PGA TOUR

Ryan Fox chipped in from 54 feet away on the first playoff hole to defeat Harry Higgs and Mackenzie Hughes to win the Myrtle Beach Classic. It is his first PGA Tour title but the New Zealander is a three time winner on the European Tour. The victory also earned him an invitation to this week’s PGA Championship, the fourth straight year he will play in the major. Both Higgs and Hughes had a chance to win in regulation. Hughes, in search of his third career PGA title, had a one shot lead but missed a 10-foot par putt on the final hole. Higgs had a 25-footer for birdie on the final hole which would have given him the victory. In the playoff, both Hughes and Higgs found the fairway off the tee while Fox drove it into the rough. His approach ended up on the collar of the green while Hughes put his second shot to within 15 feet of the cup while Higgs faced a 26 footer. Fox made his birdie attempt while both Hughes and Higgs missed their attempts. It was the first loss in three career playoffs for Hughes. It is the fifth runner-up finish of his career and third top-10 result of the season. …Ben Silverman, making his 100th career PGA Tour start, snapped a streak of eight missed cuts with his second top-20 result of the year.

NEXT EVENT: PGA Championship (May 15)
CANADIANS ENTERED: Corey Conners, Adam Hadwin, Mackenzie Hughes, Taylor Pendrith, Nick Taylor

Sepp Straka overcame a pair of bogeys to start the back nine, grabbed the lead with a par on the 16th hole and outduelled Shane Lowry to win the Truist Championship. It is Straka’s four career win and second of the year, joining Rory McIlroy was the only other multi-winner this season. The victory will vault Straka into the top 10 in the world rankings for the first time in his career. Tied with Straka after making birdie on No. 15, Lowry failed to convert a 6-footer for par to fall one back. After missing a 22-footer for birdie on the penultimate hole, he couldn’t convert a 27 footer for birdie on the final hole, settling for bogey and a tie for second with Justin Thomas. Defending champion Rory McIlroy, who was playing in his first individual event since winning the Masters, finished in a tie for seventh. …Corey Conners has finished inside the top-20 in six of his last seven starts. He has eight top-20 finishes this year. …Nick Taylor posted his fifth top-20 finish of the year and second in back-to-back starts since January.

LPGA TOUR

Jeeno Thitikul made only three birdies on Sunday but played bogey-free golf over her final 27 holes on the way to a four-shot win at the Mizuho Americas Open. It was her fifth LPGA title and first win of the year. The Thai player has 13 top-10 finishes in her last 15 starts. Celine Boutier earned her fifth career runner-up finish and third top-10 result of the season. Defending champion Nelly Korda, who is still looking for her first win of the year, finished in a tie for fifth. She was within a shot of Thitikul until a bogey on No. 9. She played the back nine in 2-over and was never a factor in the final outcome. …Brooke Henderson missed her third cut of the year, one more than she had in the entire 2024 season and the most she’s had since 2023.

NEXT EVENT: Mexico Riviera Maya Open (May 22)
CANADIANS ENTERED: Savannah Grewal, Alena Sharp, Maude-Aimee Leblanc, Maddie Szeryk (Reserve #8)

PGA TOUR AMERICAS

John Marshall Butler birdied three of his final five holes to win the Bupa Championship by a single stroke. It’s his first tour victory in just his 14th career start and comes almost a year after leading Auburn to its first-ever NCAA national golf title. Butler is also just the fifth player to earn status from the mid-season Q-School to win on Tour. The victory also moves him up to No. 1 in the Fortinet Cup standings. Vicente Marzilio finished runner-up, with Michael Brennan and Mats Ege tied for third. Brennan notched his fourth top-10 result of the season. …A.J. Ewart notched his third top-20 finish of the season. …Brendan Macdougall recorded his best result in five starts this year and his fifth top-25 finish over the last two seasons.

NEXT EVENT: Inter Rapidisimo Golf Championship (May 22)

ASIAN TOUR

Lucas Herbert eagled the final hole for the second straight day to punctuate his five-shot victory at the International Series Japan. It was the first win on the Asian Tour for the Aussie, who also has victories on the PGA Tour, European Tour and PGA Tour of Australia. Herbert was five shots behind the leader late in the third round when he eagled two of the final three holes, turning that into a 10-shot swing with his final round 64. The win moves him atop the Asian Tour Order of Merit and The International Series rankings. Younghan Song and Yuta Sugiura finished tied for second. Sugiura carded a bogey-free round for the third time in four days. Cameron Tringale eagled the final hole to finish solo fourth.

