PORTLAND, Ore. – After the opening round Canadian teen star Brooke Henderson is a shot back of the lead along with Alison Lee and Julieta Granada.

The 17-year-old Henderson birdied six of the first 13 holes. The Canadian, who doesn’t turn 18 until September, has made $466,818 in nine LPGA Tour tournaments this year. Henderson earned a spot in the field in Monday qualifying, and thought that helped Thursday.

“I feel much more comfortable in the first round than I do a lot of times because I’ve already played this golf course in a competitive atmosphere this week,” Henderson said.

Anderson and Sandra Changkija shared the first-round lead at 7-under 65 on Thursday in the Cambia Portland Classic.

Amy Anderson set an NCAA record with 20 tournament victories during her college career at North Dakota State. Now she’s seeking a breakthrough victory in her second year on the LPGA Tour.

In warm, calm afternoon conditions, the 23-year-old Anderson had five consecutive birdies on the front nine in her bogey-free round at Columbia Edgewater.

“This is a good learning experience, and I’m kind of excited to learn from it and just see what it’s like out here,” Anderson said. “You have to learn at every single level, so for me it started at local tournaments, then to national amateur tournaments, collegiate … but this is a whole other ballgame.”

Anderson had never led a round during her two-year LPGA Tour career. She’s coming off her best finish of the year, a tie for eighth in Michigan in the Meijer LPGA Classic.

Changkija, playing in the morning, made six birdies on her opening nine and reached 8 under before finishing with a bogey. The 26-year-old Changkija, in her fourth LPGA season, has only two career top-10 finishes, but one came at the 2013 Portland stop. The 65 was her lowest competitive round since shooting 63 in Canada in the 2012 Manulife Financial Classic.

Changkija has rarely been near the lead during her professional career, but said her mindset won’t change Friday.

“I’m just going to do the same thing I did today – hit fairways, hit greens and just roll some putts,” Changkija said. “I’ve been hitting it really well. I just wasn’t making putts. I switched putters this week. I went to a Cure putter. It seems to be working well for me.”

One stroke back of third place with a round of 67 is Canadian Alena Sharp sitting T6. Jennifer Kirby posted a round of 70. Brittany Henderson signed for a round of 74, while Sue Kim shot 75.

Mo Martin and Cristie Kerr shot 67. Second-ranked Lydia Ko opened with a 70, and No. 3 Stacy Lewis had a 71.

Defending champion Austin Ernst made four birdies and four bogeys and shot 72.

Suzann Pettersen, the Portland winner in 2011 and 2013, started her round with a double bogey and shot 75.

The Portland Classic is the penultimate tournament before the U.S. Solheim Cup team is set.

The top eight players in the Solheim Cup standings, the top two in the world ranking not among the top eight in the standings, and two captain’s picks will make up the 12-player team for the Sept. 18-20 matches against Europe in Germany. Six players have clinched spots in the standings. No. 7 Angela Stanford shot 74, and No. 8 Gerina Piller had a 72.

Many players are wearing pins and ribbons honoring LPGA pioneer Louise Suggs, who died Friday at 91. Suggs, an 11-time major winner, was an LPGA founding member in 1950.

Coquitlam, B.C. (Golf Canada) – Golf Canada in partnership with Canadian Pacific announced the field of competitors set to challenge for the 2015 Canadian Pacific Women’s Open, August 17-23 at The Vancouver Golf Club in Coquitlam, B.C.

In all, the 156 player field at The Vancouver Golf Club will feature the top 10, top 50 and 97 of the top 100 on the current LPGA Tour Official Money List marking it the strongest field on the LPGA Tour in 2015.

Defending champion So Yeon Ryu along with two-time winner Lydia Ko, world No. 1 Inbee Park and Canadian rising star Brooke Henderson headline a field that also includes LPGA stars Stacy Lewis, Lexi Thompson, Suzann Pettersen, Anna Nordqvist, Michelle Wie, Paula Creamer, Cristie Kerr, Karrie Webb, Morgan Pressel, Ai Miyazato, Azahara Munoz, Brittany Lincicome, Shanshan Feng, Na Yeon Choi, Sandra Gal, Charley Hull and Jessica Korda.

