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).

PITTSFORD, N.Y. – Brittany Lincicome beamed. She had fought off the jitters while leading an LPGA Tour major and it felt oh-so-good.

Lincicome, who hadn’t held a second-round lead since 2009 and never in a major, shot a 1-under 71 on Saturday at the LPGA Championship to finish the third round at 10-under 206. That was one shot better than Suzann Pettersen (67) of Norway and defending champion Inbee Park (69) of South Korea as the fourth major championship of the season heads to the final round.

“Nervous is probably an understatement. My stomach was in knots,” Lincicome said. “When it came time to eat lunch, it just wasn’t happening because I haven’t been in this position in a while. Hopefully, going into tomorrow it’s out of my system.”

Mirim Lee of South Korea was alone in fourth at 7 under after a 69, while 17-year-old Lydia Ko (71) of New Zealand was another shot back along with South Korea’s Meena Lee (71) and Gerina Piller (69).

The long-hitting Lincicome began the day at Monroe Golf Club with a three-shot advantage over Park and Lexi Thompson, who finished with a 74 and was at 4 under.

Lincicome won the 2009 Kraft Nabisco for her lone major title and has five LPGA Tour victories. The United States is seeking to win its fourth straight major.

Lincicome is 11 under on the generous par-5s at Monroe Golf Club, a distinct advantage over most of her challengers and surely the reason Park wasn’t looking down from the top of the leaderboard.

“I hate talking about it. I feel like I’m going to jinx myself,” Lincicome said. “If I can hit it on the fairway, get it on the green and two-putt, it’s stress-free. I feel like my tempo the last couple of days has been really, really good. We’re going to be more aggressive (Sunday).”

Lincicome birdied all four par 5s on the opening round and added two more to go with an eagle on Friday.

“This golf course is not exactly for short hitters,” said Park, who won three majors last year. “She was probably 50 yards ahead of me. I haven’t really played that well on the par-5s. I only made one today, none the first day. That’s a big difference. If I had made a couple I’d be up. It feels like a little bit of a disadvantage. It’s an easy birdie for her.”

Pettersen has five top-5s in her last eight majors, including a victory last year in the Evian Championship, and she continued her solid play when it matters most, reeling off four birdies on the back nine.

“I seem to like the back nine. I like what I see,” Pettersen said. “I managed to make a move. It’s nice to make a charge. I actually could have had a couple more.”

Pettersen birdied Nos. 10 and 11 and had a chance to forge a tie at the par-5 14th hole, but her eagle try slid just past the cup and she settled for a birdie that moved her into a tie with Park at 8 under.

Moments later, Lincicome recovered from an errant second shot that landed in the rough on the par-5 12th hole, pitching to 5 feet and making birdie to regain a two-shot lead.

Pettersen continued her rush, nearly holing a fairway shot at No. 15 and reached 9 under with a tap-in birdie. When Lincicome lipped her par putt at No. 13, the two were tied at 9 under.

Lincicome regained the lead with a birdie at the par-5 14th hole and nearly made it a two-shot advantage, but her long birdie try at No. 15 stopped at the lip.

The closing three holes at Monroe rank among the four most difficult on the course and Pettersen parred all three to keep the pressure on.

Lincicome saved par at the par-3 16th hole after driving a fairway bunker. Her tough 12-foot par putt broke ever-so-slightly right to left and barely dropped in, eliciting a big smile from the American, who parred the final two holes to maintain her slim lead.

Lincicome got some breathing room early when Thompson started badly. Thompson had a three-putt bogey at the opening hole, lipping out a short putt for par, and followed with another bogey at No. 2 to drop five shots behind.

A gusting 25 mph wind strafed the course all day Friday, sending leaves and bits of bark onto some greens. There was only a slight breeze with a light rain on Saturday.

PITTSFORD, N.Y. – Brittany Lincicome opened a three-stroke lead Friday in the wind-swept LPGA Championship, the tour’s fourth major championship of the season.

The long-hitting Lincicome followed her opening 67 with a 68 to reach 9 under at Monroe Golf Club. She won the 2009 Kraft Nabisco for her lone major title and has five LPGA Tour victories.

Lexi Thompson, tied for the first-round lead with Meena Lee, dropped into a tie for second with defending champion Inbee Park of South Korea. Thompson had a 72, and Park shot 66.

