Jeeno Thitikul, Minjee Lee, Lilia Vu, Rose Zhang and defending champion Lauren Coughlin join Henderson, Korda and Ko in the field for the 2025 CPKC Women’s Open

CPKC Has Heart campaign to benefit official charity partner MacKids along with community charity beneficiary Trillium Health Partners

MISSISSAUGA, Ont. – Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CPKC), Golf Canada and the LPGA Tour today announced the early commitments scheduled to compete in the 51st playing of the CPKC Women’s Open, August 20-24 at Mississaugua Golf and Country Club in Mississauga, Ont.

The list of early commitments features six of the current top 10 and 15 of the top 25 in the Rolex World Golf Rankings. The field also includes six of the top 10, 15 of the top 25 and 66 of the top 100 players on the 2025 Race to the CME Globe Standings. The final field will be announced on Friday, August 15.

Thirteen-time LPGA Tour winner and the winningest golfer in Canadian history, Brooke Henderson of Smiths Falls, Ont., will lead a field of 156 golfers that includes current world no. 1 Nelly Korda, three-time CPKC Women’s Open champion and 2024 Olympic Gold medalist Lydia Ko (world no. 3), and current leader in the Race to the CME Globe, Jeeno Thitikul (world no. 2). Other notables include Ruoning Yin (world no. 4), Haeran Ryu (world no. 5) and Hannah Green (world no. 8), along with rising stars Lilia Vu (world no. 11) and Rose Zhang (world no. 44). Minjee Lee (world no. 24) has also committed to compete in Mississauga. Lee recently won the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship, earning her 11th career win and third major championship.

The CPKC Women’s Open through CPKC Has Heart will once again leave a meaningful impact in the host community of Canada’s National Women’s Open Championship. For 2025, CPKC has selected MacKids, the arm of Hamilton Health Sciences Foundation dedicated to fundraising for MacMaster Children’s Hospital, as the primary charity partner with a goal to raise more than $2.8 million in support of pediatric cardiac care initiatives from newborn to adolescent. In addition, Trillium Health Partners will be the community charity partner with CPKC generously matching donations up to $250,000 in support of Trillium Health Partners cardiac program equipment needs, with up to $500,000 expected to be raised.

“The growth and impact of this incredible event, which continues to attract the world’s top golfers, is undeniable,” said Keith Creel, CPKC President & Chief Executive Officer. “Our ultimate goal with the CPKC Women’s Open has been, and always will be, to help the youngest hearts across Canada. We are excited for the community to come together to raise millions of dollars for MacKids.”

Last year, CPKC helped raise $4.3 million for heart health with donations of $3.8 million to the Alberta Children’s Hospital Foundation and $507,000 to the Red Deer Regional Health Foundation. Since 2014, this tournament, which is the marquee event of the CPKC Has Heart community investment program, has helped raise over $23 million in support of children’s heart health in North America.

Defending champion Lauren Coughlin is among six past CPKC Women’s Open champions competing for Canada’s Women’s National Open Championship including Megan Khang (2023), Jin Young Ko (2019), Brooke Henderson (2018), Brittany Lincicome (2011) and Lydia Ko (2015, 2013, 2012) who will be chasing a record fourth CPKC Women’s Open title.

Mississaugua Golf and Country Club will welcome eight LPGA Tour in-year winners, including Yealimi Noh (Founders Cup), Lydia Ko (HSBC Women’s World Championship), Madelene Sagstrom (T-Mobile Match Play), Haeran Ryu (Black Desert Championship), Jeeno Thitikul (Mizuho Americas Open), Jennifer Kupcho (ShopRite LPGA Classic), Carlota Ciganda (Meijer LPGA Classic) and Minjee Lee (KPMG Women’s PGA Championship).

Henderson, a CPKC Ambassador, made history at the Wascana Country Club in Regina in 2018 becoming the first Canadian since the late Jocelyne Bourassa won Canada’s National Women’s Open 45 years earlier. Henderson will be joined by fellow Canadians with LPGA Tour status, Savannah Grewal of Mississauga, Ont., Alena Sharp of Hamilton, Ont., and Maude-Aimee Leblanc of Sherbrooke, Que.

In addition, an important pathway to the CPKC Women’s Open is through the She Plays Golf Championship Series, a three-stop circuit that offers competitive opportunities for elite Canadian players with exemptions into the tournament available. Two Team Canada athletes have claimed the first two exemptions as 14-year-old Clara Ding of White Rock, B.C. won the Golf BC Group BC Women’s Open and 16-year-old Shauna Liu of Maple, Ont., won The Peloton Glencoe Invitational. Both Ding and Liu will be making their first starts in an LPGA tour event. The final stop in the series will take place at the PGA Women’s Championship of Canada at Burlington Golf and Country Club, July 7-10. One additional exemption will be awarded to the player ranked highest on the order of merit for the series, if not already qualified. For more information, click here.