“We are thrilled to welcome the strongest field on the LPGA Tour to The Vancouver Golf Club with the top 10, top 50 and 97 of the top 100 players on the 2015 LPGA Tour money list confirmed to challenge for the 2015 Canadian Pacific Women’s Open,” said Tournament Director Brent McLaughlin. “In addition to welcoming a world class field, together with our proud partners at CP, we look forward to raising significant charitable dollars in the community through the CP Has Heart campaign supporting BC Children’s Hospital.”

The winner’s share of the $2.25 million USD purse for the 2015 Canadian Pacific Women’s Open will be $337,500 USD.

The event marks the return of Canada’s National Women’s Open Championship to The Vancouver Golf Club for the first time since Lydia Ko’s historic win as a 15-year old amateur in 2012.

A full field list of players confirmed to compete in the 2015 Canadian Pacific Women’s Open can be found by clicking here.

Eleven Past Champions to Compete at The Vancouver Golf Club:
Eleven of the event’s former champions will be competing at The Vancouver Golf Club including defending champion So Yeon Ryu, two-time winner Lydia Ko (2012 & 2013); Brittany Lincicome (2011); Michelle Wie (2010); Suzann Pettersen (2009); Katherine Hull-Kirk (2008); Cristie Kerr (2006); Meena Lee (2005); Karrie Webb (1999); Laura Davies (1996) and Juli Inkster (1984).

Twelve Canadians and Four Team Canada Members in the Field:
Seventeen-year-old rising star and Team Canada Young Pro Squad member Brooke Henderson of Smiths Falls, Ont. leads a crop of 12 Canucks looking to become the first Canadian to win a LPGA Tour event on home soil since golf legend Jocelyne Bourassa’s historic victory in 1973 at La Canadienne Golf Championship. Joining Henderson are LPGA Tour players Lorie Kane of Charlottetown, P.E.I., Alena Sharp of Hamilton, Ont. and Team Canada Young Pro Squad member Sue Kim of Langley, B.C. as well as non-exempt LPGA Tour player Jennifer Kirby of Paris, Ont. Other Canadians competing include Symetra Tour players Augusta James of Bath, Ont. Maude-Aimee LeBlanc of Sherbrooke, Que., Samantha Richdale of Kelowna, B.C., Jessica Wallace of Langley, B.C. and Brittany Henderson of Smiths Falls, Ont. who sit 4^th, 10^th, 16^th, 24^th and 34^th respectively on the Symetra Tour money list. Rounding on the Canadian contingent are Team Canada Women’s Amateur Squad members Brittany Marchand of Orangeville, Ont. and dual citizen Maddie Szeryk of Allen, Texas. Previously announced Canadian Rebecca Lee-Bentham of Toronto has withdrawn from the event with a hip injury.

On Monday August 17, 2015, the LPGA Tour will conduct an 18-hole stroke play qualifier at Pitt Meadows Golf Club to determine the final four exemptions directly into the 2015 Canadian Pacific Women’s Open.

PORTLAND, Ore. – National Amateur Squad member Elizabeth Tong has fallen short in the Round of 32 at the U.S. Women’s Amateur on Thursday, losing by 2 holes to American Cindy Ha at the Portland Golf Club.

Tong, 22, was the lone Canadian left in the field and was looking ahead to the Round of 16 after holding a 3 up lead on the 11^th hole. The Thornhill, Ont., native ran into trouble not long after, losing four of the next five holes before eventually falling by 2 to Cindy Ha of Demarest, N.J.

Click here for live scoring.

PORTLAND, Ore. – Team Canada’s Elizabeth Tong has advanced to the U.S. Women’s Amateur round of 32 after defeating opponent Magdalena Simmermacher 6&4 on Wednesday at the Portland Golf Club.

Tong, 22, jumped out to an early lead over Argentina’s Simmermacher, winning five of the first nine and losing none. The Thornhill, Ont., product is now the lone remaining Canuck in the field. She is set to tee-it-up against 11^th seeded Cindy Ha of Demarest, N.J., Thursday morning at 9:30 am PDT.

