CALGARY, Alta. —Canada’s most accomplished golfers on the LPGA TOUR – Brooke Henderson and Alena Sharpe – will join many of Canada’s most respected Olympic trailblazers to tee off the sixth annual Shaw Charity Classic at Blakes Women’s Day, presented by RBC.

The gathering of Calgary-based corporate women with many of the City’s most accomplished female personalities will headline a celebration of women and the game of golf through a unique networking opportunity, August 27, at Canyon Meadows Golf and Country Club.

The morning will begin with a continental breakfast and introduction at 8 a.m. Each Calgary-based personality will be paired with a foursome of corporate women for nine holes of golf on the tournament course at Canyon Meadows Golf and Country Club or attend an interactive golf clinic led by PGA TOUR Champions professional, Robert Gamez.

Immediately following golf, two-time Olympic champion Catriona Le May Doan will moderate a discussion with six-time winner on the LPGA TOUR, Henderson, along with her 2016 Olympic teammate Alena Sharp.

The discussion will focus on mental preparation in sport and business, while tackling some of the biggest issues they have faced in their pursuit of excellence both on and off the golf course, while inspiring Calgary’s corporate women to chase their own goals and dreams.

WHO: Catriona Le May Doan – Two–Time Gold and Bronze medallist, Speedskating

Cassie Campbell-Pascall- Two–Time Olympic Gold and Silver Medallist, Hockey

Carla MacLeod – Two-Time Olympic Gold Medallist, Hockey

Kerrin Lee-Gartner – Olympic Gold Medallist, Alpine

Cheryl Bernard – Olympic Silver Medallist, Curling

Erica Wiebe – Olympic Gold Medallist, Wrestling

Alex Gough – Olympic Silver and Bronze Medallist, Luge

Melissa Lotholz – Olympian World Cup Champion, World Championship Silver Medallist, Bobsleigh

Kim McRae – Olympian luge – World Championship and World Cup medallist

Laine Peters – Six-Time World Champion, Curling

Jane Channell – Olympian, Multiple World Cup Medallist, Skeleton

Christine Nordhagen – Olympian, Six-Time World Champion, Wrestling

Mount Royal Cougars Athletes

WHERE:         Canyon Meadows Golf and Country Club

                        12501 – 14th Street SW, Calgary

WHEN:           August 28

7:30 a.m. – Registration 

                        8:00 a.m. – Breakfast and Introductions

                        8:45 a.m. – Nine Holes of Golf (Shotgun Start)

                        10:30 a.m. – Clinic with PGA TOUR Champions Professional Robert Gamez

                        11:15 a.m. – Media Scrum with Brooke Henderson

11:30 a.m. – Lunch

12 noon – Panel Discussion

REGINA – An early bogey may have been a good thing for Canada’s Brooke Henderson at the CP Women’s Open on Thursday.

She attacked the Wascana Country Club course with a vengeance after the early hiccup, firing six birdies over seven holes at one point en route to a 6-under-par 66 that left her two shots off the first-round lead.

“It was really solid today,” Henderson said. “I got off to a little bit of a shaky start with a bogey on the first hole but I made a ton of birdies today and that’s always a really good sign.”

Colombia’s Mariajo Uribe, Thailand’s Ariya Jutanugarn and Japan’s Nasa Hataoka shared the course record by opening at 64. American Angel Yin and Nanna Koerstz Madsen of Denmark were one shot back.

Henderson was joined at 66 by three-time CP Women’s Open champ Lydia Ko of New Zealand, Australia’s Minjee Lee and several others. Victoria amateur Naomi Ko was in a group at 68.

Uribe was in one of the opening threesomes and set the early tone by trimming a shot off the course record.

“It’s nice to start with a bogey-free round to actually see my golf game getting to where I know it is,” Uribe said. “It’s going to be a good week.”

Jutanugarn matched her score about an hour later. The world No. 2 opened with four straight birdies and had just one blemish with a bogey on the par-4 16th hole.

