Once a beacon of inspiration for men’s golf in Canada, Mike Weir believes Brooke Henderson can be the same for the women’s game – and she will “blow past” the all-time mark for top-flight tour wins by a Canadian in the process.

Weir returned to his hotel after hiking in southern Utah on Sunday to the news that Henderson had won the CP Women’s Open. That put the 20-year-old Henderson at seven LPGA wins, just one back of the record for most victories by a Canadian at a top-level tour held by Weir, George Knudson and Sandra Post.

“I hope it makes a difference in Canadian women’s golf,” Weir said in a phone interview. “She’s such a young person herself, so hopefully that means young girls and teenagers will take up golf and we get the women’s game growing even more.”

Weir, the 2003 Masters champion, was the last Canadian to win a PGA or LPGA event on home soil when he picked up his first PGA Tour victory at the now-defunct Air Canada Championship in 1999. The native of Brights Grove, Ont. had an infamous near miss at the 2004 RBC Canadian Open, losing in a playoff to Vijay Singh.

Henderson, of Smiths Falls, Ont., shot a 7-under-par 65 Sunday at Wascana Country Club in Regina to beat Angel Yin by four shots. At one point in the back nine, Yin made three birdies in a row. Henderson matched her shot-for-shot, making four straight birdies.

PGA Tour golfer Graham DeLaet of Weyburn, Sask., took to Twitter on Thursday to say Henderson was “single-handedly changing the game of golf for young girls in Canada” like Weir did in the early 2000s.

@brookehendersongolf : made in ???? #CPWO

A post shared by CP Women's Open (@cpwomensopen) on Aug 27, 2018 at 8:53am PDT

Weir said Henderson’s strong mental approach complements her athleticism.

“The way she swings the club and how dynamic her movement is with her swing, she may be the most athletic woman out there from what I’ve seen,” said Weir. “But it’s the mental side. A girl makes three birdies on her and she makes four? That shows something not only with her athleticism but what’s inside, and what she thinks about the game, how she’s able to handle herself in a tough situation.”

Weir said he still remembers the roars from his Air Canada Championship victory, and outside of the Masters it was as loud a crowd he’s ever had cheer him on. He called it an incredible feeling.

“When I won in Canada, it wasn’t the Canadian Open but it felt like a major because the crowd is so big and so behind you. The energy feels like a major,” he said. “I’m sure (Henderson) felt that.”

Weir’s life changed after his Masters victory in 2003, as he climbed as high as No. 3 in the Official World Golf Ranking. He said he’s not sure Henderson’s life will change that much after the CP Women’s Open victory – since she’s already got a major win and is an established player, he said – but it will be important for her confidence.

“This is huge for her for sure, and her game going forward,” he said.

Henderson returns to action this week on the LPGA Tour at the Cambia Portland Classic, an event she’s won twice in her career. She also said Sunday she’s got a lot of confidence as she heads into The Evian Championship, the LPGA Tour’s final major.

“I’ve had two wins the last couple seasons, so I wanted to keep that streak going, so I’m happy that I did,” she said. Hopefully I can look forward to getting a third win this season.“

Weir believes Henderson’s win on the biggest stage in Canadian women’s golf could be the start of a “special” run.

“I want her to keep having fun, play aggressively, and not take it as pressure but ‘let’s just see how good I can get.’ Whether that’s two or three wins a year or seven or eight or nine, maybe she’ll rattle off one of those years like one of the all-time greats Tiger (Woods) or Annika (Sorenstam),” said Weir.

“She has the talent, and that’s a real possibility.”

Feeding off the energy of fans in the galleries, but not letting it overwhelm her, is now a skill in Brooke Henderson’s toolbox.

Labelled the face of Canadian golf at age 14 when she played in her first CP Women’s Open, Henderson had to learn how to manage her own intense desire to win on home turf, and the fervent, vocal wishes of home fans that she do so.

The 20-year-old from Smith Falls, Ont., solved that puzzle at Regina’s Wascana Country Club on Sunday where she became the first Canadian in 45 years to win the CP Women’s Open.

“I played my first CP Women’s Open seven years ago. I just felt like I was slowly getting better, getting used to the attention,” Henderson said Monday in Calgary.

“This year, something just sort of clicked. Just being able to feed off the energy of the crowd, that was the first time ever I was really able to manage that.”

Less than 24 hours after hoisting the trophy she superstitiously wouldn’t touch until she won it, Henderson was at Calgary’s Canyon Meadows Golf and Country club for a women’s golf clinic and panel discussion.

The course is hosting the men in the PGA Tour Champions Shaw Charity Classic starting Friday.

Henderson’s visit was a stopover en route to Portland, Ore., and the Cambia Portland Classic, which she won in both 2015 and 2016.

Seeing England’s Georgia Hall claim the Ricoh Women’s British Open at Royal Lytham and St Annes Golf Club in early August inspired Henderson as she headed to her own national championship.

But she was taken aback by the size of Wascana’s galleries when she stepped to the first tee box for her opening round.

Henderson still engaged with spectators, however. She smiled, waved and high-fived for three rounds until Sunday when her game mask was firmly on.

“Heading into Sunday, I just wanted to give it everything that I had and I wanted to keep that focus from when I first teed off until the 18th hole,” Henderson explained.

