London, Ont. (Golf Canada) – The Canadian Pacific Women’s Open ended today, and kids living with heart disease had something more to celebrate than just So Yeon Ryu’s big win. Canadian Pacific (CP) announced they will be making a cash donation of $1, 100,045 to the Children’s Health Foundation to support continued world class research and treatment for children’s cardiac care at Children’s Hospital, London Health Sciences Centre (LHSC).

“We’re so happy that our CP has Heart program gift will positively impact the lives of children with heart disease in London and throughout Southwestern Ontario,” said Canadian Pacific CEO E. Hunter Harrison. “Through the Canadian Pacific Women’s Open we’re helping to ensure that the leading edge paediatric cardiology program at Children’s Hospital continues to advance children’s cardiac research and care for years to come.”

To celebrate this significant milestone, the paediatric cardiac program at Children’s Hospital will be renamed the Canadian Pacific Centre for Paediatric Cardiac Care. CP’s gift will be put towards expanding the program’s capabilities through the purchase of paediatric-specific stress testing equipment, which will help with research and improve the quality of life of patients as they mature into adulthood.

“On behalf of the London Health Sciences Centre, I want to thank CP for this incredibly generous – and incredibly important – donation,” said Laurie Gould, Chief Clinical Officer, London Health Sciences Centre. “Today 90% of infants born with complex heart defects reach adulthood as compared to just 20%, sixty years ago. With CP’s help, we’re looking forward to further improving that figure through innovative research into the prevention of congenital heart disease.”

A second component of CP’s gift will be put towards establishing a cardiology research fund, called the Canadian Pacific Research Fund for Paediatric Cardiac Care. The fund will support research to advance knowledge in the prevention, treatment and rehabilitation of children with cardiac-related health issues.

“We are so grateful to receive this generous donation from CP through their program CP Has Heart,” said Susan Crowley, President and CEO of Children’s Health Foundation. “CP and Children’s Health Foundation clearly make excellent partners, with a mutual passion for improving the health and well-being of children and supporting their families through the delivery of exceptional care and leading edge research.”

The newly named Canadian Pacific Centre for Paediatric Cardiac Care at Children’s Hospital in London is a world-class facility with cardiologists that are on-call 24/7 for patient families to call with questions or concerns. The paediatric cardiology service sees over 3,500 patients each year – patients like nine year old Rachael Wright.

Within hours of her birth, Rachael was fighting for her life. Diagnosed with pulmonary heart dysfunction and congenital heart defects, Rachael has been under the care of the cardiology team at Children’s Hospital her entire life and today enjoys being active in gymnastics and dance.

“Twenty to thirty years ago, Rachael may not have made it,” reflects Rachael’s father Chris Wright. “It’s only thanks to the research and attentive care provided at Children’s Hospital that Rachael is alive today and is a happy and healthy little girl.”

The 2014 Canadian Pacific Women’s Open in London, Ontario is the first of three tournaments that CP will serve as the title sponsor. Every year, CP and Golf Canada will commit to a charitable component linked to the tournament as it moves to communities around the country.

“Golf Canada is thrilled to have been a part of such a big win for children’s heart health at the Canadian Pacific Women’s Open in London this year,” said Scott Simmons, CEO of Golf Canada. “Everyone has rallied around CP’s fundraising, particularly the players who embraced the Birdies for Heart challenge on the 17^th Green. The end result is a memorable experience for everyone involved.”

LONDON, Ont. – Azahara Munoz dunked her ball in the water, but it didn’t sink her round.

Instead, Munoz rebounded to fire a 9-under 63 Saturday to shoot up the leaderboard and vault into contention at the US$2.25-million Canadian Pacific Women’s Open. She’s tied with Na Yeon Choi in second place, four strokes behind So Yeon Ryu, who leads at 20-under par going into the final round.

“The key of my round was on (hole No.) 4, I was going for it in two with a 4-iron and I hit in the water,” Munoz said. “But I kept it calm, I knew I could still make up and down for par, so I did, and after that everything just went my way.”

Except, perhaps, for Ryu, who didn’t drift back to the pack by shooting a 67. She’s looking to become the sixth wire-to-wire winner in this tournament’s history and the first since Michelle Wie in 2010.

Munoz had six birdies on the back nine as part of a bogey-free round, tying the course record at London Hunt and Country Club that Ryu set Thursday. The 26-year-old Spainard felt like she was doing “everything” right.

“I was driving the ball really well, and I was hitting really good iron shots into the greens,” Munoz said. “I had so many chances. And then I made lots of putts, too – I made a couple really long ones and quite a few shorter ones.”

As dazzling as Munoz’s round was, she still has some work to do to catch up to Ryu, who has been remarkably consistent through three rounds with 21 birdies and just one bogey.

Ryu is looking for her first victory since 2012.

“I haven’t won any tournaments the last two years,” the 24-year-old said. “If I’m going to win this tournament, I’m going to break that. I really want to break it, I really want to stop it.”