“Today my goal was (just) don’t worry about the future too much,” she said. “Don’t think about what I’m going to shoot today. Just try to focus on things I can control.”

Several players went low in the morning as they took advantage of ideal weather conditions. Hataoka and Henderson were two of the afternoon standouts.

Preferred lies were in effect on the 6,675-yard course. Greens were playing firm and fast and there was only a light breeze in the heat and sunshine.

Henderson was hitting the ball long off the tee and left a few strokes out there. She missed a seven-foot par putt on the 11th hole and settled for par on the 12th after missing an eight-footer.

https://www.facebook.com/cpwomensopen/videos/1807037606031530/

Playing in a group with top-ranked Sung Hyun Park and Anna Nordqvist, Henderson moved back up the leaderboard with back-to-back birdies on the 14th and 15th. She saved par on the 17th hole after a nice up-and-down from the sand and just missed an eight-foot birdie putt on No. 18.

The course seems to set up well for the 20-year-old from Smiths Falls, Ont. If her short game is on point, Henderson could be in the mix on the weekend.

Another hot day was in the forecast for Friday but the wind was expected to pick up.

“I think this course is meant to be windy, so I think some holes can kind of play in your favour that way,” Henderson said. “It’s just going to be a challenge for the whole field.

Have a day @brookehendersongolf! The Smiths Falls, Ont. native trails the lead by 2 after the first round #CPWO

A post shared by CP Women’s Open (@cpwomensopen) on Aug 23, 2018 at 6:38pm PDT

“Hopefully I still hit the ball in good places, give myself a lot of birdie looks and hopefully capitalize.”

Nordqvist, from Sweden, and Park, from South Korea, were at 2-under 70 in a group that included Maude-Aimee LeBlanc of Sherbrooke, Que., and Anne-Catherine Tanguay of Quebec City. Alena Sharp of Hamilton and amateur Celeste Dao of Notre-Dame-de-l’Ile-Perrot, Que., opened at 71.

There are 16 Canadians in the field. Play will continue through Sunday at the US$2.25-million tournament.

Charles Fitzsimmons of London, Ont., and Todd Fanning of Winnipeg shared the previous course record at Wascana. They posted rounds of 65 at last year’s Canadian men’s mid-amateur championship.

VICTORIA, B.C. – While cold weather conditions at Victoria Golf Club made for a tougher day Saare Adams carded a third-round 69 on Thursday to edge out Garrett Rank for the lead heading into the final day of the Canadian Men’s Mid-Amateur Championship.

Adams battled it out on his home course, where he happens to also be the tournament chair, playing an up and down round with four bogeys and five birdies. The local golfer was one of only four golfers to score in the red during the third round.

“It was a good round. A little shaky start, butchered the first hole after a good drive and then made another bogey and kind of got into the groove, played better and found my putter,” said the 34-year-old. “I’ve got a good home course advantage. It was a little breezier today, so I think lots of the guys kind of struggled.”

All in all, Adams felt like it was just another round of golf and added, “I’m just trying to have some fun and not make any big numbers.”

Garrett Rank, the 36-hole leader got off to a  rocky start to his round with two consecutive bogeys out of the gate, followed by a birdie and yet another bogey. Rank settled down with 6 pars and a birdie through the first 14 holes, before difficult double bogeys on 15 and 16 saw him finish the day sharing a piece of second.

All hope is not lost for the 30-year-old, who is only one shot behind the lead alongside fellow former Mid-Amateur champion Kevin Carrigan. Carrigan, who started the day in a tie for third, posted an even-par 70 after registering four birdies and four bogeys to sit in second with Rank at 2-under-par 208.

In the over-40 Mid-Master division, Sandy Harper of Nanaimo, B.C. shot 67, the low-round of the day, to tie defending champion Todd Fanning  at 1 under par.

When asked about how it felt to co-lead the division, Harper just laughed.

“It was a good round. Overall, I hit it well and drove it well and hit a lot of greens,” said the Nanaimo, B.C. native. “I’m just trying for the 60-and-over division.”

Not to be outdone, Fanning added his own sense of humour to the conversation.

