NAPLES, FLA. (Golf Canada) – ​The success of the 2019 CPKC Women’s Open at Magna Golf Club in Aurora, Ont., was recently recognized as the Tournament Partners of the LPGA presented Golf Canada and Canadian Pacific (CP) with two Gold Driver Awards for delivering best-in-class elements among all LPGA Tour events.

The annual Gold Driver Awards were hosted in conjunction with the LPGA Tour’s season-ending CME Group Tour Championship at The Ritz-Carlton Golf Resort in Naples, Fla. The Tournament Partners of the LPGA (formally Tournament Owners Association) have a long standing tradition of recognizing best in class tournaments with Gold Driver Awards at the season ending event on the LPGA Tour calendar.

At the formal ceremony, the CPKC Women’s Open received Gold Driver Awards for Best Community and Charity Engagement and Best Sponsor Activation.

The award for Best Community and Charity Engagement was earned for the CP Has Heart community investment campaign, which raised nearly $2.5 million for children’s charities in the Greater Toronto Area – the largest donation in the history of the CPKC Women’s Open. As part of the program, $2.2 million was presented to the SickKids Foundation in Toronto, while a $250,000 donation was made to Southlake Regional Health Centre in Newmarket, Ont., to support paediatric cardiac care. In the six years of CP’s title sponsorship of the CPKC Women’s Open, more than $10.5 million has now been raised to support children’s heart health in Canada. This is the second time in the last three years that the CPKC Women’s Open was awarded the Gold Driver for Best Community and Charity Engagement.

The CPKC Women’s Open netted Best Sponsor Activation for the Levelwear Caddy Lounge. Headed by Canadian apparel company and Golf Canada partner, Levelwear, the activation delivered a first of its kind hangout for LPGA Tour caddies. The Lounge featured a host of amenities, from food and drinks to post-round massages, haircuts, games and more.

“It is humbling to see the CPKC Women’s Open honoured with two Gold Driver Awards,” said CPKC Women’s Open Tournament Director, Ryan Paul. “This year’s event was a true team effort. Thanks to tremendous fan, player and partner support, the 2019 CPKC Women’s Open was a resounding success and it is rewarding to be recognized with these meaningful awards.”

In August, Rolex World No. 1 Jin Young Ko fired a 26-under 262 over four rounds to best a stellar field of golfers, including 96 of the top 100 golfers in the world and become the 2019 CPKC Women’s Open champion. By doing so, she would take home US$337,500 of the US$2.25 million purse, the largest purse on the LPGA Tour outside Major Championships and the CME Group Tour Championship.

The 2019 CPKC Women’s Open enjoyed record walk-up and corporate hospitality sales and was the third-most attended CPKC Women’s Open in history.

The stars of the LPGA Tour are headed back to Vancouver as the 2020 CPKC Women’s Open will be contested at Shaughnessy Golf and Country Club from August 31- September 6, 2020. The championship will mark the sixth time that the province of British Columbia has hosted Canada’s Women’s Open Championship, with the last time being 2015 at The Vancouver Golf Club, where Lydia Ko won her third CPKC Women’s Open title.

Information regarding tickets and corporate hospitality for 2020 can be found at www.cpkcwomensopen.com/tickets.

Stars of the LPGA Tour return to Vancouver August 31–September 6, 2020 at Shaughnessy Golf and Country Club  

VANCOUVER (Golf Canada) – Golf Canada, in partnership with title sponsor Canadian Pacific (CP), are pleased to announce that tickets are now available for the 2020 CPKC Women’s Open, taking place August 31 to September 6 at Shaughnessy Golf and Country Club in Vancouver. 

One of Canada’s premier annual sporting events, the CPKC Women’s Open features miles of front row seating for golf fans to experience Canada’s lone stop on the LPGA Tour. Cheer on Canadian sensation and CP Ambassador Brooke Henderson as she leads the stars of the LPGA Tour back to Vancouver alongside defending champion and world No. 1 Jin Young Ko, past champions Ariya Jutanugarn, Sung Hyun Park and So Yeon Ryu and rising stars Lexi Thompson, Nelly Korda, Jessica Korda, Danielle Kang and Minjee Lee.  

The 2020 CPKC Women’s Open will mark the sixth time that the province of British Columbia has hosted Canada’s Women’s Open Golf Championship, with the last time being 2015 at The Vancouver Golf Club, where Lydia Ko won her third CPKC Women’s Open title.  

CLICK HERE to get your tickets for the 2020 CPKC Women’s Open 

General admission tickets, starting at just $20 for early week admission, provide access to the grounds to get an up-close look at the stars of the LPGA Tour. 

Tournament rounds for Thursday, Friday and Saturday are just $50; a Sunday final-round ticket is $60; and a week–long, fully transferable badge is $130. A $60 Anyday Grounds ticket is also available for those looking for ticket flexibility.

A specially-priced youth ticket (13-17 years old) is also available while juniors aged 12-and-under gain FREE grounds admission all week long.

In addition to general admission tickets and corporate hospitality products, the CPKC Women’s Open also offers a premium ticket product – The Heritage Lounge. 

