Australian Hannah Green has high hopes that a Canadian connection can help her win one of her favourite golf tournaments.

Sitting at 5-under par through two rounds of play at the 2024 CPKC Women’s Open, Green commended her Canadian caddie Nate Blasko, of Kingston, Ont., for helping her take on the challenging conditions at Earl Grey Golf Club.

“He’s from the other side of the country, but (it would) be pretty cool for us to both win here,” said Green, who had five birdies and three bogeys during her round of 2-under 70 on Friday. “It was tough again out there. There was some pretty strong wind gusts, especially our last few holes, so committing to the shot you were envisioning was kind of difficult. I’m kind of glad that I’m finished for Friday and I can go relax now.”

After finishing fifth in the LPGA’s Louise Suggs Rolex Rookie of the Year standings in 2018, Green was looking to hire a new caddie.

That’s when Blasko entered the picture, she said.

“We both met when I was playing on the Symetra Tour, now Epson Tour,” explained Green, who was in the clubhouse sitting third behind Nelly Korda and Ayaka Furue in the LPGA’s season-long Race to the CME Globe points competition.

“I was looking for a caddie in the off-season and he was looking for a player.”

The partnership paid almost immediate dividends, as she made 19 of 23 cuts in 2019 and surpassed the $1 million mark in earnings while winning her first major title at the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship, then adding a victory at the Cambia Portland Classic.

“Our first event was together in Australia and then later that year we won KPMG together,” Green said. “Been together ever since.”

With Blasko on her bag at last year’s CPKC Women’s Open at Vancouver’s Shaughnessy Golf and Country Club, Green finished in a tie for fourth place to earn a payday of $117,507.

“I always really enjoy coming to Canada,” said Green, who will represent Australia in the women’s golf competition at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris. “I played well last year in Vancouver, so hopefully I can do a few better and get my hands on that big trophy.”

When she finished her round, Green didn’t even know that she was tied for first place with Round 1 leader Lauren Coughlin, who had just birdied her first hole after teeing off in the afternoon wave of golfers.

That doesn’t mean she doesn’t like peeking at the leaderboard while out on the course.

“I’m definitely a leaderboard watcher,” said Green, who noticed that Jennifer Kupcho was ahead of her at one point before the American golfer struggled on her back nine and finished at 3-under after reaching 8-under at one point.

“The last time I probably saw a leaderboard, I would have been at 5-under and she was at 7. I just assumed she continued to play well.”

Also on Friday morning, Maude-Aimee Leblanc of Sherbrooke, Que., shot a round of 2-over 74. Her total score of 1-over has put her in position to play on the weekend for the final two rounds, a feat she hasn’t accomplished since finishing in a tie for 14th place in 2016 at her national championship at nearby Priddis Golf and Country Club.

“It’s our only tournament in Canada for the whole season, so I love being out here,” said Leblanc, who started her round with her lone birdie of the day on the Par 5, 550-yard opening hole. “It was a good start. I gave myself a lot of opportunities at the beginning and wasn’t able to make putts. Overall, I hit the ball pretty well. It’s just tough conditions out there.

“The greens are starting to get firmer and faster, so if you’re not in the fairway, it’s almost impossible for the ball to stay on the green.”

CALGARY — Lauren Coughlin shot a 4-under 68 on Thursday in chilly and windy conditions to take the first-round lead in the CPKC Women’s Open.

Fellow American Jennifer Kupcho was a stroke back with Ariya Jutanugarn of Thailand and Australians Minjee Lee and Hannah Green.

Coughlin opened the round that began on No. 11 with eight straight pars, then had five birdies and bogey on the final 10 holes with the temperature barely climbing into the 60s at Earl Grey Golf Club.

“It was a lot windier than I was expecting, so just had to stay super patient in the beginning,” Coughlin said. “Kind of started getting some putts dropping. It was tough out there for sure, but I hit a lot of really good shots and a lot of good putts.”

Winless on the LPGA Tour, the 31-year-old former University of Virginia player is coming off a fourth-place finish two weeks ago in France in the major Evian Champions.

“Pretty much ever since Evian I’ve been hitting the ball extremely well,” Coughlin said. “To keep it going, even in an off week, felt really good. It’s just trying to be myself and have fun, and then see what I shoot.”

Kupcho had four birdies and a bogey.

“The weather was a bit crazy,” Kupcho said. “I feel like we had three different seasons in 18 holes. Definitely got sunny at the end and that’s when I made all my birdies. Really, just tried to stay patient all day.”

Green is a two-time winner this year, taking the HSBC Women’s World Championship in Singapore in February and the JM Eagle LA Championship in April.

“It was difficult out there,” Green said. “It’s nice that the sun has peeped out. It was pretty cold towards the middle of our round. Just super happy to finish under par this afternoon.”

Three-time champion Lydia Ko of New Zealand topped the group at 70. Ko won as an amateur in 2012 at age 15, successfully defended her title as an amateur in 2013 and won as a professional in 2015.

