Four Canadians are in the field for The Open, which begins Thursday at Royal Portrush in Northern Ireland.

World No. 24 Corey Conners of Listowel, Ont., leads the Canadian contingent, joined by No. 29 Nick Taylor of Abbotsford, B.C., No. 35 Taylor Pendrith of Richmond Hill, Ont., and No. 58 Mackenzie Hughes of Dundas, Ont.

Conners is grouped with 2023 U.S. Open champion Wyndham Clark and fellow American Tom Hoge for Thursday’s opening round.

Pendrith will play alongside 2015 PGA Championship winner Jason Day of Australia and Jacob Skov Olesen of Denmark.

Hughes is paired with Americans Patrick Cantlay and Cameron Young, while Taylor tees off with Harris English and Tony Finau, both of the United States.

Royal Portrush last hosted The Open in 2019, when Ireland’s Shane Lowry claimed the Claret Jug.

Defending champion Xander Schauffele returns after a final-round 65 clinched a two-shot win at Royal Troon in 2024.

Hughes was the top Canadian last year, finishing 2 over for the tournament and tied for 16th.

The tournament offers a purse of US$17 million.

For the third year in a row, First Tee – Premier départ Québec has partnered with FitSpirit to introduce more young girls to sport — and to golf, for the first time.

Between May 6 and May 27, First Tee coaches were on site at all five of FitSpirit’s Celebration events, which brought together thousands of girls aged 12 to 17 from secondary schools across Québec. The events — held at community parks in various regions — featured a mix of physical activities, social connection and leadership-building workshops in an inclusive, all-girls setting.

FitSpirit, a Québec-based non-profit, focuses on promoting physical activity and wellness among teenage girls. Its Celebration events aim to help girls build confidence, try new things and experience the joy of movement.

“We are thrilled to be collaborating with First Tee – Premier départ Québec to offer golf discovery at FitSpirit Celebrations,” said Élisabeth Lagacé, program advisor at FitSpirit. “A welcoming, non-judgemental introduction to golf shows teenage girls that they belong in this sport and that trying something new can be exciting, rather than intimidating.”

Each participant was given a card to collect hole punches by completing different activities. The First Tee stations — each led by one of four female coaches — offered a welcoming space where girls could learn golf fundamentals and develop life skills through sport. Activities included a chipping target practice and a distance control putting challenge, all rooted in First Tee’s emphasis on confidence, respect and perseverance.

The Celebration events were held at Parc Maisonneuve (Montréal), Parc de la Pointe-aux- Lièvres (Québec City), Parc de la Terre-des-Loisirs (Trois-Rivières), Parc Beauséjour (Rimouski), and Centre de plein air Hélène-Larochelle (Gatineau).

Across the five events, nearly 3,350 girls participated — many experiencing golf for the first time.

“Over 95 per cent of FitSpirit participants were discovering golf for the first time,” said Marie-Michèle Richer, program manager for First Tee – Premier départ Québec. “It was incredible to see them focus on their tee shots and celebrate hitting the target. The more they played, the more they connected — with the game and with each other. We’re grateful to FitSpirit for welcoming us and making it possible to share golf with so many girls.”

At the conclusion of this year’s FitSpirit Celebrations, participation at the First Tee – Premier départ Québec stations rose by 55 per cent compared to 2024.

First Tee – Premier départ Québec aims to continue working with FitSpirit each season, using golf to empower more girls across the province to be active, confident and brave with anything that comes their way.

Learn more at firstteequebec.ca/en/register or fitspirit.ca.

New features include group score posting, smartwatch support, GPS upgrades, referrals and achievements. 

OAKVILLE, Ont. – Golf Canada is enhancing how Canadians experience the game with new features now live in its free mobile app. 

The latest update to the Golf Canada app — the No. 1 golf app in the country — has launched with version 7.3.0, bringing a range of tools designed to make it easier for golfers to track scores, connect with playing partners and get more out of every round. 

Among the key upgrades is a feature that allows users to post scores for their playing partners, simplifying scorekeeping during group rounds. 