National Amateur Squad teammate and dual-citizen Maddie Szeryk, 18, suffered defeat at the hands of England’s Bronte Law, who holds the No. 2 spot in the World Amateur Golf Rankings (WAGR). Despite holding a 1up lead twice on the front nine, the Texas A&M sophomore could not hold off Law who won 6 of the last 11 holes for the 3&2 victory.

Mariel Galdiano, the 17-year-old from Pearl City, Hawaii, who won the Canadian Women’s Amateur last month, topped Kimberly Mitchell of Woodbridge, Virginia, 7 and 5.

The match-play rounds of the 2015 U.S. Women’s Amateur Championship will be broadcast on Fox Sports 1. Coverage will be from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. EDT on Aug. 12-16. Additionally, bonus coverage will be live streamed on usga.org on Aug. 13 and Aug. 16 from Noon to 2 p.m. EDT.

Click here for live scoring.

HONOLULU – A Hawaii man has been sentenced to five years in prison for using Robert Allenby’s credit cards after the professional golfer said he was robbed and beaten in Honolulu.

According to the Honolulu prosecutor’s office, Owen Harbison was sentenced Wednesday.

He was arrested in February on identity theft and other charges. He pleaded guilty in June to using Allenby’s credit cards and ID to make purchases, including gift cards, jewelry and clothing.

Allenby recounted a bizarre saga earlier this year of having no memory of what happened for 2 1/2 hours after he left a Honolulu restaurant in January. He had missed the cut at the Sony Open and went to dinner. He said he later woke up in a park with a bloodied face.

It’s still unclear what happened.

TORONTO – Team British Columbia captured the Willingdon Cup as provincial team champions at the 2015 Canadian Men’s Amateur Championship hosted by Weston Golf & Country Club and The Lambton Golf & Country Club. The team combined for a total of even-par 286.

“It was a nice little surprise to wake up to,” said Stuart Macdonald of the winning team. “It feels awesome. We’ve joined some good names up there [in the championship’s history]. I know B.C. has had some pretty good runs with the Willingdon Cup. I thought we had a pretty good team this year.”

The native of Vancouver spoke highly of his teammates – Kimberley, B.C., product Jared du Toit and Maple Ridge, B.C., native Kevin Kwon – when reflecting on their time together. “I felt like we had the three best in the province. I’ve played with Jared in the past and we play a lot with each other. I hadn’t really played with Kevin too much. I’ve always seen him up at the top in a lot of B.C. tournaments. I got to know him pretty well and we’re all good friends now. I think we had a lot of camaraderie between the three of us.”

Since 1927, the Willingdon Cup has been awarded to the provincial or territorial team with the lowest scores from the first 36 holes of the Canadian Men’s Amateur Championship. The top-two daily scores from each round of the twelve three-man teams counted towards the competition.

Finishing in a tie for second place were Teams Quebec and Alberta. Team Canada Development Squad member Étienne Papineau (St-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Que.), Hugo Bernard, (Mont-Saint-Hilaire, Que.) and Pierre-Alexandre Bedard (Chibougamau, Que) finished with a combined score of 3-over 289. The Alberta squad was comprised of Brett Hogan (Calgary), Andrew Harrison (Camrose, Alta.) and Jack Wood (Banff, Alta.). Defending champion Team Ontario finished in fourth at 11-over 257.

Billy Kennerly opened the day in third, but supplanted the two 36-hole co-leaders with a 3-under 69 performance. “I played really solid today. I was trying to keep it around par, to be honest. It’s definitely a lot firmer out there today than yesterday.”

The native of Alpharetta, Ga., tallied five birdies on the day, including a 3-under 33 across the front nine. The graduate from Clemson University remained poised when asked about the possibility of victory. “It would be a great honour, but of course, we have a lot of golf ahead of us. [Winning] would be a great boost and I feel really good about my game, so we will see how it all goes.”

National Team Development Squad member Patrick Murphy totaled five birdies, including an impressive four-in-a-row on his final four holes to ascend the leaderboard. The Crossfield, Alta., native’s 3-under performance has him in second place at 6-under. A single shot back in third is Ben Eccles, who began the day tied for first. The Australian is 5-under 210 in the competition.