“I definitely did show my appreciation, but I was much more serious and much more focused.

“I just figured it would all be worth it if I was able to hoist the trophy on the 18th green and celebrate with everybody then. So, I feel it was a smart decision.”

The mask slipped as she walked to the 18th green for a birdie putt and she let the moment in.

“It was the first time all day I could really take a deep breath and realize that I’d actually just won,” she explained.

“That feeling of being able to let go, because I’d been not stressed, but just wanting to win it so badly. This was probably number one on the tournaments I wanted to win.”

What followed was whirlwind of media, autographs and fielding congratulatory messages on her phone, including one from Wayne Gretzky.

Henderson admitted not sleeping well after her four-stroke victory in part because she dreamed she hadn’t won and had to keep playing.

Only three other Canadian golfers since 1954 have won an Open at home is a testament to how difficult it is.

Henderson took her game management to a new level to achieve it. It is now in her skill set at just 20 years old.

She vaulted into world’s top 10 to No. 8 this week and sits second on the LPGA’s 2018 money list.

Henderson now targets a second career major Sept. 13-16 at the US$3.8 million Evian Championship in France.

She was just 18 when she won the 2016 KPMG Women’s PGA Championship.

Having checked a Canadian win off her career bucket list, Henderson says she now feels less pressure in her game.

“There is definitely a lot more pressure playing here at home in Canada, but it’s amazing I know I have that much support and people are cheering for me so hard,” she said.

“I definitely was a little disappointed with the way I’d played previously, but I feel like it was all a stepping stone in the right direction leading to this win.”

Golf Canada is pleased to announce the six individuals selected to represent Canada at the 2018 World Amateur Team Championship, conducted by the International Golf Federation.

The World Amateur Team Championship—featuring both a women’s (Aug. 29 – Sept. 1) and men’s (Sept. 5-8) competition— will be contested at Carton House (Montgomerie and O’Meara Courses) in Maynooth, Ireland, located 30 minutes west of Dublin.

Representing Canada on the women’s side will be Maddie Szeryk, 22, of London, Ont., Jaclyn Lee, 21, of Calgary, Alta., and Naomi Ko, 20, of Victoria, B.C. The trio will compete for the Espirito Santo Trophy at the Montgomerie and O’Meara courses at Carton House.

The men’s team selected to represent Canada consists of Hugo Bernard, 23, of Mont-St-Hilaire, Que., Joey Savoie, 24, of La Prairie, Que., and Garrett Rank, 30, of Elmira, Ont. Also contested on both at the Montgomerie and O’Meara courses at Carton House, the men will compete for the Eisenhower Trophy.

“The World Amateur Team Championships are an excellent benchmark to monitor our players’ performance and development globally,” said Jeff Thompson, Golf Canada’s chief sport officer. “Our participation in this premier golf competition is a reflection of our commitment to supporting and developing world-class talent in Canada, and we hope to demonstrate that again this year with the remarkable group of athletes chosen to represent our country.”

Team Canada Men’s and Women’s National Team coaches Derek Ingram (Winnipeg, Man.) and Tristan Mullally (Ireland native) will accompany their respect squads.

WOMEN’S TEAM BIOS

Maddie Szeryk

A member of Team Canada’s National Squad for the past four years, Szeryk will lead the women’s squad into competition as the top-ranked Canadian at No. 16 on the World Amateur Golf Rankings (WAGR). Szeryk will make her second World Amateur appearance after being selected in 2016. She finished a strong 2018 collegiate campaign at Texas A&M with two NCAA wins en route to earning All-SEC First Team honours for the fourth consecutive season. Szeryk’s senior year featured 11 top-ten finishes in fourteen events including four runner-up finishes. She would add another runner-up finish at the prestigious Women’s Porter Cup in June and finished T22 at the Canadian Women’s Amateur. Currently the No. 1 ranked golfer on the National Women’s Order of Merit, the 22-year-old has prior experience representing Canada on the global stage, finishing tied for 15th at the 2014 Youth Olympics and helping Canada to win the team competition at the 2017 Mexican Amateur. She has also competed in three CP Women’s Opens as an amateur.

Jaclyn Lee

Jaclyn Lee is in her fifth year as a member of Canada’s National Team and is currently ranked No. 21 on the WAGR. The Ohio State Buckeye enters her final collegiate season with three NCAA wins including the 2018 Big Ten Championship as well as a pair of runner-up finishes. Lee made a splash on the international amateur scene in 2018, making it to the semi-finals at the Ladies’ British Open Amateur Championship and quarterfinals of the US Women’s Amateur. The former Alberta Ladies Amateur champion also boasts LPGA experience, making the cut at the 2016 CP Women’s Open and competing in the 2018 Meijer LPGA Classic for Simply Give, where she finished tied for 35^th.

Naomi Ko

Naomi Ko is in her sixth year with the Team Canada program and will make her second World Amateur appearance. The 20-year-old spent three years with the Development Squad before graduating to the Amateur Squad in 2016. Ko, a three-time CP Women’s Open competitor who will be heading to her final year at N.C. State, won her first NCAA championship in 2017 at the Lady Puerto Rico Classic. Her 2017 season also included third-place finishes at the Canadian Women’s Amateur Championship, the B.C. Women’s Amateur Championship and Women’s Porter Cup.