NEXT EVENT: Kolon Korea Open (May 22)
CANADIANS ENTERED: Richard T. Lee, Sukwoan Ko, Yonggu Shin, Jared du Toit (Reserve #68), Blair Busey (Reserve #101), Richard Dou (Reserve #103), Sukhraj Gill (Reserve #125)

EUROPEAN TOUR

Martin Couvra made four birdies over his first six holes and rallied from a four shot deficit to win the Turkish Airlines Open by two strokes. It is the 22-year-old’s first European Tour title in just his 15th career start. The Frenchman has five top-10 finishes in his rookie campaign on the tour. Jorge Campillo of Spain and Haotong Li of China finished runner-up. Li also got off to a blistering start, going out in 30 but could only manage par on the back nine for his third runner-up result at this event.

NEXT EVENT:  Soudal Open (May 22)
CANADIANS ENTERED: Aaron Cockerill

EPSON TOUR

Sophia Popov had four birdies and outlasted the 100-degree heat to win the Carlisle Arizona Women’s Golf Classic by two strokes. It was the fifth career win for the 32-year-old and first since the 2020 AIG Women’s Open. Michelle Zhang of China finished runner-up, followed by Valery Plata of Colombia in third. …Brooke Rivers posted her best career result on the development tour. She started the final round with birdies on six of her first eight holes, including five in a row.

NEXT EVENT: Copper Rock Championship (May 15)
CANADIANS ENTERED:  Ellie Szeryk, Leah John, Maddie Szeryk, Monet Chun, Yeji Kwon, Josee Doyon, Brooke Rivers, Mary Parsons, Brigitte Thibault (Reserve #13), Ashley Chow (Reserve #19)

Savannah Grewal is still getting used to playing on the LPGA Tour, including normalizing playing in majors.

Grewal, from Mississauga, Ont., is in her sophomore season on the top women’s golf circuit in the world and is one of three Canadians in the field at this week’s Chevron Championship, the first major of the year. Grewal said that after playing in three majors in 2024 she’s learned to take them as just another round of golf.

“I feel every tournament on the LPGA is still a little starry-eyed for me in a sense because this has been my dream since I was eight-years-old and I’m living out my dream,” said the 23-year-old Wednesday during a weather delay during her practice round at The Club at Carlton Woods in The Woodlands, Texas. “It’s always going to be fun and exciting for me, so I think that’s something that hasn’t necessarily changed. 

“I think my approach to things, whether it’s a major or whether it’s not a major, is I try to go into the tournament with the same mindset because I think the moment you try to make it bigger than what it actually is or make it into this huge thing is when you add external pressure to yourself.”

Grewal played in three majors in her rookie LPGA Tour season, missing the cut at the Chevron Championship, the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship, and the Amundi Evian Championship. Although Grewal made the cut at eight of her final nine tournaments last year to finish 97th on the LPGA Tour’s points list, she had to qualify for the 2025 Chevron Championship based on her performance so far this year.

“It feels like honestly an honour,” said Grewal. “I wasn’t guaranteed to be in this event this year, so it feels good to have been able to play my way into the event. 

“Any time you get to compete in a major, it’s really special because that’s the kind of tournament everyone wants to go out and win. It’s also what most people are remembered for, right? How many majors did they win? What did they do in the majors?”

Grewal has played in four events this season, making the cut at the Blue Bay LPGA on March 6, the Ford Championship on March 27, and the JM Eagle LA Championship on April 17.

“(There have) just been some little things here and there that I want to improve on,” said Grewal of her season so far. “You’re always striving to improve and to get better, so I definitely feel like it’s headed in the right direction. 

“I just haven’t felt like I’ve seen myself put together four rounds yet. If I’m able to do that, it’ll feel a little more like a success.”

Grewal will be joined by Brooke Henderson of Smiths Falls, Ont., and Hamilton’s Alena Sharp on the Jack Nicklaus Signature Course this Thursday. Henderson is 42nd on the Race to CME Globe points list, Sharp is 104th and Grewal is 107th.

U.S. WOMEN’S OPEN — Vancouver’s Leah John earned a spot in this year’s U.S. Women’s Open, the third  major of the year, after tying for first in a qualifying round at Del Paso Country Club in Sacramento, Calif. on Monday. John will be making her major debut on May 29 and will be playing in her second career LPGA Tour event, having played in the CPKC Women’s Open last summer in Calgary.

The national team member from Vancouver fired rounds of 65-70 (135) to finish at 7-under for 36 holes and earn one of three spots available along with her former University of Nevada teammate Gabby Kano. John became overwhelmed with emotion once she finished her second round, knowing she secured her spot.

EPSON TOUR — Josee Doyon of Saint-Georges, Que., is 23rd on the Race for the Card points list heading into Friday’s first round at the IOA Championship. She’ll be joined on the Champions Course at Morongo Golf Club at Tukwet Canyon in Beaumont, Calif., by Maddie Szeryk (25th) of London, Ont., Monet Chun (40th) of Richmond Hill, Ont., Yeji Kwon (77th) of Port Coquitlam, B.C., Brooke Rivers (98th) of Brampton, Ont., and John (unranked).

