CALGARY, Alberta — Lauren Coughlin held onto the lead Friday in the CPKC Women’s Open, while Canadian star Brooke Henderson was derailed by closing bogeys at windy and smokey Earl Grey Golf Club.
Coughlin followed her opening 4-under 68 on Thursday in chilly and windy conditions with a 70 on Friday to get to 6 under, a stroke ahead of Hannah Green and Haeran Ryu. The temperature made it into the 70s after barely climbing into the 60s on Thursday.
“I think I handled it really well overall,” Coughlin said. “It was just really difficult to judge how far the ball was going to go with the wind and the crosswind and how firm the greens got. And they had some tough pins, especially considering the direction of the wind.”
Playing through a smokey haze from wildfires, Henderson bogeyed the final four holes in her afternoon round for a 73 that left her seven strokes back at 1 over. She won the 2018 tournament.
“Most of the day I was 3 under, so feeling pretty great,” Henderson said. “To walk away 1 over, that’s not the best feeling. But all you can do is move forward and try to learn from some of the things you did out there.”
Coughlin is coming off a fourth-place finish two weeks ago in France in the major Evian Champions. The 31-year-old former University of Virginia player is winless on the LPGA Tour.
On Friday, she had three front-none birdies and dropped a stroke on the par-4 11th. In two rounds, she’s 7 under on the first nine holes and 1 over on the second nine.
“I putted extremely well,” Coughlin said. “Two-putted really well all day. Took advantage of the front nine, which you have to, and then kind of hold on on the back nine.”
Green matched Coughlin with a 70. The Australian is a two-time winner this year, taking the HSBC Women’s World Championship in Singapore in February and the JM Eagle LA Championship in April.
“It was tough again out there,” Green said. “There was some pretty strong wind gusts, especially our last few holes, so committing to the shot you were envisioning was kind of difficult.”
Ryu bogeyed the 18th for 69.
“The weather is really bad,” Ryu said. “Is a little bit cold and so windy.”
The 23-year-old South Korean player won the Walmart NW Arkansas Championship last year for her first LPGA Tour title. She was second last week in Ohio in the Dana Open.
Three-time champion Lydia Ko had a 71 to join second-ranked Lilia Vu (70) and Jennifer Kupcho (72) at 3 under. Ko won as an amateur in 2012 at age 15, successfully defended her title as an amateur in 2013 and won as a professional in 2015.
“It’s not easy — and I think the scores are showing,” Ko said. “Anything kind of under par the past couple days is a really solid round. I’m pretty happy with the way I started this week.”
Kupcho topped the leaderboard at 8 under after birdieing five of the first eight holes in her morning round, then was 5 over the rest of the way. She had a double bogey on the par-4 16th, four bogeys and a birdie on her final nine holes.
“I’m pretty upset,” Kupcho said. “I think in hindsight I still hit 15 greens. Like I was hitting the ball really good. Three-putted 10 and 11 and four-putted 16. I didn’t play bad. Just had a couple shaky putts down the stretch — and that’s going to happen.”
Lexi Thompson was in the group with Henderson tied for 26th at 1 over after a 73 The American plans to play a limited schedule after this season.
BLAINE, Minn. — Taylor Pendrith shot a 7-under 64 on Friday to take a two-stroke lead over Matt NeSmith into the weekend in the 3M Open.
Playing in windier afternoon conditions, Pendrith made a 30-foot birdie putt on the par-4 16th and tapped in for another birdie on the par-5 18th. He had a 12-under 130 total at the TPC Twin Cities, playing the first 36 holes without a bogey.
The 33-year-old Canadian won the CJ Cup Byron Nelson in May in Texas for his first PGA Tour title. He tied for fifth last week in the Barracuda Championship in California.
NeSmith had a 64 in the morning before wind gusts topping 20 mph hit the course in the afternoon and early evening.
Seeking his first PGA Tour victory, NeSmith lost in a playoff two weeks ago at the ISCO Championship in Kentucky, his lone top-10 finish in 20 prior starts this season. He has missed 11 cuts.
First-round leader Jacob Bridgeman had a 70 to drop three strokes back at 9 under with Andrew Putnam (66). Doug Ghim (64), Lanto Griffin (66), Alex Smalley (65) and Jhonattan Vegas (66) were 8 under.