“Sandy played professional golf before I did, so I think our combined ages are probably more than the four other guys in the last two groups,” said the 50-year-old. “I find this golf course keeps you off balance the whole round. Staying patient is important and just understanding that everyone else is going through what you’re going through.”

Derek Meinhart of Mattoon, Ill., rounds out the Mid-Master top-three at 5 over par.

In addition to the Canadian Men’s Mid-Amateur title, the 2018 champion will receive an exemption into the 2019 RBC Canadian Open at Hamilton Golf & Country Club in Hamilton, Ont.

For full results click here.

REGINA – Celeste Dao wanted her first appearance at the CP Women’s Open to be an experience she’ll always remember.

Her first hole at the Wascana Country Club on Thursday was one she’ll likely never forget.

Battling nerves in her tournament debut, the 17-year-old developmental squad player nearly sent her opening drive out of bounds. Faced with a terrible lie under low-hanging tree branches, she whiffed on her second shot and later found the rough and the bunker before settling for a double-bogey six.

But showing remarkable mettle for a youngster not used to playing on the LPGA Tour, Dao responded with a birdie on the second hole.

“I turned the page,” Dao said. “I was ready to make birdies after.”

Dao bogeyed the seventh hole and had three birdies on the back nine for a solid 1-under-par 71.

“Being patient – that’s my big thing to play well,” she said. “I knew on the back nine there were par fives and par fours waiting for me.”

Dao, from Notre-Dame-de-l’Ile-Perrot, Que., is considered one of Canada’s top young prospects. She won her first international title at the 2018 Mexican Junior Girls Championship and also qualified to play in the U.S. Women’s Open.

Dao uses a slow backswing and comes down on the ball with a seemingly effortless motion. Her crisp ball striking and impressive short game were on display Thursday and she’ll be a good bet to make the cut if she keeps it up in the second round.

“All the skills are there,” said Golf Canada junior squad women’s coach Matt Wilson. “She just needs to keep chipping away at it. The more experience and exposure that she can get against the best competition possible, the better it is for Celeste.”

Dao, one of 16 Canadians in the field, was seven shots behind clubhouse co-leaders Colombia’s Mariajo Uribe and Thailand’s Ariya Jutanugarn.

Maude-Aimee LeBlanc of Sherbrooke, Que., was the low Canadian in the early going at 2-under 70. Alena Sharp of Hamilton, Ont. joined Dao at 71 while amateur Ellie Szeryk of London, Ont., was at even-par 72.

Elizabeth Tong of Thornhill, Ont., had a 73 and Augusta James of Bath, Ont., was at 74. Megan Osland of Kelowna, B.C., shot a 75 and Saskatoon native Bobbi Brandon had an 83.

Brooke Henderson of Smiths Falls, Ont., was one of several Canadian players with afternoon tee times. Jocelyne Bourassa was the last Canadian to win this tournament, taking the 1973 title in Montreal.

Dao said she also whiffed a shot in the fescue at last week’s Girls British Open Amateur in Northern Ireland.

This time, the ball settled under a large pine tree. She was forced to use a five-wood because her irons weren’t long enough due to the overhanging branches.

After the miss, her third shot found the long grass and fourth shot landed in the sand. Dao managed a nice save and hit the short putt.

She drank some water and quickly focused on the second hole, forgetting all about her opening struggles. Wilson said Dao knows she’s fully capable of recovering and putting a rough hole aside.

“It’s not common among teenagers especially when they would likely mostly panic in that situation,” he said. “But again, she’s a very resilient kid and just hyper-competitive.”

Play continues through Sunday at the US$2.25-million event.

VICTORIA, B.C. – As the brisk, windy conditions set in at Victoria Golf Club, Garrett Rank fought hard to keep the heat going during the second round of the Canadian Men’s Mid-Amateur Championship and hold on to his lead at Victoria Golf Club on Wednesday.