Ryu is on pace to snap the tournament record of 18 under set by Suzann Petterson in 2009 and is within range of the LPGA Tour record of 27 under, which belongs to the legendary Annika Sorenstam.

“I think my lowest record is 29 under when I was 16 at the Asian Games,” Ryu said. “If I have the chance I want to break my career record, and also if I can I want to break another LPGA record.”

Determined to focus on her own game, the South Korean said she didn’t peek at the leaderboard Saturday. But Ryu already set a goal of sinking seven birdies in the final round.

Ryu, Munoz and Choi, who shot a 6-under 66, tee off as the final group at 11:45 a.m. Sunday. Behind them on the leaderboard are LPGA Championship winner Inbee Park at 14 under, Swede Anna Nordqvist at 13 under and Americans Brittany Lincicome and Danielle Kang at 12 under.

Brooke Henderson of Smiths Falls, Ont., shot a 1-under 71 to get to 4 under as the lowest Canadian left. Fellow amateur Jennifer Ha of Calgary moved to 2 under with a 73, while Jennifer Kirby of Paris, Ont., shot a 76 to drop to 1 under and Sue Kim of Langley, B.C., shot a 74 to drop to 1 over.

Choi set the tone for the low-scoring weekend with an 8-under 64 Thursday morning. After seeing that, Park wondered if it would take 20 under to win the tournament.

Given the way Ryu has been driving, chipping and putting, that turned out to be a conservative estimate.

“It’s going to be over 20, that’s for sure,” Park said. “I don’t know how So Yeon is going to play tomorrow, but if she goes really low tomorrow, 25-under par’s definitely possible.”

Despite being four strokes back of a player she conceded was even more “on fire” than her, Choi was plenty confident about her chances given the course conditions.

“Someone can shoot 9 under, 8 under,” she said. “Even I could shoot like 8, 9 under tomorrow.”

Munoz showed that was possible Saturday, even with more difficult pin placements for the 87 players who made the cut. Her only real glance at the leaderboard was Thursday when she saw Choi’s 64 before she even teed off, but that didn’t make her task feel any more daunting.

“It’s actually good because you have that number in mind, you know it’s possible,” Munoz said. “So at least you go out there thinking you can make lots of birdies.”

Birdies are available all over the course, and players are mindful that each one on the 17th hole means a $5,000 donation from title sponsor Canadian Pacific for the London-based Children’s Health Foundation.

But Ryu hasn’t been saving her best for the second-to-last hole, and Park knows that her friend is so locked in that rivals will have to shoot very low to beat her.

Ryu hasn’t won since the 2012 Jamie Farr Toledo Classic but won two of the three previous times she held the 54-hole lead.

“I definitely think she’s due,” Park said. “I think she was due a long time ago, but she probably threw her opportunities away. If I can’t do it this time, hopefully she does it. I’m really rooting for her.”

LONDON, Ont. – The role models Canadian golfers need are all around them at the Canadian Pacific Women’s Open.

For 20-year-old Jennifer Ha of Calgary, one of them is 16-year-old star Brooke Henderson. Ha and Henderson are roommates this week and were the only two amateurs to make the cut.

After three rounds, Ha is still chasing Henderson to be the low Canadian and the low amateur after shooting a 1-over 72 Saturday to drop to 2 under for the tournament. Henderson, from Smiths Falls, Ont., shot a 71 to get to 4 under.

“Brooke’s unreal and she’s No. 2 in the world (among amateurs), so it’d be great if I got a chance to catch up her,” Ha said.

Henderson got to play with one of her role models in 19-year-old Lexi Thompson, who was a teenage golfing phenom at the age of 12. Unprompted, Henderson glowed about playing with Thompson.

“It was a lot of fun being able to play with Lexi today,” Henderson said. “Lexi I’ve always looked up to. She’s definitely a big person in the women’s game and someone that you can look up to and I definitely have.”

Henderson, who again attracted the biggest fan support at London Hunt and Country Club as the most prominent Canadian name in the field, called Thompson one of her idols.

“Just being able to watch her and learn a little bit from her, it was fun,” Henderson said. “I talked to her a little bit today. I asked her a few questions and got a few things answered that I wanted to know.”

Henderson also noticed Lorie Kane following her for the final five holes of her round. The 49-year-old Kane has offered plenty of advice to Henderson during her blossoming stardom.

“She is a huge role model for me,” Henderson said of Kane. “A lot of the women out here are like that. They are really nice and they support young people.”

Four Canadians made the cut, though Henderson was the only one to shoot under par Saturday. Jennifer Kirby (Paris, Ont.) shot a 76 to drop to 1 under for the tournament, and Sue Kim (Langley, B.C.) shot a 74 to move to 1 over.

Ha would have been even par had it not been for a bogey on the 18th hole. But she was happy to be able to get her game together after being 3 over through six.

The Kent State University student returns to school in Ohio next week but is spending this weekend honouring football player Jason Bitsko, who was found dead in his off-campus apartment Wednesday. Ha has 54 – Bitsko’s number – written on each of her golf balls.