The event is the second-to-last tournament before the FedEx Cup playoffs begin, with some players near the 70-player cutoff failing to advance to the weekend. Nick Dunlap (64th in the standings), Luke List (71st) and defending champion Lee Hodges (73rd) missed the cut.
Australian Hannah Green has high hopes that a Canadian connection can help her win one of her favourite golf tournaments.
Sitting at 5-under par through two rounds of play at the 2024 CPKC Women’s Open, Green commended her Canadian caddie Nate Blasko, of Kingston, Ont., for helping her take on the challenging conditions at Earl Grey Golf Club.
“He’s from the other side of the country, but (it would) be pretty cool for us to both win here,” said Green, who had five birdies and three bogeys during her round of 2-under 70 on Friday. “It was tough again out there. There was some pretty strong wind gusts, especially our last few holes, so committing to the shot you were envisioning was kind of difficult. I’m kind of glad that I’m finished for Friday and I can go relax now.”
After finishing fifth in the LPGA’s Louise Suggs Rolex Rookie of the Year standings in 2018, Green was looking to hire a new caddie.
That’s when Blasko entered the picture, she said.
“We both met when I was playing on the Symetra Tour, now Epson Tour,” explained Green, who was in the clubhouse sitting third behind Nelly Korda and Ayaka Furue in the LPGA’s season-long Race to the CME Globe points competition.
“I was looking for a caddie in the off-season and he was looking for a player.”
The partnership paid almost immediate dividends, as she made 19 of 23 cuts in 2019 and surpassed the $1 million mark in earnings while winning her first major title at the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship, then adding a victory at the Cambia Portland Classic.
“Our first event was together in Australia and then later that year we won KPMG together,” Green said. “Been together ever since.”
With Blasko on her bag at last year’s CPKC Women’s Open at Vancouver’s Shaughnessy Golf and Country Club, Green finished in a tie for fourth place to earn a payday of $117,507.
“I always really enjoy coming to Canada,” said Green, who will represent Australia in the women’s golf competition at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris. “I played well last year in Vancouver, so hopefully I can do a few better and get my hands on that big trophy.”
When she finished her round, Green didn’t even know that she was tied for first place with Round 1 leader Lauren Coughlin, who had just birdied her first hole after teeing off in the afternoon wave of golfers.
That doesn’t mean she doesn’t like peeking at the leaderboard while out on the course.
“I’m definitely a leaderboard watcher,” said Green, who noticed that Jennifer Kupcho was ahead of her at one point before the American golfer struggled on her back nine and finished at 3-under after reaching 8-under at one point.
“The last time I probably saw a leaderboard, I would have been at 5-under and she was at 7. I just assumed she continued to play well.”
Also on Friday morning, Maude-Aimee Leblanc of Sherbrooke, Que., shot a round of 2-over 74. Her total score of 1-over has put her in position to play on the weekend for the final two rounds, a feat she hasn’t accomplished since finishing in a tie for 14th place in 2016 at her national championship at nearby Priddis Golf and Country Club.
“It’s our only tournament in Canada for the whole season, so I love being out here,” said Leblanc, who started her round with her lone birdie of the day on the Par 5, 550-yard opening hole. “It was a good start. I gave myself a lot of opportunities at the beginning and wasn’t able to make putts. Overall, I hit the ball pretty well. It’s just tough conditions out there.
“The greens are starting to get firmer and faster, so if you’re not in the fairway, it’s almost impossible for the ball to stay on the green.”
Victoria, B.C. – The 110th playing of the Canadian Women’s Amateur Championship, presented by BDO, gets underway next week at Royal Colwood Golf Club in Victoria, B.C. from July 29-August 2.
The championship, which was first held in 1901, is one of the longest tenured amateur events in the world. The inaugural tournament at Royal Montreal Golf Club in Montreal, Que., featured only three players. Fast forward over a century later, 156 players will look to engrave their name onto the Dutchess of Connaught Gold Cup in 2024.
The championship will feature a competitive field of top female amateur golfers, national team members, provincial champions and elite international amateurs. Practice rounds are scheduled for Monday, July 29, before the 72-hole stroke play competition gets underway on Tuesday, July 30. Play is scheduled to wrap up on Friday, August 2, followed by an awards ceremony and champions reception. The field will be cut to the low 70 players (including ties) after the second round.