That gave the United States two players at the top as the Americans go for their fourth straight major title of the season. Thompson won the Kraft Nabisco to start the run.

Seventeen-year-old Lydia Ko of New Zealand had a 69 to join Lee, from South Korea, and Jane Park at 5 under. Lee had a 73, and Park shot 69.

Top-ranked Stacy Lewis sputtered again with a 1-over 73 to finish the two rounds at even par.

It’s the first time Americans have won the first three majors since 1999, and they haven’t won four since 1992. A fifth major, the Evian Championship in France, was added last year.

Michelle Wie won the U.S. Women’s Open, and Mo Martin surged to victory in the final round at the Women’s British Open.

Lincicome had an eagle and three birdies to go with one bogey for her second solid day. She averaged 277.5 yards off the tee and needed 26 putts for the second straight day.

“It’s been incredible. I haven’t been here in a while, especially in a major,” said Lincicome, who hasn’t won on tour since 2011. “I feel like I’ve been playing really well. It’s just not coming together.”

Thompson reached 8 under after a birdie at the par-5 14th hole but followed with bogeys at Nos. 8 and 9 to drop into a tie with Lincicome at the turn.

Lincicome, who started the day one shot off the lead, birdied the par-5 12th hole to gain a one-shot advantage while Inbee Park slowly clawed her way back into contention after shooting even par on the first day.

Park had two birdies and an eagle on her first five holes on the back side, and three birdies in the first three holes on the front put her at 6 under.

Thompson’s birdie at No. 3 forged a tie with Lincicome and Meena Lee at 7 under, but it was short-lived. Moments later, Lincicome notched the sixth eagle of the day at the par-5 14th hole to put her two shots ahead and then parred out.

Unable to string any sort of run together as she did on the first day, Thompson dropped into a tie for second after a bogey at the par-3 sixth hole, statistically the sixth-most difficult hole on the day.

Locust Hill had been LPGA’s host in the Rochester area for 37 straight years before the tour made the switch this year to nearby Monroe. The Donald Ross-designed course is about 300 yards longer at 6,717 yards, and the wider fairways favored long hitters.

“Right now, the fairways are generous. You can just bomb it off the tee,” Pettersen said. “You can risk the extra few yards. Even if you miss it (the fairway), you’ll still be able to get to the greens somehow.”

A gusting wind strafed the course all day, sending leaves and bits of bark onto some greens and making each shot an adventure. Pettersen, who averaged over 276 yards off the tee, second-best over the first two rounds, was in the morning group and managed to stay out of trouble for the most part.

It wasn’t easy.

“It is playable out there, but you’ve got to hit some great golf shots,” said Suzann Pettersen, tied for seventh at 4 under after a 69. “The wind is a bit choppy. It’s bounding up and down all the time. You’ve got to try and find the pocket, try and hit the right shot that gives you the highest percentage.”

Ko, already a four-time winner on the LPGA Tour career, hit all 14 fairways and reached 15 greens in regulation in notching six birdies with three bogeys in an up-and-down day.

Ko needed 31 putts to complete the round – six more than the first day – in part because of a three-putt bogey at No. 2 and then failing to get up-and-down at No. 4 in making another bogey. Both holes are par 4s.

“I just give myself as many opportunities as I can,” said the low-key Ko, who didn’t touch a club during a recent five-day stretch because her swing was “on holiday.”

“I wish I was a long hitter,” Ko said. “I’m just trying to play to my strengths.”

Ko, a two-time winner this season, remained focused on the moment and just shrugged at the possibility of becoming the youngest winner of a major in LPGA Tour history.

“I think about winning at the end of the week,” Ko said. “I’m going to go out there and just have some fun. There’s still two more days. I’m pretty confident. It’s good to be in this position.”

Jennifer Kirby was the lone Canadian to elude the cut after shooting 79 in the second round. The Paris. Ont. native is tied for 54th at 2-over 146.

PITTSFORD, N.Y. – Tall and fit with all those Instagram photos to prove it, long-hitting Lexi Thompson figured she might have an edge on the LPGA Championship’s new course.

She did.

Thompson and South Korea’s Meena Lee shot 6-under-66 on Thursday to share the first-round lead in the LPGA Tour’s fourth major championship of the season.

“It’s all about confidence,” Thompson said. “You just have to go into every shot just telling yourself you’re going to pull it off.”