“We are excited to announce the early commitments led by Brooke Henderson, Nelly Korda and Lydia Ko for the 51st playing of our National Women’s Open Championship. The CPKC Women’s Open draws one of the strongest fields on the LPGA Tour and we look forward to watching these incredible athletes compete in Mississauga,” said Claire Welsh, Tournament Director, CPKC Women’s Open. “We have welcomed nearly 1,000 volunteer registrations, highlighting the excitement to be part of this special tournament. The CPKC Women’s Open is one of the top yearly women’s sporting events in Canada and fans are in store for a very memorable week this August.”

The 2025 CPKC Women’s Open will take place on the Treaty 22 territory of the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation (MCFN), on lands that were once home to the Credit River Mission Village. During tournament week, MCFN will share their culture, history, and enduring connection to the land through ceremony, storytelling, and educational elements on-site. This engagement is part of a broader effort to ensure the tournament honours the history of the territory and creates space for learning, reflection, and meaningful community connection.

One of Canada’s premier annual sporting events, the CPKC Women’s Open is riding continued momentum from being named as the Gold Driver Award recipient for Best Volunteer Appreciation at the LPGA 2024 Gold Driver Awards. In addition, the 2024 CPKC Women’s Open was named Sport Tourism Canada’s International Sport Event of the Year at the 2025 Sport Tourism Canada PRESTIGE Awards.

The CPKC Women’s Open also earned the LPGA Tour’s Tournament of the Year award in back-to-back years in 2022 and 2023. The 2023 tournament also won additional awards for Best Sponsorship Activation and Best Volunteer Appreciation at Shaughnessy Golf and Country Club in Vancouver. Golf Canada and CPKC also received Gold Driver Awards for Best Sponsor Activation in 2019, 2022 and 2023 as well as Best Community and Charity Engagement in 2017, 2019 and 2022.

WOMEN’S LEADERSHIP SUMMIT RETURNS

Golf Canada and CPKC will host the eighth annual CPKC Women’s Leadership summit on Tuesday, August 19 as part of the weeklong excitement of the 2025 CPKC Women’s Open. The summit will be held at the Boulevard Club in Toronto, Ont., and be hosted by TSN’s Lindsay Hamilton. The day will bring together like-minded business leaders from across the country for a day of networking, empowerment and philanthropy. For more information, click here.

HALL OF FAME DAY SET FOR TUESDAY OF TOURNAMENT WEEK
Golf Canada will host Hall of Fame Day on Tuesday, August 19. Accomplished amateur golfer, Richard Scott, former professional golfer Jerry Anderson (posthumous) and renowned course architect Charles Blair Macdonald (posthumous) will be inducted into the Canadian Golf Hall of Fame. For more information on the honoured members, click here. In addition, Alena Sharp of Hamilton, Ont. will be inducted into Golf Ontario’s Hall of Fame during the ceremony after previously being announced in March.

“THE RINK” HOLE AND THE FARE WAY FEATURING THE KEG FAN EXPERIENCE RETURNS

Fans of all ages will once again be able to experience the week-long celebration of golf highlighted by The Rink on the 10th hole at Mississaugua, and a variety of food and patio experiences in The Fare Way featuring the Keg.

KIDS 12-AND-UNDER GET IN FREE

As part of the championship’s commitment to junior golf, admission all week is free for youth aged 12-and-under. General admission tickets provide access to the golf course and enjoy fan activations throughout the property and experience the thrill of major professional golf.

MOBILE APP EXPERIENCE

Experience the CPKC Women’s Open like never before by downloading the Golf Canada Mobile App on your iOS or Android device. Essential features include a live map, leaderboard & pairings, tickets, breaking news, and special events. Plus, use the Golf Canada Mobile App to enhance your experience while playing! Find golf courses, track your game, set up matches against friends, access GPS yardages and more. Click here to download.

Myles Creighton had such a good week he almost forgot about the hole-in-one.

Creighton, from Digby, N.S., had an ace on a par-3 hole in Friday’s second round, followed it up with an 11-under 59 in the third round, and then had a 2-under 68 on Sunday to win the Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas Wichita Open. 

His first victory on the Korn Ferry Tour and catapulted him 58 spots up to 16th on the second-tier circuit’s points list.

“Just kind of processing it all still,” said Creighton as he travelled to the Memorial Health Championship in Springfield, Ill. “I think it’ll take a little while to set in but we another tournament and all so it kind of on to the next one, trying to prepare.