“It was cold. It was windy,” Ko said. “Tuesday, Wednesday was warm and no wind. So, it felt like I was playing a different golf course. I I knew I needed to stay patient.”

Hye-Jin Choi also was 70 with Alison Lee, Haeran Ryu, Jenny Shin and Gigi Stoll.

Savannah Grewal and Maude-Aimee Leblanc each shot 71 to top the Canadians in the field. Canadian star Brooke Henderson, the 2018 champion, opened with a 72.

“Not really the hot start that I wanted to get off to, but felt like we fought pretty hard,” Henderson said. “It was pretty tough out there this morning. A little cooler and very windy.”

Second-ranked Lilia Vu also shot 71.

Lexi Thompson had a 72. She plans to play a limited schedule after this season.

Alena Sharp finds it hard to believe she first competed at the Canadian women’s golf championship two decades ago.

Despite missing the cut at the 2004 Legends on the Niagara course in Niagara Falls, Ont., she gained valuable experience and has since seized every opportunity to tee it up at the annual event.

“It doesn’t seem like it’s been 20 years,” said the 43-year-old Sharp, who hails from Hamilton, Ont. “I remember when they announced my name on the tee and there was a lot of people there from Brantford where I grew up playing.

“I was just so nervous, I sniped it left into the rough. I made par on the hole, so I got underway.”

When Sharp tees off at Earl Grey Golf Club in the afternoon wave of golfers on Thursday at the 2024 CPCK Women’s Open, it will be her 19th appearance competing at the annual LPGA tournament. 

“I’ve played so many great courses for the event and I’m just really happy to be there back in Calgary,” said Sharp, whose best finish at the Canadian championship was in 2016 at nearby Priddis Golf and Country Club where she finished fourth and cashed a cheque for $116,607. 

Having played a couple practice rounds on Earl Grey’s Par 72, 6,856-yard layout, Sharp said that the course suits her game just fine.

“I grew up playing a tree-lined course playing Brantford Golf and Country Club, so it kind of reminds me of that,” said Sharp, who finished in a tie for 19th place last Sunday at the Dana Open at Highland Meadows Golf Club in Sylvania, Ohio. “The greens are all tilted, so it requires pretty precise shot making into the greens. 

“It’s playing long right now. I’m not sure if it’ll firm up or not – definitely not getting any run on the drives yet. There’s a lot of mid irons into the greens, so you have to have some good trajectory to stop them.”

Fellow Canadian Brooke Henderson, of Smith Falls, Ont., agreed with Sharp that keeping the ball in play will be a priority to score well at Earl Grey.

“It’s in really good shape,” said Henderson, who will play in the early morning groupings on the opening day of the tournament. “The rough is very thick. It’s very important to hit a lot of fairways around here, I believe. I think we’re going to see some good scores, so hopefully get off to a fast start on Thursday and make a bunch of birdies.

“Just being able to go out and attack where you can and be smart-aggressive on holes where par is good.”

In addition to being able to rely on encouragement from Canadian fans in Calgary, Sharp will also have some family support in her entourage.

“It’s special for me this week,” said Sharp, who’s enjoying getting time to see her aunt Elly Piet and uncle Paul Denaghel.  “(They) live here, so I get to see them, spend some time with them. I’m staying for a few days afterwards before I head over to Paris for the Olympics. I’m definitely feeling more at home here this week.”

Along with Henderson, Sharp qualified to represent Canada at the Paris Olympics as the top two Canadians in the world rankings when the qualification window closed in late June.

“I think it’s a different week because the Olympics are coming up and everybody has been congratulating me on making the team,” Sharp said. “Wherever we are in the country I feel like I’m at home. You don’t get that every week on the tour. We have a lot of support here and the volunteers are amazing.”

In addition to Sharp and Henderson, 15 other Canadians are among the field of 156 professional and amateur golfers who will take part in the four-day event. 

“That’s pretty amazing,” said Sharp. “They’re really good and they hit it far. I think it’s just changed a lot since when I was a kid, so it’s nice to see that. I hope they have a good week this week. It’s an amazing thing to be able to play in your national Open.”

Ontario will be well represented at the CPKC Women’s Open as sisters Ellie and Maddie Szeryk, of London, will be joined in Calgary by Toronto’s Vanessa Borovilos, Brampton’s Brooke Rivers, Oakville’s Katie Cranston, Mississauga’s Savannah Grewel as well as Monet Chun and Michelle Xing, both of Richmond Hill.

Vancouver’s Anna Huang and Leah John are two of five golfers at the event from B.C. The others are Surrey’s Lauren Kim, Port Coquitlam’s Yeji Kwon and Delta’s Mary Parsons.

Quebec is represented by two competitors in Montreal’s Brigitte Thibault and Sherbrooke’s Maude-Aimee Leblanc.

OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP

Xander Schauffele overcame a two-stroke deficit with a bogey-free final round 65 to win the Open Championship by two shots over Justin Rose and Billy Horschel. It’s his ninth career PGA Tour win and his second major championship this year, becoming the first golfer in 10 years to win the British Open and PGA Championship in the same year. In the 90-year history of four majors, Schauffele became the first player to win two majors in one season with a final-round 65, joining Jack Nicklaus. Schauffele pulled away with three birdies in a four-hole stretch early on the back nine to go from two shots behind to leading by as many as three. It was the 11th straight year for a first-time British Open champion, tying a tournament record. Rose, who needed to go through 36-hole qualifying just to get into the field, finishes runner-up at a major for the fourth time in his career. Billy Horschel, the third-round leader, posted his best result in 43 career major starts. Schauffele’s win means players from the United States have won all four major titles for the first time since 1982. …Mackenzie Hughes, who got into the event after finishing tied for seventh at the RBC Canadian Open, posted his third-best career result in a major. It’s his fifth top-20 result of the season.  …Corey Conners‘ final round 68 equals his second-lowest score ever in five British Open starts. He has made the cut in all 20 events he has played this year.

PGA TOUR

Nick Dunlap overcame a nine-point deficit with a bogey-free final round worth 19 points to win the Barracuda Championship by two points. He becomes the first player in PGA Tour history to win as an amateur and a professional in the same calendar year. In January, Dunlap became the eighth amateur to win a Tour event – and the first in 33 years – at The American Express. He birdied six of his first 12 holes before making a 55-foot eagle putt on No. 15 to take the lead. The victory moved him up to 63rd on the FedEx Cup points list with two regular season events left to play. The top 70 advance to the playoffs. …Taylor Pendrith posted his fourth top-10 finish of the season and moved up to a season-high 29 in the FedEx Cup standings. …Ben Silverman was the leader after the first round, the first time in his career he has held the outright lead in a PGA Tour event.

NEXT EVENT: 3M Open (Jul 25)

CANADIANS ENTERED:  Adam Hadwin, Mackenzie Hughes, Taylor Pendrith, Ben Silverman, Roger Sloan, Adam Svensson

LPGA TOUR

Chanettee Wannasaen birdied the final two holes to win the Dana Open for Children by one stroke over Haeran Ryu. It’s the second career LPGA Tour title for the Thai player who won the Portland Classic last year, giving her victories in the two oldest non-major LPGA tournaments. At 20 years of age, Wannasaen is the youngest player to win on the tour this year. Ryu birdied four of the final five holes but a bogey at No. 16 ended her chances at victory. Her runner-up finish is her best result of the year. It’s also her seventh top-10 finish of the year – the most by any player without a win. Defending champion Linn Grant of Sweden finished in a tie for third. …Alena Sharp, who eagled or birdied the final hole in each of the four days, posted her best result of the season and first top-20 finish on the LPGA Tour since August 2022.

NEXT EVENT: CPKC Women’s Open (Jul 25)

CANADIANS ENTERED: Vanessa Borovilos (a), Monet Chun, Katie Cranston (a), Savannah Grewal,  Brooke Henderson, Anna Huang (a), Lauren Kim (a), Yeji Kwon, Maude-Aimee Leblanc, Mary Parsons, Brooke Rivers, Alena Sharp, Ellie Szeryk, Maddie Szeryk, Brigitte Thibault, Michelle Xing (a), Elizabeth Carr (reserve)

KORN FERRY TOUR

Matt McCarty birdied the opening two holes and four of the first nine on his way to a bogey-free final round 66 and a three-stroke win at the Price Cutter Charity Championship. It’s his first career victory and the result moves him up to seventh on the Korn Ferry Tour standings, securing his PGA Tour card for next season. McCarty is the 13th first-time winner on the Tour this season. Tommy Gainey, a winner on the PGA Tour, finished second for his first top-five and second top-10 result this season. Taylor Dickson finished in a four-way tie for third and also secured his PGA Tour card for next year.

NEXT EVENT: NV5 Invitational (Jul 25)

CANADIANS ENTERED: Wil Bateman, Myles Creighton, Jared du Toit, Étienne Papineau, Sudarshan Yellamaraju

PGA TOUR AMERICAS

Ryan Burnett rebounded from an opening hole bogey with four birdies in his next five holes en route to a course record-tying final round 62 and a two-shot win at the Bromont Open. It was the first career PGA Tour Americas title for Burnett who had to regain tour status at mid-season Q-school after finishing outside the top 60 following the Latin American Swing. He is also the 16th PGA Tour University alumni to win a professional event. Third-round leader David Pastore, who had two eagles in a front-nine 31, was one back and had a chance to tie with a birdie on the final hole but ended up making bogey to finish runner-up. …Matthew Anderson posted his fifth top-15 result of the season. …Brendan MacDougall notched his second top-15 result in his last three starts. …Drew Nesbitt recorded his best result of the season and second straight top-20 finish.

