to key markets across the continent. CPKC is growing with its customers, offering a suite of freight transportation services, logistics solutions and supply chain expertise. Visit cpkcr.com to learn more about the rail advantages of CPKC.

About CPKC Has Heart

At CPKC, we know that a railroad may serve as the arteries of a nation, but at its heart is community. That’s why, through CPKC Has Heart, we’ve already helped raise more than $45 million to help improve the heart health of adults and children across North America. And along the way, we’re showing heart whenever we can. Find out more on www.CPKCHasHeart.ca

About MacKids

MacKids, part of Hamilton Health Sciences Foundation, provides vital funding to enable the best possible patient care at McMaster Children’s Hospital, including Ron Joyce Children’s Health Centre and McMaster University Medical Centre. MacKids inspires and motivates gifts that fund medical equipment and patient amenities, innovative research initiatives, essential redevelopment of clinical care spaces, and the education and training of health care providers.

McMaster Children’s Hospital is the second largest provider of inpatient pediatric services in Ontario. The Hospital is home to Canada’s largest neonatal intensive care unit including supportive maternal care, the largest pediatric mental health program in Canada, and the only inpatient pediatric cancer program in south-central Ontario.

This past summer, it was the 50th Anniversary of the Apex Invitational Golf Tournament, founded in 1974 by a young black resident of Truro, Darrell Maxwell. Over the years, this event has grown into a type of homecoming, celebrating the black communities around Truro, and their contributions, and bringing families and friends together from all over.

Darrell Maxwell has fond memories of growing up next to the scenic golf course in the heart of the central Nova Scotia town of Truro, even though he wasn’t allowed to play there because of his race.

The 78-year-old Ottawa resident recalled in a recent interview that some of his earliest memories are linked to the Truro Golf Club, which runs parallel to a small, little-known historical Black community known as “The Island.”

Maxwell’s lifelong love affair with golf began at age five, when he started caddying at the club for a group of white, female golfers, earning 50 cents for nine holes. At the time, being a caddie was the only way for him to access the golf course.

“It was right in our backyard and it was a playground for me, but we were restricted to caddying,” he said. “(Black) people from our community worked at the golf club, but we were forbidden to be members.”

The evolving relationship between residents of The Island and the golf course is the subject of a new documentary by Halifax-based filmmakers Brittney Gavin and Amy Mielke. “Apex: The Black Masters” will begin streaming on CBC Gem on Friday. It describes how the area’s Black community went from being barred from the club to hosting a golf tournament on the greens for the last 50 years.

Directed and produced by Brittney Gavin and Amy Mielke of A+B Roll Films, “Apex: The Black Masters” premiered on CBC Gem on January 31, 2025.

The film is the brainchild of Gavin, who grew up in the Halifax area but spent many summers of her youth visiting her grandmother, who lived in the small community composed of 28 houses along West Prince Street, adjacent to the golf course. The district got its name, The Island, decades ago because it was often isolated by flooding during periods of heavy rain.

As a filmmaker, Gavin said she wants to tell the story of lesser-known Black communities in Nova Scotia after having spent much of her early 20s living in Toronto and Calgary. “I was really shocked at how few people knew that there are Black people in Nova Scotia and that we have these historically Black communities,” she said.

The province has more than 50 historic Black communities established by Loyalists who fled the United States in the decades following the American Revolution.

Gavin said she was looking for a hook to tell the story of The Island and found it during the 50th anniversary of the community golf tournament that Maxwell founded in 1974, and which has become a local institution. Known as the Apex Invitational, the most recent tournament was held in early August 2024.

Gavin said that while golf is the way into the film, it’s not necessarily its main focus. “I don’t know anything about golf, nor am I a golfer, but it (the tournament) is an annual homecoming for the Black communities of Truro.”

The film’s wider focus is made evident by one of the first of several interviews in the 22-minute documentary. Golf tournament committee member Jude Clyke emphatically established that he is not a golfer.

“The first thing he said to me was, ‘I don’t give a damn about golf,’” said Gavin. “He’s like a very community-minded person and so I liked having someone who could represent that social lens.”