Thompson, the Kraft Nabisco winner in April for her first major title, and Lee each made eight birdies and a pair of bogeys at Monroe Golf Club to finish a stroke ahead of ahead of Brittany Lincicome, Colombia’s Lisa McCloskey and Canadian rookie Jennifer Kirby of Paris, Ont.

Shanshan Feng of China, the tournament winner two years ago, was tied for sixth at 68 with 2010 champion Cristie Kerr.

Catriona Matthew of Scotland, runner-up a year ago to South Korea’s Inbee Park, was tied at 69 with seven other players. Park was at even-par 72, one shot better than Paula Creamer and Karrie Webb.

Top-ranked Stacy Lewis, a three-time winner this year, started on the back nine and birdied three of the first five holes, then faltered with three straight bogeys before the turn. She finished at 71.

Locust Hill had been LPGA’s host in the Rochester area for 37 straight years before the tour made the switch this year to nearby Monroe and moved the date from June to August. 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 they’re deeper.

The par 3s are longer, too, at 183, 193 and 207 yards, but the wider fairways favor long hitters like Thompson, who led the LPGA coming in with an average of 271.2 yards off the tee. A course made soft by recent rain only made that edge even larger, as did a stiff wind.

“I would say it (driving) was an advantage,” said the 6-foot-1 Thompson, who had slumped in her previous four outings, missing one cut. “You just have to hit it straight. Doesn’t matter what club you’re hitting.”

Not a problem on a cool, cloudy, breezy day as the LPGA marks the end of its long run in the Rochester area. Thompson used driver on 14 holes and birdied all four par 5s. And she was accurate, hitting 10 of 14 fairways and reaching 16 of 18 greens in regulation. Consecutive three-putt bogeys on the back side were the only blemishes on a round that reached 7 under with a birdie on the par-5 14th hole.

Lincicome, whose best finish this year is a tie for 10th at the Airbus LPGA Classic in Alabama in May, had eight birdies and three bogeys and avoided any three-putt greens.

“I think, take today and just build,” Lincicome said. “I feel like I’ve been playing well. I’ve been doing a lot of really good things. It’s just not all coming together. I was hitting things to like a foot and just tapping them in. It was stress-free.”

Lee hit 12 of 14 fairways, reached 13 of 18 greens in regulation, and needed only 25 putts on the round.

“It’s very exciting, and then, well, it’s just (the) first day,” she said.

A year ago, Park survived the stress of a playoff to beat Matthew and start a three-tournament winning streak that also included victories in the Walmart NW Arkansas Championship and U.S. Women’s Open, her third straight major win of the season. She began defense of her title with a round that included just two birdies to go with two bogeys.

U.S. players have won the first three majors this year. Besides Thompson’s triumph in the Kraft Nabisco, Michelle Wie won the U.S. Women’s Open and Mo Martin surged to victory in the final round at the Women’s British Open.

The last time the first three majors in the LPGA were won by American players was in 1999, and not since 1992 have Americans won them all. A fifth major, the Evian Championship in France, was added last year.

Wie is not playing this tournament because of an injury to her right index finger, while Martin had to cope with a sore thumb and shot a 72 that included four birdies and four bogeys.

“I’m happy with it,” Martin said. “It was the first time I hit a lot of shots out there, so just learning how this course reacts, where to land my shots and where the prevailing winds are.”

Rookie Emma Jandel, who made the field when Wie withdrew, shot a 69.

“It’s a little different having cameras in your face, so I’m just kind of learning to put it all together,” said Jandel, who found out Monday morning she was playing. “I know I got the game.”

London, Ont. (Golf Canada) – Golf Canada in partnership with Canadian Pacific announced today the field of competitors set to challenge for the 2014 Canadian Pacific Women’s Open, August 18-24 at the London Hunt and Country Club in London, Ont.

In all, the 156 player field at London Hunt will feature nine of the top 10 players as well as 48 of the top 50 players and 96 of the top 100 on the current LPGA Tour Official Money List.

Two-time defending champion Lydia Ko headlines a field that includes LPGA stars Stacy Lewis, Inbee Park, Anna Nordqvist, Lexi Thompson, Suzann Pettersen, Paula Creamer, Cristie Kerr, Karrie Webb, Morgan Pressel, Ai Miyazato, Azahara Munoz, Brittany Lincicome, Shanshan Feng, So Yeon Ryu, Angela Stanford and Jessica Korda.