Coming into the tournament, Ha’s goal was simply to make the cut. Now that she has, she can set her sights on competing with Henderson and remembering Bitsko, the Golden Flashes’ starting centre who the school said died of an undetermined medical issue at the age of 21.

“I think my main goal right now is just to have the time of my life, Ha said. ”It would be unreal to finish as the low amateur, but I’m out here to have fun for this week and to honour Jason.“

Henderson also pegged making the cut as a pre-tournament expectation and now wants to “climb the leaderboard.”

“Today, 1 under, I didn’t back up, but I don’t think I moved forward too much,” Henderson said. “So tomorrow’s going to be a big day.”

LONDON, Ontario – So Yeon Ryu pulled away from the pack at the Canadian Pacific Women’s Open with a second straight bogey-free round.

Ryu shot a 6-under 66 Friday at London Hunt and Country Club to get to 15 under, the best two-round start in the tournament’s history and five strokes ahead of fellow South Korean Na Yeon Choi, playing partner Anna Nordqvist and Danielle Kang.

“A lot of birdies is still a good sign, but no bogeys is more (of) a great sign because it means I play really consistent and when I was in trouble I handled it pretty well,” she said. “That’s my goal. I aim for the bogey-free round all four days.”

If Ryu keeps it up over the weekend, she’ll have a good chance at winning her first tournament since the Jamie Farr Toledo Classic in 2012. With eight top-10 finishes this year, including a tie for fifth at the U.S. Women’s Open, she hasn’t been far off.

Even amid her victory drought, Ryu tries not to complain or worry.

“I’m happy to be just travelling all around the world,” she said. “I’m really happy to show my golf swing and my golf game to all golf fans. The thing is to not really think about the result thing. I’m playing golf and I’m happy.”

Ryu “absolutely” is happier when playing the kind of golf she has over the past couple of days. She returned to the same local restaurant, Izakaya Shogun Japanese Sushi & Grill, Thursday night that she had dinner at with South Korean teammates the previous day _ for takeout this time _ and said she’d have to think about it again before her third round.

Whatever Ryu is eating, the rest of the field will have what she’s having.

“So Yeon is probably making everything she looks at,” said Cristie Kerr, the champion the last time this tournament was in London back in 2006, who shot a 4-under 68 Friday to get to 9 under.

American Brittany Lincicome, who was a runner-up to Inbee Park at last week’s LPGA Championship, had the best round of the day with a 65 to move to 8 under. Lincicome said her confidence level was “really high.”

“I felt really confident when I stepped on the first hole,” she said. “It was a very smooth day and it was nice to get some putts to fall.”

Joining Lincicome at 8 under were Lizette Salas, Lindsey Wright, Mi Hyang Lee and Xi Yu Lin.

Four Canadians were among the 87 players who made the cut: Jennifer Kirby of Paris, Ont., at 5 under and amateurs Brooke Henderson of Smiths Falls, Ont., and Jennifer Ha of Calgary at 3 under and Sue Kim of Langley, B.C., at 1 under. The other 11 in the field finished at even or over par to miss.

Henderson had missed the cut in this tournament in her two previous appearances but is now 4 for 4 making the cut in LPGA Tour events this year. But she wasn’t satisfied despite shooting a 71.

“Honestly, today, I could’ve easily been five-under,” Henderson said. “I had so many opportunities for birdie inside 10 feet and just didn’t capitalize on them.”

Nordqvist felt the same way playing with Ryu but struggling with her putter.

“I was trying to keep up with her on the greens,” the Swede said. “I played really well today, too, and I couldn’t seem to make any putts. … It’s a bit frustrating, but she played really well and I try to feed off her.”

One of the last players to tee off Friday, Kang saw Ryu’s 15 under and didn’t let it bother her. Instead, she watched the leaderboard with delight thinking about what she can do on this course.

“That tells me that there are birdies out there,” said Kang, who borrowed defending champion and friend Lydia Ko’s ball marker after forgetting her own. “You just got to go by the scoreboard, the scoreboard tells you everything you need to know.”

Like a lot of players, Choi wasn’t focused on others’ performances before she teed off. The 2012 U.S. Women’s Open champion also took a different approach Thursday night after shooting a 64, going shopping and to the movie theatre to see “Into the Storm.”

“I just tried to relax,” Choi said. “Always when I think about too much golf, even off the golf course, it sometimes gives me a lot of stress.”

Choi stressed about her driver after shooting a 70 Friday to tie Nordqvist for second. It’s her hope that fixing a left hook in her swing can help her stay in the hunt.

Kang, a 21-year-old from San Francisco, is in contention and feeling confident going into the weekend.

“There’s a lot of people contending, and there’s a lot of birdies out there and everyone’s shooting low, so you’ve just got to keep making birdies,” she said.

American Jessica Korda had a hole-in-one on the eight, drilling an 8 iron from 147 yards from the tee. She shot a 70 to get to 4 under through two rounds. … Organizers waived the $10 parking fee for the weekend to encourage more fans to come out to the course.

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