The Heritage Lounge delivers an elevated fan experience within the Clubhouse of the prestigious Shaughnessy Golf & Country Club. This premium destination is the perfect home base to sit, relax and map out your experience following the stars of the LPGA Tour! It offers upgraded food and beverage for purchase, ample televisions with a live feed of the broadcast and private washrooms.  Heritage Lounge tickets cost $100 for single day access or $250 for a fully transferable tournament (Thursday – Sunday) pass.  

Volunteer opportunities to be a part of the 2020 CPKC Women’s Open are also available with a full listing of committee positions here. 

For an elevated experience, the CPKC Women’s Open offers many great hospitality packages to fit any budget. All corporate hospitality comes with private seating on one of Shaughnessy’s closing holes and all-inclusive food & beverage. A full list of offerings can be found here. 

The CPKC Women’s Open is so much more than a sporting event. Enjoy world-class golf and a premium hospitality experience at a signature Canadian sporting event that will leave a meaningful charitable legacy through CP Has Heart in support of children’s heart health.   

Get your tickets today at www.cpkcwomensopen.com/tickets. 

* Prices do not include applicable taxes or Ticketmaster fees. 

NAPLES, Fla. – As the 2019 LPGA Tour season ends, the CME Group Tour Championship provided the perfect opportunity to celebrate a year’s worth of incredible on-the-course performances and off-the-course accomplishments.  

Four-time 2019 LPGA Tour winner Jin Young Ko earned major hardware at Thursday night’s Rolex LPGA Awards, accepting the Rolex Player of the Year award and Rolex ANNIKA Major Award. She later added the Vare Trophy to her tally when she captured the award for the season’s lowest scoring average following completion of the CME Group Tour Championship, finishing at 69.062.

“At this very special occasion, I want to say that this is not the end but only the beginning,” said Ko. “I will work even harder to become a better golfer.”

Additionally, by winning the 2019 Official Money title with $2,773,894, Ko joined Yani Tseng, Lorena Ochoa and Ariya Jutanugarn as the only players to win the Player of the Year and the Vare Trophy and lead the Tour in season earnings while also sitting first in the Rolex Women’s World Golf Rankings.

Brooke Henderson received the 2019 Founders Award, an honor previously known as the William and Mousie Powell Award. The award is given annually to an LPGA Member who, in the opinion of her playing peers, best exemplifies the spirit, ideals and values of the LPGA through her behavior and deeds. The award has been given out since 1986, with a list of previous recipients that includes Kathy Whitworth, Nancy Lopez, Pat Bradley, Betsy King, Juli Inkster, Lorena Ochoa, Chella Choi, Juli Inkster, Karrie Webb and So Yeon Ryu. Effective this year, the award will be presented in honor of the 13 LPGA Founders who began the LPGA Tour in 1950.

“I know we as a Tour will continue to do our best to honor all 13 Founders and act as they so courageously and inspiringly did. What makes this award even more special is that it was voted on by my playing peers on the LPGA. Thank you to all of you,” said Henderson. “I have made many great friends over my five years on Tour. I love being able to live my dream playing out there and to experience this journey along so many talented golfers who are also great people.”

Suzann Pettersen, who retired in September after returning from an extended maternity leave to sink the winning putt for Team Europe at the 2019 Solheim Cup, was named the winner of the 2019 Heather Farr Perseverance Award. The award honors an LPGA player who, through her hard work, dedication and love of the game of golf, has demonstrated determination, perseverance and spirit in fulfilling her goals as a player. Established in 1994, the Heather Farr Perseverance Award celebrates the life of Farr, an LPGA Tour player who died on Nov. 20, 1993, following a four-and-a-half-year battle with breast cancer. Previous winners of this award include Heather Farr, Shelley Hamlin, Martha Nause, Terry-Jo Myers, Lorie Kane, Nancy Scranton, Brandi Burton, Kris Tschetter, Kim Williams, Beth Daniel, Colleen Walker, Amy Read, Se Ri Pak, Leta Lindley, Sophie Gustafson, Lisa Ferrero, Stephanie Meadow, Ariya Jutanugarn and Jessica Korda.

“I never knew Heather Farr, but I’ve known of her and this award since I joined the LPGA Tour. I can’t tell you how much is means to receive this, not just because of the player it honors, but because of all the players who have received before me and because it’s chosen by our fellow players, my peers,” said Pettersen, who became emotional later in her speech when speaking of her son Herman. “The LPGA Tour has been such a huge part of my life. It gave me the opportunity to follow my childhood dream and to reach beyond my wildest imagination. To go places, meet people and do things I never dreamed possible. For almost two decades, I’ve been able to measure my game against the very best female golfers in the world. I made many great friends and received lots of good advice along the way.”

The Rolex LPGA Awards ceremony celebrated Rolex-First Time Winners Celine Boutier, Cydney Clanton, Hannah Green, Cheyenne Knight, Bronte Law and Jeongeun Lee6. Additionally, Lee6 also added to her trophy count when she accepted the 2019 Rolex Louise Suggs Rookie of the Year award with a painstakingly memorized English speech that brought the crowd to its feet.

“With the support of my family and friends, I was able to pursue my biggest dream. The LPGA Tour is where we get to compete with the best players in the world. Just being a part of it made me feel like I could take on anything,” said Lee6, the 13th player from the Republic of Korea to capture the honor and the fifth consecutive, following Jin Young Ko (2018), Sung Hyun Park (2017), In Gee Chun (2016) and Sei Young Kim (2015). “It is an honor to compete on the LPGA Tour, to be able to play at the best golf courses around the world and among the world’s best golfers. Winning the U.S. Women’s Open and receiving Rookie of the Year has all been a dream come true.”