The three-time Canadian Men’s Mid-Amateur Champion started off strong with three birdies and an impressive eagle across his first twelve holes against a single bogey. However, the strength of the wind picked up, making for difficult playing conditions on the back-nine. 

“Sometimes you get the bad end of the draw and we got the bad end of the draw with nine holes of absolute survival in the wind,” said Rank. “I couldn’t really distance myself today and I guess mother nature didn’t cooperate, so it was a bit of a grind there.”

The less-than-ideal weather saw the 30-year-old make two more bogeys for a second round 68. With more wind forecasted for Thursday, the Elmira, Ont., talent will head into the third round with a three-stroke lead.

“I’m in a good condition after the first two days,” added the NHL referee. “Now everyone has to play in the same weather conditions, so it levels the playing field a little bit and I’m in a good spot.”

It was a different story for the three local golfers who round out the top-three. With the Victoria crowds cheering them on during the earlier wave, they are still within reach of winning the championship on home soil. As the familiar green of his home club lay under his feet, Victoria native Jordan Caron shot a 67 to sit in solo-second.

“I just wanted to come in with low expectations,” said the former host club Assistant Professional. “But it’s easy to get on your home golf course in a tournament like this and start thinking more about where not to hit instead of where to hit it, so I’ve been reigning myself in.”

Despite struggling with his swing, Caron registered four birdies and three bogeys enroute to a two-round score of 4 under par.

“I grinded well and kept my head and made a lot of par putts which is good and a few birdie putts here,” added Caron. “It was kind of fun to start getting to the part when I was under par again, so it’s exciting but at the same time you’re trying to treat it like a regular round of golf out here.” 

Another Victoria Golf Club member, Saare Adams, started on the back-nine weighed down by four bogeys, but made three consecutive birdies after making the turn. The 34-year-old finished the round sharing a piece of third at 2 under with fellow Victorian Kevin Carrigan, who won the tournament in 2012 and 2013.

In the Mid-Master division, Todd Fanning from Winnipeg, Man., held on to first place, recovering from a shaky start that included two bogeys and two double bogeys.

“Today was a little more up and down than yesterday,” said the defending champion. “I had a lot of silly shots and a lot of good shots and turned out to be an even-par 70 which was a bit of a grind because I had to finish 3 under on my last seven.”

After recording the first ace of the tournament on the sixth hole, Sandy Harper of Nanaimo, B.C. is in second, three shots behind Fanning at 2 over. David Greenaway of Barrie, Ont., and host club member Craig Doell of Victoria, B.C., are tied for third at 4 over par.

Team Ontario cemented their spot in the tournament’s history, defending their inter-provincial title with an impressive 10-stroke margin to win the R. Bruce Forbes Trophy for the fourth straight year.  Thanks to Rank’s lead, three-time Mid-Amateur champion Dave Bunker of Brampton, Ont., and Patrick Forbes of Toronto, Team Ontario secured their 14th win in the inter-provincial division, the most wins by a team since the division was established in 1992.

Team British Columbia finished in second with a total 2-over-par 282 while Team Manitoba came in third at 9-over-par 289.

In addition to the Canadian Men’s Mid-Amateur title, the 2018 champion will receive an exemption into the 2019 RBC Canadian Open at Hamilton Golf & Country Club in Hamilton, Ont. 

REGINA, Sask. (Golf Canada) – Newly minted Rolex Ranking No. 1 Sung Hyun Park is excited to return to Canada and defend her 2017 CP Women’s Open title.

A more confident and experienced Park enters this week’s event at Wascana Country Club after taking her fifth career victory at last week’s Indy Women in Tech Championship driven by Group 1001, which bumped her ahead of Thailand’s Ariya Jutanugarn for the top spot in the Rolex Women’s World Golf Rankings.

“I am so excited and happy to be ranked No. 1,” said Park, who became the first LPGA Tour rookie to reach the top of the world rankings when she held the spot for one week in November 2017. “Nothing has really changed. It does put a little bit of pressure on me, but I just want to maintain that type of play. I’m still going to focus on what I need to get done this week.”