Buoyed by the team-competition win, MacDonald shot the low-round of the day, a bogey-free 5-under 67, to move into a tie for fifth. “I started off solid. I just really kept the ball in play in the fairway and gave myself a lot of opportunities,” said the Purdue University Boilermaker. “I took advantage of the par-5s. The par-5s out here are mostly reachable. So if you can do that, you can get a good number out here. I putted pretty solid. Overall, I’m pretty happy with the round, happy that I can be up on the leaderboard and maybe have a chance tomorrow.”

The winner of the 111^th playing of the Canadian Men’s Amateur Championship will earn the Earl Grey Trophy and gain a prized exemption into the 2016 RBC Canadian Open at Glen Abbey Golf Club in Oakville, Ont., and entry into the 2015 U.S. Amateur Championship at Olympia Fields, Ill. The champion will also be eligible to receive an exemption into the U.S. Junior Amateur, the U.S. Mid-Amateur or the U.S. Senior Amateur, if applicable.

Additional information regarding the 2015 Canadian Men’s Amateur Championship, including tee times and scoring, is available here.

Click below to listen in to Golf Canada’ s media teleconference with Lydia Ko.

VANCOUVER – Lydia Ko had no idea she was in the process of making history the first time she competed at The Vancouver Golf Club.

Then just 15 years old, the New Zealander became the youngest player to win an LPGA event when she captured the Canadian Women’s Open by three strokes as an amateur back in 2012.

“I didn’t know what the record was,” Ko said on a conference call Wednesday. “I was out there trying to have fun, playing alongside the world’s best golfers.”

Now 18, Ko is herself one of the world’s best, and will be among the field when the tournament – now known as the Canadian Pacific Women’s Open – returns to Coquitlam, B.C., next week.

Ko recalled the excitement of stepping on the Vancouver course in one of her first LPGA events

“It was a very memorable week,” Ko said. “I hadn’t played many LPGA events. Just to be able to play alongside my role models, it was really exciting for me.”

Ko shot rounds of 68, 68, 72 and 67 for a score of 13 under, but didn’t get to claim her winnings because she was still an amateur.

“I just tried to enjoy it out there,” said Ko. “My goal was first of all to make the cut.”

She followed up that initial victory with another Canadian Women’s Open title in Edmonton in 2013, however she wound up tied for 55th last year in London, Ont., her first time playing the tournament as a professional.

Ko also struggled a bit earlier this year, but has been rounding into form since the end of June. She tied for third in her last two events, including last month’s Women’s British Open.

“It’s been a really fun last couple weeks,” she said. “Lots of travel to, but I’ve been enjoying it.”

Fans will be focused on Ko, currently ranked No. 2 in the world, but should also be keen to see 17-year-old amateur Brooke Henderson of Smiths Falls, Ont.

Ko knows the Canadian well and said she isn’t surprised by Henderson’s success, which has seen her rise to No. 32 overall.

“I knew how good she was,” said Ko. “I think everybody’s been noticing her more because she’s been playing more LPGA events. Brooke’s a superstar.

“She hits the ball a long way and she’s very consistent.”

A two-time Canadian Open champion while still in her teens, Ko is both the present and future of women’s golf, something she sometimes stops to think about – just not on the course.

“That’s the really great thing about golf. Age is just really a number,” she said. “When we’re out there we’re not thinking about our rankings and what we are, we’re just trying to play our best. That’s all we can do.”

And what Ko will be looking to do after competing in an LPGA tournament in Portland, Ore., this week is recapture some of the magic from her performance at the Canadian Open three years ago.

“Every moment of that week was exciting (and) so much fun,” she said. “I’m really looking forward to going back.”

SHEBOYGAN, Wis. – The PGA of America has no plans to take two golf tournaments away from courses Donald Trump owns over the next seven years.

The PGA of America was the first golf organization to pull an event from a Trump property when it announced the Grand Slam of Golf would not be played in October at Trump National in Los Angeles. Still on the calendar is the 2017 Senior PGA Championship at Trump’s course outside Washington and the 2022 PGA Championship at Trump National in Bedminster, New Jersey.