PGA TOUR — The all-Canadian paring of Nick Taylor and Adam Hadwin, who grew up together in Abbotsford, B.C., face Garrick Higgo and Ryan Fox in the first round of the Zurich Classic of New Orleans. Ben Silverman of Thornhill, Ont., will team with Finland’s Sami Valimaki and Adam Svensson of Surrey, B.C., pairs with Australia’s Cam Davis at TPC Louisiana in Avondale, La. Taylor is 20th in the FedEx Cup standings, Hadwin is 110th, Svensson is 148th and Silverman is 163rd.

DP WORLD TOUR — Aaron Cockerill of Stony Mountain, Man., is the lone Canadian at the Hainan Classic. He’s 122nd on the European-based tour heading into play this week at the Blackstone Course of Mission Hills Resort Haikou on Hainan Island in China.

CHAMPIONS TOUR — Calgary’s Stephen Ames and Mike Weir of Brights Grove, Ont., will tee it up on Friday at the Mitsubishi Electric Classic. Ames is a three-time champion at TPC Sugarloaf in Duluth, Ga., having won in 2017, 2023 and last year. He’s 41st on the Schwab Cup money list and Weir is 81st.

KORN FERRY TOUR — Sudarshan Yellamaraju of Mississauga leads the Canadian contingent into this week’s Veritex Bank Championship. He’s 12th on the second-tier tour’s points list. He’ll be joined at Texas Rangers Golf Club in Arlington by Matthew Anderson (31st), also from Mississauga, Myles Creighton (51st) of Digby, N.S., Roger Sloan (101st) of Merritt, B.C., Etienne Papineau (116th) of Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Que., and Vancouver’s Stuart Macdonald (132nd).

AMERICAS TOUR — Toronto’s Drew Nesbitt is the top-ranked Canadian on the PGA Tour Americas. Nesbitt is tied for 11th on the third-tier circuit’s points list. He’s one of 11 Canadians playing in the KIA Open at Quito Tenis & Golf Club in Ecuador this week.

EVANS SCHOLARSHIP — A pair of high school students from Victoria have been awarded the Western Golf Association’s Chick Evans Scholarship. Connor Meir from Oak Bay High School and Joe Harris from Reynolds Secondary School have earned a full four-year housing and tuition scholarship for golf caddies.

Brooke Henderson needed only 27 holes to win two matches. The Canadian needs to win one more to be assured of reaching the weekend at the T-Mobile Match Play.

One day after a 6-and-5 win in the opening round, Henderson of Smiths Falls, Ont., pulled away late by winning five of the last seven holes Thursday in a 5-and-4 win over Peiyun Chien of Taiwan.

One more day of round-robins matches remain at Shadow Creek before the winner of each of the 16 groups advance to the knockout stage on the weekend. While no one clinched her group, at least 18 players were eliminated on another day of this fickle format.

Nelly Korda, the defending champion and No. 1 player, will have to beat Ariya Jutanugarn to win her group. Korda halved her opening match and she had a few shaky moments in a 1-up win over Jennifer Kupcho.

Korda had a 4-foot putt to go 3 up with three holes to play, missed the putt, and then gave away the the par-5 16th with a bogey. It came down to the 18th, and Kupcho pulled her drive to the left side of the hazard. Her next shot clipped a tree and she stopped watching, only to discover the ball was on the green.

Korda’s approach was 40 feet long, and she did well to lag it to a foot. Kupcho missed her 30-foot birdie attempt and Korda moved on to a decisive match against Jutanugarn. The Thai is 2-0 and would only need a halve against Korda.

“Very questionable by me,” Korda said of her play. “Definitely don’t have my best stuff right now.. That’s the greatest thing about match play, is even if you don’t have your best stuff you have to grind it out.”

Lydia Ko joined Henderson as the only players who have yet to play the 15th hole in either of the two rounds. The difference is Ko lost her first match (6 and 4) before a 6-and-5 victory Thursday over Gabriela Ruffels. Everyone in Ko’s group is 1-1.

If any group ends in a tie, the winner is decided by a sudden-death playoff.

Hyo Joo Kim, coming off a playoff victory last week in Arizona, won the last four holes to rally against Nanna Koertz Madsen for her second win this week. Kim and Maja Stark are 2-0 and will play Friday to see who advances.

Rose Zhang conceded her match against Albane Valenzuela after three holes. Zhang had complained about a neck injury in the opening round. That sets up a strange scenario.