The early portion of the 2018 season brought Park into a difficult patch in her game. Through her first 15 events, she grabbed two wins, but also uncharacteristically missed six cuts and only earned two other top-10 finishes. The hyper-competitive Park started to question if she would be able to live up to the lofty expectations set by her fans – and by herself. Now with those doubts cast aside, Park pursues more success in the last stretch of the 2018 season.

“I now have a lot more experience under my belt,” said the 24-year-old with five career LPGA Tour wins. “Even though I’ve had a couple missed cuts this season, I still feel like this is a really great season for me and I think I can win more tournaments this year.”

Most people don’t excel at professional sports at age 15. But most people aren’t Lydia Ko. The New Zealander won the 2012 CP Women’s Open as a 15-year-old amateur, becoming the youngest winner in LPGA history.

“I think even at that time it didn’t really settle in,” said Ko, who followed her maiden win up with another win in 2013 as an amateur and tacked on a third Canadian national title in 2015 as a professional. “I think you’re so young that you don’t really know what’s going on. Obviously, you’re super excited and super happy to have won, but, you know, I think I feel like I was very lucky right now looking back more than I was actually at that time. It was a lot to take in.”

Three years removed from that last win and Ko is primed for her fourth victory north of the border. The 21-year-old comes to Regina off a T16 finish at last week’s Indy Women in Tech Championship driven by Group 1001, and hopes to better her Canadian performance from 2017, when she missed the cut for the first time in her CP Women’s Open career.

“Every time I come back to Canada I feel like it’s another home for me,” said Ko. “It’s always great to come back to a place where you feel really welcomed and you don’t feel like a stranger. The crowds are there on practice rounds and Pro-Ams. That’s how excited they are to see us. I think that’s a cool thing for us to play in front of these massive crowds.”

The opening-round of the 2018 CP Women’s Open begins at 7:00 am off the first and 10^th tees.

REGINA – A look at five players to watch at this week’s CP Women’s Open at Wascana Country Club:

BROOKE HENDERSON

All eyes will be on the 20-year-old native of Smiths Falls, Ont., as she goes for her second LPGA Tour win of the season.

Henderson, who won last April in Hawaii, is brimming with confidence after closing with a 63 last week in Indianapolis to finish tied for seventh.

She made her CP Women’s Open debut as a 14-year-old and quickly rose up the rankings as a teenager. Henderson currently holds the No. 14 position.

Two more victories will pull her into a tie with Sandra Post for most career wins (eight) on the LPGA Tour.

LYDIA KO

Three of Ko’s 15 career LPGA Tour wins have come in Canada: two as an amateur and one as a pro.

Ko became the youngest winner in LPGA history in 2012 when she won in Edmonton at the age of 15 years four months two days.

She defended her title a year later and won again in 2015.

The world No. 16 from New Zealand would set a tournament record with a fourth title at this event.

SUNG HYUN PARK

The defending champion from South Korea has picked up where she left off after an impressive rookie season last year.

Park and Ariya Jutanugarn lead all LPGA Tour players with three wins apiece this year. Park’s victory last week bumped Jutanugarn down to second in the world rankings.

Park became the fastest player in LPGA history to reach US$2 million in career earnings. She did it in seven months 13 days, needing only 19 starts to reach the plateau.

CELESTE DAO

Dao leads an impressive group of Canadian youngsters in the field this week at Wascana Country Club.

The 17-year-old national development squad member earned her first international title this year by winning the Mexican Junior Girls Championship.

She also led Canada to a third-place finish at the Junior World Cup in Japan.

Dao, from Notre-Dame-de-l’Ile-Perrot, Que., also qualified for the U.S. Women’s Open but did not make the cut.

BOBBI BRANDON

The Saskatoon native will have a significant cheering section when she makes her first appearance at this event in 20 years.

Brandon earned one of the last four exemptions at Monday’s qualifying event at Royal Regina Golf Club.

The PGA of Canada professional, who works out of the Moon Lake Golf & Country Club, shot a 2-over-par 74 to finish tied for second in the 11-player qualifier field.

