OTTAWA, Ont. – Golf Canada, in partnership with the title sponsor Canadian Pacific (CP), announced today the names of 14 players that have earned tournament exemptions into the 2022 CPKC Women’s Open, August 22-28, at the Ottawa Hunt and Golf Club in Ottawa, Ont.
Lorie Kane headlines the list of 11 Canadians who have earned exemptions into the 2022 championship. The CP ambassador confirmed in late June that her record 30th career appearance will also be her final go around as a player at the CPKC Women’s Open. A member of the Canadian Golf Hall of Fame and Canada Sports Hall of Fame, Kane made her debut at Canada’s National Women’s Open Championship in 1991 and has played in each of the 29 tournaments since. In 2019, the Charlottetown, P.E.I., native broke the record previously held by World Golf Hall of Famer JoAnne Carner for the most all-time appearances at the event.
Joining Kane in the nation’s capital in late August will be LPGA Tour veteran, Alena Sharp. The Hamilton, Ont., native recorded a top-10 finish at the Dow Great Lakes Bay Invitational in mid-July. Sharp will be making her 17th appearance at the National Open Championship where she posted a career-best 4th place finish in 2016.
Also accepting invitations to the championship are a foursome of Team Canada Young Pro Squad members and Epson Tour professionals: Rebecca Lee-Bentham of Toronto, Megan Osland of Kelowna, B.C., Maddie Szeryk of London, Ont. and Selena Costabile of Thornhill, Ont. The 30-year-old Lee-Bentham, in the midst of a career resurgence, will be returning to the CPKC Women’s Open for the first time since 2016. Osland will be making her third CPKC Women’s Open appearance having recently qualified for the US Women’s Open Championship as well as the LPGA Tour’s inaugural Palos Verdes Championship in April. Szeryk, who has posted five career top-10 finishes on the Epson Tour since her rookie season in 2019, will be making her seventh appearance at the CPKC Women’s Open while Costabile, who currently leads all Canadians on the Epson Tour money list, will make her debut at the CPKC Women’s Open.
Some of the brightest young amateur talents on the Team Canada’s National Amateur Squad will also be joining the field in Ottawa. Monet Chun of Richmond Hill, Ont., the highest ranked Canadian on the World Amateur Golf Rankings, earned a spot by way of winning the 2022 Canadian Women’s Amateur Championship. Savannah Grewal of Mississauga, Ont., who plays for Clemson University and competed at the 2022 Augusta National Women’s Amateur, also joins the strong Canadian contingent in Ottawa. Fellow Team Canada athlete Sarah-Eve Rhéaume will join LPGA Tour member Maude-Aimée Leblanc in representing La Belle Province at Ottawa Hunt. The 21-year-old Furman University product won the ORORO PGA Women’s Championship of Canada to earn her first CPKC Women’s Open start.
Team Canada’s National Junior Squad will be represented by a pair of budding stars in Katie Cranston and Lauren Zaretsky. Cranston, 18, of Oakville, Ont., was crowned champion of the 2022 Women’s Porter Cup and will make her first appearance at the professional ranks. A unique consideration for 2022—following two years of event cancellations due to the COVID-19 pandemic—Golf Canada will honour select exemptions that were previously earned since the last CPKC Women’s Open was hosted in September of 2019. That leads to Zaretsky, the 2021 Canadian Women’s Amateur Champion, who did not get a chance to play in a CPKC Women’s Open last year due to the event cancellation. The 18-year-old from Thornhill, Ont., is coming off a T17 finish at the U.S. Junior Girls Championship and will be playing in Canada’s National Open Championship for the first time.
Rounding out the list of early exemptions are 2022 British Women’s Amateur champion, Jess Baker, 2022 Augusta National Women’s Amateur champion, Anna Davis, and, finally, the no. 1 ranked player on the Epson Tour, Lucy Li.
“Together with CP we are very proud to welcome this exceptional group of Canadian and international athletes to the celebrated return of the CPKC Women’s Open,” said Tournament Director Ryan Paul. “Extending playing opportunities through tournament exemptions has always been an important component of the CPKC Women’s Open and we are very pleased that these talented amateur and professional players can join us at Ottawa Hunt for the 48th playing of Canada’s National Open Championship.”