In the film, Clyke stresses that in recent years the golf tournament has established a scholarship fund for young Black students from Truro and the wider Colchester County, who want to pursue post-secondary studies. More than 140 scholarships have been given out since 1998 totalling over $113,000.

Maxwell, who was the first to break the golf club’s colour barrier when he became a member in 1961 at the age of 14, said he’s gratified to see how the tournament has evolved since its inception. “We started off pretty humbly and then it proceeded to catch fire and it turned into more than just a golf tournament,” he said. “I’m just thrilled to see the progression and the introduction of the scholarship fund.”

Maxwell said that initially he just wanted to share his love of the sport with younger athletes in the community after a playing career that saw him win the provincial junior championship and Nova Scotia Golfer of the Year in 1965.

“I wanted to encourage the younger ones … to pursue their dreams and let them know that golf was no longer an elitist game or a game that they were forbidden to play,” he said.

Gavin said the film captures a “full circle” moment when the golf club, which was founded in 1905, holds a reconciliation ceremony with the community and makes Maxwell the 16th honorary member in its 120-year history, celebrating him for his talent and contributions to the club.

“I’m just really happy that they helped us tell the story, that they saw the importance of that,” Gavin said. 

Golf Canada is deeply saddened by the loss of former colleague and recent Board member Teri Yamada of Collingwood, Ont. who passed away peacefully on January 8, 2025, at the age of 66 following a difficult battle with Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (CJD).

A personal obituary written by Teri Yamada along with visitation details is available here:

https://www.fawcettfuneralhomes.com/memorials/teri-yamada/5536387/index.php

Golf Canada’s Board of Directors along with staff both current and past extend its sincere condolences to Teri’s partner, Doug Moxon, along with her family and the extensive personal and professional network of friends and golf industry peers who knew and admired her genius, expertise, work ethic, friendship and incredible generosity to charitable causes that meant so much to her. 

One of Canadian golf’s leading voices in agronomy, turfgrass and environmental research, Yamada served the Canadian golf industry for nearly 40 years, including the past 16 years as owner of TY Environmental Strategic Ltd. supporting golf courses’ use of science to minimize their environmental impact. She was a leading voice in the agronomic and business analysis of golf course operations and specialized in government relations, industry communication and interpreting complex scientific information.

Yamada spent 18 years with the Royal Canadian Golf Association (now Golf Canada) across several senior leadership roles. She served as the association’s tournament agronomist for National Open and Amateur Championships, working with host clubs and their superintendents to set up and condition golf courses hosting all national championships.

She joined the organization in 1990 as National Director, Greens Section (1990-98), which at the time was Golf Canada’s turfgrass research and consulting division providing the Canadian golf industry with turfgrass information and best practices. In 1993, she authored the Environmental Guidelines for Canadian Golf Courses following an 18-month consultative process with regulators, environmental interest groups and the golf industry leaders.

Yamada then spent 10 years (1996-2006) as the association’s Managing Director, Golf Programs and Services supporting Golf Canada member club programs and services (handicapping, junior golf, amateur status, heritage, etc.) in addition to turfgrass and environmental research.

From 2005-2008, the role evolved into Managing Director, Communications and Government Relations, serving as a leading government liaison on issues affecting the Canadian golf industry. During this period, she also spent two years (2006-2008) as Executive Director of the RCGA Foundation (now Golf Canada Foundation) and has since supported the Foundation as a generous donor.

Yamada returned to Golf Canada as a volunteer in 2021, serving three years a member of the Governance Committee, two years as a member of the Governors Council (2022-2023) and two years on the HR Committee. In 2023, she joined Golf Canada’s Board of Directors becoming one of the few individuals to have served the association in both a staff and Board of Directors capacity. 

During her accomplished career, Yamada served the Canadian and global golf community in a variety of roles including an invitation to participate in the development of the Environmental Principles for Golf Courses in the United States and was referenced in An Environmental Strategy for Golf in Europe.

She spent 14 years (2009-2023) as Executive Director of the IPM Council of Canada (Integrated Pest Management) which administered the IPM Accreditation program for golf courses, public works (hydro and railway corridors) and specialty turf.

