LONDON, Ont. – Safely in position to make the cut after her second round at the Canadian Pacific Women’s Open, amateur Brooke Henderson still talked like playing on the weekend was in doubt.

“I left a lot of opportunities out there and missed a lot of birdies, but that’s OK,” she said. “If I play the weekend, we’ll get them.”

Saying “if” wasn’t necessary. After shooting a 1-under-par 71 to get to 3 under for the tournament, the 16-year-old will get those opportunities Saturday and Sunday.

Henderson was one of four Canadians to make the cut, along with Jennifer Kirby, amateur Jennifer Ha and Sue Kim. Henderson will move on after not making it past the second round in this event the past two years.

“I’m a lot more comfortable on the big stage,” Henderson said. “It’s awesome, because when I was out here at 14, I was pretty nervous and didn’t really know anybody. Now, I know quite a few of the pros and they know me. I’m more comfortable in the big setting with all the fans and all the cameras.”

Henderson has to be with all the attention on her this week at London Hunt and Country Club. Playing in a group with Kirby of Paris, Ont., and Rebecca Lee-Bentham of Toronto, Henderson was still the main draw.

Following a second-place finish at the U.S. Amateur and a tie for 10th at the U.S. Women’s Open, Henderson has high expectations on her as the future face of Canadian golf. She doesn’t know what her secret is, but the soon-to-be 17-year-old doesn’t flinch at the exposure she’s getting.

“It’s a challenge to be able to play well for (fans), and I love it,” the Smiths Falls, Ont., native said. “I know they’re all cheering for me, so really it’s positive energy.”

Kirby used some of that positive energy to remain as the low Canadian at 5 under with an even-par 72 Friday. That had her 10 strokes off the lead, held by South Korea’s So Yeon Ryu.

“I didn’t make a lot of birdie putts, but I made a lot of par saves,” Kirby said. “Hopefully I can go a little lower on the weekend.”

Ha, who’s from Calgary, had the best morning round of any Canadian with a 3-under 69 to get her to 3 under for the tournament. Kim of Langley, B.C., just made it a 1 under.

Lee-Bentham, Sara-Maude Juneau of Fossambault, Que., Natalie Gleadall of Stratford, Ont., and Elizabeth Tong of Thornhill, Ont., missed by a stroke at even par.

Lorie Kane (Charlottetown), Alena Sharp (Hamilton) and Jessica Wallace (Langley) were 1 over, Maude-Aimee LeBlanc (Sherbrooke, Que.) was 2 over, Samantha Richdale (Kelowna, B.C.) was 3 over, Erica Rivard (Tecumseh, Ont.) was 4 over and Nicole Vandermade (Brantford, Ont.) was 5 over.

LONDON, Ont. – The only all-Canadian group at the Canadian Pacific Women’s Open got more than polite golf claps from the many fans who followed them throughout the first round.

“They clapped for everything,” Brooke Henderson said. “It was awesome. The support out there was amazing.”

Buoyed by that support, Jennifer Kirby had the best day of any Canadian with a 5-under 67, while Henderson and Rebecca Lee-Bentham each shot 2 under.

Inside the ropes, Kirby said playing with two friends made her feel “comfortable.” The Paris, Ont., native was able to play it safe and still hole five birdies.

“Bogey-free round, took advantage of the par 5s for the most part and hit it close on a few and didn’t really make any big mistakes,” Kirby said.

Kirby goes into Friday’s morning tee time four strokes behind leader So Yeon Ryu, who set a new course record at the London Hunt and Country Club with her 9-under 63.

Henderson, the 16-year-old amateur phenom, and Lee-Bentham aren’t far off the pace. There was plenty of pressure on Henderson going into the tournament, but she showed no signs of cracking Thursday.

“I hit the ball great all day,” the Smiths Falls, Ont., native said. “I hit a lot of greens and had a lot of opportunities for birdie. They didn’t fall today but hopefully over the next couple of days they’ll make up for it.”

Lee-Bentham, who’s from Toronto, said she “felt a lot of love” from the crowd all day.

“It’s more than usual, so it was more fun out there,” she said.