MEN’S TEAM BIOS

Hugo Bernard

A four-year member of Team Canada, Hugo Bernard is the top-ranked Canadian on the WAGR at No. 78 and will compete in his second World Amateur. The 2016 Canadian Men’s Amateur champion recorded three top-10 finishes this season, including a runner-up at the Azalea Invitational and a ninth place finish at the Australian Men’s Amateur. In 2018 he also finished T41 at the Canadian Men’s Amateur and played in his third RBC Canadian Open. His 2017 season was highlighted by earning medalist honours at the U.S. Amateur Qualifying in Maine alongside top-five finishes at the 2017 Canadian Men’s Amateur and the French Open – Coupe Murat. In 2016, Bernard posted six top-5 finishes in eight events with the Division II Saint-Leo Lions, including medalist honours at the NCAA Division II Championship to earn him a Freshman of the Year title to go with being named as a first-team all-American.

Joey Savoie

Team Canada Amateur Squad rookie Joey Savoie is ranked No. 84 on the World Amateur Golf Rankings (WAGR) and currently leads the National Men’s Order of Merit thanks to seven top-five finishes this season. Internationally, Savoie has a win at the Grant Clements Memorial Tournament in New Zealand, co-medalist honours at a U.S. Amateur Qualifier and a fifth-place finish at the prestigious St. Andrews Links Trophy in Scotland. The Middle Tennessee State graduate also led Team Canada to victory at the 2017 Tailhade Cup in Argentina with his first-place finish and competed in his first RBC Canadian Open.

Garrett Rank

Team Canada graduate Garrett Rank made the most of his amateur season to secure a spot on his second career World Amateur team. Rank, a three-time RBC Canadian Open competitor, has been balancing a professional career as an NHL referee with a busy summer competing at high-level amateur golf events. The 30-year-old made headlines when he earned co-medalist honours to qualify for the U.S. Open. His 2018 season has been highlighted by a win at the Ontario Men’s Amateur Championship and a third place finish at the Canadian Men’s Amateur Championship where he earned low-Canadian honours. The three-time Canadian Men’s Mid-Amateur champion also boasts international experience from representing Canada in the 2015 Pan-American games, where he finished 15^th, as well as the 2016 World Amateur Team Championship, where he finished tied for 36th.

About the World Amateur Team Championships

A biennial competition, the Men’s World Amateur Team Championship has been played since 1958, with the winner taking home the Eisenhower Trophy while the winner of the Women’s World Amateur Team Championship, conducted since 1964, earns the Espirito Santo Trophy.

In 2016, the Canadian men’s trio of Hugo Bernard, Garrett Rank and Jared du Toit (Kimberley, B.C.) finished tied for 9^th in Riviera Maya, Mexico, while the women’s trio of Maddie Szeryk, Naomi Ko, and Josée Doyon (St-Georges-de-Beauce, Que.) finished in 9^th place.

In 2014, The United States won the 2014 title in Karuizawa, Japan, by two strokes over the Canadian contingent of Corey Conners (Listowel, Ont.), Taylor Pendrith (Richmond Hill, Ont.) and Adam Svensson (Surrey, B.C.). In the women’s division, Australia claimed the title by two strokes over the Canadian team of Brooke Henderson (Smiths Falls, Ont.), Augusta James (Bath, Ont.), and Brittany Marchand (Orangeville, Ont.).

In 29 appearances at the World Amateur Team Championship, Canada has captured the Eisenhower Trophy on one occasion (1986) and earned runner-up honours five times. In 25 appearances at the Women’s World Amateur Team Championship, Canada has earned runner-up honours four times.

The World Amateur Team titles are contested over four days of stroke play. A country may field a team of two or three players. In each round, the total of the two lowest scores constitutes the team score for the round. The four-day total is the team’s score for the championship.

The World Amateur Team Championships are conducted by the International Golf Federation, which was founded in 1958 to encourage the international development of the game and to employ golf as a vehicle to foster friendship and sportsmanship. The IGF is comprised of 146 National Federation Members in 141 countries and 22 Professional Members. The IGF serves as the International Olympic Committee’s recognized International Federation for golf.

FONTHILL, Ont. – 156 golfers ranging from 25-71 years of age will descend on Lookout Point Country Club from Aug. 27-30 for the 48th playing of the Canadian Women’s Mid-Amateur and Senior Championship.

Four individual trophies are up for grabs at the 54-hole tournament in Fonthill, Ont.

Competitors over 25 will vie for the Mid-Amateur title, players over 40 will be eligible to compete in the Mid-Master competition and those over 50 will play for the Senior championship. Finally, those 60-and-over will compete for the Super Senior title over the tournament’s first 36 holes.

Designed in 1922 by one of the great pioneers of golf in North America, Walter J. Travis, Lookout Point Country Club boasts challenging greens, an unmatched landscape, and exceptional facilities. Lookout Point has hosted a number of championships, the oldest being the 1935 General Brock Open, which brought greats such as Walter Hagen, Ben Hogan, Sam Snead, and Gene Sarazen.

“Our course is renowned for its stunning views and challenging greens,” said Lookout Point’s Dan Greenwood. “It’s in great condition and we’re thrilled to share our course with these talented women.”