Other notables competing on exemptions include Team Canada members Brooke Henderson of Smiths Falls, Ont. and Jennifer Ha of Calgary as well European rising stars Charley Hull and Stephanie Meadow.

“We’re going to welcome one of the strongest fields on the LPGA Tour and together with our partners at Canadian Pacific, we are expecting the world’s best professional and amateur golfers to challenge for Canada’s National Women’s Open title,” said Canadian Pacific Women’s Open Tournament Director Brent McLaughlin.

The winner’s share of the $2.25 million USD purse for the 2014 Canadian Pacific Women’s Open will be $337,500 USD.

Eight Past Champions to Compete at London Hunt:
Eight of the event’s former champions will be competing at London Hunt including 17-year old two time defending champion Lydia Ko; Brittany Lincicome (2011); Suzann Pettersen (2009); Katherine Hull-Kirk (2008); Cristie Kerr (2006); Meena Lee (2005); Karrie Webb (1999); and Laura Davies (1996). Former champion and money list no. 2 Michelle Wie was forced to withdraw this past weekend with a hand injury.

14 Canadians including two Team Canada Members in the Field:
The current field includes 14 Canadians looking to become the first Canadian to win a LPGA Tour event on home soil since Canadian golf legend Jocelyne Bourassa’s historic victory in 1973 at La Canadienne Golf Championship. Leading the charge are LPGA Tour players Lorie Kane of Charlottetown, P.E.I., Alena Sharp of Hamilton, Ont., Rebecca Lee-Bentham of Richmond Hill, Ont., Jennifer Kirby of Paris, Ont. and Sue Kim of Langley, B.C. Other Canadian hopefuls include Maude-Aimee LeBlanc of Sherbrooke, Que., Sara-Maude Juneau of Fossambault, Que. Samantha Richdale of Kelowna, B.C., Nicole Vandermade of Brantford, Ont., Natalie Gleadall of Stratford, Ont., Erica Rivard of Tecumseh, Ont., and Jessica Wallace of Langley, B.C. Two members of Team Canada will also challenge the world’s best golfers including National Amateur Squad members Brooke Henderson of Smiths Falls, Ont., and Jennifer Ha of Calgary.

Click here for the full field

Final Four Spots Available Through Monday Qualifier:
Four additional spots into the field will be determined on Monday, August 18^th at the Canadian Pacific Women’s Open Monday Qualifier at Sunningdale Golf and Country Club.

CP Birdies for Heart:
As an added incentive, title sponsor CP has stepped up to encourage players to make birdies on the 17^th Green during tournament play by offering to donate $5,000 for each birdie made to the Children’s Health Foundation in support of paediatric heart health programs. CP Birdies for Heart is one of the fundraising activities taking place at CP Women’s Open, with all proceeds going to Children’s Health Foundation to support cardiac research and care of children with congenital heart disease from London and across Southwestern Ontario.

To date, CP has committed $550,000 to Children’s Health Foundation, through the CP Ticket Rally for Heart where CP donated at least $100 per eligible ticket sold through August 17, 2014. More fundraising activities will be in play throughout the tournament, with opportunities for spectators to chip in for children’s heart health.

PITTSFORD, N.Y. – Cristie Kerr knows the LPGA Championship is going to feel different, not only because it’s staged at a new golf course.

The LPGA announced in May that the tournament was getting a new name, two big partners, a lot more exposure and a change in venue outside New York City.

Hello KPMG. Goodbye Wegmans Food Markets, and goodbye to the greater Rochester area in upstate New York, a staunch supporter of women’s golf since the tournament began in 1977.

Rest assured a few tears will be shed.

“I’m definitely sad if it is (the last time),” said Kerr, who won the 2010 LPGA Championship at Locust Hill Country Club by a record-breaking 12-stroke margin. “They knew they weren’t going to get major status forever. All the players on the tour were hoping they would remain. It’s one of the best tournaments on tour, even if they weren’t a major. It’s up to them, but that would be really sad.”

Next year’s tournament will be called the Women’s PGA Championship. It will be the first women’s major run by the PGA of America and staged at Westchester Country Club in the northern suburbs of New York City. It will be televised on NBC during the weekend, only the second time a tour event has been on network television.