NEXT EVENT: Commissionaires Ottawa Open (Jul 25)

CANADIANS ENTERED: Matthew Anderson, Ty Celone, A.J. Ewart, Brad Fritsch, Claude Giroux, Thomas Giroux, Piercen Hunt, Jimmy Jones, Ki Taek Lee, Stuart Macdonald, Brendan MacDougall, Drew Nesbitt, Lawren Rowe, Joey Savoie, Jeevan Sihota, Noah Steele, Justin Towill, Chris Crisologo (alternate), Brady McKinlay (alternate), Brandon Lacasse (alternate), Xavier Marcoux (alternate)

EPSON TOUR

Lauren Stephenson, battling a cold all week, birdied the final hole for a wire-to-wire two-stroke victory at the Twin Bridges Championship. It was her first career win and moved her to No. 3 in the Race for The Card standings. Jessica Porvasnik started the final round five shots back and attempted to chase Stephenson down with a pair of birdies on the front nine but could only manage one more birdie over the final nine holes to finish runner-up. That result moved her to the top of the Race for the Card standings with just six tournaments remaining. …Leah John posted her best career result in her rookie season on the development tour as well as her first top-10 finish of the year.  …Brigitte Thibault notched her best career result and first top-20 finish on the tour.

NEXT EVENT: Wildhorse Ladies Golf Classic (Aug 16)

CANADIANS ENTERED:  Selena Costabile, Leah John, Brigitte Thibault, Kate Johnston (reserve), Tiffany Kong (reserve)

CPKC WOMEN’S OPEN FINAL QUALIFIER SET FOR MONDAY

A field of 24 golfers will be competing for the final four spots in the 2024 CPKC Women’s Open during Monday’s Final Qualifier being held at Mickelson National Golf Club in Calgary, Alta. with a 11 a.m. MT start. For the field along with tee times please click here.

TWO CANADIANS EARN EXEMPTIONS INTO FIELD

Canadians Leah John (Vancouver, B.C.) and Mary Parsons (Delta, B.C.) have earned tournament exemptions increasing the number of Canadians competing in the 2024 CPKC Women’s Open to 17.

GOLF CANADA FOUNDATION PRO-AM SET FOR MONDAY

Tournament week at the 2024 CPKC Women’s Open kicks off Monday with the Golf Canada Foundation Pro-Am. Groups will tee off in a shotgun format beginning at 12:00 p.m. MT. The field will consist of professionals, amateurs and celebrities with funds being raised for the Golf Canada Foundation.

CPKC WOMEN’S LEADERSHIP SUMMIT RETURNS ON TUESDAY

Golf Canada and CPKC will host the seventh annual CPKC Women’s Leadership Summit on Tuesday, July 23 as part of the weeklong excitement of the 2024 CPKC Women’s Open. The CPKC Women’s Leadership Summit is headlined this year by Raven Jemison, President of the Kansas City Current, Mollie Marcoux Samaan, Commissioner of the LPGA and will be hosted by Lindsay Hamilton of TSN. The day will bring together like-minded businesspeople from across the country for a day of networking, empowerment, and philanthropy. For more information, click here.

As Ellie Szeryk lined up her final putt to seal the win at the B.C. Women’s Open, she spied longtime friend Brooke Rivers lurking around the green with a bottle of water.

Sure enough, when Szeryk made the putt, the chase was on with Rivers trying to douse her with water.

“I ran as far as I could, but she still got me quite good,” Szeryk said with a laugh. “But it was fun. In golf you usually do that to your really good friends when they win. 

“So it was really sweet that she did that. It’s like an unspoken honour.”

Szeryk beat Rivers by four strokes at Pitt Meadows Golf Club on Sunday in their professional debuts. Both golfers also earned berths at the CPKC Women’s Open, July 25-28 at Calgary’s Earl Grey Golf Club.

“It was just really nice to be able to have followed through on something that I had been thinking about,” said Szeryk. “It’s not always easy to golf. It’s just three rounds and you have no idea what the course is like and how it’s going to play.”

Earning their way into the national women’s championship, rather than relying on a sponsor’s exemption, was a relief to both players.

“I knew that there’d be a good opportunity for that,” said Szeryk, from London, Ont. “It’s been on my mind the last couple of months, like since I signed up. 

“I knew I needed to make sure I had my game right so I could take advantage of it because I knew that they weren’t going to be a lot of sponsored exemptions for this Canadian Open.”

Rivers agreed.

“It does feel really good to earn the exemption spot on my own through good play,” said Rivers, from Brampton, Ont. “It also feels a little more rewarding while being there because you feel like you had done everything in order to put yourself there.”

Rivers added with a laugh: “It’s a little bit easier when booking travel that you don’t have to do it the week before.”

Both Szeryk and Rivers turned pro after the conclusion of the NCAA golf season. They’re both spending time with family and practising before the ORORO PGA Women’s Championship of Canada tees off at TPC Toronto at Osprey Valley in Caledon, Ont., on July 2.

“I’m really excited to turn pro, and it’s something that I’ve wanted to do my whole life,” said Rivers, who played one season at Wake Forest University. “It’s something I’ve been working toward my whole life. 

“I just felt that I was in a position where I was ready to turn pro and I was ready to start competing.”

Golf Canada announced the early commitments to the 50th playing of the Women’s Open on Monday, with eight of the current top-10 and 83 of the top-100 players on the Race to the CME Globe Standings entered in the national women’s championship.