“But I am, you know, trying to enjoy this one, and we’ll do that for at least a couple weeks.”

Creighton wasn’t even sure he’d be able to play the weekend at Crestview Country Club in Wichita, but he had two eagles on Friday — the hole-in-one on the par-3 12th and a hole out on the par-4 15th as he shot 30 on the back nine  — to make the cut with a round of a 2-under 68.

That set up Creighton’s Saturday, where he had 12 birdies and one bogey to move to the top of the leaderboard. He then held on to that lead in the final round for the victory. 

Creighton became just the third player in Korn Ferry Tour history to win an event after carding a sub-60 round the same week.

“It was just such a crazy week,” Creighton said with a chuckle. “All the things that happened, just to give myself a chance to play on Saturday and then 59 on Saturday and then win the golf tournament.”

He is the second Canadian to win on the Korn Ferry Tour after Sudarshan Yellamaraju of Mississauga, Ont., was victorious at The Bahamas Great Abaco Classic on Jan. 22.

Derek Ingram, the head coach of Golf Canada’s men’s team, was at Crestview Country Club last week to support Creighton and the other Canadians in the field at the Wichita Open. He said Creighton’s impressive week was a result of consistent hard work.

“The message with Myles for the last two or three months has been to be patient, keep working the plan, and if you do the right things long enough, we will get rewarded,” said Ingram on Tuesday. “But it’s tough for a guy to be patient when they’re not getting rewarded but we knew good things were going to happen.

“I wasn’t expecting, you know, a hole-in-one, a 30 on the back nine on Friday to make the cut, a 59, and then to win the tournament. We were just expecting great results, whether it’s the top five or some consistent results coming down the pipeline, but that was fantastic and a dream come true for Myles.”

Creighton and Yellamaraju are both in the field at this week’s Memorial Health Championship. Yellamaraju is 18th on the points list.

They’ll be joined at Panther Creek Country Club by Vancouver’s Stuart Macdonald (34th), Matthew Anderson (55th) of Mississauga, Roger Sloan (130th) of Merritt, B.C., and Etienne Papineau (141st) of Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Que.

Other Canadian Golf News

PGA TOUR — Amateur Ashton McCulloch of Kingston, Ont., will be in the field at this week’s Rocket Classic on a sponsors exemption. He’ll be joining regular PGA Tour players Adam Hadwin (ranked 112th on the FedEx Cup standings) of Abbotsford, B.C., Ben Silverman (166th) of Thornhill, Ont., and Adam Svensson (167th) of Surrey, B.C., in the field at Detroit Golf Club.

DP WORLD TOUR — Aaron Cockerill of Stony Mountain, Man., is the lone Canadian teeing off at the Italian Open this week. He’s 116th on the European-based tour’s Race to Dubai points list heading into play at Argentario Golf Club in Monte Argentario, Italy.

CHAMPIONS TOUR — Calgary’s Stephen Ames, Mike Weir of Brights Grove, Ont., and Dave Bunker of Richmond Hill, Ont., are in this week’s U.S. Senior Open Championship. Ames is 35th on the Schwab Cup points list and Weir is 70th heading into play at Broadmoor Golf Club in Colorado Springs, Colo. Bunker hasn’t played on the Champions Tour since 2016.

LPGA TOUR — Savannah Grewal of Mississauga, Ont., leads the Canadian contingent into this week’s Dow Championship. Grewal is 131st in the Race to CME Globe standings heading into play at Midland Country Club in Midland, Mich. Hamilton’s Alena Sharp (141st) and Maude-Aimee Leblanc (156th) of Sherbrooke, Que., are also in the field.

EPSON TOUR — Maddie Szeryk of London, Ont., is the top ranked Canadian on the second-tier Epson Tour heading into the Otter Creek Championship on Friday. She’s 40th in the Race for the Card standings heading into play at Otter Creek Golf Course in Columbus, Ind. There are nine Canadians in the field including Brooke Rivers (56th) of Brampton, Ont., Josee Doyon (63rd) of Saint-Georges, Que., Monet Chun (69th) of Richmond Hill, Ont., Mary Parsons (104th) of Delta, B.C., Yeji Kwon (126th) of Port Coquitlam, B.C., Vancouver’s Leah John (138th), Brigitte Thibault (146th) of Rosemere, Que., and Toronto’s Ashley Chow (unranked).

Myles Creighton of Digby, N.S., won the Wichita Open on Sunday, a day after shooting an 11-under 59, closing with a 2-under 68 for a one-stroke victory over Emilio Gonzalez of Mexico.

Creighton won his first Korn Ferry Tour title, finishing at 17-under 263 at Crestview Country Club.