Wegmans has been a sponsor of the tournament for more than three decades and became title sponsor in 1997 when the event needed one to survive. In 2009, when the LPGA lost the title sponsor for the LPGA Championship, one of its majors, Wegmans increased its financial commitment and brought the championship to Rochester.

But higher purses and other factors will effectively double the cost for title sponsorship, too much for the supermarket chain to consider. The purse will increase in 2015 to $3.5 million, up from $2.25 million this year.

The tournament was played at Locust Hill for 37 years. The final LPGA Championship begins Thursday at nearby Monroe Golf Club for the last time under its old name. The plan is to move it around the country.

“The ball’s in our ballpark,” LPGA Commissioner Michael Whan said. “We just have to find the next hero.”

A return to Rochester in the future is something both sides seem to want.

“It would be strange for me to say we’re not going to be back in Rochester long-term,” Whan said. “I’ve seen it happen. Rochester has just become part of our fabric. This is where we belong. You almost took it for granted that we’d be in Rochester every year.

“We need to find somebody who says Rochester is important to us, so that we can make it important to them.”

Inbee Park won last year in dramatic fashion at Locust Hill, with players having to play 36 holes on Sunday because of a first-round postponement due to rain. Park nearly squandered a one-shot lead with a final-round 75 that included bogeys on three of her last five holes. But when Catriona Matthew forced a playoff with a final-round 68, Park rallied with a 20-foot birdie on the third playoff hole to win her second straight major.

U.S. players have won the first three majors this year: Lexi Thompson took the Kraft Nabisco Championship; Michelle Wie won the U.S. Women’s Open; and Mo Martin surged to victory in the final round at the Ricoh Women’s British Open. The last time the first three majors in the LPGA were won by American players was in 1999, and not since 1992 have Americans won them all.

Wie already is out of contention for this one. She’ll miss the LPGA Championship because of an injury to her right index finger.

Lorie Kane has more than 20 appearances in the Canadian Women’s Open under her belt, and her heart is still in it.

This year the veteran LPGA professional is trying to build support for the tournament before taking her swings at the London Hunt and Country Club. Kane is working as an ambassador for the Open’s title sponsor, Canadian Pacific, to try to sell tickets with proceeds going to the Children’s Health Foundation in support of pediatric heart health.

Each $30 ticket sold before August 18, 2014 carries a $100 donation from Canadian Pacific, and with some of the best players in the world on display, Kane figures it’s an easy sell for golf fans and those who want to get into the sport.

“The London community and that part of Ontario is golf-crazy,” Kane said in a phone interview Tuesday morning. “The average fan can feel a part of something and know that by purchasing a ticket their money has gone to help not only run the tournament but also help with the funding of equipment and research and all kinds of things for kids with cardiac health.”

As of Tuesday, Kane said $470,000 had already been raised. She was optimistic that number was just the start with a few more days left in the “CP Ticket Rally for Heart.”

Beyond the fundraising, Kane knows what kind of effect this tournament can have on spectators, especially young ones with a future in golf. World No. 1 Stacy Lewis, defending champion Lydia Ko and 16-year-old Canadian amateur phenom Brooke Henderson are in the field, which also includes Canadians Rebecca Lee-Bentham, Alena Sharp, Jennifer Kirby and Sue Kim, among others.

“Let’s say a young family comes out to the golf course and mom and dad are keen to get their little girl into golf,” Kane said. “That might not be the thing that pushes them over the edge. The thing that will push them over the edge is that they make a connection to someone at this tournament, be it Paula Creamer, Brooke Henderson, Jen Kirby, myself, Lydia Ko – any of the young girls that are out there playing – that’s what drives you to the game, and that’s what will keep them in the game.”

Kane, a 49-year-old native of Charlottetown, has won four LPGA and four Legends Tour tournaments. She has never won the Canadian Women’s Open –  for years known as the du Maurier Classic – but neither has any Canadian since Jocelyne Bourassa in the inaugural event in 1973.

In spite of that, Kane said this tournament makes a positive impact wherever it goes around the country. Part of the goal is that to entice more young women to play golf by having a high quality of competition on the course.

“Nothing is more important to me than growing the game within our country and keeping it strong,” Kane said. “It’s our national championship and we as Canadians, all of us that are in the field, look at it as that.