Yamada also served as President, Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary System of Canada Inc. (1996-2007); Executive Secretary and past Board member with the Canadian Turfgrass Research Foundation (CTRF) (1992 – 2008); was a past Board Member of the Ontario Turfgrass Research Foundation (2009-2012); member of the Halton-Hamilton Source Protection Committee (2007-2025); was a member of the Strategic Planning Committee and Environmental Programs committee member, Environmental Institute for Golf, Kansas (2003-2007); served as a USGA Turfgrass & Environmental Research Committee member (1996-2004); member and Past Chair of the Ontario Pesticide Advisory Committee (2009-2020); Chair, Scientific Program Committee for 9th International Turfgrass Research Conference (2000-2001); and was an Advisory Committee member with the Selkirk College Golf Management Program – Nelson, BC (1996-2001).

She graduated from the University of Guelph with a Bachelor of Science (Agriculture and Environmental Horticulture).

A passionate golfer and proud member of Mad River Golf Club (as well as the York Downs Golf and Country Club prior), Yamada was a very active volunteer giving back to both clubs across a variety of roles including four years on the Member Board of Directors with Mad River (2019-2023) as well as the Grounds Committee, Finance and Audit Committee, and the Governance and Nominating Committee. She also served four years on the Board of York Downs as well as two years as the club’s Green Committee Chair. 

Yamada was also one of three Canadian women members of The Royal and Ancient Golf Club in St Andrews, Scotland.

A visitation will be held on January 23 from 2:00pm – 4:00pm with tributes taking place at 3:00pm at Fawcett Funeral Home at 82 Pine Street in Collingwood. A Celebration of Life will be held at a later date.

Golf Canada’s Amaya Athill recognized among the group of
12 distinguished honourees

Golf Canada is pleased to congratulate the group of 12 distinguished recipients recognized with the PGA of Canada’s 2024 National Awards. 

Each year, a National Selection Committee for the PGA of Canada evaluates nominations from golf professionals across Canada.

The 2024 PGA of Canada Award Winners Include:

Murray Tucker Club Professional of the Year – Dennis Firth, The Royal Montreal Golf Club

Dick Munn Executive Professional of the Year – Ted Stonehouse, Cabot Cape Breton

George Knudson Teacher of the Year – Gord Burns, Gord Burns Golf School

Jack McLaughlin Junior Leader of the Year – Matt Seifert, GolfFuture

Ben Kern Coach of the Year – Jean-Francois Richard, Louis Melanson Golf Academy

Pat Fletcher Retailer of the Year – Andrew Szewczuk, Banff Springs Golf Club

Moe Norman Apprentice Professional of the Year – Ethan Hunt, Whistle Bear Golf Club

Stan Leonard Class ‘A’ Assistant Professional of the Year – Anne Balser, Oakfield Golf & Country Club

Warren Crosbie Community Leader of the Year – Amaya Athill, Golf Canada

Tex Noble Professional Development Award – Sean Murray, St. Charles Country Club

Brooke Henderson Female Player of the Year – Casey MacNeil, Timberwolf Golf Academy

Mike Weir Male Player of the Year – Wes Heffernan, Dynamic Motion Golf Performance Centre

For the full list of award descriptions and winners, please click here.

The winners will be celebrated later this month during Canada Night at the PGA Show in Orlando on January 22, 2025.

As 2024 draws to a close, Golf Canada reflects on the stories that captivated our readers throughout the year. Here are the top 10 most-read articles that highlighted significant moments and achievements in Canadian golf:

1. Final Field released for the 2024 RBC Canadian Open

2. Pendrith, Conners, Hughes named to International Team for upcoming Presidents Cup

3. Golf Canada announces professional athletes named to 2024 Team Canada

4. Golf Canada releases 2024 championship schedule

5. Golf Canada announces amateur athletes named to 2025 Team Canada

6. LaunchPad Golf expands across Canada with six new locations

7. Built For This: TPC Toronto to host RBC Canadian Open in 2025

8. Canada’s Nick Taylor wins Phoenix Open on second playoff hole

9. Two women golfers announced to Canadian Olympic Team for Paris 2024

10. Mississaugua Golf and Country Club to host 2025 CPKC Women’s Open

As the year comes to a close, we want to take a moment to express our heartfelt gratitude to our readers and the incredible Golf Canada community. Thank you for your passion, engagement, and unwavering support throughout the year. Your love for the game inspires everything we do, and we’re honoured to share these stories with you.