Brandon missed the cut at the 1998 tournament in Windsor, Ont.

REGINA – England’s Georgia Hall can relate to the pressure that Canadian golfers may be feeling at the CP Women’s Open.

Hall won the Women’s British Open earlier this month at Royal Lytham to become the first British player to win the tournament since 2009. She didn’t think about any added tension during her breakout performance and instead focused on the excitement at hand.

“Just enjoy being at home and enjoy having your family and friends come and watch,” Hall said Wednesday. “That’s what I did. Don’t really worry about the outcome. Four days is a lot of golf. So just enjoy it and see what happens.”

Brooke Henderson of Smiths Falls, Ont., headlines the list of 16 Canadians in the field this week at the Wascana Country Club. The world No. 14 has one victory and eight top-10 finishes this season.

Jocelyne Bourassa was the last Canadian to win this tournament, taking the 1973 title in Montreal.

“That’s a long time,” Henderson said. “Yeah, (there’s) a little bit (of pressure). I would love to win this tournament. I don’t know if that’s this year. Hopefully before my career is over.”

Henderson finished in a tie for 12th last year in Ottawa. She has an afternoon tee time for Thursday’s opening round with new world No. 1 Sung Hyun Park of South Korea and Sweden’s Anna Nordqvist.

“It’s kind of like the sixth major for me on the LPGA Tour,” Henderson said. “It’s very meaningful, very important to me, especially being a CP ambassador and playing here in my home country.”

@BrookHendersonGolf will tee it up in Thursday’s opening round of the #CPWO alongside defending champ Sung Hyun Park ( @xxndl) and @A_Nordqvist

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Other Canadians include LPGA Tour regulars Alena Sharp of Hamilton, Maude-Aimee LeBlanc of Sherbrooke, Que., Anne-Catharine Tanguay of Quebec City and Brittany Marchand of Orangeville, Ont.

Symetra Tour players include Jennifer Ha of Calgary, Saskatoon’s Anna Young, Augusta James of Bath, Ont., Elizabeth Tong of Thornhill, Ont., and Megan Osland of Kelowna, B.C. Canadian Golf Hall of Famer Lorie Kane of Charlottetown will make her record-tying 28th appearance.

National amateur squad member Naomi Ko of Victoria is also in the field with development squad players Celeste Dao of Notre-Dame-de-l’Ile-Perrot, Que., and Ellie Szeryk of London, Ont. Amateur Grace St. Germain of Ottawa was a late withdrawal.

Vancouver teenager Tiffany Kong is playing on an exemption and Saskatoon native Bobbi Brandon earned a spot with a top-four finish in Monday’s qualifier.

“It’s about time that one of us wins it and it’d be awesome to do it this week,” Sharp said. “(I) just want to have a chance at it going into the weekend.”

Golf Canada’s national women’s head coach Tristan Mullally said it’s possible for players to treat the added pressure in a positive way.

“You can use that if you leverage it correctly,” he said. “I often say, ‘You can sit at the edge of a cliff and you can look down and be scared or you can look out and enjoy the view.’

“I think it’s that perspective. It’s got to be where, ‘These people are rooting for me. I can use that energy.”’

Second-ranked Ariya Jutanugarn of Thailand, China’s Shanshan Feng and Americans Morgan Pressel and Paula Creamer are some of the other big names in the field.

The wind was howling on a warm, sunny afternoon for Wednesday’s pro-am championship. Similar conditions are expected for the first two rounds but rain is in the forecast for the weekend.

There are opportunities to go low on the 6,675-yard course. It’s a flat track with long, narrow fairways, thick rough and fast greens.

Players who are long off the tee – like Henderson – could give themselves opportunities as the course often rewards aggressive play.

This will be Hall’s first tournament since her first major title – and first victory – on Tour. The rookie will play in a group with three-time CP Women’s Open champion Lydia Ko of New Zealand and American Lexi Thompson.

Play continues through Sunday at the US$2.25-million event. The champion will earn $337,500.

