GREENSBORO, N.C. – It’s now or never for many players at the Wyndham Championship – the last chance to qualify for golf’s postseason.

That group includes Tiger Woods.

The biggest name in the sport is playing the final event of the PGA Tour’s regular season for the first time, in an effort to get his game back on track and make a last-gasp push for the playoffs.

“I’ve started to build. I just need to get more consistent with everything, and start stringing together not just holes, not just rounds but tournaments,” Woods said Wednesday. “That’s why this tournament’s important to me. Hopefully I can win it, get into the playoffs and play a bunch of golf.”

Woods, who missed the cut at the PGA Championship last week, beat last Friday’s deadline to enter the Wyndham but didn’t finalize his commitment until Monday.

He said he had “a blast” playing a pro-am round Wednesday with NBA All-Star Chris Paul – a native of nearby Winston-Salem who starred at Wake Forest.

And now he wants to stick around for a while.

In 10 previous events this year, Woods has missed the cut in four of them and withdrew from another.

He’s had three rounds in the 80s, his best finish was a tie for 17th at the Masters and his best week came at The Greenbrier Classic where he finished just six shots out of the lead.

He’s eager to test his game on the Donald Ross-designed course at Sedgefield Country Club that puts a premium on strong iron play and features fast, undulating Bermuda grass greens that Woods is trying to quickly figure out.

During a soggy pro-am, though, the course played a bit differently with more, well, woods.

“It’s going to be a lot of irons off the tee, but it wasn’t the case because it’s so wet,” Woods said. “Balls are plugging. Lot of mud balls out there.”

The Wyndham has relished its spot as the last chance for the four’s bubble players to force their way into the FedEx Cup playoffs, which begin next week at The Barclays in New Jersey.

Woods – who’s at No. 187 on the points list – is pretty far from the bubble. Only the top 125 players will make it to The Barclays, which means he probably needs a victory in his first visit here.

Recent history seems to be against him: Last year, only one player outside the top 125 – Sang-Moon Bae – earned enough points here to move into the playoffs. A 14th-place tie helped him jump from No. 126 to No. 120. The year before, nobody did it.

“If I don’t win this event,” Woods said, “I’ll have my offseason early.”

Also on the bubble: Luke Donald is 124th, followed by Charl Schwartzel, Scott Langley, Seung-Yul Noh, S.J. Park and last year’s winner, Camilo Villegas. The top 125 in the standings also will earn 2015-16 tour cards.

“There’s so much to play for,” said Webb Simpson, the 2011 winner who’s safely at No. 49 on the points list. “It’s definitely on guys’ minds, I think.”

This would rank as one of the best fields in the 76-year history of the tournament even if Woods hadn’t made his last-minute decision to play Sedgefield.

Adam Scott joins Woods as two of the six former world No. 1 ranked players in the field. Until Woods’ late entry, Scott was arguably the biggest attraction for the event.

He also was in a pro-am foursome that was immediately behind the one with Woods and Paul, and with so much of the gallery following them, Scott could go through his round in relative anonymity.

“There’s no doubt about things created by Tiger,” Scott said. “It happens everywhere he goes. You can tell how passionate the local people and everyone involved in the tournament here are about this tournament, and it means such a great deal to them to have Tiger Woods in the field. I think it’s fantastic.

“We’re in for a great week, no matter what,” he added.

OLYMPIA FIELDS, Ill. – Three Canadians got the official word Wednesday morning that they have advanced to match-play at the U.S. Amateur.

National Amateur Squad member Austin Connelly and 2014 Canadian Junior Boys Champion, Austin James of Bath, Ont., earned their way in as the low Canadians at even-par (T14) through two qualifying stroke-play rounds.

Connelly, a dual-citizen, is slated to take on Maverick McNealy of Portola Valley, Calif. on Wednesday afternoon while James matches up against Miller Caps of Denver, N.C.

Journeyman Garrett Rank of Elmira Ont., came in at 2-over par (68-74) to earn the 52^nd seed, he’ll square-off against 13^th-seeded Sepp Straka of Valdosta, Ga.