Here’s to another year of unforgettable moments on the course and beyond. Thank you for being an essential part of the Golf Canada family—see you in 2025!

Select ticket options for Canada’s two National Open Championships –
the 2025 RBC Canadian Open and 2025 CPKC Women’s Open –
are now available

OAKVILLE, Ont. (December 13, 2024) – What began as a marketing initiative to highlight an iconic winning moment at the RBC Canadian Open, will now take its permanent place in tournament history.

Golf Canada, in partnership with title sponsor RBC is pleased to announce that the reimagined tournament logo celebrating Nick Taylor’s historic win as the first Canadian champion in 69 years, will now become the tournament’s permanent mark.

“Team RBC Ambassador Nick Taylor’s historic winning putt will forever be an iconic moment in Canadian sports history and one of the most thrilling plays at our country’s national championship,” said Mary DePaoli, EVP & Chief Marketing Officer, RBC. “It is only fitting that Nick leaves a lasting legacy on the tournament logo and we continue to be very proud of the mark he’s made on Canadian golf.”

The revised brand identity for Canada’s National Men’s Open Championship originally rolled out in 2024 as a one-year tribute to Taylor’s iconic 72-foot winning putt on the fourth playoff hole to defeat Tommy Fleetwood at Oakdale Golf and Country Club in Toronto.

The putter toss logo was universally well received and earlier this week, was named the PGA TOUR’s Best Marketing Initiative for 2024 as part of the Tour’s season-ending meetings in Orlando, Fla.

“We are incredibly proud to forever immortalize this signature winning moment in Canadian sports history as the permanent brand identity and logo mark for the RBC Canadian Open,” said Tim McLaughlin, Chief Marketing Officer, Golf Canada. “The original plan was for this to be a one-year tribute, however, the putter toss logo was so well received that we felt celebrating Nick Taylor and this signature moment permanently on the core championship mark was an easy choice. The putter toss logo has now been emblazoned on the RBC Canadian Open trophy signifying the permanence of the change.”  

The overwhelmingly positive feedback to the reimagined logo for the RBC Canadian Open made the decision to immortalize the moment a fitting choice.

“This recognition from Golf Canada, my partners at RBC, and everyone involved in the RBC Canadian Open is humbling beyond words. I was flattered by last year’s commemorative tournament logo, but for that to now become the permanent brand identity of our national open is truly an incredible honour,” said Nick Taylor. “I’m proud to share this with my family who make these special moments possible.”

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Tickets for Canada’s National Open Championships Now on Sale…

Golf Canada also announced today that select tickets are now available for both of Canada’s National Open Championships – the 2025 RBC Canadian Open and the 2025 CPKC Women’s Open.

The 2025 RBC Canadian Open will be conducted for the first time ever at TPC Toronto at Osprey Valley (North Course) in Caledon, Ont., from June 4-8. TPC Toronto is quickly becoming one of the premier Canadian golf destinations, with all three courses ranked inside the Top 100 by SCOREGolf Magazine. Canadian favourites Corey Conners, Mackenzie Hughes, Taylor Pendrith, Adam Hadwin and 2023 RBC Canadian Open champion Nick Taylor will compete for Canada’s National Open Championship. The Canadian contingent will challenge the defending champion from Scotland, Robert MacIntyre, who finished at 16-under to win at Hamilton Golf and Country Club in Hamilton, Ont. and earn the Scotsman’s his first PGA TOUR victory.