The tournament will welcome 118 Canadians along with 38 international players, including 22 from the United States, six from Australia, two from Chinese Taipei along with representation from Barbados, Colombia, Hong Kong, China and Mexico.
The Inter-Provincial Team Championship will be played in conjunction through the first 36 holes of the competition with eight three-player teams vying for the title. Last year Team Ontario consisting of Jasmine Ly (Windsor, Ont.), Joline Truong (Mississauga, Ont.) and Sydney Naro (Toronto, Ont.) were crowned champions.
The 156 player field features seven of Team Canada athletes led by defending champion Lauren Kim (Surrey, B.C.) – who shot a final round 2-under 71 to claim the title last year along with teammates, Angela Arora (Surrey, B.C.), Katie Cranston (Oakville, Ont.), Nicole Gal (Oakville, Ont.), Michelle Liu (Vancouver, B.C), Alissa Xu (Richmond Hill, Ont) and Lauren Zaretsky (Thornhill, Ont.).
Team Canada NextGen will also be represented with nine members of the team set to compete including, Vanessa Borovilos (Etobicoke, Ont), Anna Huang (Vancouver, B.C), Shauna Liu (Maple, Ont.), Luna Lu (Burnaby, B.C), Lindsay McGrath (Oakville, Ont.), Eileen Park (Red Deer, Alta.), Swetha Sathish (Oakville Ont.), Michelle Xing (Richmond Hill, Ont.) and Vanessa Zhang (Vancouver, B.C.).
Clara Ding of White Rock, B.C. is the youngest player in the field at the age of 13 and there are two members of Royal Colwood Golf Club teeing it up this week, Cynthia Adamek and Jiyue Wu.
Royal Colwood Golf Club is a world-class golf course that offers a challenging and scenic layout, set amidst a beautiful forest of towering trees and manicured fairways. Designed by Arthur Vernon Macan in 1913, the course has hosted numerous high-profile tournaments. The par 72 course features strategically placed bunkers and winding fairways that demand strategic accuracy and skill. The course’s natural scenic landscape is enhanced by its serene surroundings, with sparkling water features and an abundance of wildlife.
“Royal Colwood Golf Club is honoured to add the 2024 Canadian Women’s Amateur to our club’s rich history of prestigious golf events. We are excited to welcome the top amateur women golfers from around the world to Victoria while we showcase our golf course over the four days of competition,” Gordy Scutt, Head Golf Professional at Royal Colwood Golf Club. “Hosting this event is an exciting opportunity and we are confident that Royal Colwood will provide a memorable experience for the players, guests and surrounding community.”
Last year Team Canada member, Lauren Kim won the Canadian Women’s Amateur Championship at Ashburn Golf Club in Halifax, N.S. Team Canada athletes have won the past three Canadian Women’s Amateur Championships. Prior to Kim’s victory last year, Monet Chun of Richmond Hill, Ont. won the 2022 championship at Westmount Golf and Country Club in Kitchener, Ont. and Lauren Zaretsky won in 2021 at Edmonton Petroleum Golf and Country Club in Spruce Grove, Alta.
The 2024 Canadian Women’s Amateur champion will receive an exemption into the 2024 U.S. Women’s Amateur Championship taking place August 5-11 at Southern Hills Country Club in Tulsa, Okla. In addition, the winner will receive an exemption into the 2025 CPKC Women’s Open, taking place August 18-25 at Mississauga Golf Club in Mississauga, Ont.
For more information about the 2024 Canadian Women’s Amateur Championship please click here.
Golf Canada Amateur Championships
Golf Canada annually conducts more than 30 golf competitions and qualifiers nation-wide – including nine National Amateur Championships – which play host to more than 3,000 domestic and international athletes from all corners of the world. In partnership with our host clubs, thousands of volunteers, provincial golf associations and our proud sponsors, Golf Canada is dedicated to supporting player development through world-class competition since our inception in 1895. Officiated by certified Canadian Rules of Golf officials, Golf Canada’s amateur competitions are fully compliant with golf’s international governing bodies and include marquee events such as the Canadian Men’s and Women’s Amateur Championships as well as the Canadian Junior Girls and Junior Boys Championships. Golf Canada’s amateur championships are proudly supported by BDO Canada, Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CPKC), Titleist, FootJoy, Sport Canada, Levelwear and JOURNIE Rewards. For more information and scheduling visit https://www.golfcanada.ca/competitions-calendar/
CALGARY — Lauren Coughlin shot a 4-under 68 on Thursday in chilly and windy conditions to take the first-round lead in the CPKC Women’s Open.