Android users can now access the app from select smartwatches, including Fossil, TicWatch, Skagen, Tag Heuer Connected, Montblanc Summit, Samsung Galaxy Watch (Watch 4 and newer), and Google Pixel Watch. The integration enables on-wrist GPS yardages and digital scoring, allowing players to stay focused on the game. 

To encourage community growth, a referral feature has been added. Members can share a unique referral code and earn entries into a season-long prize draw when new users sign up. 

An achievements system lets golfers unlock digital milestones based on rounds played, courses visited, hole-by-hole entries, provinces played and more. Friends’ achievements are also visible, adding a social layer to performance tracking. 

Also new is advanced GPS yardage functionality. The app now provides front, middle and back green distances to support more accurate club selection and course strategy. 

Privacy controls have also been improved. Users can now choose whether their scores appear in their friends’ feeds, giving them more control over how their information is shared. 

The Golf Canada app is available as a free download from the App Store for iOS devices and Google Play for Android. Golfers can log in with an existing Golf Canada account or create one in-app to begin tracking their game. 

For a full list of Golf Canada app features, visit golfcanada.ca/app. 

ENFIELD, N.S. – The NextGen Championship circuit embarks on its final stop with the playing of the 2025 NextGen Atlantic Championship at the Oakfield Golf & Country Club in Enfield, N.S. July 14-17.  

The 54-hole competition is the last opportunity for Canada’s junior talent to secure a spot in their respective national championship later this summer, with the top six Junior Boys as well as top six Junior Girls (Including ties) rounding out the list of players competing for Canada’s top junior golf championships. The Canadian Junior Boys Championship will take place August 11-15 at Gowan Brae Golf & Country Club in Bathurst, N.B., while the Canadian Junior Girls Championship descends on the Club de golf Sainte-Marie in Sainte Marie, Que. August 12 – 16. 

89 Junior Boys and 26 Junior Girls will tee off at Oakfield Golf & Country Club on July 15 before the field is approximately trimmed down to the top 54 Junior Boys (including ties) and top 18 Junior Girls (including ties) after 36 holes. The final round will be contested on July 17, with a hole-by-hole playoff available to determine the first place finishers in both divisions or sixth place finisher in the Junior Boys division if positions are tied at the end of regulation.  

Yeeun (Jenny) Kwon of Vancouver, B.C. and Reid Hart of O’Leary, P.E.I. highlight the Junior Girls contingent in the final NextGen Championship of the season, with the former already securing her place at the Canadian Junior Girls Championship with a victory at the 2025 NextGen Western Championship earlier in the campaign. Hart will be vying for her maiden win on the circuit while positioned as the reigning P.E.I Junior Golfer of the year and a three-time winner on the Maple Leaf Junior Tour – Canada’s top junior circuit.  

Brett Shaw of Stratford, P.E.I. and Carter Lavigne of Moncton, N.B. are notable names competing in the Junior Boys division. Lavigne claimed the inaugural Canadian U15 Championship in 2024 while Shaw came close to winning his first-career NextGen Championship at last year’s NextGen Atlantic Championship and will be looking to avenge his playoff defeat to Bode Stephen of Kingston, Ont. Both Shaw and Hart will represent P.E.I at the 2025 Canada Games in front of a maritime crowd in St. John’s, Nfld.  

“Oakfield is excited to be hosting the 2025 NextGen Atlantic Championship,” commented Blehr MacKinley, Head Golf Professional at Oakfield Golf & Country Club. “Our club and membership are excited to welcome some of the top junior players from Atlantic Canada and Eastern Canada. Oakfield is primed and ready to provide a challenging test to all the competitors and we cannot wait for the championship to arrive.” 

Both a staple in the Enfield community and known as being one of the premier golf facilities throughout Atlantic Canada, the Oakfield Golf & Country Club has built its reputation on inclusivity and diversity for over 60 years.  

“This year’s championship holds particular significance for our club, as eight of our own junior members will be competing,” added Anne Balser, Manager of Golf Operations and Communications at the course. “The opportunity to compete in a Golf Canada championship on your home course is a rare and special opportunity. We couldn’t be more excited to see them represent their club, and province in this event.” 