The 156-player field will be competing at Earl Grey Golf Club for the first time in tournament history. It will be the seventh time that Alberta hosts the Women’s Open and first time since 2016.

LPGA TOUR — Hamilton’s Alena Sharp is in the Dow Championship three days after making Canada’s Olympic golf team for a third time. Maddie Szeryk, Ellie’s older sister, just missed out on beating Sharp to the Olympics by 1.41 points in the women’s world golf rankings. Brooke Henderson of Smiths Falls, Ont., No. 14 in the world, is also in the field at the Midland Country Club in Midland, Mich. They will be joined by Maude-Aimee Leblanc of Sherbrooke, Que., Savannah Grewal of Mississauga, Ont., and amateur Vanessa Borovilos of Toronto.

EPSON TOUR — Brigitte Thibault of Rosemere, Que., is the top-ranked Canadian playing in the Dream First Bank Charity Classic. She’s 120th on the second-tier Epson Tour’s points list. She’ll be joined at Buffalo Dunes Golf Course in Garden City, Kan., by Vancouver’s Leah John (160th), as well as Selena Costabile of Thornhill, Ont., and Kate Johnston of Ayr, Ont., who are unranked.

PGA TOUR — Taylor Pendrith of Richmond Hill, Ont., is the top ranked Canadian at No. 30 on the FedEx Cup standings. He will be in the field at the Rocket Mortgage Classic at Detroit Golf Club, where he finished tied for second in 2022. Adam Svensson (76th) of Surrey, B.C., Ben Silverman (113th) of Thornhill, Ont., and Roger Sloan (194th) of Merritt, B.C., are also in the field.

KORN FERRY TOUR — Myles Creighton of Digby, N.S., is No. 23 on the Tour’s points list heading into the Memorial Health Championship. Edmonton’s Wil Bateman (33rd), Etienne Papineau (50th) of St-Jean-Sur-Richelieu, Que., Sudarshan Yellamaraju (100th) of Mississauga, Ont., and Jared du Toit (118th) of Kimberley, B.C., are also in the field at Panther Creek Country Club in Springfield, Ill.

CHAMPIONS TOUR — Calgary’s Stephen Ames leads the Canadian contingent into the U.S. Senior Open Championship. He’s No. 1 on the Charles Schwab Cup money list with two victories so far this year. Mike Weir of Brights Grove, Ont., is 25th on the list and also in the field at Newport Country Club in Newport, R.I. David Morland IV of Aurora, Ont., is also playing the event.

AMERICAS TOUR — Matthew Anderson of Mississauga, Ont., remains the atop the points list of the third-tier Americas Tour heading into this week’s ATB Classic. He’s one of 18 Canadians playing Northern Bear Golf Club in Strathcona County, Alta.

CALGARY – The CPKC Women’s Open has been given the LPGA Tour’s top award the last two seasons. Being named ‘Tournament of the Year’ is something that encompasses so much – from ticketing to marketing to fan experience and more.

And now Canada’s National Open is back to try to do it all again.

“Golf fans in Calgary are in for a very memorable week at a beautiful golf course where the world’s best will compete for our National Open Championship,” Tournament Director Ryan Paul said. “The CPKC Women’s Open is one of the top three women’s sporting events in Canada and this year is shaping up to be a special one.”

This year’s CPKC Women’s Open marks the 50th playing of the storied event, which last year’s winner Megan Khang says feels like the sixth major on the LPGA Tour.

There are plenty of notable highlights for this year. Firstly – and perhaps most importantly – the tournament has set an ambitious fundraising goal of $2.75 million, the highest number in recent history. Since 2014, the tournament (which is the marquee event for the CPKC Has Heart community investment program) has helped to raise over $19 million for cardiac research, equipment, and care across North America.

The fan experience is set to be the biggest and most impressive, too. Paul says the build-out on site at first-time venue Earl Grey Golf Club will be 95,000 square feet – far and away the most of any event on the LPGA Tour.

The impressive effort from the entire CPKC Women’s Open management team means there is plenty of momentum behind doing things bigger and better. There’s been lots of good recognition for their work – not only is it the two-time Tournament of the Year on the LPGA Tour, but also the back-to-back winner of Best Sponsor Activation and it won Best Charity & Community Engagement in 2022.

The support from Earl Grey, just minutes from downtown Calgary, has also been overwhelmingly positive.

The targeted number of volunteers (which was 1,200 for 2024) was hit all the way back in March – and the event was named ‘Best Volunteer Program’ by the LPGA Tour in 2023. The support of the Calgary community, too, has been incredible. Ticket sales to this point in 2024 up 30 percent as compared to this point a year ago. This is the first time the tournament has returned to Calgary since 2016, with Priddis Golf and Country Club playing host that year along with 1999 and 2009.

Speaking of fans – ‘The Rink,’ the incredibly popular viewing experience, will make its return to the CPKC Women’s Open at the par-3 17th hole at Earl Grey.