“The Mid-Am and Senior is such a great opportunity for Canadian amateurs to find success and experience on a national stage and we are excited to bring this talented field,” added tournament director Dan Hyatt. “The course’s beautiful layout and will provide a tough, yet fair test for all of the golfers here this week.”

In 2017, Australian Sue Wooster won both the Senior and Mid-Master titles at the Canadian Women’s Senior Championship in a playoff over Canadian Hall of Fame member Mary Ann Hayward, becoming the first international player to win the Canadian Women’s Senior Championship since American Ginny Burkey in 2006.

Ashburn, Va., native Lauren Greenlief fired a tournament low 4-under-par 68 in the final round to finish a convincing wire-to-wire win in the Mid-Amateur competition, winning by 19 strokes.

Canadian Diane Dolan won the 60-and-over Super Senior competition with a two-day score of 156 (+12).

In addition to the four individual competitions, an inter-provincial team competition will take place during the first two rounds.

In 2017, the Ontario team of Judith Kyrinis (Thornhill, Ont.), Mary Ann Hayward (St. Thomas, Ont.) and Marion Reid (Etobicoke, Ont.) won the team competition with a two-day score of 18-over-par 306.

After 36 holes, the field will be reduced to the low 70 players and ties from the senior division. Further to that, all Mid-Amateurs and Mid-Masters postings a 36-hole score which is equal to the last player(s) to qualify for the final round, will make the cut. A minimum of 10 Mid-Amateurs (Age 25-39) and 5 Mid-Masters (Age 40-49) will make the cut.

A tie for the championship will be decided by a hole-by-hole playoff immediately following conclusion of play.

The winner receives an exemption into the 2018 U.S. Women’s Senior Amateur being contested at Orchid Island Golf & Beach Club in Vero Beach, Fla., from Oct. 6-11.

Click here to learn more about the Canadian Women’s Mid-Amateur and Senior Championship. 

NOTABLES
Sue Wooster of Australia
The 56-year-old comes in as the defending champion in the Senior and Mid-Master divisions after defeating Mary Ann Hayward in a playoff. Wooster made it to the round of 32 at the 2017 U.S. Women’s Senior Amateur before being defeated by Brenda Pictor.

Diane Dolan of Gatineau, Que.
The 62-year-old won the 60-and-over Super Senior competition and tied for seventh overall at the event last year. Dolan recently came in second at the 2018 OVGA Senior Women’s Championship and fourth at the Women’s Provincial Championship at Golf Château-Bromont.

Mary Ann Hayward of St. Thomas, Ont.
The 58-year-old Canadian Golf Hall of Famer is a three-time winner of this event (2010-11, 2013). Hayward narrowly lost last year’s event, coming in second behind Wooster after being defeated in a playoff. Recently, Hayward won both the 2018 Women’s Champion of Champions and Eastern Provinces Match Play, in addition to coming in second at the Investors Group Ontario Women’s Senior Championship. She’s a four-time Canadian Women’s Amateur Champion (1993, 1996, 1999, 2004).

Judith Kyrinis of Thornhill, Ont.
The 54-year-old won this event in 2016 and finished fifth in 2017. Kyrinis won the 2017 USGA Senior Women’s Championship, making it her third victory at that event and only the seventh USGA champion from Canada and the first since 2005. She also won the 2018 Investors Group Ontario Women’s Senior Champion.

Jackie Little of Procter, B.C.
The 60-year-old won this event back-to-back in 2008-2009 and was tied for third last year. Little recently finished second at the 2018 Alberta Senior Ladies Championship.

Alison Murdoch of Victoria, B.C
The 68-year-old Canadian Golf Hall of Famer has won this event four times, most recently in 2007. She was third at the 2018 British Columbia Mid-Amateur and fourth at the 2018 Alberta Senior Ladies Championship. Murdoch is a four-time Irish Senior Women’s Open Champion and won the 2007 Senior Ladies’ British Amateur.

Terrill Samuel of Etobicoke, Ont.
The 57-year-old is a two-time champion at this event, most recently winning in 2015. She finished third in 2017 at this event. In 2017, Samuel competed in the first USGA championship match between two Canadian competitors at the 2017 U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur Championship, eventually losing to Judith Kyrinis and finishing in second. She was third at the 2018 Investors Group Ontario Women’s Senior Championship.

FAST FACTS
Five Canadian Golf Hall of Famers have won the Canadian Women’s Senior Championship.

Marlene Streit, Gayle Borthwick, Alison Murdoch, Marilyn O’Connor, and Margaret Todd.

Streit (1985, 1987-88, 1993), Borthwick (1994-1995, 1999-2000) and Murdoch (2002, 2004-05, 2007) are tied for the most Canadian Women’s Senior Championship victories with four each.

Nancy Fitzgerald has the most consecutive Canadian Women’s Senior Championships wins – winning three straight titles from 1996-1998.

The last non-Canadian to win was Australian Sue Wooster last year.

The winner receives an exemption into the 2018 U.S. Women’s Senior Amateur at Waverley Country Club in Portland, Ore., from Sept. 9-14.

COURSE FACTS
Walter J. Travis designed and completed the course in 1922.

Hosted a number of championships, the oldest being the 1935 General Brock Open, which brought greats such as Walter Hagen, Ben Hogan, Sam Snead, and Gene Sarazen.

Have had only four PGA Head Professionals in its history.