A few other Canadians were able to have fun without stressing about playing in front of home-country fans. Amateur Elizabeth Tong of Thornhill, Ont., and Sara-Maude Juneau of Fossambault, Que., joined Henderson and Lee-Bentham at 2 under.

Tong, who’s going back to school at the University of Indiana next week, just qualified Monday and called being in the tournament a bonus.

“That beat my expectations,” Tong said of her first round. “I was just looking to shoot like around par, keep it together, because I definitely knew people were going to shoot like 64, 65 the whole day. Just keep myself in there because the main goal is to make the cut, if anything. I think I put myself in a good position there.”

Sue Kim from Langley, B.C., was the only other Canadian of the 15 in the tournament to be under par at 1 under.

Alena Sharp (Hamilton) and amateur Jennifer Ha (Calgary) shot an even-par 72; Lorie Kane (Charlottetown), Maude-Aimee LeBlanc (Sherbrooke, Que.) and Erica Rivard (Tecumseh, Ont.) shot 73; Samantha Richdale (Kelowna, B.C.) and Nicole Vandermade (Brantford, Ont.) shot 74 and Jessica Wallace (Langley) and Natalie Gleadall (Stratford, Ont.) shot 75.

LONDON, Ont. – On the eve of the Canadian Pacific Women’s Open, So Yeon Ryu, Na Yeon Choi and Inbee Park got together for dinner with some fellow South Korean golfers. While Park picked up the tab after winning the LPGA Championship, all three benefited from the fellowship.

Ryu set a new course record with a 9-under 63, Choi was one shot behind her and Park three off the lead after the first round of the US$2.25-million tournament at the London Hunt and Country Club. Traditional Korean food was on the menu, but Ryu credited the company, rather than the cuisine, for her strong start.

“We had a talk together to help us relax,” Ryu said. “Sometimes when you’re hanging out with really good friends, it can make you more relaxed and enjoy the golf. Today, I really enjoyed my golf. That comes from great friendship.”

Ryu’s 63 was one shy of the tournament record, and her 9-under-par tied the best mark, set in 2009 by Song-Hee Kim. The 63 was also a competitive course record at London Hunt and Country Club. The 24-year-old hit nine birdies and played a bogey-free round.

Choi chipped in three times during her morning round, and her 8 under looked like it would stand up until Ryu got hot on the back nine. Choi knew she chipped in twice from inside of 10 yards and once from a bunker 25 yards away but had to check her scorecard to figure out how many birdies she hit.

“I felt good about my game, but I didn’t really realize I had five birdies in a row,” Choi said. “I didn’t really think about I want to birdie every hole.”

Choi credits Canadian manager Greg Morrison for her love of and strong play in Canada. Her career-best round of 62 came in last year’s Manulife Financial LPGA at the Grey Silo Golf Course in Waterloo, Ont.

When Ryu saw Choi’s score before she teed off, she thought 3 under would be a realistic goal for her.

“But I shot 9 under, so I’m more happy,” Ryu said with a smile.

Swede Anna Nordqvist, who was playing with and pushed along by Ryu, was alone in third at 7 under.

“She made nine birdies today and I made seven,” Nordqvist said. “It gives you a lot of momentum or a lot of positive energy just seeing a lot of birdies.”

Park, who lamented missing a few five- or six-foot putts, was part of a group at 6 under along with Azahara Munoz, Danielle Kang and Xi Yu Lin. Other than that, she called it a “perfect round.”

“Ball-striking was almost perfect,” Park said. “Everything as pretty much right on line. These greens, they didn’t have much breaks in them, but I misread them, a couple of them. Hopefully I’ll play a little bit better tomorrow and hole some more putts.”

Park predicted that, given the softened conditions of the course due to overnight rain, she would have to be more than 20-under par to win this tournament. Choi didn’t think that was realistic until she wrapped up.

“Actually I was thinking like under 15,” Choi said. “But after my score today, which means – if I shoot like 8 under, I think everyone could shoot like 8-under, so we will see.”

Jennifer Kirby (Paris, Ont.) finished at 5 under as the low Canadian. Her playing partners, Brooke Henderson (Smiths Falls, Ont.) and Rebecca Lee-Bentham (Toronto) were each 2 under, along with amateur Elizabeth Tong (Thornhill, Ont.) and Sara-Maude Juneau (Fossambault, Que.).