Fellow American Jennifer Kupcho was a stroke back with Ariya Jutanugarn of Thailand and Australians Minjee Lee and Hannah Green.
Coughlin opened the round that began on No. 11 with eight straight pars, then had five birdies and bogey on the final 10 holes with the temperature barely climbing into the 60s at Earl Grey Golf Club.
“It was a lot windier than I was expecting, so just had to stay super patient in the beginning,” Coughlin said. “Kind of started getting some putts dropping. It was tough out there for sure, but I hit a lot of really good shots and a lot of good putts.”
Winless on the LPGA Tour, the 31-year-old former University of Virginia player is coming off a fourth-place finish two weeks ago in France in the major Evian Champions.
“Pretty much ever since Evian I’ve been hitting the ball extremely well,” Coughlin said. “To keep it going, even in an off week, felt really good. It’s just trying to be myself and have fun, and then see what I shoot.”
Kupcho had four birdies and a bogey.
“The weather was a bit crazy,” Kupcho said. “I feel like we had three different seasons in 18 holes. Definitely got sunny at the end and that’s when I made all my birdies. Really, just tried to stay patient all day.”
Green is a two-time winner this year, taking the HSBC Women’s World Championship in Singapore in February and the JM Eagle LA Championship in April.
“It was difficult out there,” Green said. “It’s nice that the sun has peeped out. It was pretty cold towards the middle of our round. Just super happy to finish under par this afternoon.”
Three-time champion Lydia Ko of New Zealand topped the group at 70. Ko won as an amateur in 2012 at age 15, successfully defended her title as an amateur in 2013 and won as a professional in 2015.
“It was cold. It was windy,” Ko said. “Tuesday, Wednesday was warm and no wind. So, it felt like I was playing a different golf course. I I knew I needed to stay patient.”
Hye-Jin Choi also was 70 with Alison Lee, Haeran Ryu, Jenny Shin and Gigi Stoll.
Savannah Grewal and Maude-Aimee Leblanc each shot 71 to top the Canadians in the field. Canadian star Brooke Henderson, the 2018 champion, opened with a 72.
“Not really the hot start that I wanted to get off to, but felt like we fought pretty hard,” Henderson said. “It was pretty tough out there this morning. A little cooler and very windy.”
Second-ranked Lilia Vu also shot 71.
Lexi Thompson had a 72. She plans to play a limited schedule after this season.
Liu wins both the Canadian Junior Girls and Juvenile divisions; Team British Columbia won the Inter-Provincial Team Championship at Marine Drive Golf Club
Vancouver, B.C. – Team Canada NextGen member Shauna Liu of Maple, Ont., played a competitive and exceptional final round to win the 69th playing of the Canadian Junior Girls Championship, presented by BDO at Marine Drive Golf Club in Vancouver, B.C. on Thursday.
After heading into the third round tied for the lead with three others, Liu carded a final round of 1-under 71 on Thursday, to finish at 2-under for the tournament, three shots better than Clairey Lin (Palos Verdes Estates, Calif.) who finished at 1-over for the tournament.
During the final round, Liu played very consistent golf. After a bogey to start her opening nine, Liu bounced back by making a birdie on the par 5 second hole. She then played an impressive bogey free back nine rolling in two back-to-back birdies on the way to her third round under par of the week. The 15-year-old fired rounds of 70-71-74-71 to secure the national title.
“It feels great, winning this tournament is something I have always wanted and it’s really great to be here,” said Liu. “My family and I will probably go out and get some ice cream after this one.”
Liu also won the Juvenile division, which ran concurrently for girls aged 16 and under, ahead of Lin. The bronze medal was awarded to Ruihan Kendria Wang (Bellevue, Wash.) who finished at 3-over.