Nicholas Ross of Dundas, Ont., and Stuart Macdonald of Vancouver were unable to secure a spot in Wednesday morning’s 18-man playoff for one of 10 remaining spots inside the top-64.

Australian Brett Coletta captured medalist honours and the No. 1 seed after going 7-under (67-66) for the one-stroke advantage over David Oraee of Greeley, Colo.

The championship will run six rounds of match-play, concluding with a 36-hole final on Sunday.

Olympia Fields Country Club, a two-time U.S. Open venue, will host its first U.S. Amateur with stroke-play being conducted on the 7,037-yard South Course and match-play on the 7,234-yard North Course.

In 2014, Canadian Corey Conners of Listowel, Ont., fell in the final 36-hole match to South Korea’s Gunn Yang, 2 and 1. Both finalists are usually invited to compete in the Masters tournament the following April, alongside exemptions into next year’s U.S. and British Opens.

Click here for live scoring.

The Canadian Men’s Mid-Amateur Championship, Canada’s premiere competition for amateur golfers over 25, will make its way to Abercrombie Golf & Country Club from August 24-28.

“Golf Canada is looking forward to returning a national championship to Nova Scotia,” said Tournament Director Russell Mackay. “It is always a pleasure to bring competitions to golf fans across the entire country. The course is in great shape and will provide our competitors with an excellent challenge.”

The town of New Glasgow, N.S., in the heart of Pictou County is home to Abercrombie Golf & Country Club. Situated among the region’s picturesque woodlands, the course offers scenic backdrops across sprawling fairways and well-groomed greens. Throughout its 96 years, Abercrombie has accumulated a wealth of history and has hosted a number of championships at both the provincial and national levels.

In addition to claiming the President’s Cup as Canadian Mid-Amateur champion, competitors will vie for a prized exemption into the 2016 RBC Canadian Open to be held at Glen Abbey Golf Club in Oakville, Ont., from July 18-24.

A field of 152 golfers will take to Abercrombie, including defending champion Garrett Rank. The Elmira, Ont., native will continue a busy summer which has included representing Canada at the Toronto 2015 Pan Am Games and competing in his first RBC Canadian Open, as well as, a five-stroke victory at the Golf Association of Ontario’s (GAO) Investors Group Men’s Mid-Amateur Championship and a T2 finish at the 2015 Canadian Men’s Amateur Championship.

Rank, 27, is currently playing in the U.S. Amateur Championship being hosted by Olympia Fields Country Club in Olympia Fields, Ill.

Joining Rank in the field is a number of players who have seen success at the Canadian Mid-Amateur Championship. The competition’s most decorated winner, Graham Cooke, won the first edition of the event in 1987. The Hudson, Que., native followed the performance with six subsequent victories, including a string of three-in-a-row between 2000 and 2002.

Kevin Carrigan will look to become a three-time winner in this competition. The product of Victoria, B.C., registered back-to-back victories in 2012 and 2013. The 29-year-old’s final-round 7-under 65 at the 2015 Canadian Men’s Amateur Championship propelled him into a tie for sixth place.

Woodbridge, Ont., native Dave Bunker is hoping to add a fourth Canadian Mid-Amateur title to his resume after three consecutive victories from 2008-2010. The 50-year-old is coming off his second of back-to-back GAO Ontario Men’s Match Play Championship titles.

Introduced in 2006, the Mid-Master division will be contested by competitors over 40. Darren Shaw of Stoney Creek, Ont., will return to defend his title following his seven-stroke victory in 2014. First contested in 1992, an inter-provincial competition will be played concurrently with the opening two rounds of stroke play for the prestigious R. Bruce Forbes Trophy. Team British Columbia emerged victorious in 2014 with a combined total of 1-over 289 – four strokes clear of Team Alberta.

Following the first 36 holes of play, the field will be reduced to the low-70 competitors and ties. Additional information regarding the 2015 Canadian Men’s Mid-Amateur Championship can be found here.