LPGA Commissioner Mike Whan selected KPMG as the 2019 recipient of the Commissioner’s Award. In his speech, Whan spoke of their foresight in stepping in as title sponsors of the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship, revamping the LPGA Championship into a week-long celebration of female leadership and empowerment. When accepting the award, retired Chairman of KPMG International and incoming LPGA Board member John Veihmeyer thanked LPGA Tour player and KPMG Ambassador Stacy Lewis for her role in elevating the competition and focusing its most important asset – the players.

“There’s nothing that has made me more proud over the years of being at this championship than listening to the players, hearing them or having them come up to me and telling me how much they love this event,” said Veihmeyer. “This is all about the players. We have some of the greatest athletes in the world here. They deserve to be on the best courses in the world. They deserve to be playing for the best purses in the world and they deserve to be on network TV.”

Nancy Quarcelino, a member of the LPGA Teaching & Club Professionals (T&CP) Hall of Fame who has coached players on both the LPGA Tour and the PGA Tour, joined an elite group of her peers as the recipient of the 2019 Ellen Griffin Rolex Award. Instituted in 1989, the award honors the late Ellen Griffin, the best-known woman golf teacher in U.S. history. The award recognizes an individual, male or female, who has made a major contribution to the teaching of golf and who has demonstrated, through teaching, Griffin’s spirit, love and dedication to the golf student, teaching skills and game of golf.

“I’ve been very blessed in my life to be able to get up every day and go to work and do something that I love,” said Quarcelino. “I can only hope that I can be an inspiration to people that are watching, that are teaching, that are coming up, that are playing. I can only hope that I can be that inspiration to them and I do want to Drive On for the future.”

Earlier in the week, the LPGA Tour celebrated the winners of two season-long competitions. Carlota Ciganda captured the inaugural Aon Risk Reward Challenge and earned the $1 million prize. The competition, which measured the performance of LPGA Tour and PGA Tour golfers on a series of holes across multiple tournaments, tested players’ ability to analyze risk, utilize data-driven insights to identify opportunities and maximize performance in the moments that matter most. Ciganda joined PGA Tour winner Brooks Koepka in winning the inaugural honor, with both players receiving equal prize money.

Additionally, Ko won the LEADERS Top 10 competition on a tiebreak, earning $100,000. She racked up 12 top-10s in 21 starts, including four victories and three runner-up spots, to finish ahead of second-place Brooke Henderson and third-place Hyo Joo Kim. Henderson and Kim also recorded 12 top-10s but Ko won the competition via a tiebreak, her four wins eclipsing Henderson (two) and Kim (none).

NAPLES, Fla. – In 2020, for the first time in the history of the LPGA Tour, the world’s best female athletes will compete for a combined prize fund of $75.1 million, which includes the fourth playing of the UL International Crown, and air on more than 500 hours of television, both true signs of the continued growth for the game’s global tour.

The 2020 LPGA Tour schedule will feature 33 official events across 11 countries and regions, with the most hours of television production in LPGA history, and at least seven tournaments that will air on network television. Additionally, the UL International Crown, a unique biennial team event, will feature a $1.6 million unofficial purse and showcase the best female golfers from the top eight countries across the globe. 2020 will also see the world’s top players head to Japan for the Summer Olympics, bringing the game into even more households around the world.

“As we close 2019 and move to 2020, I could not be more excited about what the future will bring for the LPGA Tour and the sponsors that support us,” said LPGA Commissioner Mike Whan. “$75.1 million in total purse. That number is a testament to the support we are receiving from sponsors and industry partners around the globe. As I enter my second decade as commissioner, we find ourselves in a new phase of the LPGA Tour. We’ve grown, but now we must flourish. We talk a lot about the next generation, but we will lift THIS generation. I know a lot of our fans understand the difference we are making for women’s golf in America, but they might be surprised to know about the impact our Tour is having all around the globe.”

The largest purse increase for the 2020 season comes at the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship. The purse for the season’s third major championship will grow to $4.3 million, up $450,000 from 2019. Additionally, the purse at the ANA Inspiration, traditionally the first major of each professional golf season, will increase to $3.1 million, up $100,000 from 2019 and the sixth consecutive year with a purse increase since ANA assumed title sponsorship in 2015.

Other purses increasing in 2020 are the CPKC Women’s Open ($2.35 million, up $100,000), the Meijer LPGA Classic for Simply Give ($2.3 million, up $300,000), the Dow Great Lakes Bay Invitational ($2.3 million, up $300,000), the Marathon LPGA Classic presented by Dana ($1.85 million, up $100,000) and the Volunteers of America Classic ($1.4 million, up $100,000).

As previously announced, the 2020 LPGA Tour season will include two new events in Florida, making it four tournaments for the Sunshine State. The Gainbridge LPGA at Boca Rio will be held Jan. 23-26 at Boca Rio Golf Club in Boca Raton, one week after the season-opening Diamond Resort Tournament of Champions presented by Insurance Office of America in Lake Buena Vista. Four months later, the Tour will return to the Sunshine State for the Pelican Women’s Championship presented by DEX Imaging, to be held May 14-17 at Pelican Golf Club in Belleair. Finally, for the seventh consecutive year, the LPGA Tour will end its season in Naples at the CME Group Tour Championship, a competition that awards the winner with $1.5 million, the largest single prize in women’s golf history.