In the Junior division the bronze medal was shared by three players, Kartusch, Wang and Vanessa Zhang (Vancouver, B.C.) at 3-over.
“I am playing the Canadian Women’s Amateur Championship also next week in B.C. so for next week, the course and conditions are going to be playing different, but we are still going to be trying to hit the fairways and greens and make some putts,” said Liu.
Along with the national title, Liu’s win comes with an exemption into the 2024 Canadian Women’s Amateur Championship taking place next week at the Royal Colwood Golf Club in Victoria, B.C., Liu will also receive an exemption into the 2025 U.S Girls Junior Championship and will be awarded a cheque for $1,200 CAD.
Liu joined a list of notable Canadian golfers to have won the Canadian Junior Girls Championship including the most recent winner, Eileen Park (2023) and LPGA Tour players and Olympians Brooke Henderson (2012), and Alena Sharp (1999), as well as Canadian Golf Hall of Fame member Sandra Post (1964-66).
On Tuesday, the host province, Team British Columbia, consisting of Ha Young Chang (Surrey, B.C.), Amy Seung Hyun Lee (Langley, B.C.) and Chelsea Truong (Victoria, B.C.) took home the Inter-Provincial Team Championship. Team B.C. secured the title over Team Manitoba by eight strokes, which concluded after the second round.
Full results from the 2024 Canadian Junior Girls Championship can be found here.
For more information on the 2024 Canadian Junior Girls Championship, click here.
Golf Canada Amateur Championships
Golf Canada annually conducts more than 30 golf competitions and qualifiers nation-wide – including nine National Amateur Championships – which play host to more than 3,000 domestic and international athletes from all corners of the world. In partnership with our host clubs, thousands of volunteers, provincial golf associations and our proud sponsors, Golf Canada is dedicated to supporting player development through world-class competition since our inception in 1895. Officiated by certified Canadian Rules of Golf officials, Golf Canada’s amateur competitions are fully compliant with golf’s international governing bodies and include marquee events such as the Canadian Men’s and Women’s Amateur Championships as well as the Canadian Junior Girls and Junior Boys Championships. Golf Canada’s amateur championships are proudly supported by BDO Canada, Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CPKC), Titleist, FootJoy, Sport Canada, and Levelwear. For more information and scheduling visit www.golfcanada.ca/competitions-calendar/.
Calgary, Alta. – Golf Canada and the Golf Canada Foundation are proud to officially announce the creation of the Jocelyne Bourassa Legacy Fund, honouring the legacy of Canadian Golf Hall of Famer and trailblazer Jocelyne Bourassa. In a fitting tribute to the inaugural winner of the CPKC Women’s Open.
The Jocelyne Bourassa Legacy Fund was created with two clear objectives: First, to increase the number of women in the high-performance coaching profession by providing full tuition grants to successful applicants of the year long Women in Coaching Program led by Golf Canada and the PGA of Canada. Secondly, to provide education grants for women athletes who are part of Golf Canada’s Team Canada Program.
“The Bourassa Legacy Education Grant will be critical in supporting our best women amateurs by allowing them to focus on their pursuit of the LPGA Tour while knowing they will be supported when they choose to continue their education in the future,” said Emily Phoenix, Director of High Performance, Golf Canada. “Additionally, the support for the Women in Coaching Program will increase opportunities for women in high-performance coaching and impact the next generation of Canadian golfers.”
The fund is part of Golf Canada’s high-performance strategic plan to help 30 Canadians reach the LPGA and PGA TOUR by 2032. The modern path to the LPGA Tour often requires the best amateurs to turn professional before graduating from college – only 20 per cent of the current top 50 women on the Rolex Women’s World Golf Rankings graduated from university. The creation of the educational grants will support high performance players as they face the difficult decision of when to turn professional.
Team Canada member, Brooke Rivers of Brampton, Ont. will be the first eligible recipient of the Bourassa Legacy Education Grant. Rivers recently turned professional following one-year of collegiate golf at Wake Forest University. In her freshman year, Rivers notched two Top 15 finishes and reached her best ranking of no. 141 on the World Amateur Golf Rankings. In her professional debut, Rivers finished as runner-up at the GolfBC Group BC Women’s Open as part of the She Plays Golf Championship series, earning an exemption in the 2024 CPKC Women’s Open. As a Bourassa Legacy Education Grant recipient, Rivers would be supported to finish her education in the future.
