REGINA, Sask. (Golf Canada) – Amy Yang, gunning for her first victory of 2018, shot a second-round 65 at the CPKC Women’s Open to hold the 36-hole lead at 13-under 131. The three-time LPGA Tour winner, who last visited the winner’s circle in February 2017 at the Honda LPGA Thailand, took advantage of the prime early scoring conditions, carding nine birdies to just two bogeys.
“My putting was really good today,” said Yang, who needed just 26 putts Friday. “I was hitting it pretty solid out there, but I gave myself a lot of good chances, and I think I made most of them out there.”
Yang holds a one-stroke lead over young guns Brooke Henderson and Angel Yin. Henderson again had partisan Canadian crowds following her every move, thrilling the fans with a closing birdie at No. 9, while Yin carded three consecutive birdies to finish her round.
“To be close to the top of the leaderboard heading into the weekend is awesome, especially when you’re here in Canada.”
Those words from Brooke Henderson highlight what could be a classic fairytale for Canada’s beloved star. Henderson started the day with a 55-yard birdie putt from off the green that set the pace for a crowd-pleasing round of 6-under 66 and a tie for second, one stroke behind the lead.
“To see that many people there to watch me finish was incredible. I was happy I was able to birdie for them and get to 12-under. It was a great day,” said Henderson, who carded seven birdies and one bogey on Friday. “I think starting on the back nine kind of gave me a lot of momentum, making a lot of birdies, and then was able to finish really strong here.”
If her hot streak continues over the weekend, Henderson would become the first Canadian to win Canada’s national championship since Canadian Golf Hall of Famer Jocelyne Bourassa accomplished the feat in 1973. She’s already set her best CPKC Women’s Open 36-hole score by eight strokes (she shot 140 in 2016) and heads into the weekend in the top five – the highest position she’s ever held in her home tournament.
While any hometown hero would feel the pressure of winning, Henderson felt comfortable and enjoyed Friday’s round.
“It’s definitely a lot easier to play in front of the fans when you’re playing really well,” Henderson added. “So, hopefully I keep it up.”
WEATHER COMES INTO PLAY AT WASCANA
Weather was a major factor on Friday afternoon, with winds gusting to 35 mph and temperatures quickly dropping. Winds picked up significantly starting at 11 a.m., giving players in the morning wave a marked advantage on those who played in the afternoon. The scoring average for the morning wave was 71.5, while it was 74.6 for the afternoon wave.
“I kind of was a little flustered in the middle when the wind picked up,” said Angel Yin, who carded both of her bogeys as she adjusted to the changing conditions. “I didn’t adjust quickly enough and I wasn’t hitting it well.”
Of the players in the top 10, only Ariya Jutanugarn (T4, three strokes behind Yang) played in the afternoon and she started the day tied for the lead.
Round 3 of the 2018 CPKC Women’s Open gets underway at 8:48 a.m. CT, with players playing in threesomes off the 1st and 10th tees.
CANADIAN SCORES
T2 – Brooke Henderson – 66-66 (-12)
T43 – Alena Sharp – 71-70 (-3)
T43 – Anne-Catherine Tanguay – 70-71 (-3)
— DID NOT ADVANCE —
MC – Brittany Marchand – 74-73 (+3)
MC – Maude-Aimee Leblanc – 70-77 (+3)
MC – Naomi Ko (a) – 68-79 (+3)
MC – Tiffany Kong (a) – 76-72 (+4)
MC – Ellie Szeryk – 72-79 (+7)
MC – Céleste Dao (a) – 71-81 (+8)
MC – Augusta James – 74-78 (+8)
MC – Anna Young – 78-75 (+9)
MC – Elizabeth Tong – 73-80 (+9)
MC – Jennifer Ha – 75-79 (+10)
MC – Megan Osland – 75-82 (+10)
MC – Lorie Kane – 83-77 (+16)
MC – Bobbi Brandon – 83-90 (+29)
CP BIRDIES FOR HEART
The second round saw 27 sub-par scores (all birdies) at No. 17, which amounts to $135,000 raised on Friday and $300,000 overall for the Jim Pattison Children’s Hospital via the CP Birdies for Heart program, which donates $5,000 per sub-par score
SCORING AND START TIMES
Scoring and Pairings for the 2018 CPKC Women’s Open are available here.
INTERVIEW TRANSCRIPTS, AUDIO FILES AND VIDEO…
Interview transcripts, audio MP3 files, as well as downloadable royalty-free images and broadcast quality videos for all media interviews and scrums are available online here.
LPGA TOUR MEDIA NOTES
For daily LPGA Tour notes, statistics, hole locations and yardages, visit www.media.lpga.com and select CPKC Women’s Open from the LPGA Tournament Information menu.
MEDIA GUIDE
Download the 2018 CPKC Women’s Open Media Guide by clicking here.
CP HAS HEART IN SUPPORT OF JIM PATTISON CHILDREN’S HOSPITAL
Canadian Pacific will continue its history of making a substantial donation to the host community through its CP Has Heart community investment program. In the four years of CP’s title sponsorship of the CPKC Women’s Open, $6.5 million has been raised to support children’s heart health in communities across Canada.
This year, the campaign is supporting pediatric cardiology at Saskatchewan’s new Jim Pattison Children’s Hospital in Saskatoon. Funds raised through the CPKC Women’s Open will help assist a dedicated cardiology space and specialized equipment in the new hospital, currently under construction and scheduled to open in 2019. To find out more or donate click here.
KIDS 17-AND-UNDER GET IN FREE…
Golf Canada and CP are committed to offering a fan friendly, family event with the CPKC Women’s Open. To introduce more juniors to the sport, children aged 17-and-under get FREE admission to the CPKC Women’s Open for the entire week.
TICKETS…
Anyday Grounds (Sat-Sun) – Tournament week $55
Full week entry (Grounds) – Tournament week $105
Full week entry (Clubhouse) – Tournament week $200
TELEVISION COVERAGE…
Saturday, August 25 – Golf Channel – 1 p.m. – 4 p.m.
Sunday, August 26 – Golf Channel – 2 p.m. – 5 p.m.
- All times local.