On Saturday, he became the 15th player in PGA TOUR history to shoot a sub-60 round and the second of the week.

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Gonzalez finished with a 66.

Adrien Dumont de Chassart of Belgium opened with a 59. He closed with a 65 to tie for fifth at 13 under.

Creighton is the second Canadian to win on the Korn Ferry Tour this year, joining Sudarshan Yellamaraju of Mississauga, Ont. Both are now inside the top 20 on the points list, which would secure them a PGA TOUR card at the end of the season.

Creighton seemed like an unlikely winner after making the cut on the number after a second straight round of 68 on Friday, which included five bogeys but two eagles with a hole-in-one.

Stuart Macdonald notched his second top-10 finish of the season, both coming in his last five starts. The Vancouver native shot 68 Sunday to finish at 11 under.

Chase Lassman fired a one-under 71 to claim his second NextGen Championship while Zhang stitched together a bogey-free 66 to win NextGen Prairie Championship. 

WARMAN, Sask. – Chase Lassman of Parkland County, Alta. picked up his second win of the month while Maggie Zhang of Richmond, B.C. fired a six-under 66 in her final round to each claim titles in the Junior Boys and Junior Girls division respectively at the 2025 NextGen Prairie Championship.  

Both Lassman and Zhang kicked off their final round at The Legends Golf Club in Warman, Sask. atop the leaderboards and didn’t take long to find separation from their closest chasers on Sunday.  

Zhang, who started her morning with a three-stroke lead over 2025 NextGen Western Championship winner Yeeun (Jenny) Kwon of Vancouver, B.C., blitzed the front nine to make the turn at six-under par and lead Kwon by eight strokes.  

Birdies at the first, sixth and seventh-holes highlighted Zhang’s hot start to pull away from the pack despite her success on that stretch of the golf course helping carve out her advantage leading up to Sunday’s final round. Zhang played the front nine of The Legends Golf Club at seven-under par throughout the week, a score collectively better than any other player in the field over that stretch.  

Zhang added back-to-back birdies at holes 12 and 13 before entering the clubhouse with another birdie at the 17th to put the finishing touches on a bogey-free 66 and claim her maiden win on the NextGen Championship series.  

“I’m very happy to be the champion of this event and very glad to see that all my hard worked paid off,” commented Zhang following her win Sunday. “The front nine is easier than the back nine, the tee shots gave me more space, the fairways were wider, so I didn’t have to worry about going in the fescue,” she added.   

Teeing off later in the morning with a share of the lead in the Junior Boys division, Lassman rallied around a hot start to take his second title of the month after coming out victorious in a three-player playoff at the NextGen Western Championship in Entwistle, Alta. two weeks ago.  

Lassman grabbed sole possession of the lead on Sunday after rolling in birdie putts on the first, fifth and sixth holes to get nine-under par.  

Consecutive bogeys on 14 and 15 stalled his momentum but failed to bump him from the top spot. Lassman finished the final three holes of his round at even par while his closest chaser, reigning NextGen Prairie Championship winner Ryan Mosher of Saskatoon, Sask., played his final six holes at three-over par to finish his title defence three strokes off the pace.  

“I’m a preserver,” commented Lassman on what he learned of himself after his winning form in the month of June. “I learned that I can compete at the national level day in and day out with my B game and with my A game,” he added. Lassman believes the playoff victory at Trestle Creek Golf Resort earlier in the month boosted his confidence and equipped him with the same trait he credited to helping put the finishing touches on his win Sunday at the NextGen Prairie.  

Lassman fired rounds of 70, 68 and 71 to get his hands on another NextGen Championship, while Zhang negated an opening-round 74 with rounds of 67 and 66 to claim her title. Both will compete in the 2025 Canadian U15 Championship set for August 27-29 at Pitt Meadows Golf Club in Pitt Meadows, B.C., as well as their respective Junior Championships later this summer.  

NextGen Prairie Championship – Advancing to 2025 Canadian Junior Boys Championship 

*Top 6 qualify  

NextGen Prairie Championship – Advancing to 2025 Canadian Junior Girls Championship 

*Top 6 plus ties qualify  

With two more stops left on the circuit, the 2025 NextGen Championship season will roll into eastern Ontario for the playing of the 2025 NextGen Quebec Championship set to take place July 3-5 at the Rideau View Golf Club in Manotick, Ont. The 54-hole event will be preceded by a practice round on Wednesday, July 2 and will crown a winner on Saturday, July 5.  

To view the final leaderboards from the 2025 NextGen Prairie 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 2024 national championships. NextGen Championships provide junior players an opportunity to develop and showcase their skills at the highest level of tournament golf.    