The financial objective of the Bourassa Fund is to raise $1 million. One year after a soft launch the Fund is closing in on 50 per cent of its fundraising goal. Jocelyne Bourassa Legacy Fund committee members include Joelle Efford (Chair, Jocelyne Bourassa Legacy Fund and Sr. Director Development, Golf Canada Foundation), Diane Dunlop-Hebert (Golf Canada Past President and Honorary Life Governor), Chris Greatrex (former LPGA and PGA of Canada professional), Debbie Savoy-Morel (Professional Emeritus and Ambassador, Club de Golf Le Mirage), Mary-Lee Cobick (Sr. Vice President, LPGA Foundation and Professionals), Libby Skinner (trusted colleague of Jocelyne) and Liz Hoffman (Golf Canada Past President, Honorary Life Governor and Golf Canada Foundation Board member).
Jocelyne Bourassa won the first LPGA Tour Canadian event in 1973 formally known as La Canadienne, now the CPKC Women’s Open. Bourassa served as the executive director of the du Maurier Classic, one of the LPGA’s four major championships. She was made a Member of the Order of Canada in 1972 and was inducted into the Quebec Golf Hall of Fame in 1995, Golf Canada’s Hall of Fame in 1996 and into Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame in 2015. Bourassa passed away on August 3, 2021, at the age of 74.
For more information on the Jocelyne Bourassa Legacy Fund, please contact Joelle Efford at jefford@golfcanada.ca. To make a donation to the Jocelyne Bourassa Legacy Fund, please click here.
Defending champion Eileen Park grabs share of the lead following a 5-under 67 on Wednesday
Vancouver, B.C. – The leaderboard experienced numerous shifts, as the top players traded positions in a battle for the lead at the third round of the 2024 Canadian Junior Girls Championship, presented by BDO, at Marine Drive Golf Club in Vancouver, B.C. on Wednesday.
Eileen Park of Red Deer, Alta., Addison Kartusch of Winnipeg, Man., Shauna Liu of Maple, Ont., and Swetha Sathish of Oakville, Ont., all sit atop of the leaderboard tied at 1-under heading into tomorrow’s final round.
Team Canada NextGen member Park, who is the defending champion, played an impressive bogey free opening nine carding three birdies on the front. She also carded three birdies on the back nine, shooting her lowest round of the tournament with a 5-under 67 on Wednesday.
“Everything in my game went really well, it was really easy for me to hit the ball today and I don’t think there was anything hard in my game today, maybe making more putts,” said Park. “Tomorrow I will try not to get too excited, just be calm like last year and just play my game the right way.”
Fellow Team Canada NextGen member, Sathish also made a few birdies on the day. After two birdies to start her opening nine on holes two and four, Sathish made a pair of bogeys but bounced back down the stretch closing out with two birdies on the back nine.
Kartusch of Winnipeg, Man. carried on her momentum with another strong showing in round three. Kartusch who was tied for fourth place after yesterday’s second round, made a major comeback – rolling in four birdies on the way to a 2-under 70.
Team Canada NextGen member Liu who carried the lead through the second round now finds herself in a four-way tie for the lead, following a 2-over 74 on Wednesday.
“I think the best part of my game today was my tee shot with my driver and hitting a lot of fairways,” said Liu. “For tomorrow, I am just going to focus on hitting the fairways and greens and then hopefully will make some putts.”
Going into the final round there is a three-way tie for fourth place, Ruihan Kendria Wang (Bellevue, Wash.), Ha Young Chang (Surrey, B.C.), and Clairey Lin (Palos Verdes Estates, Calif.) are all three shots back of the leaders sitting at 2-over.
Park and Liu are tied for the lead in the Juvenile division. The Juvenile division is contested by girls 16 and under.
The 2024 Canadian Junior Girls champion will receive an exemption into the 2024 Canadian Women’s Amateur Championship and 2025 U.S Girls Junior Championship, if eligible. In addition, the winner will receive $1,200 CAD.
For the leaderboard following Wednesday’s third round of the 2024 Canadian Junior Girls Championship, please click here.