“I think this course is very scoreable, so I think that it was a good round today, but I still left a few out there,” Kirby said.

Choi left at least one shot on the course, too, as her birdie putt on No. 9 – her final hole of the day – lipped out. A tie for the lead might’ve done wonders for a player who hasn’t won a tournament since the 2012 U.S. Open.

Similarly, Ryu hasn’t won in two years, so the two friends can try to help each other through.

“We kind of talk about how can we get through this one, how do we think about this situation,” Ryu said. “I realize I’m not the only (one going) through the hard time. That kind of conversation makes me more relieved.”

If Ryu and Choi manage to keep up this play through the weekend, one of them might pick up the tab at the next team dinner.

“I’m glad to buy a dinner for them,” Ryu said. “I haven’t won any tournaments the last two years so I’ve been waiting. I wish I can win this week.”

LONDON, Ont. – Winter was not kind to the London Hunt and Country Club, and Stacy Lewis heard stories about the poor condition the course was in.

But when the No. 1-ranked golfer on the LPGA Tour arrived for this week’s Canadian Pacific Women’s Open, she didn’t notice the effects of the snow and cold weather.

“The fairways are probably some of the best fairways we’ve had to hit off all year,” Lewis said. “You really can’t tell.”

Sixteen of 18 greens were unplayable, and course superintendent Jayson Griffiths said four or five were “over 90 per cent injured,” including the 18th hole. Of the four acres of greens, three of them were gone.

Players who walked the course in recent weeks could tell there had been damage, and they raved about the improvement.

“Coming into this week I was pleasantly surprised of how well (the greens) were rolling,” Canadian amateur Brooke Henderson said Wednesday. “I can’t imagine the amount of work they must have put in to get this course in such immaculate condition.”

Griffiths said it took “countless hours.” Those were spent preparing, seeding, watering, maintaining and waiting.

The result was something he is proud of going into this tournament, which features nine of the top 10 players in the world.

“It’s just a humbling experience, it really is, and it’s just a lot of hard work,” Griffiths said Tuesday. “I don’t think there was a weekend where both Brent McDougall and Deb (Dale), my assistant, left this golf course. We were watering from morning till night if need be. It was 24/7, 14 weeks to get here. It was just a lot of extraordinary efforts.”

Griffiths began to realize in November how bad a winter this could be, and over time he saw the “worst-case scenario” develop. With the ground frozen “well below four feet” and no irrigation system as a result, he and his staff had a three-day window in April to get the greens back up to par.

A crew of about 18 people seeded, germinated, watered the greens through 10,000-square-foot covers and waited. For a while, the course had just two greens to play on and 16 temporary ones, and members only got to play all of them beginning June 27.

“We keep calling it the fifth season: patience,” Griffiths said “We know that foot traffic on new seedlings, it just would not work. We would not be where we had if we had traffic.”

By the time players saw the course this week, it was tournament-calibre again. That’s essential with a field that features Lewis, LPGA Championship winner Inbee Park, two-time defending champion Lydia Ko and Suzann Pettersen, the top four players in the world.

Tournament director Brent McLaughlin of Golf Canada said the field is “second to none,” as usual.

“We obviously want the best,” he said on a conference call last week. “We are so lucky to have a long laundry list of such great players.”

Among the top-10 women’s golfers, only 2010 champion Michelle Wie is not here. Wie withdrew last week because of a hand injury.

Wie’s absence makes it a bit easier of a tournament on the other top players, but Ko – who won this event the past two years, in Edmonton and Vancouver – would like to beat the best.

“We would never say that, ‘Oh it’s good that she’s out,”’ Ko said on a conference call. “It’s really unfortunate that she has a fracture. She’s such an awesome player, and it would’ve been great to have Michelle there.”

Eight former champions will tee off Thursday: Ko, LPGA Championship runner-up Brittany Lincicome, Pettersen, Katherine Hull-Kirk, Cristie Kerr, Meena Lee, Karrie Webb and Laura Davies. Kerr won this tournament in 2006, the last time it was at London Hunt and Country Club.

How the course plays out the rest of the week, Griffiths said, will depend on how much it rains. Storms moved through the area Wednesday, and there were more in the forecast for Friday.