OAKMONT, Pa. – Canadian golfer Corey Conners has withdrawn from the final round of the 2025 U.S. Open at Oakmont Country Club due to a right wrist injury.

The 33-year-old from Listowel, Ont., sustained the injury during the first round on Thursday when his club struck a television cable while playing from a bunker. Despite the setback, Conners completed rounds of 72, 74 and 72, positioning himself within the top 15 heading into Sunday’s final round. 

On Saturday, the injury worsened, prompting Conners to seek medical treatment and undergo imaging. He attempted to warm up on Sunday morning but was unable to continue, leading to his withdrawal just hours before his scheduled tee time alongside Ryan Fox, who recently won the RBC Canadian Open.

Conners has had a consistent season on the PGA TOUR, making 14 cuts in 15 events and securing five top-10 finishes. He was ranked ninth in the FedEx Cup standings entering the U.S. Open. His best major result this year was a tie for eighth at the Masters. 

The extent of Conners’ injury and its impact on his participation in upcoming tournaments, including the $20 million Travelers Championship, remains uncertain. 

Liu recorded rounds of 78-67-66 to overcome a five-stroke deficit and win the 2025 Peloton Glencoe Invitational  

CALGARY, Alta. – Shauna Liu of Maple, Ont. fired a bogey-free 66 in her final round to claim a come-from-behind victory at the 2025 Peloton Glencoe Invitational in Calgary, Alta. and become the second Team Canada NextGen member in as many weeks to do so on the She Plays Golf Championship Series.  

The win marks Liu’s fourth in 2025 and earns her a spot in the 2025 CPKC Women’s Open later this summer. The 16-year-old joins her Team Canada NextGen teammate Clara Ding of White Rock, B.C. in the field set to descend on Mississaugua Golf and Country Club, August 20 – 24 after the latter picked up a narrow win in last week’s She Plays Golf Championship Series opener in Whistler, B.C.  

Liu followed an opening-round 78 with rounds of 67 and 66 – both the lowest scores in the second and third round respectively – to finish 5-under and win by two over Team Canada member, Ellie Vorster of London, Ont. She picked up momentum late in her second round on Friday to negate a slow start to the tournament by carding four birdies through holes 14 and 17 to get to one-over par and climb within five strokes of 36-hole leader Vanessa Zhang of Vancouver, B.C.  

Six birdies and a blemish-free scorecard later – the only player in the field to avoid dropping a shot on Saturday – and Liu claimed the tournament she once trailed by four strokes. Birdies at holes one, eight, nine and 10 got her to three-under par and propelled her atop the leaderboard after Katie Cranston of Oakville, Ont. exited with double-bogey at the par-four fourth to drop to two-under.  

Holding onto her first lead of the week, Liu failed to take her foot off the gas throughout the rest of Saturday’s back nine, adding birdies at holes 14 and 16 to build a three-stroke cushion over Cranston and take the clubhouse lead at five-under par.  

The insurance proved to be more than enough to secure Liu victory with Cranston playing her final nine holes at one-over par. Despite finishing third, Cranston – who is also a member of the Team Canada program – nabbed 800 points to add to her lead (1,650 points) in the season-long standings.  

Players who compete in the circuit accumulate points from their finishes that are put towards a season-long standings. The top finisher on the season-long point standings, who does not already have an exemption through winning a She Plays Golf Championship Series event, also receives an exemption to the 2025 CPKC Women’s Open with Cranston leading the field of non-winners entering the final leg of the series.  

For the final standings, leaderboards and purse distribution from the 2025 Peloton Glencoe Invitational, 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. 

The series successfully debuted as part of the Glencoe Invitational in 2023. The final stop of the She Plays Golf Championship Series will be the PGA Women’s Championship of Canada, taking place at Burlington Golf and Country Club in Burlington, Ont. from July 7-10. 

For more information on the She Plays Golf Championship Series or to register for the tournaments, please click here. 

Canadian golf legend Mike Weir has been officially inducted into Canada’s Walk of Fame, joining an esteemed group of national icons recognized for their exceptional contributions to Canadian culture and achievement. The induction ceremony took place on Saturday, June 14, 2025, at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre.

Weir, born in Sarnia and raised in Brights Grove, Ontario, is celebrated for his historic victory at the 2003 Masters Tournament, where he became the first Canadian and the first left-handed golfer to win the prestigious event. Over his professional career, Weir has secured eight PGA Tour victories and has been a prominent figure in international golf competitions, including multiple appearances in the Presidents Cup as a player, assistant captain, and most recently as the captain of the International Team in 2024.