Oakfield Golf & Country Club has hosted several notable events over the years, including the Canadian Men’s Amateur Championship twice (1971, 1981) as well as several provincial championships and the Halifax Pro-Am in 2019.  

What started with five holes in 1962 has since grown into a championship caliber golf course able to provide a fair and challenging test to players of all skills levels. Greenside bunkers and numerous undulated greens forces intense precision on players’ approach shots, parlaying its fidelity with accuracy off the tee to navigate the towering trees squeezing many of the property’s fairways.  

To keep track of the leaderboards and learn more information about the 2025 NextGen Atlantic Championship, please click here.  

About the NextGen Championships  

The NextGen Championships are a high-performance junior golf series which totals six competitions. From May to July, six championships will take place across Canada where the region’s best junior golfers will compete to earn exemptions into their respective 2025 national junior championships. NextGen Championships provide junior players an opportunity to develop and showcase their skills at the highest level of tournament golf.  

Katie Cranston also punches her ticket to CPKC Women’s Open through She Plays Golf Order of Merit. 

BURLINGTON, Ont. – Buoyed by a an eight-under 63 in her second round, Team Canada’s Tillie Claggett of Calgary, Alta. finished at 13-under to coast to a seven-stroke victory at the Burlington Golf and Country Club in Burlington, Ont. on Thursday to claim the 38th PGA Women’s Championship of Canada and the final event on the She Plays Golf Championship Series 

It was only a matter of time before Claggett – a junior at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tenn. – secured her first victory of the 2025 season after competing for the top spot on the leaderboard numerous times over the last four weeks. Claggett entered this week’s championship with a runner-up finish at the Texas Women’s Amateur Championship in June as well as a semi-final appearance at The Women’s Amateur Championship in Nairn, Scotland that saw her go 4UP on her opponent through 14 holes of match play golf.  

Her play in the second round of the PGA Women’s Championship of Canada on Wednesday helped Claggett break through on home soil and book her spot in next month’s CPKC Women’s Open – awarded to each winner in the She Plays Golf Championship Series.  

Claggett stitched together five birdies and consecutive eagles on Wednesday to move ahead of her Team Canada teammate and first-round leader Vanessa Borovilos of Etobicoke, Ont. and manufacture a six-stroke lead for herself atop the leaderboard. Starting her second round one back, Claggett made her move early, playing the first seven holes at four-under par and setting the table for her most dominant stretch of the tournament that featured back-to-back eagles Nos. 11 and 12.  

The Albertan failed to take her foot off the gas on Thursday, finishing her final round with a two-under 69 that included birdies on holes three, 10 and 16 to secure her maiden win of the season. 

Meanwhile, as Claggett put the finishing touches on her final round, fellow Team Canada members, Nicole Gal of Oakville, Ont. and Katie Cranston of Oakville Ont. battled for the final available spot in the CPKC Women’s Open – awarded to the highest player on the Order of Merit following the conclusion of all three events on the She Plays Golf Championship Series.  

Cranston entered the tournament leading Gal on the Order of Merit after finishing T2 and T9 in the first two events on the She Plays Golf Championship Series. Cranston fell behind Gal after the latter opened her final round with birdies at the fifth and eighth holes to get to two-under par. Her ascension continued at the scorable par-5 11th hole, rolling in another birdie putt to move into a tie for fifth.  

Shifting to the back nine on Thursday, Cranston was able to regain momentum following the turn with birdies on Nos. 11, 12 and 14 to get within a shot of Gal and maintain her place atop the standings. Gal finished the tournament T5 at 2-under, while Cranston finished T9 at 1-under to earn the final exemption from the Championship Series following another top 10 finish. 

For the final standings, leaderboards and purse distribution from the 38th PGA Women’s Championship of Canada, please click here.  

With stops around the country, the She Plays Golf Championship Series  provides an enhanced national qualifying path for players to punch their ticket into the CPKC Women’s Open. Anchored In three regions by a $60,000 CAD purse, each championship field features 60 professional and elite amateurs vying for an exemption into Canadia’s National women’s Open.  