Ko, a 17-year-old from New Zealand who seems to bring her best golf to Canada, said no matter the weather it’s important to play the course’s giant greens as if they’re in sections.

“If the pin is on the left side you kind of want to think that the green is only that left half,” she said Wednesday. “But it’s going to be tough especially when you miss a couple shots, because even around the greens it’s not like there is fairway and then rough. It’s just rough straight on.”

It’s a difficult course because of that, but Canadian Jennifer Kirby expects a low-scoring tournament.

“The rough is thick, but it’s not too, too bad,” Kirby said. “I think that the scores will be pretty low, but the greens are massive, so I guess it all depends on where they put the pins.”

LONDON, Ont. – At the age of 16, Brooke Henderson gets it.

The amateur from Smiths Falls, Ont., is well aware of the high expectations that come from finishing in the top 10 at a major tournament and emerging as the best young Canadian women’s golfers.

“I see the pressure and I hear it,” Henderson said. “I hear that I’m the face of Canadian golf, but I’m just trying to improve and trying to get better.”

Henderson doesn’t seem to be buying into the hype that she has created for herself. With Lorie Kane about to turn 50, she’s considered the future of the sport in Canada, even with Alena Sharp, Sue Kim, Jennifer Kirby and Rebecca Lee-Bentham already established on the LPGA Tour.

She goes into this week’s Canadian Pacific Women’s Open at London Hunt and Country Club with all that perspective to go with her experience. Henderson missed the cut the past two years in Edmonton and Vancouver and understands what it’s all about this time, playing about a seven-hour drive from where she grew up.

“Definitely there is pressure,” Henderson said. “But I’m excited to be able to play for my family and friends and show them what I can do. They’re out there cheering for me, and I know every shot they’re going to be happy either way.”

Henderson set her expectation at making the cut and then “hopefully climb up the leader board a little bit.” That’s a realistic goal two weeks after she finished second to Kristen Gillman at the U.S. Women’s Amateur.

But this is a different animal for Henderson as the home-country girl who’s blossoming into a star. On her way from the putting green to the driving range on Wednesday, several fans stopped her for autographs, photos and or just to chat.

When she tees off just before 8:30 a.m. for Thursday’s first round, Henderson will get to focus in on just golf. Her caddy, longtime family friend Bunk Lee, will do his part to keep Henderson focused.

“I think Brooke is very good at relaxing herself,” Lee said. “She’s been exposed to this enough, and she takes care of most of it. I’m just there for reassurance and making sure I’m doing my job as the caddy and trying to provide the best environment for her to perform in and it all takes care of itself.”

Kane recalled being overwhelmed at times during her first appearances at the Canadian Women’s Open – then called the du Maurier Classic – worried that she couldn’t live up to external expectations.

The four-time champion on the LPGA Tour said she has no doubt Henderson is prepared for the atmosphere she’s about to face and the future she’s embarking on.

“Brooke, she’s hard-working, very dedicated to what she does,” Kane said in a phone interview last week. “Brooke’s career can be what Brooke wants it to be. The sky’s the limit. She’s got a great head on her shoulders, she’s a very level-headed kid.”

That came across Wednesday in her pre-tournament news conference during which she fielded a handful of questions about her place in history and the hefty weight on her young shoulders. In the short-term – the next few days – Henderson expects to feel more comfortable now that she has gotten to know more professional colleagues and what to expect.

In the long term, Henderson doesn’t consider herself standing alone as Canada’s only hope in women’s golf.

“Definitely I think the game in Canada is growing, and there are some young pros coming up like Sue Kim, and Jennifer Kirby and Rebecca Lee-Bentham that are great players and have full status on the tour this year,” she said. “Maybe they haven’t played as well as they would have liked, but I think the future is bright for them.”

It could be even brighter for Henderson if she continues down her developmental path. Golf Canada’s Brent McLaughlin said just like with men’s golfer Mike Weir, Canadian fans “need to rally around heroes” and considers Henderson one of those.

“We’re so proud of Brooke. … Any time you see young talents just excel, you’re proud of them,” McLaughlin said on a conference call last week. “(Fans) need to have a reason to watch. … It makes kids want to be like them. We need that in our sport. We’ve very fortunate, very lucky and very proud.”