Beyond his achievements on the course, Weir has been a dedicated advocate for youth mental health. Through the Mike Weir Foundation, he played a pivotal role in establishing a youth wellness hub in downtown Sarnia, contributing approximately $1 million towards the $3 million project, which opened its doors in 2023.

Weir’s induction into Canada’s Walk of Fame places him among a distinguished group of 2025 honourees, including rock band Our Lady Peace, actress Tonya Williams, classical guitarist Liona Boyd, cardiovascular surgeon Dr. Tirone David, humanitarian Dr. Samantha Nutt, filmmaker Shawn Levy, hotelier Isadore Sharp, and the Toronto International Film Festival.

The ceremony celebrated the diverse accomplishments of these Canadians, with Walk of Fame CEO Jeffrey Latimer highlighting the unique voices and contributions of each inductee. A televised version of the induction ceremony is scheduled to air on July 1 at 7 p.m. on CBC and CBC Gem.

Weir’s induction is a testament to his enduring impact on Canadian sports and his commitment to community service, solidifying his legacy as one of Canada’s most influential athletes.

WARMAN, Sask. – The Legends Golf Club in Warman, Sask. gears up to host its first-ever Golf Canada event for the playing of the 2025 NextGen Prairie Championship, June 12-15.

The NextGen Championship series returns to the province for the first time since 2023 and welcomes 120 of western Canada’s best Junior golfers – 90 Junior Boys and 30 Junior Girls – for 54 holes of competition. The field will be reduced to approximately the top 52 individuals in the Junior Boys division and top 17 players in the Junior Girls division after 36 holes, with the final round taking centre stage on Sunday, June 15.

Similarly to previous stops on the NextGen Championship circuit this season, exemptions into each of the Canadian Junior Championships will be awarded to the tournament’s top finishers. In the Junior Boys Division, the top six players, including the low medalist following the conclusion of the final round, will earn exemptions into the Canadian Junior Boys Championship set for August 11-15 at Gowan Brae Golf & Country Club in Bathurst, N.B.

In the Junior Girls division, the top six finishers from the event, including ties, will help round out the field at this year’s Canadian Junior Girls Championship taking place August 12 – 16 at Club de golf Sainte-Marie in Sainte Marie, Que. The top two players in both divisions will also earn exemptions into the 2025 Canadian U15 Championship set for August 27-29 at Pitt Meadows Golf Club in Pitt Meadows, B.C.

Notably, the event will also serve as one of three qualifiers to make up Team Saskatchewan for the Canadian Summer Games set to take place August 18-22 at Bally Haly Country Club in St. John’s, N.L. A pair male and female players above the age of 19 will each qualify for the event.

Playing in his home province, Ryan Mosher of Saskatoon, Sask. will look to successfully defend his title after definitively taking the event by three strokes in 2024. The NextGen Prairie Championship will be Mosher’s second appearance of the Championship season, having played in the NextGen Western Championship at Trestle Creek Golf & Resort earlier this month.

Chase Lassman of Parkland County, Alta., Lucas Sturgeon of Saskatoon, Sask., and Ryan Badger of Edmonton, Alta. will also be in the NextGen Prairie Championship field just weeks after competing against one another in a playoff to decide the NextGen Western Championship.

Yeeun (Jenny) Kwon of Vancouver, B.C. will headline the Junior Girls’ division this week and will be vying for her second NextGen Championship victory this month after claiming her maiden title at Trestle Creek Golf & Resort.

“We are so proud and excited to welcome the NextGen Prairie Championship to the Legends Golf Club – partnering with Golf Canada is proving to be a wonderful opportunity,” said Davidson Matyczuk, head golf professional, Legends Golf Club. “The Legends has been a strong supporter of junior golf in Saskatchewan and Manitoba and with this Championship, we are now able to extend that support to the national stage. We are certainly looking forward to welcoming everyone to Warman and the Legends Golf Club this week.”

The Legends Golf Club offers a unique caveat of being a links-style course – the first layout of its kind on the 2025 Championship season. Operating since 2011, the course has become one of the premier golf experiences in Saskatchewan and has hosted provincial amateur championships at the junior, mid-amateur and professional level.

Though the course’s wide and undulating fairways offer a sense of comfort for players off the tee, thick patches of fescue strenuously defend the property and force players to rethink their club choices on every hole.

“Competitors should expect a fair but challenging test of their skills, course management and mental toughness to be successful,” continued Matyczuk. Bunkers at nearly every hole location and water lurking on 10 of the 18 holes makes approaching the green a challenge, pairing up formidably with a series of tight pin locations to challenge the short game of those who dare to be aggressive at The Legends Golf Club.