2020 will also see the return of the Blue Bay LPGA, which was not conducted in 2019 to transition the competition into a spring time slot. The tournament in the People’s Republic of China will now be held March 5-8 as part of the LPGA Tour’s Spring Asia Swing, following stops in Thailand and Singapore.

The major season will kick off in Rancho Mirage, Calif., with the ANA Inspiration celebrating its 49th year on the Dinah Shore Tournament Course at Mission Hills Country Club. The U.S. Women’s Open, conducted by the USGA, will visit Champions Golf Club in Houston, Texas, while the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship will be held at Aronimink Golf Club in Newtown Square, Pa. The final two majors send the LPGA Tour overseas, with the Evian Championship returning to Evian Resort Golf Club in Evian-les-Bain, France, and the AIG Women’s British Open heading to Royal Troon Golf Club in Troon, Scotland.

In early August, between the Evian Championship and the Aberdeen Standard Investments Ladies Scottish Open, the LPGA Tour will go on hiatus to accommodate the 2020 Olympic Games in Japan. The women’s golf competition will be held Aug. 5-8 at Kasumigaseki Country Club, located 40 miles outside Tokyo. Qualifying for the 60-player field ends following the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship, with the top 15 players in the Rolex Women’s World Golf Rankings automatically qualifying for the Games (no more than four players per country). The remaining spots will be awarded to the highest-ranked players from countries that do not already have two qualified players. Weekly Olympic golf rankings are posted every Monday on the International Golf Federation website.

The 2020 UL International Crown will be held Aug. 27-30 at Centurion Club, located outside of London, England. Spain won the inaugural competition in 2014, with the United States winning in 2016 and the Republic of Korea winning in 2018.

The 2020 LPGA Tour season will again feature three season-long races. In its second year, the Aon Risk Reward Challenge will award $1 million to the players on the LPGA and PGA Tours who best navigate risk across the season’s most strategically challenging holes. Carlota Ciganda captured the inaugural title on the LPGA Tour, while Brooks Koepka won on the PGA Tour. For the third consecutive year, the LEADERS Top-10s competition will award $100,000 to the player with the most top-10 finishes, with Ariya Jutanugarn (2018) and Jin Young Ko (2019) earning the first two awards. Finally, the Race to the CME Globe will see the top 60 players following the season’s penultimate event heading to the CME Group Tour Championship with the opportunity to win the $1.5 million winner’s check.

While the overall TV schedule is still being finalized, the 2020 LPGA Tour will see 500 global hours of broadcast coverage, including at least seven events aired on network TV. The Tour will be televised in more than 175 countries and in more than 500 million households.

The Symetra Tour, which is celebrating its 40th season, is still finalizing a schedule that will include at least 20 events for players on the LPGA Tour’s Official Qualifying Tour. Earlier this year, the Symetra Tour announced that the Circling Raven Championship, the first new event of the 2020 campaign, will be held at Circling Raven Golf Club at Coeur d’Alene Casino Resort and Hotel in Worley, Idaho. Since Symetra’s inaugural sponsorship year in 2012, the Symetra Tour has grown from 16 tournaments and $1.7 million in prize money to a record $4 million awarded over the course of 23 tournaments in 2019.

2020 will see a date change for the Senior LPGA Championship presented by Old National Bank. After three years in October, the tournament will move to July 30-Aug. 1, but will remain at the Pete Dye Course at French Lick (Ind.) Resort. Additionally, the LPGA’s Q-Series presented by Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina, the two-week qualifying tournament that replaced Stage III of Q School, will be held Oct. 19-31 in Pinehurst, N.C., while the LPGA T&CP National Championship will be held Aug. 31 to Sept. 2 at Reynolds Lake Oconee Golf Course in Greensboro, Ga.

2020 LPGA Tour Schedule (bold = major; italics = new event; * = unofficial money; ** = to be confirmed)

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – The LPGA Tour announced today that Jeongeun Lee6 has won the 2019 Louise Suggs Rolex Rookie of the Year award. Lee6, who won the 2019 U.S. Women’s Open, clinched the honour following her tie for eighth at last week’s Volunteers of America Classic. Lee6 has earned 1,273 points and holds an insurmountable 756-point lead over second-place Kristen Gillman with five events left in the 2019 season.

“For five consecutive years, Korean golfers have won this Rookie of the Year award. I’m part of that list, and I am so proud and honoured,” said Lee6, 23. “This is all thanks to those players who came before me, who have all given me so much advice. Since the season is almost over, I want to finish strong for the rest of our tournaments and perform well.”

Lee6 is the 13th player from the Republic of Korea to capture the award and the fifth consecutive, following Jin Young Ko (2018), Sung Hyun Park (2017), In Gee Chun (2016) and Sei Young Kim (2015).