Team Canada NextGen members, Shauna Liu of Maple, Ont. and Clara Ding of White Rock, B.C. earned their exemptions into the CPKC Women’s Open through the She Plays Golf Championship Series, winning the Peloton Glencoe Invitational and GolfBC Group BC Women’s Open respectively.  

Joined by Claggett and Cranston, the four members of the Team Canada program will be part of a world-class field set to compete at Mississaugua Golf and Country Club in Mississauga, Ont. for the 51st playing of the CPKC Women’s Open August 20-24. 

To view more information on the CPKC Women’s Open, click here.  

Brigitte Thibault was practising for a mini-tour event outside Orlando, Fla., last December, when a recreational player on an adjacent hole shanked her hybrid off the fairway, firing the ball into the back of the young professional golfer’s head.

Thibault’s hands instinctively flew to the back of her head as she lost consciousness and sank to the ground.

“I remember the vibration because it was so loud in my head,” recalled Thibault on Tuesday. “I remember thinking, ‘what the hell just hit me?’

“Then I opened my eyes and I was on the ground. I remember looking at both of my hands and they were just full of red blood.”

The 26-year-old from Rosemere, Que., was rushed to hospital where she was diagnosed with a concussion. The doctors also told her that she was “lucky” that the blood was flowing outwards and that there was no serious internal bleeding. 

Indeed, she didn’t even need any stitches.

Thibault said she basically slept non-stop for the next two weeks and then returned to the gym to build her strength back up. But the damage the accident did to her nervous system and the lingering post-traumatic stress disorder have been harder to shake.

“For like a week and a half to two weeks, I was waking up because I would re-feel the vibration or see the hands (covered in blood),” said Thibault. “It’s strange to explain.”

Even as she physically recovered and the nightmares faded, PTSD episodes continued to surprise Thibault for weeks after the incident.

“A dog barks or a baby would cry, it would trigger a whole panic attack, as if I was getting attacked,” said Thibault, noting she hasn’t had any episodes since the first week of February. “I’ll feel like there’s going to be a panic attack, but then I don’t start crying or anything more. 

“When the accident happened, I was so caught off guard (…) that anything that would catch me off guard, post that event, would alarm my whole nervous system.”

Determined to return to her career, Thibault resumed playing competitive golf in March with her first event of 2025 sponsored by the same company as the fateful mini-tour event, also in the Orlando area.

“I was driving to the course, and I started crying, because I was just like, ‘this feels too much the same,” she said. “It’s strange to explain.

“I mean, I still don’t know if something’s gonna pop out, but for now, I feel pretty much back to my normal self.”

Thibault is now playing on the Epson Tour, the feeder circuit for the top-flight LPGA Tour, and has appeared in six events so far this year. Although she hasn’t gotten the results she’d like, missing the cut in her past five tournaments, she feels like her game is close.

“It’s been a bit of a bummer,” said Thibault. “I missed the last four cuts by one, so it’s been kind of hard on that end. 

“But again, my game is moving in the right direction, and my stats are moving where I want them to move to, so I’ve just got to stay the course.”

Thibault is one of eight Canadians in the field at this week’s Hartford HealthCare Women’s Championship. 

She’ll be joined at Great River Golf Club in Milford, Conn., by Maddie Szeryk of London, Ont., Vancouver’s Leah John, Monet Chun of Richmond Hill, Ont., Yeji Kwon of Port Coquitlam, B.C., Josee Doyon of Saint-Georges, Que., Brooke Rivers of Brampton, Ont., and Mary Parsons of Delta, B.C.

Thibault, who won bronze in the mixed team event with Parsons, Joey Savoie and Austin Connelly at the 2019 Pan American Games in Lima, Peru, said that it’s one of her favourite stops on the Epson Tour.

“It’s always really pure, I like the course set up,” she said. “It makes me think of an LPGA Tour event, and there’s always a lot of people that come out. 

“It feels like home in a sense.”

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Canadians on Tour:

LPGA TOUR — Brooke Henderson of Smiths Falls, Ont., returns to the Amundi Evian Championship, the fourth major on the women’s golf calendar. She won the tournament in 2022 but is currently ranked 49th in the Race to CME Globe standings. 