If Zhang can’t play against Meghan Khang, Valenzuela would be eliminated. If Zhang can play and beats Khang, Valenzuela could win the group by beating Nataliya Guseva.

Among those eliminated are Jin Young Ko and Leona Maguire in another bizarre situation. 

Ko needed to win the match to have any shot at the weekend. The match was dormie after 16, meaning Ko was eliminated. But the South Korean won the next two holes to halve the match, and that eliminated Maguire.

As 2024 draws to a close, Golf Canada reflects on the stories that captivated our readers throughout the year. Here are the top 10 most-read articles that highlighted significant moments and achievements in Canadian golf:

1. Final Field released for the 2024 RBC Canadian Open

2. Pendrith, Conners, Hughes named to International Team for upcoming Presidents Cup

3. Golf Canada announces professional athletes named to 2024 Team Canada

4. Golf Canada releases 2024 championship schedule

5. Golf Canada announces amateur athletes named to 2025 Team Canada

6. LaunchPad Golf expands across Canada with six new locations

7. Built For This: TPC Toronto to host RBC Canadian Open in 2025

8. Canada’s Nick Taylor wins Phoenix Open on second playoff hole

9. Two women golfers announced to Canadian Olympic Team for Paris 2024

10. Mississaugua Golf and Country Club to host 2025 CPKC Women’s Open

As the year comes to a close, we want to take a moment to express our heartfelt gratitude to our readers and the incredible Golf Canada community. Thank you for your passion, engagement, and unwavering support throughout the year. Your love for the game inspires everything we do, and we’re honoured to share these stories with you.

Here’s to another year of unforgettable moments on the course and beyond. Thank you for being an essential part of the Golf Canada family—see you in 2025!

Old friends Corey Conners and Brooke Henderson usually have to keep tabs on each other from afar, but this week they’ll get to see one another up close.

Conners and Henderson will team up once again at the Grant Thornton Invitational, a unique event where some of the best golfers from the PGA and LPGA Tours compete as pairs. The tournament is quickly becoming an annual reunion for the two graduates of Golf Canada’s junior program.

“Since turning professional, our careers have gone separate ways, and we haven’t been able to cross paths too much,” said Conners, who finished the men’s season 39th on the FedEx Cup standings. “I’m always cheering her on from afar, and always have my eye on the LPGA Tour leaderboard when she’s playing.”

Henderson, likewise, has been keeping tabs on Conners’s exploits.

“It’s just been really fun to watch his career and cheer him on,” said Henderson, who finished 13th in the women’s tour’s rankings. “I think this event has reconnected us, in a way, and it’s been really special and great to be able to know his family and just to watch this game and be his partner here is really cool.”

Both were on Team Canada back in 2013 when they won the Copa de las Americas along with Albin Choi and Augusta James.

Conners and Henderson also represented Canada at the last two Olympics but due to COVID-19 restrictions they didn’t get to interact at the Tokyo Games in 2021. The men’s and women’s tournaments were on different weeks at the Paris Games this past summer.

The two Canadians finished second at the inaugural Grant Thornton Invitational last year with a combined score of 25 under, a shot behind New Zealand’s Lydia Ko and Australia’s Jason Day.

“It’s been great to be able to share some experiences like the Olympics and this event last year and spending more time together has been awesome,” said Conners, who is from Listowel, Ont. “She’s this amazing person, amazing golfer, and a fun partner at this event.”

The stacked leaderboard will see 16 pairs tee off on Friday at Tiburon Golf Club in Naples, Fla. American Tony Finau withdrew from the event on Wednesday afternoon. He was replaced as top-ranked Nelly Korda’s partner by Daniel Berger.

“I feel like we make a great team, and I’m excited for Friday to tee it up and hopefully make some birdies and be inspired by (Conners’s) great shots,” said Henderson, who is from Smiths Falls, Ont.

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PGA TOUR — Six Canadians are vying for a PGA Tour card at the PGA Tour Q-School this week. Roger Sloan of Merritt, B.C., Edmonton’s Wil Bateman, Myles Creighton of Digby, N.S., Toronto’s Sebastian Szirmak, as well as Matthew Anderson and Sudarshan Yellamaraju of Mississauga, Ont., will all be in the field at Dye’s Valley Course and Sawgrass Country Club in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla., this week.

LPGA TOUR — Hamilton’s Alena Sharp and Maude-Aimee Leblanc of Sherbrooke, Que., both earned full status on the LPGA Tour for 2025 after solid showings at the final qualifying stage of the Q-Series on Monday. Sharp tied for 21st at 7 under and Leblanc tied for 24th at 6 under. The top 25 finishers in the tournament earned their status.