Golf Canada Amateur Championships
Golf Canada annually conducts more than 30 golf competitions and qualifiers nation-wide – including nine National Amateur Championships – which play host to more than 3,000 domestic and international athletes from all corners of the world. In partnership with our host clubs, thousands of volunteers, provincial golf associations and our proud sponsors, Golf Canada is dedicated to supporting player development through world-class competition since our inception in 1895. Officiated by certified Canadian Rules of Golf officials, Golf Canada’s amateur competitions are fully compliant with golf’s international governing bodies and include marquee events such as the Canadian Men’s and Women’s Amateur Championships as well as the Canadian Junior Girls and Junior Boys Championships. Golf Canada’s amateur championships are proudly supported by BDO Canada, Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CPKC), Titleist, FootJoy, Sport Canada, and Levelwear. For more information and scheduling visit www.golfcanada.ca/competitions-calendar/.
Alena Sharp finds it hard to believe she first competed at the Canadian women’s golf championship two decades ago.
Despite missing the cut at the 2004 Legends on the Niagara course in Niagara Falls, Ont., she gained valuable experience and has since seized every opportunity to tee it up at the annual event.
“It doesn’t seem like it’s been 20 years,” said the 43-year-old Sharp, who hails from Hamilton, Ont. “I remember when they announced my name on the tee and there was a lot of people there from Brantford where I grew up playing.
“I was just so nervous, I sniped it left into the rough. I made par on the hole, so I got underway.”
When Sharp tees off at Earl Grey Golf Club in the afternoon wave of golfers on Thursday at the 2024 CPCK Women’s Open, it will be her 19th appearance competing at the annual LPGA tournament.
“I’ve played so many great courses for the event and I’m just really happy to be there back in Calgary,” said Sharp, whose best finish at the Canadian championship was in 2016 at nearby Priddis Golf and Country Club where she finished fourth and cashed a cheque for $116,607.
Having played a couple practice rounds on Earl Grey’s Par 72, 6,856-yard layout, Sharp said that the course suits her game just fine.
“I grew up playing a tree-lined course playing Brantford Golf and Country Club, so it kind of reminds me of that,” said Sharp, who finished in a tie for 19th place last Sunday at the Dana Open at Highland Meadows Golf Club in Sylvania, Ohio. “The greens are all tilted, so it requires pretty precise shot making into the greens.
“It’s playing long right now. I’m not sure if it’ll firm up or not – definitely not getting any run on the drives yet. There’s a lot of mid irons into the greens, so you have to have some good trajectory to stop them.”
Fellow Canadian Brooke Henderson, of Smith Falls, Ont., agreed with Sharp that keeping the ball in play will be a priority to score well at Earl Grey.
“It’s in really good shape,” said Henderson, who will play in the early morning groupings on the opening day of the tournament. “The rough is very thick. It’s very important to hit a lot of fairways around here, I believe. I think we’re going to see some good scores, so hopefully get off to a fast start on Thursday and make a bunch of birdies.
“Just being able to go out and attack where you can and be smart-aggressive on holes where par is good.”
In addition to being able to rely on encouragement from Canadian fans in Calgary, Sharp will also have some family support in her entourage.
“It’s special for me this week,” said Sharp, who’s enjoying getting time to see her aunt Elly Piet and uncle Paul Denaghel. “(They) live here, so I get to see them, spend some time with them. I’m staying for a few days afterwards before I head over to Paris for the Olympics. I’m definitely feeling more at home here this week.”
Along with Henderson, Sharp qualified to represent Canada at the Paris Olympics as the top two Canadians in the world rankings when the qualification window closed in late June.
“I think it’s a different week because the Olympics are coming up and everybody has been congratulating me on making the team,” Sharp said. “Wherever we are in the country I feel like I’m at home. You don’t get that every week on the tour. We have a lot of support here and the volunteers are amazing.”
In addition to Sharp and Henderson, 15 other Canadians are among the field of 156 professional and amateur golfers who will take part in the four-day event.
“That’s pretty amazing,” said Sharp. “They’re really good and they hit it far. I think it’s just changed a lot since when I was a kid, so it’s nice to see that. I hope they have a good week this week. It’s an amazing thing to be able to play in your national Open.”