PGA TOUR — Corey Conners of Listowel, Ont., is the top-ranked Canadian at the Genesis Scottish Open, an event co-hosted by the PGA Tour and the Europe-based DP World Tour. He’s ranked 13th in the FedEx Cup rankings. Conners will be joined by Nick Taylor (17th) of Abbotsford, B.C., Taylor Pendrith (35th) of Richmond Hill, Ont., and Mackenzie Hughes (53d) of Dundas, Ont. Aaron Cockerill of Stony Mountain, Man., the only Canadian on the DP World Tour, is also in the field. He’s 98th on that circuit’s points list.

CHAMPIONS TOUR — Calgary’s Stephen Ames is the lone Canadian in this week’s DICK’S Open. He’s ranked 39th on the Schwab Cup points list heading into play at En-Joie Golf Club in Endicott, N.Y.

KORN FERRY TOUR — Myles Creighton of Digby, N.S., leads the Canadian contingent into The Ascendant presented by Blue. He’s ranked 17th on the second-tier tour’s points list. Creighton will be joined at TPC Colorado in Berthoud by Sudarshan Yellamaraju (20th) of Mississauga, Ont., Vancouver’s Stuart Macdonald (37th), Matthew Anderson (53rd) of Mississauga, Roger Sloan of Merritt, B.C., and Etienne Papineau (143rd) of Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Que.

PGA TOUR AMERICAS — A.J. Ewart of Port Coquitlam, B.C., is the highest ranked Canadian on the third-tier Americas Tour heading into this week’s tournament. He’s 16th on the points list heading into the Bromont Open. There are 16 Canadians in the field at Golf Chateau-Bromont.

MISSISSAUGA – James Hutchison is as eager as ever for the spotlight to shine bright on the Mississaugua Golf and Country Club.

“We know it’s a great club,” Hutchison explains, “and this will cement us as one of the very top clubs in the country.

“Personally, I’m excited for the public in general to see the club the way that we see it every day.”

Hutchison has been at Mississaugua for nearly 10 years and currently acts as the Director of Instruction. With the CPKC Women’s Open just around the corner, there is a palpable buzz amongst both the staff and the membership – and with plenty of big reasons.

The biggest, perhaps, is that when the first ball is in the air in late August, Mississaugua will join an elite group of clubs that have hosted all of Canadian Men’s Amateur, Canadian Women’s Amateur, RBC Canadian Open, and CPKC Women’s Open. With Mississaugua’s inclusion, that number will be just eight.

The latest to join the group was Shaughnessy Golf & Country Club in 2023.

Hutchison said it was a “fairly quick” timeline to lock in the LPGA Tour at Mississaugua, which was originally founded in 1906. This will be the first time since 2019 that the championship will be contested in the Greater Toronto Area.

“Hosting this wonderful tournament at our historic club gives us the opportunity to not only showcase our championship golf course but proudly share Mississaugua with the rest of Canada and the world,” said Rodger Leslie, Mississaugua Golf and Country Club President, at the time of the announcement that the club would play host.

“The Members of Mississaugua are thrilled to welcome the very best LPGA Tour players to the Club for the 2025 CPKC Women’s Open.”

The field is already set to be one of the finest of any event on the LPGA Tour schedule, and Hutchison said the key for a players’ success will be around the greens. Off the tee Mississaugua is fairly generous, he says, but it will come down to ball-striking and who can make putts. If they get the greens rolling fast, he explains, the greens and the green complexes are the challenge of the course.

While the course has hosted the RBC Canadian Open six times previous, the last was in 1974 (won by Bobby Nichols). Sam Snead and Walter Hagen are also past champions. Hutchison says days of hosting the PGA Tour are likely gone, as he knows the club isn’t long enough – nor would it be able to handle “the kind of crowds” the RBC Canadian Open now gets. Total attendance at TPC Toronto at Osprey Valley this summer was, for example, upwards of 100,000.

But having the CPKC Women’s Open is “the” event for them to host, Hutchison says.

And he, along with the rest of the team at the iconic club, couldn’t be more excited.

“It’s the top of the top,” Hutchison says. “If we can continue to host this, and the other top amateur events, that would continue to keep us in the conversation as a top club.