Alena Sharp, Canada’s No. 2 ranked golfer on the Rolex Women’s World Golf Rankings, conducted a Golf Fore the Cure presented by Subaru clinic on Tuesday at the Seymour Golf & Country Club in North Vancouver, just 20 kilometres from the Vancouver Golf Club—site of this year’s CP Women’s Open.

Sharp, one of three program ambassadors, was on hand to provide instruction to over 50 female members of Seymour Golf & Country Club. The Hamilton, Ont., native has backed Golf Fore the Cure presented by Subaru since 2011—supporting the program’s objective of increasing women’s participation in golf while raising money to fight breast cancer.

Golf Fore the Cure presented by Subaru was created in 2003 by Golf Canada – the National Sport Organization – to drive women’s participation in the game of golf with the use of fun, non-intimidating activities. Through a unique partnership structure with the Canadian Cancer Society (and Québec Breast Cancer Foundation), the program has women across the country participating in golf activities and raising money and awareness for a cause close to Canadian hearts – the fight against breast cancer.

With the help of volunteers across the country, the program has welcomed more than 100,000 women to the game of golf. These women have been able to raise over $5.1 million towards the fight against breast cancer.

Golf Canada’s Golf Fore the Cure program is proudly sponsored by presenting partner, Subaru. For more information on Golf Fore the Cure, visit golfforethecure.ca

COQUITLAM, B.C. –  After Brooke Henderson was denied early admittance into the LPGA Tour’s qualifying school, the Canadian teenager gave commissioner Michael Whan several reasons to change his mind.

Henderson put together a string of impressive results in LPGA events this year despite having to rely on sponsors’ exemptions or qualification just to play. And two days after she cruised to her first Tour victory at last weekend’s Cambia Portland Classic, Henderson was finally granted full LPGA membership.

“It’s an opportunity that not a lot of people get,” the 17-year-old from Smiths Falls, Ont., said Tuesday before shooting a practice round at the Canadian Pacific Women’s Open. “I can start living my dream today.”

Having a full membership means Henderson won’t have to play Monday qualifying tournaments for the rest of the season. She faced having to qualify because she had exhausted all six of her sponsors’ exemptions.

“It’s a little bit surreal,” said Henderson. “The last couple of days have been an amazing journey.

“I’m still going to play my own game and go out there and do what I have always done. Just to know I have a place to play now any week I want to, and I have full status for at least a year, is really exciting. I am playing really well right now. Hopefully I can keep it going.”

Henderson had appealed to the LPGA for early admission in the past. She petitioned the organization to allow her to attend qualifying school last year after winning three times as an amateur on the Canadian Women’s Tour, but was turned down.

“That was probably the best thing that could have happened to me,” she said. “It made me realize what I really wanted in life and what I really desired.

“It made me work really hard, made me focus and be more determined.”

LPGA policy states that any woman 18 years of age or over is eligible to apply for Tour membership, but golfers between the ages of 15 and 18 may be granted special permission to apply for membership by petitioning directly to the Tour commissioner.

Henderson had the weight of a Tour victory behind this petition, becoming the second golfer in LPGA history to go from Monday qualifier to tournament winner in Portland.

“After reviewing Brooke Henderson’s petition, I have granted her LPGA Tour membership beginning immediately,” Tour commissioner Michael Whan said in a statement. “Brooke truly earned her card, and we are looking forward to Brooke joining our Tour and our family.”

Veteran Canadian golfer Lorie Kane said Henderson deserves to be on the Tour.

“It’s very exciting,” said Kane. “It was only a matter of time before that happened.”

Any money Henderson earns during the remainder of this season will be considered official money. The 10 remaining tournaments of 2015 will also be considered her rookie season on the LPGA Tour.

The win in Portland moved her to No. 17 in the world rankings, boosted her earnings over US$660,000 and secured her 2016 card.

Henderson can now concentrate on playing in the $2.25-million CP Women’s Open, which begins Thursday.