In 2013, Lookout Point was ranked 38th for the Top 100 Courses in Ontario.

Click here for more information on the Canadian Women’s Mid-Am and Senior Championship.

REGINA – When Brooke Henderson sank her final putt on the 18th hole to win the CP Women’s Open, her father Dave ran onto the course and started to shower her with champagne.

He said after the victory on Sunday that he then congratulated his daughter and told her what an unbelievable feat that she had just accomplished.

“I’m sure it will take a lot of years for that to sink in with Brooke and her to reflect on it,” Dave Henderson said. “It’s a momentous occasion and history was set here today at Wascana Country Club.”

Henderson shot a final-round 7-under-par 65 for a 21-under 267 total and four-shot victory over American Angel Yin.

It’s the first time a Canadian has won the national Open since Jocelyne Bourassa was victorious in Montreal in 1973.

“I tell ya, golf in Canada just grew,” Dave Henderson said. “It grew across the country in every capacity today.”

Henderson hit four birdies in a row at one point on the back nine to pull away.

Her sister, and caddie, Brittany said that she was trying to hold in tears before the final putt that sealed the victory.

“I didn’t want to start celebrating too early and I think she didn’t either even though we were up three going into the last hole, it’s golf and anything can happen,” her caddie said. “Until that last putt went in, we didn’t really believe it. But now it’s just amazing.”

Henderson said that she thought of her family as she claimed victory and all the hard work that they’ve put in to help her along the way.

Family means everything. pic.twitter.com/wzLiWgXu4Q

— CP Women's Open (@cpwomensopen) August 26, 2018

She added that winning the title was a “big dream and a big goal for all of us.”

“I thank God for this win and just the many opportunities that I’ve been given,” Henderson said. “My grandfather passed away this summer and I really think they were helping me today.”

It was the seventh career LPGA Tour win for the 20-year-old from Smiths Falls, Ont., and second victory this season.

The win also moved her one behind Sandra Post’s record for all-time victories by a Canadian.

“I don’t think anybody could have predicted that,” her father said. “We were just plugging along and good lord willing, we’ve got that many so far.”

PARAMUS, N.J. – Canadian, Adam Hadwin, finished with a share of 11th this weekend at The Northern Trust. He recorded a 70 in his final round to sit 10-under for the tournament.

To his right was the silver trophy Bryson DeChambeau won Sunday , a victory that felt comfortable to everyone but him. To his left was the silver FedEx Cup trophy, a reminder of the ultimate prize in the PGA Tour season.

Missing was the gold Ryder Cup trophy.

DeChambeau took a giant step toward playing for that, too.

“Like I said yesterday, I’m a man on a mission right now – two missions, actually,” DeChambeau said after a four-shot victory in the opening FedEx Cup playoff event. “One being the Ryder Cup and one being the FedEx Cup. I’m doing pretty well right now and just got to keep moving forward in the right direction.”

That was the only direction his game went in a final round devoid of much drama.

Staked to a four-shot lead, DeChambeau never let anyone closer than two shots, ended the threat with consecutive birdies and closed with a 2-under 69 to win by four shots over Tony Finau, who also had the Ryder Cup on his mind.

DeChambeau never felt entirely in control until he stabbed at a chip short of the 12th green – a shot he had worked on all week and used that one time – that rolled out to 4 feet for a birdie that turned back his only threat.

His only wild shot was on the 18th hole, sending his drive so far to the right that landed in the fairway of a hole that wasn’t being used at Ridgewood Country Club. He still had a good angle to the green, made par and finished at 18-under 266.

He won for the second time this year, both against some of the strongest fields. He moved to the top of the FedEx Cup standings and is virtually assured of being one of the top five seeds at the Tour Championship who have a clear shot at the $10 million bonus.

Also on his mind is playing for no money at all at the Ryder Cup.

DeChambeau narrowly missed earning one of the eight automatic spots for the U.S. team when he missed the cut at the PGA Championship. Jim Furyk makes three of his four captain’s picks a week from Tuesday, and it will be tough to ignore a 24-year-old Californian with victories at the Memorial and a FedEx Cup playoff event.

“Hopefully he can see that I’ve got some grit and grind, and that even when I don’t execute certain shots, I can get it done,” DeChambeau said.

DeChambeau, who stayed on the practice range until it was dark Saturday night, came out firing with two straight birdies to stretch the lead to six shots. His only mistakes were a pair of three-putt bogeys on the front nine, the second one at No. 9 that reduced his lead to two shots over Aaron Wise.

But not for long.

Wise’s threat ended with a bogey on No. 16, about the time DeChambeau got up-and-down with that chip from just short of the reachable par-4 12th for birdie.

No one got any closer the rest of the way.

Finau also made a strong statement about a captain’s pick. Furyk invited Finau to join a small group of Americans who played Le Golf Nacional the weekend before the British Open. He was playing with Furyk at the PGA Championship when Finau tied a tournament record with 10 birdies in the second round.

And while he stared five shots back on a course where the greens were as firm as they have been all week, Finau closed with a 68 to finish alone in second. Finau cracked the top 20 in the world (No. 18) for the first time in his career.

“If I’m in the conversation, this doesn’t hurt my chances, I don’t believe,” Finau said. “I had a solid week all around. My game feels good and I feel confident. Whatever his decision is, I’ll be ready to play.”