Lee6 earned 2019 LPGA Tour Membership after taking medalist honours at the inaugural Q-Series in 2018. In June, she became a Rolex First-Time Winner when she won the U.S. Women’s Open, becoming the 19th player in championship history to make the U.S. Women’s Open her first LPGA Tour victory. She also has runner-up finishes at the LPGA MEDIHEAL Championship, ShopRite LPGA Classic presented by Acer and Aberdeen Standard Investments Ladies Scottish Open, along with 10 other top-20 finishes. She currently sits fourth in the Rolex Women’s World Golf Rankings.

With five events left in the season, Lee6 is second on the LPGA Official Money List with $1,913,357, behind only four-time winner and 2018 Rookie of the Year Jin Young Ko. She is also second in the Rolex Player of the Year standings behind Ko and was runner-up to Ko in the Rolex ANNIKA Major Award standings. Lee6 is in the top 10 in scoring average (No. 5, 69.6), birdies (No. 8, 305), eagles (No. 8, nine), greens in regulation (No. 10, 75%), rounds in the 60s (No. 6, 35) and rounds under par (No. 3, 58).

Prior to joining the LPGA Tour, Lee6 was a member of the Korean LPGA Tour from 2016-18. She won six KLPGA events, including major championships at the 2018 Hanwha Classic and 2018 KB Financial Star Championship, and led the KLPGA money list in 2017 and 2018.

Lee6’s unusual last name comes from the fact that she is the sixth player in KLPGA history named Jeongeun Lee. She has embraced the moniker, emblazoning it on her clothing and golf bag, and even naming her official Korean fan club “Lucky Six.”

Lee6 will receive the Louise Suggs Rolex Rookie of the Year award at the 2019 Rolex LPGA Awards ceremony, to be held Thursday, Nov. 21, at Tiburon Golf Club during the week of the season-ending CME Group Tour Championship.

Since its inception in 1962, 10 Louise Suggs Rolex Rookie of the Year winners have become members of the LPGA and World Golf Halls of Fame: Joanne Carner (1970), Jan Stephenson (1974), Amy Alcott (1975), Nancy Lopez (1978), Beth Daniel (1979), Patty Sheehan (1981), Juli Inkster (1984), Annika Sorenstam (1994), Karrie Webb (1996) and Se Ri Pak (1998).

AURORA, Ont. (Golf Canada) – Jin Young Ko played flawless golf again Sunday at the CPKC Women’s Open to capture her fourth LPGA Tour title of the 2019 season.

Ko, who shot an 8-under-par 64 Sunday at Magna Golf Club, has now gone 106 holes without a bogey. She beat Nicole Broch Larsen, whose runner-up was her best career LPGA Tour finish, by five shots.

Lizette Salas and Brooke Henderson tied for third at 19-under.

Jin Young Ko’s winning score of 262 (-26) is a new CPKC Women’s Open tournament scoring record. She beat the prior record – held jointly by Ariya Juanugarn in 2016 and So Yeon Ryu in 2014 (265, -23) – by three shots.

“It was (an) incredible crowd out here, and then lots of fans here and Koreans, too,” said Ko of the final round, where she was grouped with Broch Larsen and Henderson.

Ko has won two majors already this year – the ANA Inspiration and the Evian Championship – along with the Bank of Hope Founders Cup. She leads the Rolex Rankings as the world’s No.1-ranked golfer, as well as the season-long Race to CME Globe.

Ko started to pull away on the back nine, where she made six birdies.

Ko also has a Canadian connection, as she uses PGA of Canada professional Gareth Raflewski has her short-game coach. Ko said Raflewski helped her totally revamp her short game after spending two weeks together in Florida earlier this year.

“I changed everything about my short game, like (my) setup or clubs or mind, everything. And then he help me a lot on the course or off the course, too,” said Ko. “So, I want to say to thank you.”

Ko reveled she was debating staying in South Korea this week versus travelling to play the CPKC Women’s Open, but a tasty Canadian treat helped change her mind.

“I like Canada and I like ice cappuccino. That’s why I wanted to play this week,” she said with a laugh.

Henderson and Ko walked with their arms around each other as they walked up the 18th hole at Magna. Henderson admitted she knew as the round went on there was a point when she wouldn’t be able to catch Ko.

“She’s world No.1 for a reason,” said Henderson. “She’s had an unreal season. I don’t even know, is it four wins now? Four wins on one of the toughest tours there is. There is so much talent out here. To get one win is hard; to get four is really cool.”

The LPGA Tour heads to Portland for the Cambia Portland Classic next week – a tournament Henderson has won twice.

Shaughnessy Golf and Country Club in Vancouver will play host to the 2020 CPKC Women’s Open.

BROOKE HENDERSON WINS SANDRA POST MEDAL AS LOW CANADIAN

Although Brooke Henderson was unable to defend her CPKC Women’s Open title, it was still a fantastic week for her. A tie for third earned Henderson the Sandra Post Medal as Low Canadian.

Henderson, who shot a 3-under-par 69 Sunday, finished seven shots back of Jin Young Ko.

Earlier this year, Henderson topped Post herself as the winningest Canadian golfer of all time on the LPGA Tour.

“I feel like I’m getting better every year on the LPGA Tour, which is a great feeling. I feel like if I can just continue to make small improvements good things can happen in the future,” said Henderson as she looked ahead to what’s to come. “It’s exciting knowing that I can compete against the best in the world every single week and have chances to win championships.”