She was greeted with a round of applause when she walked onto the driving range at the Vancouver Golf Club on Monday and has been busy signing autographs.

“It’s pretty cool to be famous,” she said.

Henderson’s win made her the first Canadian to win an LPGA event since Kane in 2001. She is the Tour’s third-youngest champion ever at 17 years 11 months six days.

The past few days have been a whirlwind, but Henderson knows her journey is just beginning.

“I have big goals and big dreams ahead of me,” she said. “I am still a long ways from where I want to be. It’s still pretty cool to know I am competing against the best in the world.

“If I can continue to improve and get better every day, hopefully good things will happen.”

Coquitlam, B.C. (Golf Canada) – Forty-three players took to Pitt Meadows Golf Club in Pitt Meadows, B.C., for Monday’s final qualifying event in hopes of securing one of the four final spots into the 2015 Canadian Pacific Women’s Open.

Stacey Keating of Australia, the 2008 Canadian Women’s Amateur champion, finished atop the leaderboard after a 2-under par 70, while Kristen Park of Buena Park, Calif., carded a 1-under-par 71 to finish second.

The final two spots were determined via a playoff after three players – amateur Tiffany Kong of Vancouver, Nicole Zhang of Calgary and Louise Stahle of Sweden – tied for third at even-par 72.

Kong, who is just 14-years-old, and Stahle prevailed on the first playoff hole after matching pars to Zhang’s bogey on Pitt Meadows’ par-5 18th.

With the addition of Kong to the field, a total of 14 Canadians will now compete for Canada’s National Women’s Open Championship at The Vancouver Golf Club.

Click here for complete results from the 2015 Canadian Pacific Women’s Open Monday Qualifier at Pitt Meadows Golf Club.

Listen to our full conversation with Brooke Henderson by clicking the media player below.

Brooke Henderson’s first LPGA Tour win didn’t stop her from having to play golf on Mondays.

Henderson completed an eight-stroke victory Sunday at the US$1.3-million Cambia Portland Classic to become the first Canadian to win an LPGA event since Charlottetown’s Lorie Kane in 2001 and the Tour’s third-youngest champion ever at 17 years 11 months six days.

She catapulted to No. 17 in the world rankings, boosted her earnings over $660,000 and secured her 2016 card, but because she’s exhausted all six of her sponsor’s exemptions she’ll have to continue playing Monday qualifiers to gain entry into tournaments for the remainder of this season.

Last year, Henderson petitioned the LPGA to allow her into Q-school but was turned down because she didn’t meet the minimum age requirement of 18. However other players —including second-ranked Lydia Ko and major champion Lexi Thompson — successfully petitioned to become Tour members before their 18th birthdays.

On Monday, Henderson said she continues to weigh her options regarding whether to again petition the LPGA Tour for an exemption.

“We’re still thinking about it and evaluating the situation options with my family and team,” the native of Smiths Falls, Ont., said during a conference call. “Hopefully we’ll come to a decision pretty soon.

“There’s many pros and cons to both options . . . I’m just kind of working through those right now with my team. We’ll see what happens.”

Henderson earned $195,000 with the win and has made $661,818 in 10 events. By not being a full-time Tour member, Henderson must rely on sponsor’s exemptions or Monday qualifying to participate in LPGA tournaments.

Henderson doesn’t have the luxury of time to relish her historic win. Her next tournament is the $2.25-million Canadian Pacific Women’s Open, which begins Thursday in Coquitlam, B.C., where the spotlight will be firmly fixed upon her.

She doesn’t expect to feel any extra pressure competing on home soil.

“I don’t think so,” she said. “It’s fun to be back home and I know all the people I’ve talked to earlier (Monday) have been very excited and (are) cheering me on this week.

“I just have to make sure I stick to my own gameplan and do my own thing to make sure I play well this weekend. I haven’t played as well in Canadian Opens as I would’ve liked in the past and I’m hoping to change that this week.”