Tiger Woods, coming off a runner-up finish at the PGA Championship, never got anything going. He closed with a 70 and tied for 40th, 14 shots out of the lead.

“I’m sure you guys are used to seeing me win five times a year or more,” Woods said. “It’s not that easy to win out here. What you’re seeing is that I’m close, and just one shot here, one shot there per day, flips momentum.”

Woods has played plenty of practice rounds with DeChambeau and is a strong advocate for adding him to the U.S. team that goes to France at the end of September.

“The guy is fiery,” Woods said. “He’s competitive, and we want guys like that. It’s going to be a tough environment, so we want guys that are mentally tough and can handle it.”

Billy Horschel (68) and Cameron Smith (69) tied for third.

Ryan Palmer also felt like a winner. He came into the FedEx Cup playoffs at No. 100 – the top 100 advance to the second stage next week at the TPC Boston – and Palmer delivered a 65 on Sunday highlighted by a wedge he holed for eagle on the par-5 third hole. He tied for fifth, along with Wise (67) and Adam Scott (69), and moved all the way to No. 50.

Dustin Johnson’s only consolation was four birdies over the final four holes for a 68 that enabled him to stay No. 1 in the world by the narrowest of margins over U.S. Open and PGA champion Brooks Koepka.

Nick Watney was among six players who moved from outside the top 100 to advance to the Dell Technologies Championship, which starts Friday. The others were Scott Stallings, Jhonattan Vegas, Bronson Burgoon, Brian Stuard and Danny Lee.

REGINA – Throughout the entire week at the CP Women’s Open, Alena Sharp would write the number 16 on her golf balls.

It was one the Hamilton native’s ways of paying tribute to the 16 people that died in the April 6 bus crash involving the Humboldt Broncos junior hockey team.

Sharp said earlier in the event that she felt as though she had 16 angels watching over her at the Wascana Country Club.

“I totally was thinking about them all day. Even on the last putt,” Sharp said after her final round on Sunday. “I wrote 16 on my ball just to give me a reminder of it.”

Thirteen people survived the crash that happened as the Broncos were on their way to a Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League playoff game.

Sharp played this year’s Canadian championship with a golf bag that featured the Broncos’s green and yellow colours and team logo. The bag is being given to the Jim Pattison Children’s Hospital and will be auctioned off at a fundraiser next month.

Sponsor obligations along with trying to learn the course prevented Sharp from making the trip to Humboldt, which is located 2 1/2 hours north of Regina. The busyness of the tournament also didn’t allow her to meet any of the survivors.

“I haven’t met them, but they’re always in my thoughts,” Sharp said.

Brooke Henderson of Smiths Falls, Ont., has captured the Canadian headlines during the tournament, but Sharp shot a 1-under 71 on Sunday to finish the event at 6 under. Anne-Catherine Tanguay (73) of Quebec City was 4 under.

As Sharp was walking on the cart path to the sixth hole on Sunday, she saw Henderson putting on the practice green and ran over to give her friend and Olympic teammate a hug before Henderson started her round.

Sharp said that she was excited for Henderson, who is aiming to become the first Canadian champion of the event since Jocelyne Bourassa won in Montreal in 1973.

“Hopefully she can stay strong in the last little bit, the last few holes and bring the win in,” Sharp said.

Sharp has struggled with consistency this season and said that it’s been a mentally tough year for her. She said that it’s always tougher to play at home but felt as though she has taken a step in the right direction with this week’s play.

“I’m just battling through some mental demons,” Sharp said. “I’m happy walking off of this week, I played well under the pressure and have a lot of positives to take to next week.”

REGINA – Brooke Henderson ended Canada’s long drought at the CP Women’s Open on Sunday, firing a final-round 7-under-par 65 to win the national championship by four strokes.

Henderson finished with a 21-under 267 total, sealing the win with a short birdie putt on the 18th hole at the Wascana Country Club.

“It’s amazing, just surreal,” Henderson said. “The crowds here have been so amazing all week, and to finish it off the way I did is really a dream come true.”

American Angel Yin was alone in second place after a 68 and American Jennifer Song (67) was six shots behind at 15 under. Australians Minjee Lee (68) and Su Oh (69) were seven strokes off the pace in a fourth-place tie with South Korea’s Amy Yang (68) and American Austin Ernst (69).

It was the first time a Canadian has won this tournament since Jocelyne Bourassa took the 1973 event – then called La Canadienne – at Montreal.

Henderson earned US$337,500 of the $2.25-million purse for her second victory of the season. It was her seventh career LPGA Tour win, moving her one behind Sandra Post’s record for all-time victories by a Canadian.

Henderson, who started the day with a one-shot lead, was aggressive from the start on an overcast, chilly morning in front of a vocal group of adoring supporters.

CHAMPION! ??? @BrookeHendersonGolf becomes the first Canadian to win the #CPWO since 1973.

A post shared by CP Women’s Open (@cpwomensopen) on Aug 26, 2018 at 1:22pm PDT

Displaying a steely focus and no sign of nerves, she found the fairway with her opening drive and cleared a greenside bunker with her second shot, sticking the ball 12 feet from the pin.

Henderson is one of the biggest hitters on the Tour but her short game can be inconsistent at times. The 20-year-old from Smiths Falls, Ont., set the early tone by sinking the birdie putt for a two-shot lead.