“Both of those are scheduled,” PGA chief executive Pete Bevacqua said Wednesday.

Trump’s comments about Mexican immigrants when he launched his presidential campaign caused golf organizations that have deals with his courses to issue statements that they don’t support his views, and they distanced themselves from the GOP candidate when Trump said the golf industry supports him because “they know I’m right.”

“We have a relationship with the Trump organization as a golf entity,” Bevacqua said. “That’s what we’re focused on.”

He said the Trump organization is “certainly a factor in golf,” and noted that he employs PGA of America members.

“I think presidential politics are probably more top of mind than golf,” Bevacqua said. “We certainly don’t comment necessarily on presidential politics. We don’t agree with everything that’s been said or done. But we’re monitoring the situation and we made the one decision about the Grand Slam. And we haven’t made really more decisions other than that, other than what’s already previously scheduled.”

The PGA Grand Slam is a 36-hole exhibition Oct. 19-21 for the four major champions of the year. Trump and the PGA announced jointly that it would move this year.

“We didn’t want the Grand Slam or any one of our events to be compromised by politics or to be any kind of a political football,” Bevacqua said. “That’s not what we want to bring to golf. That would be unfortunate. It wouldn’t be fair for anybody involved in the Grand Slam.”

The PGA has not said where the Grand Slam will be played.

Coquitlam, B.C. – Golf Canada and Canadian Pacific (CP) are pleased to announce the names of 14 players who have received exemptions into the 2015 Canadian Pacific Women’s Open, August 17 – 23, 2015 at The Vancouver Golf Club.

Headlining the list of exemptions is previously confirmed 17 year old Team Canada Young Pro Squad member Brooke Henderson of Smiths Falls, Ontario who earned her exemption by way of winning the 2015 PGA of Canada Women’s Championship, the third event on the 2015 Canadian Women’s Tour. Currently No. 32 on the Rolex World Rankings, Henderson’s stellar rookie season as a pro includes three top 10 finishes on the LPGA Tour, a victory on the Symetra Tour and more than $466,000 in LPGA Tour earnings through nine events played. Henderson, who Monday qualified into this week’s LPGA Tour event in Portland, Oregon, will be making her fourth consecutive appearance in Canada’s National Women’s Open Championship.

Four other players earned tournament exemptions by way of their play on the 2015 Canadian Women’s Tour including Team Canada Young Pro Squad member Rebecca Lee-Bentham of Toronto, who won the Canadian Women’s Tour stop at Smiths Falls Golf and Country Club in Smiths Falls, Ontario. Also earning an exemption was Michelle Piyapatra of Corona, California who won the season-opening Canadian Women’s Tour stop at The Glencoe Golf and Country Club as well as Lauren Mielbrecht of Gulf Stream, Florida and Seul-Ki Park of Northbrook, Illinois who received their exemptions based on the 2015 Canadian Women’s Tour Order of Merit.

Two members of the Team Canada Women’s Amateur Squad also earned exemptions including Maddie Szeryk, 19, of Allen, Texas and Brittany Marchand, 22, of Orangeville, Ontario. Currently the No. 35 ranked player on the World Amateur Golf Ranking, Szeryk, won the 2015 Ontario Women’s Amateur and finished tied for sixth at the 2015 Canadian Women’s Amateur Championship. Marchand, who recently got through stage one of LPGA Qualifying, will make her fourth appearance at Canada’s National Women’s Open Championship.

Four Canadians competing on the Symetra Tour have also been granted exemptions including former Team Canada member Augusta James of Bath, Ontario who currently sits fourth on the Symetra Tour money list in her rookie season as a professional. James will make her fourth appearance in Canada’s National Women’s Open Championship.

Other Canadian Symetra Tour players granted exemptions include Maude-Aimee LeBlanc of Sherbrooke, Quebec, Samantha Richdale of Kelowna, B.C., and Jessica Wallace of Langley, B.C. who sit 10^th, 16^th and 24^th respectively on the Symetra Tour money list.