Henderson will look to become the first Canadian to win a LPGA Tour event on home soil since Jocelyne Bourassa of Shawinigan, Que., claimed the ’73 La Canadienne — the precursor to the Canadian Women’s Open — in Montreal.

Sunday’s final round in Portland marked the second time this season Henderson led an LPGA event through 54 holes. But last time she carded a final-round 74 on April 26 to finish third at the Swinging Skirts LPGA Classic in Daly City, Calif.

On Sunday, Henderson shot a 3-under 69 to register the largest-ever margin of victory in tournament history and biggest on Tour since Jiyah Shin won the 2012 Women’s British Open by nine shots.

Henderson said the seeds for her first LPGA win took root in late April.

“I got a lot of confidence and a lot of momentum was built up off that,” she said. “I’ve been playing great all season, my game has been in a great spot.

“I just knew I had to remain patient and keep working on a few little things. My season has really been a lot of fun and it really kicked off (at Swinging Skirts event).”

Henderson said she was besieged with congratulatory text messages and tweets following her win, including one from golf legend Gary Player.

“That meant a lot to me because my sister (pro golfer Brittany Henderson) and I always liked The Black Knight,” she said. “I was up to almost 80 text messages a couple of hours afterwards and a lot of emails from a lot of family members and friends.”

Despite having a healthy bankroll at such a tender age, Henderson said her fortune isn’t a distraction. She’s also been able to resist the temptation of making a big purchase.

“I haven’t really thought about it yet,” she said. “I’m still kind of saving it up and hopefully use it wisely.”

GREENSBORO, N.C. – Tiger Woods will play the Wyndham Championship for the first time.

In an email to The Associated Press on Monday, agent Mark Steinberg confirmed that Woods will play in Greensboro this week.

That ends a few days of uncertainty around Sedgefield County Club, the site of the final tournament of golf’s regular season.

Woods created a stir by entering the field just ahead of the deadline last Friday.

But after closing out a 73 and missing the cut at the PGA Championship in Sheboygan, Wisconsin, he hedged a bit. He said he would “go through it with my team” to “see if that’s the right move or not.”

On Monday morning, Wyndham tournament director Mark Brazil sent out a brief tweet: “Bam! Tiger is coming!”

The first round begins Thursday.

The Wyndham annually is the last chance for the PGA Tour’s bubble players to play their way into the FedEx Cup playoffs. They begin next week at The Barclays in New Jersey.

Woods – who’s at No. 187 on the points list – comes to Greensboro rather far from the bubble. Only the top 125 players reach the playoffs.

Mathematically, Woods will need to either win (and earn 500 points) or finish alone in second place (300 points) to crack the top 125.

Last year, only one player outside the top 125 – Sang-Moon Bae – earned enough points here to move into the playoffs, jumping from No. 126 to No. 120 after his tie for 14th. Nobody did it in 2013.

Now the question is how long Woods will stick around at Sedgefield.

In 10 events this year, Woods missed the cut in four of them and withdrew from another. He missed the cut in the last three majors.

He had three rounds in the 80s. His best finish was a tie for 17th at the Masters, a remarkable effort coming off a two-month break to fix a short game that turned shockingly bad in Phoenix and San Diego. His best week was The Greenbrier Classic. While he tied for 32nd, he finished six shots out of the lead. In the other four events where he made the cut, he was no closer than 10 shots.

At Whistling Straits last week, he said his game building, and that he found a key to his putting Saturday morning “but the damage had already been done.”

Now for the first time, he’ll test that putter on the Donald Ross-designed turtleback greens at Sedgefield.

SHEBOYGAN, Wis. – Given a third straight chance to finally win a major, Jason Day promised a fight to the finish in the PGA Championship.

Turns out the biggest fight was to hold back the tears.

Worried that this year might turn out to be a major failure, Day never gave Jordan Spieth or anyone else a chance Sunday. He delivered a record-setting performance at Whistling Straits that brought him a major championship he started to wonder might never happen.