Notes: There won’t be a domestic television broadcast or simulcast this year as all four rounds will air on The Golf Channel. LPGA commissioner Mike Whan said both he and Golf Canada CEO Laurence Applebaum would like to rectify broadcast plans either next year or by 2020. … The 2019 CP Women’s Open will be held at the Magna Golf Club in Aurora, Ont.

Click here to visit the CP Women’s Open website.

VICTORIA, B.C. – Garrett Rank heated up an otherwise calm, windless day at Victoria Golf Club after he shot a 5-under-par 65 to lead the Canadian Men’s Mid-Amateur Championship after round one on Tuesday.

The Elmira, Ont., talent started the day on the back nine and didn’t waste any time before recording an eagle straight out of the gate on his first hole.

“I got off to a great start, eagled the first hole, made a nice putt for birdie on my third hole and it was off to the races. I made a few mistakes in the middle of the round but had a lot of really good putting today,” said Rank, whose 2016 Men’s Mid-Amateur win made him one of only three players to record three consecutive titles in the tournament’s history. “65 is a great score and I’m pleased with it, but definitely going to need to be a bit sharper if I’m going to take it home.”

After his eagle, the 30-year-old Team Canada Amateur Squad graduate would go on to card five birdies against two bogeys to lead the field. He has made quite the splash in amateur golf this season, most recently at the 114th Canadian Men’s Amateur Championship where he finished in third and was the low Canadian at the tournament by seven strokes.

“I’m in love with the game of golf and love playing golf,” added the NHL referee, when asked about competing in his fourth event in a row and his intense amateur golf summer schedule. “If this is what I get to do in the summer, then I need to play in events.”

Two B.C. players sit in second place as Jordan Caron of Victoria and Jay Snyder of Vancouver shot matching 3-under-par 67s. Both players played consistent golf throughout the day. Caron, who calls Victoria Golf Club home, registered four birdies and a sole bogey while Snyder, who earned an exemption into this week’s tournament after winning the 2018 B.C. Mid-Amateur Championship, carded five birdies and two bogeys.

Todd Fanning, the defending Men’s Mid-Amateur and Mid-Master champion from Winnipeg, Man., leads the over-40 Mid-Master division by two strokes.

“We had the afternoon draw and neither of us threw grass or discussed the wind direction with our caddies one time,” said the 50-year-old. “Only getting one practice round on a course this difficult and with the greens this tricky, I felt like I was thinking pretty conservatively and was just kind of unsure of a few different shots. All-in-all, I think that a 69 is a good way to start.”

Canadian Golf Hall of Fame Legend and seven-time Canadian Men’s Mid-Amateur Champion Graham Cooke from Hudson, Que., is in second alongside four other golfers —Senan Foley (Calgary, Alta.), Sandy Harper (Nanaimo, B.C.), Craig Doell (Victoria, B.C.) and Glenn Robinson (Middle Sackville, N.S.)— at 1-over-par 71.

Defending champion Team Ontario leads the inter-provincial competition in large part due to Rank’s low-round of the day. Fellow teammates Dave Bunker (Brampton, Ont.) and Patrick Forbes (Toronto, Ont.) have Ontario at the top of the leaderboard by a comfortable four-stroke margin at 7 under par.

Team British Columbia is in solo second at 3 under while Team Quebec is in third at 3 over.

In addition to the Canadian Men’s Mid-Amateur title, the 2018 champion will receive an exemption into the 2019 RBC Canadian Open at Hamilton Golf & Country Club in Hamilton, Ont.

REGINA – It’s a golf swing that is by no means of the textbook variety.

Brooke Henderson uses a long driver, grips down on it and rotates her body quickly, using impressive core strength to maintain the necessary stability and balance as she brings the club down.

The torque is intense, but it’s a motion that allows her to get every last bit of energy and power from her slight, yet taut, five-foot-six frame.

It can sound like a gunshot when the clubface meets the ball, which usually rockets down the fairway.

Henderson’s power game has always been there. Her short game has not been as consistent, but is showing signs of improvement entering this week’s CP Women’s Open.