“Historically having success in a Next Gen Championship will open up new opportunities and provides validation that they can compete amongst the best in Canada. We are confident that our links-style layout will identify the top performers from the field of 30 Girls and 90 Boys as they compete for not only the individual titles, but for exemptions into the Canadian Junior Girls Championship and the Canadian Junior Boys Championship later this summer.”

To follow the live leaderboard of the NextGen Prairie Championship throughout the week, 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.

This is arguably the toughest stretch for Canada’s best male golfers, with two of their biggest events of year on back-to-back weeks.

Nick Taylor, Corey Conners, Taylor Pendrith and Mackenzie Hughes were all in the mix in the final round of the RBC Canadian Open on Sunday, the only PGA Tour event north of the border and a tournament that they consider “the fifth major” of their year. 

On Thursday they will tee it up at an official major, the third of the men’s season, when the U.S. Open starts at the infamously challenging Oakmont Country Club outside of Pittsburgh.

Taylor, from Abbotsford, B.C., said that the transition between the two tournaments can be difficult.

“Managing your rest, your energy levels, is huge,” said Taylor after finishing his final round of the Canadian Open at TPC Toronto at Osprey Valley in Caledon, Ont. “The hard part going into next week, I’ve never been there. I’m going to see the golf course. I’m going to put some time in on the greens, around the greens, and just try to get as much rest as possible.

“I’ll have three days to manage that. It’s not like I’m going to be searching for anything golf game-wise because I feel like I’m in a good spot, so that’s definitely a nice thing.”

There are more media demands placed on Canada’s golfers ahead of the Canadian Open as they help promote the national men’s championship. Coupled with the desire to win the title — Taylor is the only Canadian to manage the feat in over 70 years — and the pressure of larger galleries, it can be an exhausting week.

Pendrith, from Richmond Hill, Ont., said that he and the other 23 Canadians at the national championship look forward to the Canadian Open every year.

“It’s the one time of the year that we’ve got everybody cheering for us, and we want to put on a good show for the fans. They get it once a year,” he said. “They were awesome this week, really, tons of great crowds. 

“It’s a long week for us. We don’t get this every week, so it’s a little more mentally draining (…) There’s a lot of people around, saying hi to a lot of people, a lot of familiar faces, but it’s awesome.”

Conners, from Listowel, Ont., is the top-ranked Canadian on the PGA Tour so far this season, sitting ninth headed into the U.S. Open. Taylor is 14th on the FedEx Cup points list, Pendrith is 30th and Hughes is 47th.

Like Pendrith, Conners praised the fans at the Canadian Open, even going so far as to say it helped prepare him for the major at Oakmont.

“It’s cool to play in front of the home fans here, and a lot of people show up and support all the Canadian guys,” said Conners. “It’s a special feeling to be out there kind of living my dream.

“They kind of make me more relaxed. They give me some more energy. I’ve had a blast playing in front of them this week. Not feeling too worn out heading into what I know will be a demanding week (at the U.S. Open).”

Hughes, from Dundas, Ont., also took the back-to-back events in stride.

“I wouldn’t say it’s too difficult. We kind of do that sort of stuff all the time,” he said. “Week to week we make adjustments, and we get ready to go for the next one. 

“Obviously, (the Canadian Open) is more of a taxing week for us as Canadians, but I’ll get myself ready to go for Thursday and hopefully have a great week over there.”

Although there are some similarities between TPC Toronto and Oakmont — especially penal rough — there’s no doubt which one is harder to play.

“I’ve heard some scary thing the last few days,” said Taylor, who will be playing Oakmont for the first time this week. “It’s probably hack-out rough, as in just hit a wedge 50 yards down the fairway and play from there.

“So if you can, be up and around the greens as much as possible.”

Pendrith said that the although they both have deep rough, the fairways are relatively wide at TPC Toronto compared to Oakmont. 

“I went two weeks ago. It’s hard, yeah,” said Pendrith. “It was a day that was probably 10 degrees Celsius and blowing 20 and raining. It was very, very difficult. Hit driver on a par-3. 

“Probably never done that before or not in a long time. It’s tricky.”

LPGA TOUR — Brooke Henderson of Smiths Falls, Ont., is the top ranked Canadian heading into this week’s Meijer LPGA Classic for Simply Give. She’s 50th on the Road to CME Globe standings. Savannah Grewal (124th) of Mississauga, Ont., Hamilton’s Alena Sharp (135th) and Maude-Aimee Leblanc of Sherbrooke, Que., (164th) are also in the field at Blythefield Country Club in Belmont, Mich.