“For the spectators to come out and see an Inbee Park, Stacy Lewis, Paula Creamer, Lydia Ko, Brooke Henderson, Jen Kirby – you get to cheer for your Canadians and see how they stack up against the rest of the world.”

The tournament is back in London for the first time since 2006 and the third time overall, after hosting it in 1993. Kane expects the crowd support to be even better than it was eight years ago.

“The product the LPGA Tour and the young women that are playing and the veteran ladies that will be there come with a passion for golf and a passion for growing the sport,” Kane said. “The LPGA is very strong and the show that we will put on in London in a week’s time will be one that nobody will want to miss.”

The 2014 Canadian Pacific Women’s Open takes place August 18-24 at London Hunt & Country Club. Tickets are available here.

Lydia Ko says it feels like she’s going home.

The New Zealander became the youngest winner on the LPGA Tour when she captured the Canadian Women’s Open at the age of 15 two summers ago.

Ko won again last year, and will headline the field for the 2014 tournament – now known as the Canadian Pacific Women’s Open – when it gets going later this month at London Hunt & Country Club.

“I love playing in Canada and the support I’ve been getting is huge,” the 17-year-old said on a conference call Monday. “To me, Canada feels quite close to what it’s like in New Zealand. It feels really welcoming whenever I go there.

“Having my first LPGA win in Canada, that’s huge and that’s always going to be with me. They always say the first is one of the most memorable and it’s definitely been the case.”

Tournament director Brent McLaughlin said the Canadian golf community has a strong connection to Ko because of the success she’s had the last two years.

“Any time you see young talents just excel you’re proud of them,” he said. “It’s even brought further to the forefront when you feel like you’ve had a part in helping them along.

“People need heroes. They need to rally around heroes and they need a reason to watch.”

Ko was an amateur and didn’t collect any winnings when she won her back-to-back Canadian Women’s Open championships at Vancouver Golf Club in Coquitlam, B.C., and at Edmonton’s Royal Mayfair Golf Club.

She turned pro in October 2013 and has already won two tournaments this season, including the Marathon Classic last month.

“This year has been very exciting, first year on the tour as an LPGA rookie. It’s been a fun year. I’ve learned a lot of things along the way,” said Ko. “I really look forward to going back and playing the Canadian Women’s Open. The last two years, the Canadian Open was a very exciting tournament for me.”

While she’s happy with her decision to play on tour full time, Ko said dealing with the weekly grind has been an adjustment.

“I’ve been trying to balance life outside the course and not over doing it and taking some time off,” she said. “Outside the golf course I do the normal teenage things – watch TV, talk to my friends on Facebook.

“I think that kind of helps me to bring back my life outside of golf and outside of what I do most of the time, and actually be like a normal teenager and talk about school and gossip about things.”

Ko – who was named one of Time Magazine’s top 100 most influential people in April – is still adjusting to her fame, including being viewed as a role model.

“That’s pretty cool because I’m only 17 myself,” she said. “When I hear these little girls or boys say ‘You’re my role model and I look up to you’ it is kind of cool and it makes me feel like I need to become a better person, a better player so that I live up to what they expect of me.”

Ko is one of a number of big names set play at this year’s Canadian Open in London, Ont., from Aug. 18 to 24, but one player who won’t be taking part due to injury is Michelle Wie.

“She’s such an awesome player and it would have been great to have Michelle there because we all know that she brings a lot of the crowds out,” said Ko. “Hopefully the crowds will still come out. It’s really unfortunate that it happened during this time.”

Meanwhile, the Canadian contingent will be led by 16-year-old Brooke Henderson of Smiths Falls, Ont., who finished second at last week’s U.S. Women’s Amateur tournament in Glen Cove, N.Y.

Ko said there is a buzz on tour about playing in Canada, not only for the $US2.25-million purse, but because of how the tournament is received.

“When players talk to each other … they want to go and play and they’re super excited to play. They don’t want to miss out on it,” she said. “It’s been a great experience for me.”

The 2014 Canadian Pacific Women’s Open takes place August 18-24 at London Hunt & Country Club. Tickets are available here.

London, Ont. – Golf Canada and Canadian Pacific are pleased to announce the names of 16 players who have received exemptions into next week’s Canadian Pacific Women’s Open, set to take place at London Hunt and Country Club from August 18 – 24, 2014.