GOLFZON TOUR — A team of five golfers from the Greater Toronto Area will be competing in the GOLFZON Tour, a golf simulator league that features 12 teams from North America and the United Kingdom. Team Toronto will play its GOLFZON Tour quarterfinal match at a Golfplay location in Waterloo, Ont., on the virtual Old Course at St. Andrews against Team Orlando on Dec. 19. 

Canadian golfers Alena Sharp and Maude-Aimée Leblanc will return to the LPGA Tour in 2025 after earning their cards through the LPGA Tour Qualifying Series. Sharp, from Hamilton, Ont., finished tied for 21st at seven-under, while Leblanc, of Sherbrooke, Que., tied for 24th at six-under.

Sharp continues storied career

Sharp, 43, has been a fixture on the LPGA Tour since 2005. Over her career, she has made 375 official starts, earning $3,086,599 in prize money and recording 16 top-10 finishes. Her best result on the tour came at the 2016 CPKC Women’s Open, where she placed fourth.

In 2024, Sharp made seven cuts in 13 starts, with her best finish a tie for 19th at the Dana Open. She ended the season ranked No. 123 on the Race to CME Globe Points List.

Sharp has also found success on the Epson Tour, where she has two career wins and 14 additional top-10 finishes. Her most recent victory came in 2023 at the Champions Fore Change Invitational.

A three-time Olympian, Sharp represented Canada in Rio in 2016, Tokyo in 2021 and Paris in 2024, with her best Olympic finish a tie for 30th in Rio.

A graduate of New Mexico State University, Sharp continues to be a role model for Canadian golfers.

“I’m really happy walking away with a card and, you know, not sitting on the outside looking in for the first part of the season, Sharp told the LPGA. “Hopefully I’ll get starts right away instead of having to wait until like June to play.  Really excited about that.”

Leblanc builds on strong form

Leblanc, 35, has competed on the LPGA Tour since 2012. In 2024, she made eight cuts in 19 starts, with her best result a tie for 19th at the CPKC Women’s Open.

Leblanc has four career top-10 finishes on the tour, the most recent at the 2022 ISPS HANDA Women’s Scottish Open, where she tied for eighth.

Leblanc has also had a standout career on the Epson Tour, with 26 top-10 finishes. In her last full season on the developmental circuit in 2021, she made 12 cuts in 17 starts and posted nine top-10 results.

A graduate of Purdue University, Leblanc was part of the Boilermakers’ NCAA championship-winning team in 2010. The former Team Canada alumna also had a decorated amateur career, winning the Canadian Junior Championship and the International Junior Orange Bowl in 2006.

Canadians ready for 2025

Both Sharp and Leblanc are set to bring experience and consistency to the LPGA Tour in 2025, highlighting the strength of Canadian golf on the global stage.

Their achievements reflect the dedication and determination that have made them role models for the next generation of players. With new opportunities ahead, they will look to build on their careers and inspire golf fans across Canada.

For more information on the 2025 CPKC Women’s Open, taking place August 20-24 at Mississaugua Golf & Country Club, click here.

Click here for full results from the final stage of LPGA Tour Qualifying Series.

Mollie Marcoux Samaan is resigning in January as LPGA commissioner, a surprise announcement Monday after record growth in prize money along with criticism the LPGA wasn’t gaining in popularity during the surge in women’s sports.

Marcoux Samaan is leaving on Jan. 9, three weeks before the LPGA begins its 75th season. Liz Moore, the chief legal and technology officer, will be interim commissioner until a search committee hires a new one.

Marcoux Samaan did not cite a specific reason for resigning except to mention spending more time with her three children. She will serve the third-shortest stint among nine LPGA commissioners dating to 1975, behind only Jim Ritts (1996-99) and Bill Blue (1988-90).

“With the LPGA positioned for continued growth, it’s time for me to have more time to cheer on our three amazing children as they live their dreams while I continue to pursue my passion for building leaders, uniting communities and creating value through sports, particularly women’s sports,” Marcoux Samaan said in a statement.

The LPGA said prize money increased by more than 90% under Marcoux Samaan, a big part of that the major championships. The five majors had a combined prize fund of $23.4 million in 2021. Next year, the majors combine to offer at least $47.8 million in prize money.

She announced the end of her tenure a week after the season-ending CME Group Tour Championship awarded $4 million to the winner, Jeeno Thitikul, from an $11 million purse.

“Since joining the LPGA in 2021, Mollie has been instrumental in solidifying our position as the global leader in women’s professional golf, realizing record growth in player earnings and fan engagement,” said John B. Veihmeyer, chairman of the LPGA board. “Mollie has been a steadfast advocate for equity in the sport and has worked tirelessly to expand opportunities for women and girls through the game.”

The LPGA said the average earnings for the top 100 players topped $1 million this year, compared with an average of just over $570,000 in 2021.