She gave the stroke back on the second hole after her drive found the rough. A line of fairway-hugging trees forced her to chip out on the fairway and Henderson would settle for bogey.

Back-to-back pars followed, allowing Oh to briefly pull even with the Canadian. However, Oh missed a 10-foot par putt on the fifth hole and Henderson drained a 25-footer for birdie to regain the lead.

Canada’s @BrookeHenderson wins the 2018 #CPWO, becoming the first Canadian to win since 1973 https://t.co/rtdHhQ7ueb

— CP Women’s Open (@cpwomensopen) August 26, 2018

After a birdie-bogey run, Henderson showed her form on the par-3, 206-yard eighth hole. With a challenging pin placement, she elevated her tee shot perfectly to clear a greenside ridge and bunker to leave herself an 18-foot putt.

She hit the birdie to move to 16-under for a three-shot cushion on Oh and defending champion Sung Hyun Park of South Korea.

Henderson was playing to win and not to just hang on.

A steady rain started to fall as the last few groups made the turn. Some of the Tour’s biggest names were chasing Henderson but no one could get hot enough on the back nine to get close.

Yin hovered a few shots back but Henderson wouldn’t budge.

“It’s great for golf in Canada, women’s golf, and it’s great for her too,” Yin said. “I mean, people shouting her name left to right since the first hole, like (since) nine in the morning. I bet you she feels pressure.

“But she’s used to it and she handles it pretty well, and she finished the job.”

The Canadian was making almost every shot look easy. The greens softened up a touch and Henderson was going for the pins. Approach shots were usually in tight and the putter was working.

Yin rolled in her third straight birdie on No. 15, and Henderson answered by knocking in her fourth birdie putt in a row to keep her three-shot lead.

She maintained that cushion through the 17th hole, allowing her to fully enjoy the moment on No. 18 as the packed gallery roared during her walk up the fairway.

After a beautiful drive, Henderson’s approach shot from 69 yards out cozied up to the hole. She tapped in the short putt and the celebration was on.

Henderson raised her arms in the air and hugged her sister Brittany, who was on her bag all week. Their ecstatic father, Dave, ran on to the green and doused them in champagne.

Park (71), who finished at 13 under, will retain her No. 1 position in the world rankings. She was tied with three-time CP Women’s Open champion Lydia Ko (69) and several others.

American Mo Martin was another shot back at 12 under after firing a course-record 62.

Hamilton’s Alena Sharp (71) was at 6 under, two shots ahead of Quebec City’s Anne-Catherine Tanguay (73).

The 2019 CP Women’s Open will be held at the Magna Golf Club in Aurora, Ont.

REGINA – Canada’s Brooke Henderson feels most comfortable with her game when she’s on top of the leaderboard.

A solid third round has left her in that very position as she prepares to take a run at history at the CP Women’s Open.

Henderson moved into the lead Saturday with a 2-under-par 70, leaving her at 14-under 202 and one shot ahead of Japan’s Nasa Hataoka (69) and American Angel Yin (71).

“It’s a lot more fun (on top) and I feel like I can kind of go off the crowd a little bit more,” Henderson said. “It’s just really exciting and I feel like when I have a lot of confidence in my game, that’s when I tend to make a lot of birdies and I tend to play really well.”

After back-to-back scores of 66, Henderson had to deal with windier conditions at the Wascana Country Club.

Her length off the tee was impressive but her short game was inconsistent at times. Henderson did manage to hit some big putts when she needed to and spent most of the afternoon alone in first place.

@brookehendersongolf shoots a 2-under 70 to lead heading into the final round at the #CPWO ??

A post shared by CP Women’s Open (@cpwomensopen) on Aug 25, 2018 at 3:00pm PDT

On Sunday, she’ll try to become the first Canadian since Jocelyne Bourassa to win this tournament. Bourassa was victorious in 1973 in Montreal.

Yin missed an eight-foot birdie putt on her final hole that would have given her a share of the lead. Defending champion and world No. 1 Sung Hyun Park of South Korea (70) was two shots back.

Australia’s Su Oh (69) and American Austin Ernst (70) were three strokes off the lead.

The 6,675-yard course sets up well for Henderson’s style. She’s one of the LPGA Tour’s longest hitters and is not afraid to go for it.

If Henderson can attack the par-5 holes and stay consistent on the greens, she’s got a great shot of winning the event.

“I definitely do play better when I’m aggressive,” she said. “I play smart but aggressive and when I’m kind of chasing birdies, I feel like that’s kind of where I’m playing my best. But it just kind of depends on the conditions.”

Play will begin earlier than usual in an attempt to avoid the wet weather that’s expected to arrive by lunch hour. The fourth round will start at 7 a.m. local time and the last group will tee off at 9:01 a.m.

Henderson, from Smiths Falls, Ont., started the day one shot behind second-round leader Amy Yang, but the South Korean bogeyed her first two holes to give the Canadian the outright lead.

One round to go ? #CPWO

A post shared by CP Women’s Open (@cpwomensopen) on Aug 25, 2018 at 4:01pm PDT

They were joined in a group with Yin, who hovered near the top of the leaderboard for most of the day.

With a vocal group of supporters cheering her at every turn, Henderson opened with four straight pars before a drive on the par-4 fifth hole found the rough and led to a bogey. She responded by rolling in a 12-foot birdie putt on the sixth.