Henderson is one of 15 Canadians in the field this week, along with pros Kane, Sharp, Lee-Bentham, Kirby, Kim, Maude-Aimee LeBlanc, Sara-Maude Juneau, Samantha Richdale, Nicole Vandermade, Natalie Gleadall, Erica Rivard, Jessica Wallace and fellow amateurs Jennifer Ha and Elizabeth Tong.

No Canadian woman has won this tournament since Jocelyne Bourassa captured the title at the inaugural edition in 1973. For 22 years from 1979 through 2000 it was a major, and it still carries that importance to Henderson.

“It used to be a major back in the day, and to me it still is one,” she said. “It’s very close to home. It’s our national championship.”

New Zealand’s Lydia Ko, at 17 a two-time defending champion at Canada’s national championship, knows from experience that Henderson has had to repeatedly answer the question about when she’s turning pro. Henderson said Wednesday it’s still her plan to attend the University of Florida with the hope of having an LPGA Tour career in the future.

That means for now Henderson – a Team Canada member – is one of the faces of amateur women’s golf, something she has accepted.

“Of course there is a little bit of pressure, but I enjoy it,” Henderson said. “I love a challenge.”

London, Ont.– TSN and RDS will deliver live coverage of the 2014 Canadian Pacific Women’s Open, giving Canadians access to more than 16 hours of Canada’s national women’s open golf championship tournament in both English and French across multiple platforms.

The network’s coverage of the 2014 Canadian Pacific Women’s Open begins on Thursday, Aug. 21 at 12 noon ET live from the London Hunt and Country Club in London, Ont.

TSN’s live coverage of the Canadian Pacific Women’s Open is also available to TSN subscribers for live streaming and on demand viewing through TSN GO.

“We are thrilled to partner with TSN and RDS in delivering the excitement of the Canadian Pacific Women’s Open and the LPGA Tour to television and online audiences across the country in both French and English,” said Scott Simmons, Executive Director and CEO, Golf Canada. “Together with our partners at Canadian Pacific and the LPGA Tour, we look forward to working with Canada’s leading sports networks to elevate the profile of the Canadian Pacific Women’s Open and showcase this elite event to millions of golf enthusiasts.”

This marks the first time in nine years that TSN has broadcast all four rounds of Canada’s national women’s open golf championship,and the first time since 2011 that RDS has broadcast the event.

TSN’s coverage is led by Rod Black along with veteran golf analyst Judy Rankin. They will be joined by analysts Bob Weeks, Gail Graham, TSN’s Cory Woron and The Golf Channel’s Jerry Foltz.

The Canadian Pacific Women’s Open features the world’s best women’s golfers – including two-time defending champion Lydia Ko, top-ranked golfer Stacey Lewis, and Canadian teenage sensation Brooke Henderson.

The fully customizable TSN Golf app also features up-to-the-minute news and analysis from the Canadian Pacific Women’s Open.

In addition to domestic coverage from TSN and RDS, the Canadian Pacific Women’s Open will also be broadcast on The Golf Channel in the United States and by LPGA international broadcast licensees around the world.

Broadcast Schedule

See below for a complete broadcast schedule of the 2014 Canadian Pacific Women’s Open.

Thursday, Aug. 21
12 noon ET – First Round – Part I (TSN / RDS2)
3 p.m. ET – First Round – Part II (TSN / RDS2)

Friday, Aug. 22
12 noon ET – Second Round – Part I  (TSN / RDS2)
3 p.m. ET – Second Round – Part II (TSN / RDS2)

Saturday, Aug. 23
2 p.m. ET – Third Round (TSN2 / RDS2)

Sunday, Aug. 24
2 p.m. ET – Final Round (TSN2 / RDS2)

*Schedule subject to change

London, Ont.– TSN and RDS will deliver live coverage of the 2014 Canadian Pacific Women’s Open, giving Canadians access to more than 16 hours of Canada’s national women’s open golf championship tournament in both English and French across multiple platforms.

The network’s coverage of the 2014 Canadian Pacific Women’s Open begins on Thursday, Aug. 21 at 12 noon ET live from the London Hunt and Country Club in London, Ont.