“I feel it’s in a really good place right now – at least the last few weeks,” Henderson said after Tuesday’s practice round at the Wascana Country Club. “Golf is sort of weird and (the) short game is really weird. You can putt great one day and putt terrible the next.

“It’s all about energy and staying positive and kind of believing that you can make everything. I feel like I’m getting closer to that spot, so I’m excited.”

Henderson’s putter was hot at last week’s LPGA Tour stop in Indianapolis. She closed with a 9-under-par 63 to finish tied for seventh.

It was her eighth top-10 result of the season.

“(I) made a lot of putts and it was cool to make a lot of birdies and kind of get that feeling back again,” she said.

The 20-year-old native of Smiths Falls, Ont., averages almost 270 yards per drive, good for seventh among all LPGA Tour players. Her driving accuracy is so-so at 71.79 per cent (69th overall) but she hits over 75 per cent of greens in regulation (third overall).

However, she averages 29.70 putts per round (54th) and her sand save percentage is a mediocre 40.98 per cent (104th).

Henderson will have plenty of opportunities this week on the 6,675-yard course, which plays long in spots, but can reward players who are aggressive.

Home sweet home ??? #CPWO

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That could work into Henderson’s hands as she tries to become the first Canadian to win this tournament since Jocelyne Bourassa won at Montreal in 1973.

“The way (Henderson) scores is she can go on a tear of like four of five birdies in a row,” Canadian golf legend Sandra Post said in a recent interview. “She’s not afraid to go low when she plays.”

Henderson earned her lone win of the season last April in Hawaii for her sixth career LPGA Tour victory, leaving her two behind Post for most all-time wins on Tour by a Canadian.

She has managed to maintain a solid world ranking position of No. 14 even though it has been a challenging season at times. Both of Henderson’s grandfathers died earlier this year.

“It’s been a really crazy and weird and kind of tough summer, for sure,” Henderson said. “But I feel like once I get inside the ropes I can kind of let that go and know that my two grandpas that did pass away, they’re always cheering me on and looking on from heaven. That kind of gives me that little bit (of an) extra boost.”

Henderson leads an impressive field that includes defending champion and world No. 1 Sung Hyun Park of South Korea, second-ranked Ariya Jutanugarn of Thailand, American Lexi Thompson and China’s Shanshan Feng.

On the coaching front, Henderson works with her father, Dave, and gets tips from her sister, Brittany – who also serves as her caddie. She has also worked with Golf Canada’s national women’s head coach Tristan Mullally in the past.

Kevin Haime, a past winner of the PGA of Canada national teacher of the year award, hosts a junior golf event in the Ottawa area that has featured Henderson and her sister. He regularly uses a video demo of Brooke’s swing for his students.

“There’s about six different things that you could say don’t make a lot of sense there,” Haime said. “But she’s such a wonderful athlete with wonderful timing, she drives the ball better than (almost) anybody on the LPGA Tour.”

As strong as Henderson can be off the tee, she can really be a force when the putter is going.

“When it’s on, she really goes low,” Post said. “But she’s got tremendous spirit, tremendous desire and will. I always find that’s the one thing that can’t be taught. You have to have all those other things.

“But it’s almost like that unknown – if you’ve got that in you – to sort of step up.”

Henderson said the friendly competition with her sister – who’s now 27 – during their formative years in the sport also helped give her game a big boost.

“I was always trying to beat her, be as good as her,” she said. “She was always a lot taller, a lot stronger, so I tried to hit the ball, outdrive her, which didn’t happen for a long time. But I think that’s why I didn’t have that unique strength, because I was just trying to use every ounce of my body to get the ball out there.

“I feel like she really pushed me to be better at a younger age.”

Henderson will return to the par-72 course on Wednesday for the championship pro-am competition. First-round play begins Thursday morning.

Saskatoon native Bobbi Brandon picked up one of four final exemptions in Monday’s qualifying to boost the number of Canadian players in the field to 16.

The US$2.25-million tournament will wrap up Sunday.