Henderson, who has won twice ready this year, called this week at Magna Golf Club “incredible.” The tournament enjoyed record walk-up and corporate hospitality sales and was the second-most attended CPKC Women’s Open in history.

“The fans, the crowds, so good. Record-breaking really. So that’s really special,” Henderson said. “I feel like I made a lot of birdies and hopefully made it pretty exciting for them. T3, I couldn’t really ask for anything more. It would’ve been very difficult to catch Jin Young today.”

Henderson said, from start to finish, she had a great week and enjoyed being a proud CP ambassador and CPKC Women’s Open defending champion.

“I feel like I handled it really well,” said Henderson of the extra responsibilities this week. “There were a lot of extra things I had to do, but overall it was really fun. Just to be able to play well in front of all these people, and, you know hopefully, make their weekend a little bit better, that’s all I really want.”

Now Henderson looks ahead to Vancouver in 2020, with a fire already burning to return to the winner’s circle.

“I’m really excited to play Shaughnessy. I’ve never played it; only heard amazing things.” added Henderson. “I think it’ll be fun to get back out on the west coast. I tend to play pretty well out there, so that’s exciting. To finish I guess T12 in Ottawa, the win and then T3 this year, I feel like I’m trending in the right direction and hopefully I can get another top finish.”

Full results can be found here.

Aurora, Ont. – Canadian Pacific (CP) is proud to announce this year’s CPKC Women’s Open, hosted at Magna Golf Club, has delivered the largest donation in the history of Canada’s women’s open championship.

Earlier today, a $2.2 million cheque was presented to the SickKids Foundation. These funds will go towards upgrading a Cardiac Operating Suite at SickKids. The total contribution to SickKids is the result of several fundraising efforts, all under the CP Has Heart program. Through CP Birdies for Heart, CP contributed $5,000 for each birdie made by a player on the 17th hole during tournament play. Fans were also able to pledge a donation amount or per birdie donation to be matched. A total of 43 birdies represents a $215,000 donation. CP also supported the tournament host community this year with a $250,000 donation to Southlake Regional Health Centre in Newmarket, Ont. to support paediatric cardiac care.

Jin Young Ko beat out 155 other women to become the 2019 CPKC Women’s Open champion and take home US$337,500 of the US$2.25 million purse, one of the largest purses on the LPGA Tour.

“I would like to congratulate every golfer, fan and volunteer for their contribution to this year’s CPKC Women’s Open,” said CP President and CEO Keith Creel. “It was a tremendous week of golf, but more importantly, together we have made a significant contribution to SickKids Foundation and to Ontario, a key province in our network. CP is proud to continue to make a difference in communities across Canada through our community investment program, CP Has Heart.”

“We are incredibly grateful that CP, Golf Canada and the CPKC Women’s Open have chosen SickKids Foundation as their beneficiary this year,” said SickKids Foundation CEO Ted Garrard. “It’s been a remarkable partnership and we thank all supporters involved, on and off the golf course, for their generosity. Funds raised from the tournament will continue to help cardiac patients at SickKids receive world-class care.”

In the six years of CP’s title sponsorship of the CPKC Women’s Open, more than $10.5 million has now been raised to support children’s heart health in Canada. The 2019 tournament marked the third time in six years that southern Ontario has hosted the CPKC Women’s Open, resulting in more than $5.5 million donated in the province: London (2014 – $1.3 million), Ottawa (2017 – $2 million) and Aurora (2019 – $2.45 million).

The 2020 CPKC Women’s Open will be played on the West Coast, at Vancouver’s Shaughnessy Golf and Country Club, from August 31 – September 6, 2020.

AURORA, Ont. – After a sizzling Saturday 65 that included a back-nine 29, Brooke Henderson is just two shots back heading into the final round of the CPKC Women’s Open at Magna Golf Club, as she looks to defend her title.

Henderson will be in Sunday’s final group with South Korea’s Jin Young Ko, the No.1 player in the world, and 54-hole leader Nicole Broch Larsen.

Henderson had a tough start to her third round, as the 2018 CPKC Women’s Open champion was 2-over through six holes. She made three birdies in a row on holes 8 thru 10 to get back into red figures on moving day before going full steam ahead after receiving a high five from a young fan.

“It was a little bit of a struggle there,” Henderson said. “I felt like I was playing decent golf. Just wasn’t really going my way. Then on the seventh green a little boy gave me a high five and then he continued the rest of the round. At the time he did kind of cheer me up a little bit. I think I tried to get back to even on the front nine. Going to the eighth tee, I was trying to just make two birdies, get it back to even and then see if I could go really low on the back, which I did.”

Henderson made an eagle on the par-5 12th and added birdies on No’s 13, 14, 16, and 17.

She said she couldn’t remember the last time she was in the 20’s for nine holes. Henderson shot 36-29 on the day and she’s left herself within striking distance of the co-leaders, as Henderson is just two shots back going into Sunday’s final-round.

Henderson said the putter was the key to her success Saturday, as she needed just 26 putts to card her 65.

“It was nice to have my putter on my side,” she said. “To be honest, my putter has been bailing me out a lot this week. Today I made a lot of putts. I felt really confident with it. Felt like my speed was good. As long as I was seeing the line they seemed to be falling. It was just a lot of fun out there.”