Day was in tears before he even tapped in for par and a 5-under 67 for a three-shot victory. He sobbed on the shoulder of Colin Swatton, his caddie and longtime coach who rescued Day as a 12-year-old struggling to overcome the death of his father.

And then came high praise from Spieth in the scoring trailer when golf’s new No. 1 player told him, “There’s nothing I could do.”

“I didn’t expect I was going to cry,” Day said. “A lot of emotion has come out because I’ve been so close so many times and fallen short. To be able to play the way I did today, especially with Jordan in my group, I could tell that he was the favorite. Just to be able to finish the way I did was amazing.”

Three shots ahead with three holes to play on a course with trouble everywhere, Day blasted a drive down the fairway on the par-5 16th and hit a towering 4-iron into 20 feet. He bit his lower lip, swatted his caddie on the arm, knowing his work was almost done.

The two-putt birdie put him at 20-under par, and two closing pars gave him the record to par in majors, breaking by one shot the 19 under of Tiger Woods at St. Andrews in the 2000 British Open. Day finished at 20-under 268, not knowing until it was over that it was a record.

What really mattered was that shiny Wanamker Trophy at his side.

He shared the 54-hole lead at the U.S. Open and the British Open and had to watch someone else celebrate.

“Not being able to finish, it would have been tough for me mentally to really kind of come back from that,” Day said. “Even though I feel like I’m a positive person, I think that in the back of my mind something would have triggered and I would have gone, `Maybe I can’t really finish it off.’

“It felt like I was mentally and physically grinding it out as hard as I could,” he said. “I wasn’t going to stop fighting until it over.”

Spieth gave it his best shot, but even the Masters and U.S. Open champion could tell what he was up against the way the 27-year-old Australian powered one drive after another and didn’t let anyone closer than the two-shot lead with which he started the final round.

“He played like he’d won seven or eight majors,” Spieth said. “He took it back. He wailed it. It was a stripe show.”

Spieth has the greatest consolation possible. With his runner-up finish, he replaced Rory McIlroy at No. 1 in the world.

“This is as easy a loss as I’ve ever had because I felt that I not only couldn’t do much about it as the round went on, I also accomplished one of my lifelong goals in the sport of golf. That will never be taken away from me now. I’ll always be a No. 1 player in the world.”

Spieth set a record of his own. By closing with a 68, he set a record by playing the four majors in 54-under par, breaking by one the mark that Woods set in 2000. The difference is that Woods won two majors by a combined 23 shots.

That also speaks to the depth of golf in this generation, and Day is the latest example. He moved to No. 3 in the world, meaning the top four in the world are all under 27 and have combined to win five of the last six majors.

“As long as I am healthy, I feel like I’m going to be there a long time,” Day said. “I still want to accomplish that No. 1 goal of mine, which is to be the best player in the world. I’m still motivated and still very hungry for that, even after this win.”

Branden Grace of South Africa had another mistake on the back nine in a major that cost him. Grace was tied for the lead at the U.S. Open when he hit his tee shot on the railroad tracks and out-of-bounds at Chambers Bay. This time, he was two shots behind when he went long of the 10th green and made double bogey. He closed with a 69 and finished third, five shots behind.

Justin Rose got within two shots until making a double bogey for the third straight day. He closed with a 70 and finished fourth.

Day faced enormous pressure of having a lead for the first time going into the final round, trying to avoid becoming the first player since the PGA Championship went to stroke play in 1958 to have at least a share of the 54-hole lead in three straight majors without winning.

It sure didn’t show, even if he felt it every step of the way.

“I knew today was going to be tough, but I didn’t realize how tough it was going to be,” Day said. “I learned a lot about myself, being able to finish the way I did. The experiences that I’ve had in the past with previous major finishes has definitely helped me prepare myself for a moment like this.”

Canadian Nick Taylor moved up the leaderboard to T68 after a round of 1-under 71 on Sunday.

PORTLAND, Ore. – Brooke Henderson got her breakthrough LPGA Tour victory. The Canadian teen will have to wait a little longer to become a tour member.