“I think everyone is just excited to put the course on showcase.”

MISSISSAUGA, Ont. – Golf Canada is excited to announce that The Toronto Golf Club in Mississauga, Ont. will host the 112th playing of the Canadian Women’s Amateur Championship, presented by BDO set to take place July 20-24, 2026.  

Amateur Championship golf returns to The Toronto Golf Club for the first time since 2017. That year, The Toronto Golf Club matched the record for hosting the most Canadian Men’s Amateur Championships, previously set by the Royal Ottawa Golf Club in Gatineau, Que. a year prior. 

“Golf Canada is very proud and grateful to be returning to the historic The Toronto Golf Club for the 112th playing of our Canadian Women’s Amateur Championship next summer,” said Mary Beth McKenna, Director, Amateur Championships and Rules, Golf Canada. “The Toronto Golf Club has hosted numerous professional and amateur championships over its storied history. We appreciate the club’s continued commitment to hosting amateur golf and we look forward to welcoming a field of elite amateur talent to one of the most prestigious golf courses in the country.” 

Notably, it will be the first time since 1947 that the course will host the nation’s Women’s Amateur Championship – formerly the Canadian Ladies’ Golf Association Championship – and the eighth in its illustrious history. The Toronto Golf Club has also opened its doors to 11 Canadian Women’s Senior Golf Association Championships, two Canadian Professional Golfers’ Association Championships and five RBC Canadian Open’s between 1905 and 1927.  

“As one of the natural homes of golf in Canada, we are delighted to have the Canadian Women’s Amateur at The Toronto Golf Club next July,” said Hugh Christie, President, The Toronto Golf Club. “Our commitment to golf in Canada is steadfast and longstanding. We look forward to the tournament.” 

Founded in 1876, The Toronto Golf Club is the third-oldest golf club in North America and currently located on the banks of the Etobicoke Creek. In 1911, the club commissioned renowned golf architect Harry Colt to design the current 18-hole course and in recent years, has brought back Colt’s heathland design to continue to cement itself as a Canadian masterpiece.  

Renowned for its demanding layout and natural surroundings, The Toronto Golf Club offers a historic, memorable and challenging experience for players to uphold its place as Canada’s first-ever championship course. The club will be celebrating its sesquicentennial anniversary in 2026 and 113th year in Mississauga, Ont. while adding another prestigious national championship to its acclaimed history.  

Having debuted in 1901 at the Royal Montreal Golf Club in Montreal, Que., the Canadian Women’s Amateur Championship stands as one of the oldest amateur golf events in the world. Current LPGA Tour stars Ariya Jutanugarn (2012), Brooke Henderson (2013), Hye-Jin Choi (2016), Jennifer Kupcho (2017), and Yealimi Noh (2018) have all lifted the Duchess of Connaught Gold Cup – the trophy presented annually to the Women’s Amateur champion – though none have matched Marlene Stewart Streit’s 11 victories that helped her become the first-ever Canadian inducted in the World Golf Hall of Fame.  

The 111th playing of the Canadian Women’s Amateur Championship, will take place July 21 – 25 at The Riverside Country Club in Saint John, N.B. 

Ottawa, Ont. – The National Golf Course Owners Association Canada (NGCOA Canada) has announced that longtime CEO Jeff Calderwood will retire on December 31, 2025, after a remarkable 34-year career helping to shape the Canadian golf industry.

Calderwood’s leadership helped grow NGCOA Canada from the ground up into a national network of nearly 1,500 golf courses and 170 industry partners. He introduced a wide range of impactful programs, including the Golfmax Purchasing Program, Take A Kid To The Course, and the Golf Business Canada Conference & Trade Show, while expanding the Association’s advocacy, research, and sustainability efforts.

Beyond NGCOA Canada, Calderwood has played a key national role in advancing golf through policy wins, economic impact studies, and industry collaborations. He also served multiple terms as Chair of the National Allied Golf Associations.

Though retiring from his CEO role, Calderwood will remain involved in an advisory capacity to ensure a smooth transition and ongoing industry support.