EPSON TOUR — Maddie Szeryk of London, Ont., leads the Canadian contingent into the Great Lakes Championship at the Highlands presented by Johnnie Walker. She’s 37th in the Race for the Card standings. Josee Doyon (53rd) of Saint-Georges, Que., Monet Chun (64th) of Richmond Hill, Ont., Yeji Kwon (112th) of Port Coquitlam, B.C., Brigitte Thibault (135th) of Rosemere, Que., Vancouver’s Leah John (137th) and Mary Parsons (148th) of Delta, B.C., are also in the field at The Highlands in Harbor Springs, Mich.

CALEDON, ONT. – Despite recent evidence to the contrary, Ryan Fox doesn’t consider himself a playoff specialist.

The New Zealander beat American Sam Burns in a four-hole playoff to win the RBC Canadian Open on Sunday, the second win of his PGA Tour career. The first also came in a playoff on May 11 when he birdied the first extra hole to beat Harry Higgs of the United States and Mackenzie Hughes of Dundas, Ont., to win the Oneflight Myrtle Beach Classic.

“If you’d have seen any of the ones I had in Europe, you wouldn’t say that,” said Fox, sitting beside the Canadian Open trophy at a news conference. “I didn’t have a great record in Europe in playoffs. 

“I feel like you’ve got to take it on a little bit. It becomes match play. You kind of want to put the pressure on your opponent a little bit.”

Fox had an 0-2 playoff record on the European Tour, losing to Scotland’s Russell Knox at the 2018 Irish Open and to France’s Victor Perez at the 2022 Dutch Open.

He had to work to force the extra holes on Sunday.

Burns fired an 8-under 62 round, the best of the day, to lay claim to the top of the leaderboard. However, he had teed off an hour 45 minutes earlier than Fox and Italy’s Matteo Manaserro, the third round co-leaders.

As a result, Fox still had most of the course to play as Burns was signing his scorecard. Fox birdied Nos. 14 and 15 to get to within a shot of Burns and then sank a clutch birdie putt on No. 18 for a 4-under 66 day that forced the playoff.

No. 18 at TPC Toronto at Osprey Valley is a 576-yard, par-5 hole with the sloping green tucked behind a small pond with bunkers on the far side. 

“I think 18’s a different hole compared to what it has been all week, not being able to get there in two,” said Burns on the possibility of a playoff and how he would prepare for it. “So I’ll probably (be at the range) trying to figure out what distance we want to have in for our third shot and maybe hit that shot a few times.”

After Fox and Burns made par on their first two playoff holes. The grounds crew actually cut a new hole closer to the tee — and the water — for the third and fourth runs down the hole.

Fox’s bolder approach on the second and fourth playoff rounds, designed to put pressure on Burns, finally paid off when he attacked the new pin.

“I had the exact shot I wanted to hit,” said Fox, who qualified for next week’s U.S. Open with the victory. “I wasn’t sure in the air if it was going to be a little short or perfect. I didn’t actually see it land. It was getting a bit hazy out there. Obviously by the crowd reaction I knew it was pretty good.

“Probably the best shot I ever hit in my life given the circumstances.”

Members of the All Whites, New Zealand’s national men’s soccer team, drove up to TPC Toronto on Sunday to cheer on Fox. They beat Ivory Coast 1-0 the night before at BMO Field in the Canadian Shield tournament and will face Ukraine on Tuesday.

“That was really cool, to have the Kiwi support out there, it was great,” said Fox. “They were there all day. We seem to have a lot of weeks where random Kiwis pop up, and to have the All Whites say, ‘hey, is there any chance we can come out and watch on Sunday?’ was really cool. 

“To be able to meet them all there at the end and get a photo with them was pretty special.”

Grant Fox, Ryan’s father, was a fly half with the All Blacks, New Zealand’s men’s rugby team, appearing in 46 matches and scoring 645 points in his career. The elder Fox won the Rugby World Cup in 1987 and is still considered one of the finest goal-kickers of all time, getting inducted into the World Rugby Hall of Fame in 2014.

Nick Taylor of Abbotsford, B.C., was the low Canadian, tying for 13th at 13 under. Taylor won the Canadian Open two years ago at Oakdale Golf and Country Club.

“The energy was phenomenal the first couple days and being near the lead the last two days,” said Taylor, who will play in the U.S. Open next week at Oakmont Country Club outside Pittsburgh. “I’m tired from it as well because it’s fun being up close to the lead and trying to get it done. 

“I’ll get some rest the next couple days and be prepared.”

TPC Toronto will host the Canadian Open again next year.

It was a tight leaderboard throughout the round, with eight players tied for first before Fox and Manaserro even teed off.

Ireland’s Shane Lowry, for example, began his day with an eagle and followed it up with three consecutive birdies to start his day 5 under through just four holes to take sole possession of the lead. He bogeyed Nos. 17 and 18 to fall back into a tie for 13th.