The 2025 CPKC Women’s Open will take place at the historic Mississaugua Golf and Country Club in Mississauga, Ont., August 20-24. One of 17 golf clubs in Canada to have hosted both the Men’s and Women’s National Open Championships. The CPKC Women’s Open is one of the top women’s sporting events in Canada and won back-to-back LPGA Tournament of the Year honours in 2022 and 2023. The Brooke Brigade will be out in full force as 2018 CPKC Women’s Open champion Brooke Henderson will headline a field of the world’s best in Mississauga. Defending champion Lauren Coughlin earned her first LPGA Tour win in 2024 at the Earl Grey Golf Club in Calgary, Alta., an event that set an all-time attendance record for the tournament.

“There is so much momentum in Canadian golf and energy behind both the CPKC Women’s Open and RBC Canadian Open, added McLaughlin. “Both have become must-attend events on the Canadian sports calendar, and we are pleased to give fans this opportunity to lock in their tickets for both historic championships.”

Along with world class golf, fans can belt out their best rendition of “O’ Canada” and experience the thrills of the iconic “Rink Hole” as well as enjoying premium food and beverage options in The Fare Way at both national open championships.

As two of Canada’s premier annual sporting events, both the 2025 RBC Canadian Open and 2025 CPKC Women’s Open offer three select ticket options now on sale for golf fans to experience the thrill of live professional golf at Canada’s National Open Championships. The advance ticket options include:

• Any Day Grounds Ticket: Access to the RBC Canadian Open / CPKC Women’s Open on any one day, Wednesday through Sunday (on-sale for a limited time, while supplies last.)

• Weekly Grounds Ticket: Access to the full week of the tournament, Wednesday through Sunday. (RBC Canadian Open/CPKC Women’s Open).

• 1904 Club Weekly Ticket/Heritage Lounge Weekly Ticket: Access for all four days of Championship play from Thursday through Sunday. (RBC Canadian Open/CPKC Women’s Open).

The 2024 CPKC Women’s Open was recently named the Gold Driver Award recipient for Best Volunteer Appreciation at the LPGA’s annual Gold Driver Awards. The CPKC Women’s Open has earned Tournament of the Year honours the previous two years (2022 and 2023). Golf Canada and CPKC also received Gold Driver Awards for Best Volunteer Engagement in 2023, Best Sponsor Activation in 2019, 2022, and 2023 as well as Best Community and Charity Engagement in three of the last five full season campaigns.

Through its CPKC Has Heart campaign, CPKC once again will be making a significant charitable contribution to the host community. Since 2014, the CPKC Women’s Open has helped raise over $22 million in support of children’s heart health in North America. A host community beneficiary of the 2025 CPKC Women’s Open will be named by CPKC and Golf Canada at a later date.

The official charitable beneficiary of the RBC Canadian Open First Tee – Canada. As part of the commitment to junior golf, admission all week is free for youth aged 12-and-under at both tournaments.

Volunteer, sponsorship, and corporate hospitality opportunities for both tournaments are also available. To purchase tickets or for more information on the 2025 RBC Canadian Open, please visit rbccanadianopen.com and for the 2025 CPKC Women’s Open, please visit cpkcwomensopen.com.

This year marked the beginning of an impactful journey for First Tee – Alberta.

In its first year of programming, First Tee – Alberta provided over 1,100 youth with low-barrier access to golf – and to a diverse group of participants. Nearly 40 percent of participants were female, and nearly 75 percent of families identified as part of an equity-deserving community.

As Golf Canada’s youth development program, First Tee – Alberta joins five other chapters across the country to offer affordable golf programming that goes beyond the fairways to develop both golf and life skills. Through valuable partnerships with schools, community centres, and golf courses, First Tee –Alberta offers no-cost try golf events and affordable registered programming. All the necessary golf equipment is provided, and no prior golf experience is needed, creating an inclusive and welcoming environment.

The goal is to provide a positive association to golf for youth from all backgrounds, especially those who may have otherwise not had the opportunity.

“Our goal is to ensure every child, regardless of their background, has the chance to experience golf and all the benefits it has to offer,” said First Tee – Alberta Program Manager, Michael Steele. “We are committed to breaking down common barriers of entry to the sport like affordability, accessibility, or unfamiliarity.”