Khang, who broke through for her first LPGA Tour title a year ago at Shaughnessy, recalled with a smile a nice moment with the crowds late in her day that is the exact one-of-a-kind interaction attendees get with LPGA Tour athletes.

“I walked off the green on 16 and I looked at the leaderboard and I was like, of course it’s (former world No. 1) Jin Young Ko (making a charge). I was so concerned about Sei Young Kim in my group but of course Jin Young was right there. I’m looking at the guys all around the boards and I’m like, ‘I need me a drink too guys,’” she said with a laugh.

For all the awards and fan opportunities and exciting new things to see and do, there’s no event without players – and the CPKC Women’s Open once again will boast almost all the world’s best.

Early commitments include eight of the top 10 in this year’s Race to CME Globe standings plus 83 of the top 100. There will be nine in-season winners and upwards of 30 Olympians.

The star of the show will of course be Canada’s own Brooke Henderson. Henderson won this championship in 2018 and it’s not lost on her how special, or important, that win has been on her resume.

“It’s a huge highlight of my career being able to win this event back in 2018,” said Henderson. “I’ve always dreamt of winning this event. It’s always played an important role in my life.”

Henderson will once again lead a hearty Canadian contingent at the CPKC Women’s Open which also includes fellow three-time Olympian Alena Sharp. Sharp finished fourth when the CPKC Women’s Open was last in Calgary, her best career LPGA Tour result.

“It’s good vibes only there,” Sharp said.

Ah, yes – good vibes.

If you ask Henderson about what she’s hoping for the most come July, it’s a lot of that exact thing. For the fans, for herself, for the community, and for charity.

“It’s so exciting to be able to be home and compete on home soil and to have the love and support of all the fans and everyone that comes out to watch, it’s pretty incredible,” said Henderson. “It’s kind of hard to put into words how grateful I am to everyone when they come out year after year and as we move across the country the crowds are always still huge and so much fun to be able to play in front of.

“I just hope I can put on a good show and give them something to cheer about.”

And if the current momentum of the CPKC Women’s Open is any indication, winning another set of big-time year-end awards may be something to cheer about, too.

It’s been three years since Hamilton’s Alena Sharp played in a major and she feels like her game has evolved to better suit the best-on-best women’s golf tournament.

The 43-year-old Sharp joins Brooke Henderson of Smiths Falls, Ont., and Savannah Grewal of Mississauga, Ont., at the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship on Thursday. Sharp last competed in a major in 2021, playing in the Women’s PGA Championship and the Amundi Evian Championship that year.

“I’ve definitely changed quite a bit,” said Sharp. “I used to hit a draw and now I’m hitting a fade, so I think that helps a little bit in majors because usually things are firm, so it might not run out as much on the green. 

“You need to keep evolving and I feel like my game has, so I’m ready for the challenge for the week.”

Sharp tied for 25th at the Women’s PGA Championship in June 2021 and tied for 70th a month later at the Evian Championship. Although a regular on the LPGA Tour in 2022, she didn’t qualify for any of the five majors in women’s golf. 

She held dual membership with the top women’s circuit and the second-tier Epson Tour in 2023, playing in four LPGA events that year.

Sharp qualified for this year’s Women’s PGA Championship based on her 146th ranking on this season’s CME Globe points list.

“We’re playing amazing golf courses and the PGA of America does a great job in elevating the event,” said Sharp, who noted she was glad to see the tournament return to Sahalee Country Club in Sammamish, Wash., outside of Seattle. “The purse has gone up so much since we started, it’s gone up like 300 per cent.

“Everything about the tournament is top notch.”

Henderson was also glad to return to Salahee, where she won the Women’s PGA Championship in 2016, the first major title of her career and her second win on the LPGA Tour.

“It definitely changed my life back in 2016,” said Henderson. “I received a lot more attention from the fans and the media, and just what I believed I could do moving forward I think changed. 

“Felt like anything was possible after this victory. I really gained a lot from playing and winning here in 2016.”

The women’s world golf rankings will be finalized for Olympics qualifications on Monday, following the conclusion of the Women’s PGA Championship. As the world No. 13 player, Henderson is a lock to represent Canada at the Paris Games in August. 

“Any time you can go and represent your country it’s a very proud moment,” said Henderson, who played for Canada at the 2016 Rio Games and again in Tokyo in 2021, both times with Sharp. “To be able to wear the Maple Leaf and go to Paris is really exciting for me.”

Despite mainly playing in the Epson Tour over the past two years, Sharp is the front-runner to be Henderson’s teammate for a third consecutive Olympics.

“It’s been on my mind,” said Sharp. “I’ve been watching (the rankings) obviously, and I was eager to get back out on the LPGA Tour because you don’t get a lot of points playing on Epson.

“The last two tournaments I was able to make the cut and then just didn’t play well on the weekend but I’ve learned from those two experiences and hope to apply it this week.”