She was aggressive after the turn with birdies on Nos. 12 and 13. Henderson nearly eagled the 14th hole, but her chip from the rough hit the back of the cup and bounced out for a tap-in birdie.

She ran into some trouble on the 16th hole but recovered nicely. Henderson pulled her drive and her second shot landed in the rough beside a greenside bunker.

Standing in the sand, she flopped a wedge that came up short but she hit a 20-footer to save par.

“To be able to get up and down when I kind of ran into a little bit of trouble there on 16 I think was really key and just (helped me) keep my composure a little bit,” Henderson said.

Henderson and Yin both struggled on the 17th green. Yin had an eagle putt but settled for par while Henderson missed a four-foot par putt.

Yang, meanwhile, struggled to a 75. She was in a five-way tie for seventh place at 10-under 206.

Hamilton’s Alena Sharp (70) and Anne-Catherine Tanguay (70) of Quebec City were nine shots off the lead.

Henderson, 20, has one victory this season and six wins over her LPGA Tour career. Her best career finish at this event came last year in Ottawa when she tied for 12th.

“She’s gritty and determined and aggressive,” Sharp said. “I think that is a huge thing to have out here, especially with the wind.”

The winner of the US$2.25-million tournament will earn $337,500. The runner-up will pocket $209,358.

PARAMUS, N.J. — Bryson DeChambeau kept pouring in birdies as everyone around him went the other direction Saturday in The Northern Trust.

DeChambeau finished with two birdies, making an 18-foot putt on the last hole to cap off his 8-under 63 that gave him a four-shot lead over Keegan Bradley. Along with seizing control of the opening FedEx Cup playoff event, DeChambeau might make it tough for Ryder Cup captain Jim Furyk to ignore him.

He narrowly missed earning one of the eight automatics spots on the U.S. team. Furyk makes three of his picks a week from Tuesday.

DeChambeau made nine birdies, four in a five-hole stretch to start pulling away.

What made him stand out, even more than his tam o’shanter cap and single-length shafts, was all the stars around him were in reverse. Of the final 10 players to tee off, DeChambeau and Adam Scott were the only ones to break par. Scott had to birdie three of his last four holes for a 70.

Brooks Koepka, who shared the 36-hole lead with Jamie Lovemark, had a 13-hole stretch in the middle of his round with three bogeys and 10 pars. He shot 72 and fell seven shots behind to enter into a tie for seventh with Adam Hadwin (68) of Abbotsford, B.C., amongst others.

Dustin Johnson, who started the day tied with DeChambeau, added a double bogey to a week that already included two triple bogeys. Johnson birdied his last hole for a 72 to fall nine shots back.

Scott was one shot behind when he made two bogeys, then chopped up the par-3 11th for a double bogey.

“I really switched off there for five holes and made a mess of things around the turn,” Scott said. “Might have shot myself out of the tournament. We’ll see how it goes tomorrow, but it’s going to be costly and make life difficult for me to win this thing now.”

Bradley finished his round about an hour after the leaders teed off, making five birdies over his last seven holes for a 62. He was leading at the time and figured he would be at least a few shots behind when the third round ended.

He might not have expected DeChambeau to be the one he was chasing.

“Just looking at who is at the top of the leaderboard, when I got to 10, I was like any birdie from here on out is really going to be big going into tomorrow,” Bradley said.

Tony Finau (66) and Cameron Smith of Australian (65) were five shots behind, with Billy Horschel (65) and Scott another shot back. Jordan Spieth finally got his putter going and shot a 64, leaving him seven shots behind but in a tie for seventh, boosting his bid to return to the Tour Championship.

Spieth, who hasn’t won this year, started the playoffs at No. 43. The top 30 after three playoff events go to East Lake for a shot at the $10 million prize. For players like Bradley and Horschel, making it to East Lake means getting into three of the majors and two World Golf Championships.

And for DeChambeau, it’s simply the process of winning.

“I’ve got a four-shot lead, and never really been in this spot before,” DeChambeau said. “But I’m excited because this is a new challenge for me, and I always like challenges.”

Tiger Woods had his first bogey-free round of the year, but managed only three birdies for a 68. He was 13 shots behind. In scoring conditions, Woods has seven birdies in 54 holes. DeChambeau made that many in 12 holes Saturday.

“That’s not going to get it done,” Woods said. “As soft as it is, these guys are making a boat load of birdies. And I just haven’t made any.”

DeChambeau’s big run began from the rough on No. 8, one of the par 5s converted into a par 4 for the tournament. He carved a 5-iron onto the green to about 8 feet, made a short birdie on the next hole, hit 8-iron to 10 feet on the par-3 11th and then chopped out of the rough to below the short par-4 12th to a few inches for birdie.

“I was so focused on my game today that I didn’t even worry about anything else,” DeChambeau said. “And so you just get in the zone every once in a while and block everything out and I really didn’t notice anybody else, actually. It’s a great feeling to have and I hope to bring it tomorrow.”

The top 100 in the FedEx Cup after Sunday advanced to the second playoff event at the TPC Boston. Among those on the bubble is Sean O’Hair, who is No. 121 and played with DeChambeau. O’Hair had a 72 to fall 10 shots behind, leaving him right on the bubble.