Ko, who leads the Rolex Player of the Year ranking and the Race to CME Globe after winning three times already this year – including two majors – matched Henderson’s 65 on Saturday.

At 18-under, she has a chance to win for the fourth time on the LPGA Tour in 2019. Ko, who works with Canadian instructor Gareth Raflewski on her short game, credited the work she’s done with him as the key to her success this year.

Ko was bogey-free on Saturday with four birdies on her front nine and three more on the back nine. She hasn’t made a bogey all week and said she was buoyed by the support of the South Koreans in the crowd.

“A lot of Koreans, out there, so they were cheering me up every hole, every shot,” said Ko. “I enjoyed (today) and played good,” “I had great game. I got birdies (on) every par five today, so that is good for me.”

Meanwhile, Broch Larsen, last held a share of an overnight lead on the LPGA Tour following the second-round of the 2017 CPKC Women’s Open in Ottawa. She slid down the leaderboard over the weekend and said she learned a lot about being in that position. This year, she held strong with a 6-under 66 in round 3, her third-straight round with that score.

“I’ve shot three 66s, so I don’t know if I should change my game plan too much,” Larsen said.

Henderson, Broch Larsen and Ko will tee off Sunday at 11:15 a.m. ET.

AURORA, Ont. (Golf Canada) – Defending champion Brooke Henderson shot a 3-under-par 69 Friday and heads into the weekend tied for third at the CPKC Women’s Open at Magna Golf Club.

Henderson, who is looking for her third LPGA Tour win of 2019, trails Nicole Broch Larsen by just three shots, who leads at 12-under through two rounds.

Larsen has a one-shot lead over world No. 1 Jin Young Ko. Ko already has three victories this season and has a sizable lead in the Rolex Player of the Year race.

Henderson made two birdies on her first nine holes Friday and added another on the back-nine. She didn’t have as clean a day off the tee as Thursday when she shot a 6-under 66 – hitting only eight of 14 fairways.

Winds at Magna Golf Club picked up Friday, but Henderson escaped unscathed with a bogey-free second-round.

“No bogeys is always great, so that’s a good feeling,” said Henderson. “I feel like I played pretty solid. Unfortunately, I didn’t get some of those closer looks for birdie. But, I still feel like I hit a lot of greens and my putting was good enough.”

At 9-under through two rounds, Henderson is tied with China’s Yu Liu and Thailand’s Pajaree Anannarukarn.

On Red & White Day at the CPKC Women’s Open Henderson – clad in both colours, of course – had a throng of loyal Canadian followers hanging on to her every move at Magna Golf Club. She said the crowd support has been ‘amazing’ so far.

“So many people (here) early in the morning and late at night,” Henderson added. “It’s been awesome. It’s pretty special to have all these people out there following you around and cheering you on. Sometimes you just see a little kid smiling at you and wanting a high-five, and it takes you on out of the moment for a second. I feel like that’s good. Kind of brings you back to real life I guess you could say. They just have so much belief in you and I think that kind of inspires me a little bit.”

Henderson was one of two Canadians to make the cut, as AC Tanguay finished at 4-under and is T-25 heading into the weekend. After a tough stretch to open her round Friday – she went bogey-double-double on holes 4 thru 6 – Tanguay managed to right the ship.

“I didn’t feel like I did anything wrong. It just went wrong. It went south real quick,” she admitted. “But I knew I was hitting it well and really in a good place. I built so much momentum on the back nine and felt so much better over the ball today than yesterday, so I think I’m going to build on that for the weekend.”

Broch Larsen, meanwhile, said she played similarly to Thursday – where she shot another 66.

“I’m not flushing it, but I’m just playing kind of steady and getting away with my bad shots,” she said. “Today I made a couple good putts out there, which helps.”

Broch Larsen, of Denmark, was the 2015 Ladies European Tour Player of the Year. She hasn’t yet won on the LPGA Tour, but did win the 2016 Symetra Tour Championship to earn her LPGA Tour card for 2017.

The last time Larsen held the lead on the LPGA Tour was two years ago at the CPKC Women’s Open in Ottawa. She said she learned a lot from being in that position then.

“I feel like I’m more confident in this position now than I was two years ago even though I haven’t been here for a while,” she explained. “I’m just trying to play as free as possible.”

Broch Larsen admitted she had a “terrible” warm-up on the driving range Friday, overthinking everything. She said was having trouble finding the right swing, but she wanted to go out and commit to her shots and see where it took her.

Where it took her, through two rounds at the CPKC Women’s Open, was the top of the leaderboard.

The cut fell at 1-under with 71 players finding the weekend.

12-YEAR-OLD MICHELLE LIU WRAPS UP CP WOMEN’S OPEN DEBUT

Although it wasn’t the LPGA Tour debut Michelle Liu would have wanted score-wise, the experience for the 12-year-old couldn’t have been better.

Liu (81-82) said she had ‘a lot of fun’ being able to tee it up alongside the best in the world. She was grouped with 2019 Augusta National Women’s Amateur winner Jennifer Kupcho, a tournament Liu said she’d like to try to win one day.

“I think it’s great that I get to play with such great players,” said Liu. “Hopefully, I learn something from them.”

No amateurs, including Liu, made the cut at the CPKC Women’s Open. American Brianna Navarrosa – the 2019 Canadian Women’s Amateur champion – had the best finish out of the  six amateurs in the field at 3-over par in her first-ever LPGA Tour event.