EPSON TOUR — Brigitte Thibault of Rosemere, Que., leads a group of five Canadians into the Island Resort Championship on Friday. She’s No. 111 in the Race for the Card standings. Maddie Szeryk (140th) of London, Ont., as well as unranked players Selena Costabile of Thornhill, Ont., Vancouver’s Leah John and Kate Johnston of Ayr, Ont., are also playing at Sweetgrass Golf Club in Harris, Mich.

RIVERS GOES PRO — Collegiate star Brooke Rivers of Brampton, Ont., has turned professional. The Wake Forest University freshman will play the B.C. Open at Pitt Meadows Golf Club on Thursday. She will also play in the ORORO PGA Women’s Championship of Canada at TPC Toronto at Osprey Valley in Caledon, Ont., on July 2.

PGA TOUR — Adam Hadwin of Abbotsford, B.C., is still the top-ranked Canadian heading into the Travelers Championship on Thursday although the rankings are very close. He’s 30th, Taylor Pendrith of Richmond Hill, Ont., is 31st, Corey Conners of Listowel, is 33rd and Nick Taylor of Abbotsford is 37th. All four are in the field at TPC Highlands in Cromwell, Conn. Mackenzie Hughes (46th) of Dundas, Ont., and Adam Svensson (88th) of Surrey, B.C., will also tee it up.

KORN FERRY TOUR — Edmonton’s Wil Bateman is the highest ranked Canadian playing in this week’s Compliance Solutions Championship. Bateman is 30th on the second-tier tour’s points list. He’ll be joined at Jimmie Austin OU Golf Club in Norman, Okla., by Etienne Papineau (48th) of St-Jean-Sur-Richelieu, Que., Sudarshan Yellmaraju (96th) of Mississauga, Ont., and Jared du Toit (117th) of Kimberley, B.C.

CHAMPIONS TOUR — Calgary’s Stephen Ames leads the Schwab Cup points list heading into DICK’S Open En-Joie Golf Club in Endicott, N.Y. Mike Weir of Brights Grove, Ont., is 35th on the points list heading into Friday’s first round.

PGA TOUR AMERICAS — The North American swing of the Americas Tour begins on Thursday with The Beachlands Victoria Open at Uplands Golf Club in Victoria. Matthew Anderson of Mississauga and Vancouver’s Stuart Macdonald are Nos. 1 and 4 on the Fortinet Cup standings coming out of the break between the Latin American and North American legs of the third-tier circuit.

Checking her email regularly has paid off for Canadian golfer Maddie Szeryk.

The native of London, Ont., who resides in Texas, was going through her inbox three weeks ago when she noticed a message from the organizers of the Texas Women’s Open reminding her that there was still four days left to sign up for the tournament at Grapevine Golf Course. 

Seeing that it would be a great opportunity to tune up before she returned to the LPGA Tour, she decided to register.

“I wasn’t playing enough tournament rounds so I was like, ‘I need to do this,'” Szeryk, who lives fewer than 60 kilometres from Grapevine, Texas, said Wednesday. “It was perfect that the deadline hadn’t passed or anything, the timing worked out, I could stay at home, and my boyfriend was on the bag.

“It was just really good to see some solid golf again, and just to get comfortable out there.”

Originally schedule for three days, the Texas Women’s Open was reduced to two because of heavy storms in the area. Szeryk started the second round two shots behind leader Hailee Cooper. 

After a bogey on No. 17, she hit a wedge shot to get within 10 feet of the 18th green and drained the putt for the tournament-winning birdie.

Szeryk won US$17,000 and, perhaps more importantly, sharpened her game ahead of this week’s ShopRite LPGA Classic in Galloway, N.J. It will be her first LPGA Tour start of the season, after she was unable to maintain her status from last season.

“I feel like I’m getting on a roll and scrambling better and just playing more solid and just making it come together,” she said. “You can play games and stuff when practising and playing by yourself but it’s just not the same as tournament golf and the pressure of that.

“So it’s good. I just tried to really treat (the Texas Women’s Open) as a big tournament just trying to play and get comfortable again.”

Szeryk is one of five Canadians that will be playing at Seaview Bay Course when the tournament begins Friday.

Brooke Henderson of Smiths Falls, Ont., is seventh on the Race to CME Globe standings. Savannah Grewal (76th) of Mississauga, Ont., Maude-Aimee Leblanc (129th) of Sherbrooke, Que., and Hamilton’s Alena Sharp (132nd) are also in the field.

“I love playing out here and getting to see all my close friends again,” said Szeryk, noting that she was especially excited to practice and possibly play alongside good friends Lauren Hartlage and Amanda Doherty. “It was so fun to be out there with them again and just to see other friends that I’m close with and just the feel of like, ‘OK, this is a big tournament this is really real. 

“I’m just so excited to finally be back this year, my first one of the year.”

Szeryk may have more LPGA Tour events in June.

She’s the first alternate for the Meijer LPGA Classic at Blythefield Country Club in Belmont, Mich., and will play in the Dow Championship at Midland Country Club in Midland, Mich.