Ontario will be well represented at the CPKC Women’s Open as sisters Ellie and Maddie Szeryk, of London, will be joined in Calgary by Toronto’s Vanessa Borovilos, Brampton’s Brooke Rivers, Oakville’s Katie Cranston, Mississauga’s Savannah Grewel as well as Monet Chun and Michelle Xing, both of Richmond Hill.
Vancouver’s Anna Huang and Leah John are two of five golfers at the event from B.C. The others are Surrey’s Lauren Kim, Port Coquitlam’s Yeji Kwon and Delta’s Mary Parsons.
Quebec is represented by two competitors in Montreal’s Brigitte Thibault and Sherbrooke’s Maude-Aimee Leblanc.
Shauna Liu leads both the junior and juvenile divisions at the
Canadian Junior Girls Championship
Vancouver, B.C. – Humid and sunny conditions continued into round two of the 2024 Canadian Junior Girls Championship, presented by BDO making for another exciting day. With a stellar performance, Team British Columbia secured the coveted title of this year’s Inter-Provincial Team Championship at Marine Drive Golf Club in Vancouver, B.C.
Team British Columbia were represented by Ha Young Chang (Surrey, B.C.), Amy Seung Hyun Lee (Langley, B.C.) and Chelsea Truong (Victoria B.C).
Chang contributed to the teams winning efforts carding rounds of 4-under 68 on Monday and 77 on Tuesday, while Lee shot 76 on Monday and 73 on Tuesday and Truong’s 4-over76 on Monday and 72 on Tuesday. The team combined for a total score of 1-over, eight shots clear of runners-up, Team Manitoba.
“It’s great to win here at home. We’re going for the sweep of these Inter-Provincial team championships on the west coast swing of national championships and that makes two out of three. This part of the championship is great for bringing the girls together and is obviously a very prestigious honour,” said Deb Pyne, BC Golf Managing Director of Player Development.
For the individual component of the competition, Team Canada NextGen member, Shauna Liu of Maple, Ont. played an impressive round carding three birdies on the front nine and kicked off the back nine with a pair of birdies on the first two holes. Liu went into the second round two strokes behind Chang at 2-under and fired a 1-under 71 on Tuesday to take a two shot lead heading into the third round.
“Today, I think for this course especially, it’s important to hit the fairways and to be in a good position on the greens, so I was really focusing on that today,” said Liu. “Having some birdies in my first few holes helped me gain some confidence going further into the round.”
Going into the third round, fellow Team Canada NextGen member, Swetha Sathish of Oakville Ont., is second place heading into tomorrow’s third round. Sathish remains only two strokes back of Liu following a 2-under 70 on Tuesday..
Clara Ding (White Rock, B.C.), who shot two back-to-back rounds of 72 sits in third place at even par.
Two players are tied for fourth at 1-over; first rounder leader, Ha Young Chang (Surrey, B.C.) and Addison Kartusch (Winnipeg, Man.).
The 2024 Canadian Junior girls champion will receive an exemption into the 2024 Canadian Women’s Amateur Championship and 2025 U.S Girls Junior Championship, if eligible. In addition, the winner will receive $1,200 CAD.
For the leaderboard following Tuesday’s second round of the 2024 Canadian Junior Girls Championship, please click here.
For more information on the 2024 Canadian Junior Girls Championship, click here.
Golf Canada Amateur Championships
Golf Canada annually conducts more than 30 golf competitions and qualifiers nation-wide – including nine National Amateur Championships – which play host to more than 3,000 domestic and international athletes from all corners of the world. In partnership with our host clubs, thousands of volunteers, provincial golf associations and our proud sponsors, Golf Canada is dedicated to supporting player development through world-class competition since our inception in 1895. Officiated by certified Canadian Rules of Golf officials, Golf Canada’s amateur competitions are fully compliant with golf’s international governing bodies and include marquee events such as the Canadian Men’s and Women’s Amateur Championships as well as the Canadian Junior Girls and Junior Boys Championships. Golf Canada’s amateur championships are proudly supported by BDO Canada, Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CPKC), Titleist, FootJoy, Sport Canada, and Levelwear. For more information and scheduling visit www.golfcanada.ca/competitions-calendar/.