TSN’s live coverage of the Canadian Pacific Women’s Open is also available to TSN subscribers for live streaming and on demand viewing through TSN GO.

“We are thrilled to partner with TSN and RDS in delivering the excitement of the Canadian Pacific Women’s Open and the LPGA Tour to television and online audiences across the country in both French and English,” said Scott Simmons, Executive Director and CEO, Golf Canada. “Together with our partners at Canadian Pacific and the LPGA Tour, we look forward to working with Canada’s leading sports networks to elevate the profile of the Canadian Pacific Women’s Open and showcase this elite event to millions of golf enthusiasts.”

This marks the first time in nine years that TSN has broadcast all four rounds of Canada’s national women’s open golf championship,and the first time since 2011 that RDS has broadcast the event.

TSN’s coverage is led by Rod Black along with veteran golf analyst Judy Rankin. They will be joined by analysts Bob Weeks, Gail Graham, TSN’s Cory Woron and The Golf Channel’s Jerry Foltz.

The Canadian Pacific Women’s Open features the world’s best women’s golfers – including two-time defending champion Lydia Ko, top-ranked golfer Stacey Lewis, and Canadian teenage sensation Brooke Henderson.

The fully customizable TSN Golf app also features up-to-the-minute news and analysis from the Canadian Pacific Women’s Open.

In addition to domestic coverage from TSN and RDS, the Canadian Pacific Women’s Open will also be broadcast on The Golf Channel in the United States and by LPGA international broadcast licensees around the world.

Broadcast Schedule

See below for a complete broadcast schedule of the 2014 Canadian Pacific Women’s Open.

Thursday, Aug. 21
12 noon ET – First Round – Part I (TSN / RDS2)
3 p.m. ET – First Round – Part II (TSN / RDS2)

Friday, Aug. 22
12 noon ET – Second Round – Part I  (TSN / RDS2)
3 p.m. ET – Second Round – Part II (TSN / RDS2)

Saturday, Aug. 23
2 p.m. ET – Third Round (TSN2 / RDS2)

Sunday, Aug. 24
2 p.m. ET – Final Round (TSN2 / RDS2)

*Schedule subject to change

LONDON, Ont. (Golf Canada) – Twenty-nine players took to Sunningdale Golf and Country Club during Monday’s final qualifying event in hopes of securing one of the four final spots into the 2014 Canadian Pacific Women’s Open.

Amateur Jillian Hollis of Rocky River, OH and Emma Jandel of Dayton, OH shot matching 2-under par 70s to top the Monday Qualifier leaderboard and earn spots in the field for Canada’s National Women’s Open Championship. The pair will be joined by amateur Elizabeth Tong of Thornhill, Ont., who finished third after a 1-under 71.

Emma de Groot of Sydney, Australia grabbed the final spot, winning a three-for-one sudden death playoff over Carmen Bandea of Atlanta, GA and Hannah Hellyer of Quinte West, Ont. The trio all finished regulation play tied for fourth at even-par 72.

With the addition of Tong to the field, a total of 15 Canadians will now compete for Canada’s National Women’s Open Championship at London Hunt and Country Club.

Click here for complete results from the 2014 Canadian Pacific Women’s Open Monday Qualifier at Sunningdale Golf and Country Club.

PITTSFORD, N.Y. – Inbee Park successfully defended her title in the LPGA Championship, beating Brittany Lincicome with a par on the first hole of a playoff Sunday to end the United States’ major streak at three.

On the playoff hole on Monroe Golf Club’s par-4 18th, Park hit her second into the rough behind the hole. Lincicome hit her approach to the left fringe, nearly identical to her position on the final hole of regulation when she made a bogey to fall in the playoff.

Lincicome chipped 6 feet past the hole and failed to convert for bogey. Park, the winner last year at Locust Hill in a playoff with Catriona Matthew, chipped to 3 feet and calmly sank her par putt for her fifth major title and fourth in the last two seasons.

Park finished with a 2-under 70 to match Lincicome at 11-under 276. Lincicome had a 71.

Americans had won the first three majors of the LPGA Tour season for the first time since 1999. Lexi Thompson began the run at Kraft Nabisco, Michelle Wie won the U.S. Women’s Open and Mo Martin the Women’s British Open.