“Jeff’s vision and commitment have left a lasting legacy,” said NGCOA Canada Board President Richard Edmonds. “We thank him for everything he’s done for our association and for golf in Canada.”

MISSISSAUGA, Ont. – Wearing a blueberry-coloured power suit, Claire Welsh confidently walks to the podium at the Mississaugua Golf and Country Club and addresses a room of dozens – her first official public appearance as the new tournament director of the CPKC Women’s Open.

There’s confidence and grace. And there’s joy and excitement. The event is set to be big – it’s returning to the Greater Toronto Area for the first time in more than a half a decade, and Welsh gets to announce that the game’s top player, Nelly Korda is returning to the field. The Rink is back, too, and Mississaugua will become one of just a small handful of clubs to host the Canadian Men’s Amateur, Canadian Women’s Amateur, RBC Canadian Open and CPKC Women’s Open.

It’s all happening. And Welsh is at the helm.

“What a privilege,” she says.

Welsh has made a big-time return to Canada after a decade with the Royal and Ancient, where she served as director of player relations for the R&A, with a focus primarily on the AIG Women’s Open and The Open Championship.

Prior to that, she spent six years working for Golf Ontario.

Golf Canada was, of course, looking for a new tournament director after Ryan Paul moved over to take the reins at the RBC Canadian Open, with Bryan Crawford moving on to become commissioner of the Ontario Hockey League.

Welsh had taken a year of and ended up getting a call from someone at Golf Canada encouraging her to apply for the role.

“My husband and I were travelling, and we weren’t really looking in Canada – we were just trying to figure out what we wanted to do next,” Welsh says. “When I saw the opportunity, I thought, ‘OK, this is something really interesting,’ and it was the catalyst for us moving home.

“That felt like all the cards had fallen into place.”

The CPKC Women’s Open is one of the most impressive sporting event properties in the entire country. It won back-to-back “Tournament of the Year” titles in both 2022 and 2023 at the LPGA Tour’s year-end awards.

At the 2025 Sport Tourism Canada PRESTIGE Awards, it was also named Sport Tourism Canada’s International Sport Event of the Year.

“Coming home to help shape the next chapter of our national women’s open feels incredibly special, especially at a time when women’s sports are experiencing remarkable growth and recognition,” Welsh said at the time of her hiring. “I know how important this historic event is for golf’s top players, and I’ve also seen its ability to inspire communities right across the country.”

Welsh is also aware of how important a north star the event has in Brooke Henderson. Henderson, who won the event in 2018, is also a CPKC ambassador, along with being a 13-time winner on the LPGA Tour.

Welsh had some history with Henderson after following her while she was at Golf Ontario. The native of Smiths Falls, Ont., was “tenny tiny” and just following in her sister Brittany Henderson’s footsteps.

“To be around to watch that journey and see her become this incredible woman that she is today – it just feels so amazing that she is the face of the event and being a CPKC ambassador and everything she does with them,” Welsh says. “There’s awe. There’s admiration. And how lucky are we to have such an amazing ambassador for women’s golf in Canada?”

Welsh was also quick to heap praise on Mississaugua. The course will have a modified routing for the tournament as golfers will go from Nos. 1 through 10, and then Nos. 11 through 18, for the split-tee starts, with No. 10 being The Rink hole for 2025.

Welsh had a front-row seat to the importance of venues when she was at the R&A, and how giving women priority for the best venues mattered as they reviewed the championship rota for The Open. When Welsh was at the R&A, the AIG Women’s Open was contested at Royal Troon (2020) and Muirfield (2022) for the first time, for example. The Open Championship also visited Royal Portush (2019) and Northern Ireland for the first time in more than half a century.

Welsh knows it’s different for the CPKC Women’s Open as it moves across the country, but golf has been her passport to the world, and now she says she’s thrilled with the opportunity to do it at home.

“For me personally, I’ve seen the world and seen amazing golf courses, but now I get to do it in Canada. I was out in Banff a few weeks ago, and I was like, ‘This is amazing.’ Seeing iconic courses – this is a privilege,” Welsh says. “How cool is this?”

A cool opportunity, and a wonderful return home.