Headlining the list of exemptions is previously confirmed 16-year old Team Canada member Brooke Henderson of Smiths Falls, Ont., fresh off her runner-up finish at this past weekend’s U.S. Women’s Amateur. Henderson, who earned her exemption by winning the Canadian Women’s Tour Ontario stop in June, is currently the second ranked player on the World Amateur Golf Rankings (WAGR). She won the PGA Women’s Championship of Canada last month in a season that includes a tie for 10^th at the US Women’s Open and the Jocelyn Bourassa Player of Year Award on the Canadian Women’s Tour. She will be making her third consecutive start in Canada’ National Women’s Open Golf Championship.

Two other Team Canada amateurs have also been offered exemptions including Jennifer Ha, 20, of Calgary, and Brittany Marchand, 21, of Orangeville, Ont. Currently ranked No. 68 on the WAGR, Ha will make her second appearance in the championship. The Kent State University student won the 2014 NCAA Lady Buckeye Spring Invitational and had runner-up finishes at both the 2014 Porter Cup and 2014 Alberta Ladies Amateur. Marchand, ranked No. 71 and a North Carolina State University student, will make her third appearance in the national championship.

Six Canadians competing on the Symetra Tour have also been granted exemptions including Brantford, Ont. native Nicole Vandermade, who won a Tour event earlier this year and sits no. 14 on the Symetra Tour Money List. A five year member of Canada’s National Amateur Team, Vandermade will be joined by LPGA members and fellow Team Canada graduates Sara-Maude Juneau of Fossambault, Que. and Maude-Aimee LeBlanc of Sherbrooke, Que. and who sit 15^th and 19^th respectively on the Symetra Tour Money List. The trio will be joined by Natalie Gleadall of Stratford, Ont., Jessica Wallace of Langley, B.C. and Erica Rivard of Tecumseh, Ont. who sit 74^th, 98^th and 122^nd respectively on the Symetra Tour Money List.

Previously announced exemptions include Michelle Piyapattra of Corona, Calif., Samantha Richdale of Kelowna, B.C. and Simin Feng of Windermere, Fla. who joined Brooke Henderson in earning their spots through the 2014 Canadian Women’s Tour. Piyapattra is exempt after winning the Canadian Women’s Tour stop at Morningstar Golf and Country Club in Parksville, B.C. while Richdale and Feng received their exemptions based on the 2014 Canadian Women’s Tour Order of Merit.

Among the international rising stars granted exemptions are English teen sensation Charley Hull and Stephanie Meadow of Northern Ireland. Hull is currently ranked No. 3 on the Ladies European Tour Order of Merit, while Meadow’s professional debut was a third place finish at the 2014 U.S. Women’s Open. Thailand’s Jutanugarn sisters Moriya and Ariya, winner of the 2012 Canadian Women’s Amateur Championship) will also be competing.

The 16 players earning exemptions into Canada’s National Women’s Open Championship will join a world-class field at London Hunt and Country Club that includes two-time defending champion and Rolex Rankings no. 2 Lydia Ko, Rolex Rankings no. 1 Stacey Lewis, no. 3 Inbee Park, no. 6 Lexi Thompson and no. 12 Paula Creamer.

In addition to Ko, past Canadian Women’s Open champions confirmed to compete include Brittany Lincicome (2011), Suzann Pettersen (2009), Katherine Hull-Kirk (2008) and Cristie Kerr (2006) who won the event when it was last held at the London Hunt and Country Club. Previously confirmed past champion Michelle Wie (2010) withdrew from the event this past weekend due to a hand injury that will sideline her for three to five weeks.

The 10 Canucks offered exemptions will join a Canadian contingent that includes CP ambassador Lorie Kane as well as fellow LPGA Tour players Rebecca Lee-Bentham of Toronto, Alena Sharp of Hamilton, Ont., Jennifer Kirby of Paris, Ont. and Sue Kim of Langley, B.C.

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

CP Ticket Rally for Heart…

As an added incentive, title sponsor CP has stepped up to encourage spectators to buy advance tickets to the event for the benefit of the Children’s Health Foundation in London Ontario. Through the CP Ticket Rally for Heart campaign, for every eligible ticket purchased to the Canadian Pacific Women’s Open until August 17^th, 2014, Canadian Pacific will donate at least $100 per ticket to the Children’s Health Foundation in support of paediatric heart health programs.