EPSON TOUR — Brigitte Thibault of Rosemere, Que., will be the highest ranked Canadian playing at the FireKeepers Casino Hotel Championship when it tees off on Friday. She enters the tournament as No. 98 on the Epson Tour’s points list. She’ll be joined at Battle Creek Country Club in Battle Creek, Mich., by Selena Costabile of Thornhill, Ont., Vancouver’s Leah John and Kate Johnston of Ayr, Ont., all of whom are unranked.

PGA TOUR — Taylor Pendrith of Richmond Hill, Ont., has moved up to 30th on the FedEx Cup standings, making him the highest ranked Canadian on the PGA Tour. He’ll be back in action this week at the Memorial Tournament, one of the Tour’s signature events. Five other Canadians are in the field at Muirfield Village Golf Club in Dublin, Ohio. Nick Taylor (34th) of Abbotsford, B.C., Mackenzie Hughes (40th) of Dundas, Ont., Corey Conners (45th) of Listowel, Ont., Adam Hadwin (48th) of Abbotsford, and Adam Svensson (94th) of Surrey, B.C., will all tee it up.

PRESIDENTS CUP — U.S. team captain Jim Furyk announced his assistants for the Presidents Cup at Royal Montreal Golf Club in late September. Stewart Cink, Justin Leonard and Kevin Kisner will all join Furyk in Montreal

“The three of them have a tremendous history with this event, but more importantly, they will be trusted voices in the team room and on the course for our guys,” said Furyk. “I look forward to working with them closely as we build a 12-man U.S. team that is ready to compete at Royal Montreal this fall.”

KORN FERRY TOUR — Myles Creighton of Digby, N.S., is ranked 18th on the second-tier Korn Ferry Tour’s points list. He’s the top-ranked Canadian playing in the BMW Charity Pro-Am in Greer, S.C. He and Sudarshan Yellamaraju of Mississauga, Ont., will play at Carolina Country Club, while Etienne Papineau of St-Jean-Sur-Richelieu, Que., and Jared du Toit of Kimberley, B.C., will be at Thornblade Club.

CHAMPIONS TOUR — Calgary’s Stephen Ames is ranked second in the Schwab Cup points list heading into Friday’s American Family Insurance Championship. He’ll be the lone Canadian playing at University Ridge Golf Club in Madison, Wisc.

So much has changed for Brooke Henderson since she last played in a U.S. Women’s Open at Lancaster Country Club.

Henderson was playing in Monday qualifiers and earning sponsor exemptions for LPGA Tour events back in 2015 after her request for an age waiver to compete at Q School in late 2014 was denied. Then just 17 years old, she qualified for the 2015 U.S. Women’s Open based on her score at the previous year’s event, which she had earned her way into through a qualifying event as an amateur.

Despite that difficult road to the major, Henderson tied for fifth and turned pro the next month after winning her first-ever LPGA Tour title at the Cambia Portland Classic.

“That was an incredible week for me to finish top five,” said Henderson this week at Lancaster. “I was just trying to get my Tour card at that point, so any time I was able to play on such a big stage and especially an important event such as this.

“I played really well on the weekend, climbed up a bunch of spots, and to get that T-5 was really special.”

Henderson, from Smiths Falls, Ont., has racked up wins since that summer, and her 13 on the LPGA Tour are the most victories ever for a Canadian golfer regardless of gender. That tie for fifth, however, is still the best she’s ever done in a U.S. Women’s Open despite winning two other majors.

“Everything is just a little bit harder,” said Henderson of the unique challenge U.S. Women’s Opens present to golfers. “The course is a little bit longer. The rough is a little bit longer. Greens are quicker, more slope. Just everything about it.

“You’ve really got to pay attention and have a strategy. But then when that strategy doesn’t work, then to be gritty and grind it out.”

Henderson is fifth on the Race to CME Globe standings with five top-10 finishes in 10 events so far this year. American Nelly Korda is the runaway leader, however, with six wins and another top 10 finish in eight tournaments.

Korda took last week off, but credited her coaches and staying in a mental “bubble” away from all the attention that comes on the LPGA Tour for her success this season.

“We all just know that we’re out here doing what we love,” said Korda of her team. “We all have the same goals in mind, and we’re trying to accomplish one thing, and that’s to hopefully lift the trophy by the end of the week.”

Maude-Aimee Leblanc of Sherbrooke, Que., is the only other Canadian in the field at the second women’s golf major of the season. Leblanc is 131st in the LPGA Tour’s standings and earned a berth in a qualifier at Haworth Country Club in Haworth, N.J. on May 13.

American Lexi Thompson, an 11-time winner on the LPGA Tour, announced on Tuesday that she will retire from the top professional women’s golf circuit this season. The 29-year-old will be making her 18th appearance in the U.S. Women’s Open.

“This is my 14th full-time year. Golf has been my life ever since I was five years old, tournaments when I was seven,” she said at a news conference. “I haven’t really known much of a life different, but it’s been an amazing one.

“This sport has taught me a lot, and I’ve learned so much along the way, built so many friendships and relationships. I’m looking forward to what life has in store.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 29, 2024.