A pair of Canadians with non-exempt status on the LPGA Tour will also compete including Sue Kim of Langley, B.C. and Jennifer Kirby of Paris, Ontario. Rounding out the list of exemptions is Mariel Galdiano of Pearl City, Hawaii who earned a spot by winning the 2015 Canadian Women’s Amateur Championship two weeks ago.

The 14 players earning exemptions into the Canadian Pacific Women’s Open will join a world-class field at The Vancouver Golf Club that features Rolex World Rankings No. 1 Inbee Park; two-time champion and Rolex Rankings No. 2 Lydia Ko; No. 3 Stacey Lewis; No. 7 Shanshan Feng; No. 8 Lexi Thompson; No. 9 Anna Nordquist; and defending champion and world No. 4 So Yeon Ryu. Other LPGA Tour stars confirmed to compete include international fan favourites Paula Creamer, Na Yeon Choi, Sandra Gal, Charley Hull and Morgan Pressel.

In addition to Ryu (2014) and Ko (2012 & 2013), past Canadian Women’s Open champions set to compete include Brittany Lincicome (2011), Michelle Wie (2010), Suzann Pettersen (2009), Katherine Hull-Kirk (2008) and Cristie Kerr (2006).

The 10 Canucks receiving exemptions will join a Canadian contingent led by CP ambassador Lorie Kane of Charlottetown, PEI as well as fellow LPGA Tour player Alena Sharp of Hamilton, Ontario.

“The Canadian Pacific Women’s Open is not only set to feature arguably the strongest field on the LPGA Tour, but also the very best rising talents in Canadian and international golf,” said Canadian Pacific Women’s Open Tournament Director Brent McLaughlin. “Golf fans are sure to be treated to an unbelievable showcase of world-class golf.”

A field of 156 competitors will vie for the US$2.25 million purse when the Canadian Pacific Women’s Open makes its return to The Vancouver Golf Club for the first time since 2012.

On Monday August 17, 2015, the LPGA Tour will conduct an 18-hole stroke play qualifier at Pitt Meadows Country Club to determine the final four exemptions directly into the 2015 Canadian Pacific Women’s Open.

First conducted in 1973, Canada’s National Women’s Open Championship has allowed the brightest stars of the LPGA Tour to shine on Canadian soil and inspire the nation’s next generation of female golfers.

PORTLAND, Ore. – National Amateur Squad teammates Maddie Szeryk and Elizabeth Tong finished inside the top-64 in U.S. Women’s Amateur qualifying rounds on Tuesday to advance to match play at the Portland Golf Club.

Tong, a recent graduate of Indiana University, carded a 2-under 70 in Tuesday’s second stroke-play round, raising her score to even-par—good for a T22 finish. The 22-year-old Thornhill, Ont., native will square off against 43^rd seeded Magdalena Simmermacher of Argentina on Wednesday afternoon at 1:40 pm, PDT.

Szeryk, 18, finished one stroke back of Tong at 1-over par (73-72) to finish in a tie for 24^th. The dual-citizen will face No. 39 seed Bronte Law of England, who currently sits as No. 2 ranked female in the World Amateur Golf Rankings (WAGR). The match is slated to begin on Wednesday at 12:00 pm, PDT.

Americans Angel Yin (Arcadia, Calif.) and Jennifer Hahn (Henderson, Nev.) shared medalist honours after both finishing at 6-under par.

Reigning Canadian Junior Girls Champion, Michelle Kim of Surrey, B.C., failed to qualify after carding rounds of 76 and 75 to miss the cut line by three strokes. Fellow Canadians Judith Kyrinis of St. Catharines, Ont., and Selena Constabile of Thornhill, Ont., also fell short of the cut line.

In 2014, American Kristen Gillman earned a 2-up victory over Smiths Falls, Ont., native Brooke Henderson in the 36-hole championship match, conducted at Nassau Country Club in Glen Cove, N.Y.

The match-play rounds of the 2015 U.S. Women’s Amateur Championship will be broadcast on Fox Sports 1. Coverage will be from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. EDT on Aug. 12-16. Additionally, bonus coverage will be live streamed on usga.org on Aug. 13 and Aug. 16 from Noon to 2 p.m. EDT.

Click here for live scoring