“CP’s advance Ticket Rally for Heart program has already raised over $400,000 for Children’s Health Foundation but I know that London has it in them to raise pre-ticket sales in these final days,” added McLaughlin. “Purchase those spectator tickets early – you buy a ticket and CP donates $100 to support paediatric heart health at the Children’s Hospital. It’s that easy.”

A field of 156 competitors will vie for the US$2.25 million purse when the Canadian Pacific Women’s Open makes its return to London Hunt and Country Club for the first time since 2006.

On Monday August 18, 2014, the LPGA will conduct an 18-hole stroke play competition at Sunningdale Golf and Country Club to determine the four lowest qualifiers. Each of these qualifiers will receive exemptions directly into the 2014 Canadian Pacific Women’s Open.

Tickets for all tournament days of the 2014 Canadian Pacific Women’s Open are still available with children aged 17 and under getting in free all week with a ticketed adult.

BELMONT, Mich. – Mirim Lee won the Meijer LPGA Classic on Sunday for her first LPGA Tour victory, beating fellow South Korean player Inbee Park with a birdie on the second hole of a playoff.

“I (was) nervous 100 percent,” Lee said. “First time in playoff. Inbee Park is like a hero in Korea and all the young girls want to be her now in Korea.”

The long-hitting Lee drove into greenside bunker on the second extra hole – the short par-4 17th – and blasted out to 5 feet. After Park’s 15-foot birdie try lipped out, Lee holed her putt for the victory.

They each parred the 18th to open the playoff. Park’s approach shot hit the cup on the way past and she missed a 15-foot birdie try. Lee two-putted from 35 feet.

The 23-year-old Lee, a rookie on the LPGA Tour, closed with a 2-under 69 to match Park at 14-under 270 at Blythefield Country Club. Park, a 10-time tour winner, finished with a 70.

Lee is projected to jump to 29th in the world ranking. She earned $225,000 to jump from 40th to eighth on the money list with $414,135. Her previous best was a second-place finish in Phoenix in March.

Norway’s Suzann Pettersen was a stroke back after a 69.

Park said the win will give Lee great confidence.

“I think she was kind of, you know, thinking about whether she should come to the LPGA or whether she should stay in KLPGA,” Park said. “but I think this will definitely make her see she made a good decision.”

Park said in the end the new blade putter she put in the bag this week let her down in the last round.

“I felt I hit a good putt, but it just didn’t go in,” she said of the final birdie attempt. “The putter just wasn’t there. It was nice to shoot under par, but Mirim played well in the playoff holes.”

Pettersen, seeking her first win this year after 14 in her career, said she just didn’t hit enough good shots or drives on the back nine in the final round.

“It’s nice to get four solid rounds of competition in,” she said. “I’ve struggled this year, but it is coming. Disappointed to be one short, but it was nice to be back in contention straight after a three-week break.”

With three holes to play, Park, Pettersen and Lee were tied for the lead 14 under, but Pettersen had tree and sand troubles and made a bogey at 16 to fall a shot behind.

Park and Lee each missed birdie chances at the 17th. On the 18th, Lee two-putted for par from 40 feet, and Park made a 6-foot par putt.

Pettersen, who was playing in the group in front of Park for the day, birdied the first two holes and eagled the par-5 fifth – hitting a 3-wood shot to 6 feet – to tie Park at 15 under.

Lee birdied the par-5 11th to pull within a shot of Park.

After 10 consecutive pars, Park three-putted the par-3 14th for a bogey. It happened about the same time Pettersen was punching a shot from the trees to eight feet at 15 to set up a birdie and another tie.

Lee, trailing most of the day by a shot or two, then joined Park and Pettersen at 14 under with a 5-foot birdie putt at 15.

Japan’s Haru Nomura was fourth at 10-under after a 68. Germany’s Sandra Gal, the first-round leader, was another stroke back after a 66.

Top-ranked Stacy Lewis had her best round of the week with a 66 to tie for 11th at 6 under.

The tournament was the first LPGA Tour event in Michigan since 2000 when the Oldsmobile Classic in East Lansing ended its nine-year run.

Three Canadians played Sunday in Michigan. Lorie Kane finished at 1-over 285 and tied for 42nd. Alena Sharp tied for 50th, finishing at 2-over 286 and Rebecca Lee-Bentham tied for 67th 5-over 289.