Women’s sports across the landscape has seen a spike in money and interest, though Marcoux Samaan was criticized for the LPGA not getting enough attention behind remarkable story lines this year. Nelly Korda tied an LPGA record with five straight wins, and Lydia Ko won Olympic gold to qualify for the LPGA Hall of Fame, and then won another major at the Women’s British Open at St. Andrews.

The Americans also won the Solheim Cup, but not without a transportation mess on the opening day at the Robert Trent Jones Golf Club in Virginia when there were not enough buses for spectators and many of them waited hours before they could get in, missing the opening tee shots that typically feature packed grandstands and raucous cheering.

Marcoux Samaan pointed to growth in defending her job when some of the criticism was raised at the season-ending tournament.

“I focus every day on trying to support the athletes, to try to grow the tour, and to try to make this the best place in the world to play and to give additional opportunities to girls and women. So I feel like the statistics really speak for themselves,” she said at the Tour Championship.

“I think we’re experiencing enormous growth. That’s really what my job is.”

Along with huge increases in earnings, Marcoux Samaan announced full subsidized health care for the LPGA for the first time in its history. She also was behind stipends for missing the cut and domestic travel in a bid to make sure players were adequately compensated.

Official prize money for the LPGA in 2025 is $127.5 million.

Terry Duffy, the chairman and CEO of CME Group, signed a two-year extension of the LPGA deal. In an interview with Golfweek, he gave Marcoux Samaan high marks.

“I don’t know how you could not give A++ to where the tour is at today under her leadership,” Duffy said. “I run markets. I don’t care if you’re running a business at a hardware store or an exchange or professional golf, there’s ebbs and flows to everything in life and everything in business. … If you’re worth more today than you were 10 years ago or three years ago, you’re doing the right things.”

Marcoux Samaan was the ninth commissioner — and second female commissioner — when she left her role as athletic director at Princeton. Marcoux Samaan replaced Mike Whan, who took over in 2010 when players revolted and ousted Carolyn Bivens.

Whan brought high energy and a big personality during his 11 years, making him the longest-serving LPGA commissioner in history.

The LPGA board will work with an executive search firm to conduct a global search for the organization’s next commissioner.

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The LPGA Tour visits Canada for the 2025 CPKC Women’s Open, scheduled to take place at Mississaugua Golf and Country Club in Mississauga, Ont., from August 20 to 24. Visit cpkcwomensopen.com for more into.

World’s longest-running women’s professional sports organization to award over $131 million in prize money across 35 events 

As it enters its 75th anniversary season, the LPGA Tour proudly announces the 2025 schedule, celebrating its legacy as the world’s longest-running women’s professional sports organization. In this milestone year, the LPGA Tour will feature 35 events (33 official events), where the world’s top athletes will compete for a historic total prize fund of more than $131 million. This represents the largest prize fund in the Tour’s 75-year history and marks a significant increase of over $62 million in four years, up approximately 90% from 2021, underscoring the Association’s continued growth and success.

“The 2024 season was another year of historic growth for the LPGA Tour, and with this 2025 schedule we will continue to improve on that growth,” said LPGA Commissioner Mollie Marcoux Samaan. “This schedule is highlighted by two exciting new events, a new multi-year title for the longest-running non-major tournament on the LPGA Tour, even higher purse sizes, increased benefits that will enhance the athlete experience, improved geographical flow and a longer off-season that will give our athletes a well-deserved rest after their tremendous work in 2024. We’re excited to see even more thrilling competition and unforgettable moments for our partners, athletes and fans worldwide as we continue to celebrate and support the remarkable journey of women’s golf in our 75th year.”

The global schedule will begin two weeks later than in 2024 and take the LPGA Tour to 14 states in the United States and 11 other countries, including two multi-event Asian swings, the first in February and March and the second in October and November that includes the return of the Hanwha LIFEPLUS International Crown in Korea. One European swing will take place in July and August. New on the calendar in 2025 is the previously announced Black Desert Championship – the only domestic event providing private charters for LPGA athletes – which will be held at Black Desert Resort’s signature course in May. Additionally, the LPGA Tour returns to Mexico for the first time since 2017 for the Riviera Maya Open in Cancun, also in May.

Non-major purses total over $83 million for the 2025 season, up from $45.8 million in 2021. The JM Eagle LA Championship presented by Plastpro returns to the calendar in 2025 after receiving the 2024 LPGA Tournament of the Year for continuing to drive purses higher across the Tour and increasing player benefits. So far, nine tournaments have announced elevated purses from 2024, with the FM Championship becoming the first non-major, non-CME Group Tour Championship purse to surpass $4 million. Additional purse increases are expected to be announced, building on the record-breaking prize fund for 2025. Sixteen events have purses of at least $3 million, including 10 non-major and non-Tour Championship events. On top of increased purse sizes, 24 events will be elevating the athlete experience through travel stipends, free accommodations and/or guaranteed minimum payouts.