The 26-year-old Park, from South Korea, was coming off a playoff loss to Mirim Lee last week in Michigan. Park also won this season in Canada and has 11 LPGA Tour victories.

She’s projected to jump from third to second in the world, passing 17-year-old Lydia Ko of New Zealand. Ko, trying to become the youngest major winner in LPGA history, shot a 70 to finish third at 8 under.

Spain’s Azahara Munoz (70) and Sweden’s Anna Nordqvist (71) tied for fourth at 6 under.

Lincicome squandered the lead she had held all day on the final hole of regulation. She hit her second shot to the left fringe and was in a good spot, but a long delay for a ruling on a shot by Suzann Pettersen only heightened the tension, and it showed.

With top-ranked Stacy Lewis among the gallery clapping, Lincicome left her first putt 8 feet short and failed to make par, forcing the playoff.

Pettersen, a two-time major winner, started the day a shot behind as she chased her first win this year. But her day went badly at the start and she shot 4-over 76. She tied for sixth at 5 under with Lewis (68), Julieta Granada (71), Shanshan Feng (72) and Lee (74).

Park’s clutch birdie putt at No. 17 put her in position to challenge and her par save at 18 was crucial. Her approach on the closing hole landed in the rough to the right of the green and she botched her shot out. Her 12-foot putt left no margin for error and the crowd roared when it rolled in.

Lincicome had held the 54-hole lead at a major only once before, at the 2006 U.S. Women’s Open, but she faltered with a closing 78 and finished seventh. This time, she shook off the nerves until the end as the chance to win her second major ended in disappointment. Lincicome won the 2009 Kraft Nabisco.

Leading by two shots at the turn and with two generous par 5s ahead, Lincicome, who admitted a serious case of the nerves Saturday, birdied the par-4 11th to offset Park’s birdie at No. 12.

Park, who had made a bogey and two pars at the hole the previous rounds, got a huge reprieve when Lincicome faltered at the 12th.

Lincicome hit her second shot into rough on a severe slant above a greenside bunker, barely made it up to the edge of the fringe, then botched her third shot, nearly double-hitting it, and made bogey as her lead dwindled to one shot. It was her first bogey on a par 5 in the tournament.

Lincicome saved par at the par-3 13th hole with a nice putt that caught the lip and dropped.

Park’s bid to tie failed when her 8-foot birdie putt slid by the right side of the hole.

Lincicome rebounded with a birdie at the par-5 14th hole for some breathing room, and it wasn’t easy. Her second shot landed in the rough, but she made a brilliant pitch that stopped a foot from the hole.

The tour made the switch this year to Monroe after 37 years at nearby Locust Hill. The Donald Ross-designed course is about 300 yards longer at 6,717 yards and does not have a single water hazard, but it does feature 106 bunkers, more than double the number at Locust Hill, and the wider fairways favor long hitters.

Jennifer Kirby of Paris, Ont. was the lone Canadian to make the 36 hole cut. She finished tied for 53rd at 5-over 293.

LONDON, Ont. (Golf Canada) – The final four spots into the 2014 Canadian Pacific Women’s Open field will be determined Monday as the Final Qualifier is set for Sunningdale Golf and Country Club in London, Ont.

A total of 32 competitors will challenge for one of four spots into the field for Canada’s National Women’s Open Golf Championship.

The Final Qualifier features 18 holes of stroke play with the low four competitors receiving an exemption into the 2014 Canadian Pacific Women’s Open field.  If necessary, a hole-by-hole playoff will be conducted immediately following the conclusion of play.

Click here for pairings, start times and results for Canadian Pacific Women’s Open Final Qualifying on Monday, August 18. Results will be available as players complete their rounds.

Tournament week for the 2014 Canadian Pacific Women’s Open kicks off Monday, August 18 at London Hunt and Country Club. In addition to practice rounds in the morning, the Golf Canada Foundation Pro-Am gets underway at 12:30pm. Nineteen teams will tee it up alongside notable Canadian professional and Team Canada amateur golfers along with Olympic gold medalists Tessa Virtue (Ice Dance) and Becky Kellar (Women’s Hockey).