Liu said the highlight of the week was her walk up the 18th fairway to a chorus of cheers from the legion of fans she made at Magna Golf Club. The biggest challenge, she said, was with her mental game.

“I’m really glad that I’m able to like experience this challenge as an amateur and at such a young age,” Liu said. “I think being able to get this over with and make it an experience – it’ll really help me moving forward and in other tournaments, because now I it’s going to be pretty hard to play in a tournament larger than this one.”

The 2020 CPKC Women’s Open will be played at Shaughnessy Golf and Country Club, Liu’s home course in Vancouver. She said she’s already got that event circled on her calendar.

But first Liu, who goes into grade eight this September, will be playing a few local tournaments and then she’ll be off on a camping trip before school starts.  And what a good campfire story this week will make.

AURORA, Ont. (Golf Canada) – Annie Park leads the CPKC Women’s Open after the first round thanks to a 7-under-par 65, tied for her lowest opening-round score in relation to par on the LPGA Tour this season.

Park, from Levittown, New York – and who has a Canadian coach and trainer – made seven birdies and an eagle Thursday at Magna Golf Club. The winner of the 2018 ShopRite LPGA Classic presented by Acer said she was trying to break her own personal record of 9-under, but made a late bogey on the par-3 17th to drop down to 7-under for the day.

Still, she said it was a good round and leaves her on top of the leaderboard going into Friday.

Park’s 7-under 65 set the competitive course record at Magna Golf Club, and she comes into the week having made eight-straight cuts and notching two top-10 finishes in that stretch.

She said her plan is straightforward enough going into the second round.

“Just get a good dinner, have a good rest, and get back to it bright and early tomorrow,” she said. “The course is in great shape… I think it’s one of the best courses we’ve played. It’s just a real treat this week.”

While Park ended up on top of the leaderboard Thursday, it was a pair of Canadians who made the most noise at Magna Golf Club as both Brooke Henderson and Anne-Catherine Tanguay finished at 6-under, just one shot back of the lead.

Henderson, the defending champion, made just one bogey and had seven birdies Thursday.

She credited a hot putter for her success, as well as a solid day of ball striking, as Henderson hit 12/14 fairways and 16/18 greens in regulation.

“My putter was really hot, especially for me today, which was really exciting,” said Henderson, whose 66 matched her opening round from the 2018 CPKC Women’s Open at Wascana Country Club.

“I just tried to hit a lot of fairways, give myself good shots into the green, give myself some good looks at birdies and felt look I made quite a few birdies on the front nine. That kind of calmed my nerves a little bit. Kind of got the feeling that I could go low possibly today,” Henderson continued. “Then everything just sort went right. I had one bogey, but other than that, I felt like everything was in good shape.”

Henderson’s 6-under score held the early lead through most of the day.

While she got off to a great start, she knew there was still much golf to be played and she had a feeling her lead wouldn’t hold up as the day went on. But, Henderson said she was happy with how she executed on her game plan.

“It’s nice to be in a position where I had a good round; everything seemed to go right for me,” said Henderson. “Hopefully I can continue to stick to my game plan, make a lot of birdies, and I would love to be in this position on Sunday.”

Henderson, from Smiths Falls, Ont., was also the low Canadian until Quebec City’s Tanguay fired a bogey-free 66 in the afternoon wave.

Tanguay’s 66 tied her lowest round on the LPGA Tour this season. It’s been four weeks since Tanguay last teed it up on the LPGA Tour and she said she put in some solid work with Golf Canada’s National Women’s Team head coach Tristan Mullally prior to teeing off this morning.

“We tweaked a few little things and it just paid off today,” she said. “I couldn’t have asked for anything better.”

Tanguay said the key to her round was being patient. She admitted her week has been quite busy so she had low expectations coming into Thursday’s opening round, but after building some momentum early in the round, she got into a nice groove.

“On the greens I felt like I was having a hard time picking up the speed early on in my round,” she said.  “But then the back nine just felt like I couldn’t miss with my putter. To be honest, it was really good. I was over the ball and I just kind of had this feeling it might go in.”

Tanguay and Henderson are tied for second with Nicole Broch Larsen, Pajaree Anannarukarn, and world No. 1 Jin Young Ko going into Friday.

KO CONTINUING RECORD SEASON

Jin Young Ko has had a season for the ages on the LPGA Tour in 2019, and her fine play continued Thursday at the CPKC Women’s Open.

Ko, who has won three times this year including two majors (ANA Inspiration and the Evian Championship), shot a 6-under-par 66 Thursday at Magna Golf Club with six birdies and no bogeys.

Ko is the LPGA Tour’s only three-time winner in 2019 and leads the money list, the Race to the CME Globe and the Rolex Player of the Year lists.

After two weeks away from the LPGA Tour she said she felt refreshed and ready to go this week, even though she had a unique start to the tournament week.

Her caddie didn’t arrive until Wednesday night, so he saw Magna’s 18 holes for the first time during Ko’s round today. She hadn’t even seen the back nine prior to Thursday, but she still managed to make three birdies.

“I didn’t know about (the course),” said Ko. “But we had trust, and that’s why I played really good today. And I had really great fun with Lydia (Ko) and Brittany (Altomore). It was good.”