The season-ending CME Group Tour Championship continues to lead the way in non-major purse size. The LPGA announced earlier today

 the extension through 2027 of CME Group as the title sponsor of the CME Group Tour Championship, which boasts the biggest non-major prize fund and winner’s check on Tour. The $11 million purse includes a $4 million dollar winner’s check, the largest single prize in the history of women’s golf and among the very highest in women’s sports.

The 2025 major championship season will be an exciting one, with LPGA Tour athletes competing for more than $47 million and visiting three new major-championship venues. This major purse total is the highest in the Tour’s 75-year history and an increase of more than 104% since 2021.The season kicks off in April with The Chevron Championship, taking place once again in The Woodlands, Texas at The Club at Carlton Woods. In May, the LPGA Tour will make its first trip to Erin Hills in Erin, Wisc. for the U.S. Women’s Open. Three weeks later, the Tour will visit the home of the PGA of America for the first time, playing the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship at Fields Ranch East at PGA Frisco in Frisco, Texas. The Amundi Evian Championship at Evian Resort Golf Club in France will kick off the summer European swing in July, and the AIG Women’s Open in Wales at Royal Porthcawl, another new venue for the Tour, will conclude it in August.

Thirty-two athletes will have a chance to represent their countries at the Hanwha LIFEPLUS International Crown in October at New Korea Country Club in Goyang, Republic of Korea. The bi-annual team match-play event features eight teams, represented by four athletes each, all competing for the coveted Crown. The Hanwha LIFEPLUS International Crown was last played in 2023 at TPC Harding Park in San Francisco, where the Thailand Team of Ariya Jutanugarn, Moriya Jutanugarn, Patty Tavatanakit and Jeeno Thitikul was victorious over the underdog Australians. The United States Team finished third.

The LPGA Tour will announce full broadcast details for the season in 2025, with all events airing on Golf Channel and at least seven events on NBC and four events on CBS. As previously announced, the LPGA will continue its partnership with ESPN+ in 2025, with three events to be showcased on the streaming platform next season, including the season-ending CME Group Tour Championship.

2025 LPGA Tour Schedule

Canada’s Savannah Grewal has re-earned her LPGA Tour card for 2025 and will take plenty of lessons into her second season as a pro.

Grewal, of Mississauga, Ont., finished tied for 48th on Sunday at The Annika driven by Gainbridge at Pelican — the final full-field event of the LPGA Tour season — and ended the year at No. 97 in the Race to CME Globe standings. The top 100 earn LPGA Tour cards for next year.

“I hit the ball, for the most part, pretty good — just made some mental mistakes the first two rounds. I learned from that, especially Saturday,” Grewal said from Bellair, Fla. “Just happy to have made the cut and hopefully keep my Tour card.”

Grewal was just three shots back of the lead through two rounds last week at the Lotte Championship but struggled over the weekend, shooting 74-76, to drop into a tie for 54th. She needed to make the cut this week at the penultimate event of the season and did it on the number.

Grewal rallied to shoot a 4-under 66 on Saturday but gave it all back Sunday after a 4-under 74. It was still enough to solidify a second year in a row on the LPGA Tour.

“I just tried to stay really calm, especially in the first two rounds, just knowing I had to make the cut. I just tried to stay really present,” Grewal said. “I made triple bogey on my 18th hole in the first round because I did not stay present. Other than that, I felt like I did a pretty good job of staying calm.”

Grewal’s best result came in her second event of the year, the Blue Bay LPGA, where she finished tied for fourth. She struggled to put two good rounds together after that, however, missing nine straight cuts at one point. But she found the weekend in her last five tournaments in a row, which proved to be the difference.

Grewal, a pre-med graduate from Clemson University, earned LPGA Tour status for this season via a tie for 10th at the LPGA’s Q-Series finale last December.

She admitted she “wasn’t in a great spot” mentally this year but is eager to improve upon that for 2025.

“As long as I can stay present and confident, I can be just fine next year,” Grewal said. “That’s been my biggest takeaway.”

Nelly Korda captured The Annika on Sunday for her incredible seventh victory on the LPGA Tour in 2024. Grewal finished 15 shots back of Korda’s winning total.

Hamilton’s Alena Sharp also made the cut at The Annika. She finished tied for 43rd and ended up No. 123 on the Race to CME Globe.

Four Canadians — Yeji Kwon of Port Coquitlam, B.C., Monet Chun of Richmond Hill, Ont., Maddie Szeryk of London, Ont., and Josee Doyon of St-Georges-de-Beauce, Que. — will aim to follow in Grewal’s footsteps and earn LPGA Tour status via the finale of LPGA Q-Series Dec. 5-9.