Henderson won the Cambia Portland Classic by eight strokes Sunday to become the third-youngest champion in LPGA Tour history at 17 years, 11 months, 6 days.

Henderson closed with a 3-under 69 at Columbia Edgewater to finish at 21-under 267, the lowest total since the event went from 54 holes to 72 in 2013.

“I was just trying to keep going low and trying to push it to get even further under par, which I wouldn’t have had that a couple months ago,” Henderson said.

Henderson earned $195,000 and has made $661,818 in 10 events this year. Last year, LPGA Tour Commissioner Mike Whan denied Henderson’s age petition, preventing her from playing Q-school. Because she’s assured of finishing in the top 40 in earnings, Henderson will earn a tour card for 2016.

Henderson said she didn’t know if she would petition the LPGA again this week. “I haven’t even really thought about it yet,” Henderson said. “I’m just going to celebrate tonight and then hopefully make a decision soon and we’ll see what happens.”

Lydia Ko set the age record as an amateur in the 2012 Canadian Women’s Open at 15 years, 4 months, 2 days. She also won the Canadian event in 2013 at 16, and won four times at 17. Lexi Thompson won the 2011 Navistar LPGA Classic at 16 years, 7 months, 8 days.

Henderson’s eight-stroke margin is the largest in the history of the event and the biggest on the LPGA Tour since Jiyah Shin won the 2012 Women’s British Open by nine shots.

Henderson held a 54-hole lead for the second time this season. This time was different than April in San Francisco, when Henderson ended up finishing third after a 74.

“Today, the first time that I really felt nerves was on 18, and then afterward,” Henderson said. “My attitude is much different than it was a couple months ago, and I think that was a big key. … I demanded a lot more of myself than I did three or four months ago.”

Henderson, from Smiths Falls, Ontario, became the first Canadian winner since Lorie Kane in the 2001 Takefuji Classic. Becoming a part of Canadian golf history is not lost upon Henderson.

“I think Canadian golf is really growing and there’s a lot of great players coming up. To get that for Canadian fans and for the Canadian support that I’ve received over the last couple of months and last couple years is unbelievable, so I’m happy to bring one home for Canada.

“Even the last couple days I received a lot of Twitter messages and text messages and emails, just cheering me on and wishing me the best. I’m sure my phone is blowing up pretty badly right now,” Henderson said.

She joined Laurel Kean as other only Monday qualifiers to win. Kean accomplished the feat in the 2000 Rail Classic.

Henderson bogeyed the final hole, only her third dropped stroke of the week, and had 24 birdies. She got into the field Monday with a 68, then shot 66-67-65 to take a five-stroke lead into the final round. Pornanong Phatlum (68), Ha Na Jang (70) and Candie Kung (70) tied for second.

Henderson never allowed an opening Sunday. She made two-putt birdies at the par-5 fifth and seventh to reach 20 under, and holed a 20-foot birdie putt at the par-4 ninth to take an eight-stroke lead.

She made a 3-footer for birdie at the par-5 12th, then stumbled with a bogey at 13. Henderson made her final birdie at the par-4 17th, knocking in a 10-foot putt from the fringe.

Henderson hit her drive in a fairway bunker at 18, but with a large lead, pitched out of the sand, hit her approach to 20 feet and two-putted for bogey. After raising her arms in victory, Henderson was quickly doused with champagne by players and family.

Asked if she was able to taste the champagne, Henderson smiled and said, “No, not really. I can just smell it, though.”

Henderson also won the Symetra Tour’s Four Winds Invitational in June in Indiana, and tied for fifth in the Women’s PGA Championship – the second of the LPGA Tour’s five majors.

Defending champion Austin Ernst shot a 68 to tie for fifth at 12 under.

Morgan Pressel, second after three rounds, had a 75 to tie for 10th at 10 under. Finishing alongside Pressel at 10 under was Canadian Alena Sharp with a round of 1-under 71 on Sunday.