In its opening season, First Tee – Alberta onboarded four golf courses across Calgary, Edmonton, and Sherwood Park, all of which offered no-cost programming. The children learned golf skills like putting, chipping, and distance control, while simultaneously continuing to build on personal skills like confidence, honesty, and perseverance.

Three schools and five community organizations also offered First Tee programming in 2024, and 13 First Tee coaches were onboarded and certified.

In addition to scheduled programming and events, First Tee – Alberta’s presence was also made known at the 2024 CPKC Women’s Open hosted at Earl Grey Golf Club in Calgary, AB.

Chapter staff activated on-site with a 50’ putt challenge in celebration of the tournament’s 50th anniversary. The activation, alongside a record-breaking 50/50 raffle, raised over $150,000 to directly support the continued growth of First Tee across Alberta.

Over 50 youth from the Calgary Immigrant Women’s Association and the Youth Centres of Calgary also visited the tournament grounds for behind-the-scenes tours and First Tee clinics, where six LPGA professionals made special guest appearances for the children.

Looking ahead, First Tee – Alberta prepares to expand into Lethbridge, Medicine Hat, and Red Deer in 2025, and strives to continue to provide life-enhancing experiences to youth through golf.

First Tee – Alberta’s growth and impact are reliant on a generous network of supporters. For those interested in giving back and growing the game of golf in their community, please reach out to msteele@golfcanada.ca or visit firstteealberta.ca.

Canadian golfers Alena Sharp and Maude-Aimée Leblanc will return to the LPGA Tour in 2025 after earning their cards through the LPGA Tour Qualifying Series. Sharp, from Hamilton, Ont., finished tied for 21st at seven-under, while Leblanc, of Sherbrooke, Que., tied for 24th at six-under.

Sharp continues storied career

Sharp, 43, has been a fixture on the LPGA Tour since 2005. Over her career, she has made 375 official starts, earning $3,086,599 in prize money and recording 16 top-10 finishes. Her best result on the tour came at the 2016 CPKC Women’s Open, where she placed fourth.

In 2024, Sharp made seven cuts in 13 starts, with her best finish a tie for 19th at the Dana Open. She ended the season ranked No. 123 on the Race to CME Globe Points List.

Sharp has also found success on the Epson Tour, where she has two career wins and 14 additional top-10 finishes. Her most recent victory came in 2023 at the Champions Fore Change Invitational.

A three-time Olympian, Sharp represented Canada in Rio in 2016, Tokyo in 2021 and Paris in 2024, with her best Olympic finish a tie for 30th in Rio.

A graduate of New Mexico State University, Sharp continues to be a role model for Canadian golfers.

“I’m really happy walking away with a card and, you know, not sitting on the outside looking in for the first part of the season, Sharp told the LPGA. “Hopefully I’ll get starts right away instead of having to wait until like June to play.  Really excited about that.”

Leblanc builds on strong form

Leblanc, 35, has competed on the LPGA Tour since 2012. In 2024, she made eight cuts in 19 starts, with her best result a tie for 19th at the CPKC Women’s Open.

Leblanc has four career top-10 finishes on the tour, the most recent at the 2022 ISPS HANDA Women’s Scottish Open, where she tied for eighth.

Leblanc has also had a standout career on the Epson Tour, with 26 top-10 finishes. In her last full season on the developmental circuit in 2021, she made 12 cuts in 17 starts and posted nine top-10 results.

A graduate of Purdue University, Leblanc was part of the Boilermakers’ NCAA championship-winning team in 2010. The former Team Canada alumna also had a decorated amateur career, winning the Canadian Junior Championship and the International Junior Orange Bowl in 2006.

Canadians ready for 2025

Both Sharp and Leblanc are set to bring experience and consistency to the LPGA Tour in 2025, highlighting the strength of Canadian golf on the global stage.

Their achievements reflect the dedication and determination that have made them role models for the next generation of players. With new opportunities ahead, they will look to build on their careers and inspire golf fans across Canada.

For more information on the 2025 CPKC Women’s Open, taking place August 20-24 at Mississaugua Golf & Country Club, click here.

Click here for full results from the final stage of LPGA Tour Qualifying Series.