The Canadian and international players earning exemptions will join a field a stellar field of LPGA Tour stars led by Canadian sensation, two-time LPGA major champion, and honorary Ottawa Hunt member Brooke Henderson, as well as the defending champion and current world no. 1 ranked Jin Young Ko. The pair will also be joined by 87 of the top 100 players on the LPGA Tour’s Race to the CME Standings including global stars Minjee Lee, In Gee Chun, Jennifer Kupcho, Lydia Ko, Lexi Thompson, Ashleigh Buhai, Nasa Hataoka, Nelly Korda, Jessica Korda, Charley Hull, Celine Boutier, Hannah Green, Sei Young Kim, Anna Nordqvist and Danielle Kang.
The field will include seven past CPKC Women’s Open champions, and 13 of 17 in year winners including all five 2022 LPGA Tour Major winners.
The final field including additional exemptions (excluding Monday qualifiers) will be confirmed on Tuesday, August 16, 2022. Four spots will be up for grabs at the Monday qualifier which will be played at The Marshes Golf Club in Ottawa, Ont., on August 22.
CP HAS HEART CHARITY CAMPAIGN TO BENEFIT THE CHEO FOUNDATION:
Canadian Pacific and Golf Canada are proud to support the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario (CHEO) Foundation as the primary charitable beneficiary for the 2022 Canadian Pacific Women’s Open. Among the charitable engagements tournament week will be the Birdies for Heart hole on no. 15 at Ottawa Hunt with $5,000 donation made for every birdie made on the hole during the four rounds of the competition. In addition, CP is also proud to support a community beneficiary in the Perth and Smiths Falls District Hospital Foundation in support paediatric cardiac care. In the nine years of CP’s title sponsorship of the CPKC Women’s Open, more than $13 million has been raised to support children’s heart health in Canada.
CP WOMEN’S LEADERSHIP SUMMIT RETURNS TO KICK OF TOURNAMENT WEEK:
Golf Canada and Canadian Pacific will host the fifth annual CPKC Women’s Leadership Summit on Tuesday, August 23 at the Infinity Convention Centre as part of the weeklong excitement of the 2022 CPKC Women’s Open. The CPKC Women’s Leadership Summit will bring together like-minded businesspeople from across the country for a day of networking, empowerment, and philanthropy. The Summit, which will be headlined by renowned Canadian venture capitalist Arlene Dickinson as the keynote speaker, will also raise awareness for the CPKC Women’s Open, with attendees receiving access to the tournament during the week. For more information about the CPKC Women’s Leadership Summit, including panels, tickets and sponsorship opportunities, please visit www.cpkcwomensopen.com/wls.
2022 CP WOMEN’S OPEN WELCOME “THE RINK” FAN EXPERIENCE:
Golf Canada is pleased to introduce the fan-favourite Rink hole spectator experience to the CPKC Women’s Open for the first time. The energetic hockey-themed hole, complete with fan-pounding rink boards, volunteers dressed as referees and a surrounding hospitality experience will be situated on par-3 17th hole at Ottawa Hunt.
CP WOMEN’S OPEN BROADCAST:
The 2022 CPKC Women’s Open will feature four days of domestic and international television broadcast coverage including Canadian broadcast partner TSN as well as international coverage on GOLF channel. For the first time ever, the CPKC Women’s Open will also be broadcast on US network television with Sunday’s final round coverage on CBS. A full schedule of TV Times and on course activities can be found at www.cpkcwomensopen.com.
KIDS 12-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 12-and-under get FREE admission to the CPKC Women’s Open for the entire week.
GOLF CANADA MOBILE APP EXPERIENCE
Spectators at Ottawa Hunt will experience the CPKC Women’s Open like never before by downloading the Golf Canada Mobile App on their iOS or Android device. Essential features include a live map, mobile ordering, leaderboard & pairings, tickets, breaking news, and unique events. Golf enthusiasts can also use the Golf Canada Mobile App to enhance their everyday golf experience while playing! Find golf courses, track your game, set up matches against friends, access GPS yardages and more. Click here to download.