The LPGA Tour wraps up its 2024 campaign at the CME Globe Tour Championship at Tiburon Golf Club in Naples, Fla., next week.

Brooke Henderson of Smiths Falls, Ont. will be the lone Canadian in the field that features only the top 60 in the Race to CME Globe standings. Henderson, thanks to eight top-10s this year, is No. 14.

Korda — who has already locked up Player of the Year honours — will enter the season finale No. 1 in the standings. Up for grabs is the biggest first-place prize in women’s golf, US$4 million.

There are four rounds left in the LPGA Tour’s regular season, and rookie Savannah Grewal is determined to be mentally present for all 72 holes.

Grewal, from Mississauga, Ont., and Hamilton’s Alena Sharp are the only Canadians at this week’s The ANNIKA driven by Gainbridge. The 23-year-old Grewal is right on the cusp of earning a card for the 2025 LPGA Tour season, but she needs to at least make the cut at Pelican Golf Club in Belleair, Fla., to clinch it.

“Honestly just one shot at a time,” said Grewal on her approach. “I think you come in at every tournament and your goal is to go out there and compete and to be in contention, so that’s obviously still the goal of this event. 

“But I think that as long as I’m not looking at the leaderboard too much and I’m just really focusing on where I am in that moment, I think that’s probably what’s going to help me the most.”

Grewal is 96th in the Race to CME Globe Standings, the LPGA Tour’s points list. The top 100 players on the elite women’s professional golf tour will receive a card for next year.

“If I don’t play well there’s a chance I might not keep my card for next year, but I feel pretty confident with where I’m at and I think as long as I stay present and I don’t get too far ahead of myself, things will be just fine,” said Grewal.

Sharp is 126th in the rankings and will likely need to finish in the top six at the ANNIKA, depending on how the golfers ahead of her in the standings do, to make it back on tour in 2025 without qualifying through another means.

Brooke Henderson of Smiths Falls, Ont., is not playing this week. At No. 13 on the standings, she is already guaranteed a spot on next year’s tour and will also play in the CME Group Tour Championship next week.

No. 146 Maude-Aimee Leblanc of Sherbrooke, Que., and No. 192 Maddie Szeryk of London, Ont., are not in this week’s field. As a result, they will both need to requalify to return to the LPGA Tour next season.

Grewal earned some critical points at least week’s LOTTE Championship, ultimately tying for 54th at even par. She started strong with a first-round 68 and maintained her solid position with a second-round 70. However, a third-round 74 and fourth-round 76 put her in this week’s high-stakes position.

“I think as long as I focus on my breathing and just go out there and I enjoy being out there, just have fun with it, I think that’s probably going to be the best thing for me,” said Grewal. 

“I think that last week I did a really good job of that the first two rounds and I think the, after the cut, I kind of started to get ahead of myself and look at that leaderboard.”

“I think as long as I stay present and I don’t get too far ahead of myself, things will be just fine.”

Crunch-time from @SavannahGrewal‘s maiden @LPGA Tour season, with next year’s status on the line:

— Golf Canada (@GolfCanada) November 13, 2024

AROUND THE TOURS

PGA TOUR — The fall ball season continues with the Butterfield Bermuda Championship at Port Royal Golf Course in Southampton, Bermuda. Mackenzie Hughes of Dundas, Ont., isn’t just the highest ranked Canadian in the event, at No. 51 he’s the highest ranked golfer in the field, period. No. 57 Nick Taylor of Abbotsford, B.C., and No. 176 Roger Sloan of Merritt, B.C., will also tee it up.

CHAMPIONS TOUR — Danny King of Aurora, Ont., was tied for fourth at 4-under overall on Wednesday after two rounds at the 2025 PGA Tour Champions Qualifying first stage at Buckhorn Springs Golf and Country Club in Valrico, Fla. Martin Plante (74) of St-Sauveur, Que., and Dennis Hendershott (73) of Brantford, Ont., was tied for 36th at 5 over. Craig Watkins of Georgetown, Ont. was disqualified. Mike Woodcock (79) of Chatham, Ont., was tied for 43rd at 16 over in the qualifying stage at Grand Bear Golf Club in Saucier, Miss. Calgary’s Stuart Patterson withdrew after one round.

DP WORLD TOUR — Aaron Cockerill of Stony Mountain, Man., will be in the second pairing to tee off at the DP World Tour Championship on Thursday. It was his goal all season to reach the European tour’s finale at Jumeirah Golf Estates, Earth course, Dubai, UAE. He was 49th in the Race to Dubai rankings after last week’s Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship, with the top 50 golfers on the DP World Tour reaching its championship tournament.