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.”

AURORA, Ont. (Golf Canada) – Golf Canada’s CEO, Laurence Applebaum, is already thrilled with how tournament week has unfolded at Magna Golf Club and the 2019 CPKC Women’s Open hasn’t even officially begun.

On Wednesday, Applebaum and LPGA Tour commissioner Mike Whan spoke with media, and the pair were full of praise for Canadian golf fans and tournament partners, so far this week.

“This is a week we’ve been looking forward to for a long time,” said Applebaum. “Ever since Brooke (Henderson) hoisted our national championship trophy a year ago at Wascana, we knew we’d be coming to a spectacular golf club (this year), with an amazing turnout for the week ahead, and we couldn’t be more excited to watch Brooke as well as all our 15 Canadians who are in the draw along with 96 out of the top 100 LPGA Tour players.

“We’re so thankful the LPGA Tour has made this such an important stop on their global tour.”

Whan, who played in the Championship Pro-Am Wednesday alongside Applebaum in a group with Golf Canada Young Pro Squad member Maddie Szeryk and Augusta National Women’s Amateur Championship winner Jennifer Kupcho, said the experience at the CPKC Women’s Open this week at Magna Golf Club has been nothing short of spectacular.

“This is elite. It has been elite for a long time,” Whan said of the CPKC Women’s Open. “I can just tell you from flying up here with some players, it’s a different feeling. People are excited before they get here. A lot of it is just they know Golf Canada does it right, but what they do here in terms of how they treat the players, how they treat the caddies, how they treat the fans, it’s unique and it sets itself apart, and as a result we get the best of the best every year.”

Applebaum says the success of the week can be traced back to the relationship between Golf Canada at Magna Golf Club, located just 30 minutes north of Toronto.

He calls the agreement one of the easiest in his tenure.

“This was the fastest, most efficient, most fun collaboration that I’ve had since I took the job for a new golf course to come on to the rotation,” said Applebaum. “Magna was always on our radar.”

Whan said he’s been impressed with Magna’s facilities, the tournament’s organization, and Canadian Pacific in particular.

“I haven’t been this excited to play in a Pro-Am in a long time,” Whan added. “It might be cool to be in Toronto (this week) but 170 countries will also be paying attention to what goes on here, so I really hope the fans come out and create the kind of atmosphere that Magna could really create.”

SHARP TO EMBRACE CANADIAN SUPPORT
As one of 15 Canadians teeing it up this week at the CPKC Women’s Open, Alena Sharp knows she has a great opportunity to play well in front of throngs of Canadian fans.  But she doesn’t have to do anything special to make them proud of her.

“I always was so nervous,” Sharp said of her first few times playing the CPKC Women’s Open. “I just wanted to go play well so badly. It’s like when you try and force something it never really works out very well,” “The last few years after the Olympics I had my best finish and played decent last year. I just realized that everybody is here and they’re cheering for you and they recognize you, but they’re proud of you. You don’t have to make them proud. They’re already proud.”

Sharp’s best finish in 2019 came at the Dow Great Lakes Bay Invitational, a team event where she was paired with Brooke Henderson. The pair tied for fifth that week and Sharp said while their relationship began as mentor-pupil, it has evolved into a nice friendship.

“I’m not shy to ask her about advice on things about a shot or something. We had a great time playing the team event. It was just really cool,” said explained. “The four of us – Sara and Brittany as well – we all get long really well and have a good time together. So it’s nice to have that on Tour.”

Sharp, who sits 50th on the 2019 Race to CME Globe, tees off at 9:05 a.m. on Thursday. Her best career CPKC Women’s Open result came at Priddis Greens Golf and Country Club in 2016, where she finished fourth.

PAST CHAMPIONS RETURN TO THE CP WOMEN’S OPEN
Eight past CPKC Women’s Open champions are set to tee it up this week at Magna Golf Club, led by defending champion Brooke Henderson.

Three-time winner Lydia Ko (2012, 2013, 2015) is in search of her record fourth title and first win of the season. Other past champions confirmed include Sung Hyun Park (2017), Ariya Jutanugarn (2016), So Yeon Ryu (2014), Suzann Pettersen (2009), Katherine Kirk (2008), and Cristie Kerr (2006).

Juli Inkster (who won in 1984) was in the field but withdrew Wednesday citing a sore back.

This year marks the 10th anniversary of Pettersen’s victory. She is also playing for just the third time this season, as she gave birth to her first child in August of 2018.

“Obviously Canada has always been very kind to me in my golf game and I’ve had some great success,” said Pettersen of her return. “When I was thinking of how I can possibly prepare the best I can for (the Solheim Cup), playing here was very obvious choice, so I’m happy to be here.”

Henderson said, too, it’s always special to defend a title.

She’s become a bit of an expert playing well at events she had success at – she’s won the same event twice three times in her career.

“To be able to win on the LPGA Tour once is really cool. To come back next year and defend your title is really special I think and pretty unique. It doesn’t happen very often with these courses,” Henderson said. “I felt like I had a great game plan and I felt very confident; whereas this tournament we have moved around the courses ever single year, so that is a little bit different feeling coming into this week. But I think you still carry over a lot of positive energy and momentum from last year.”

LEVELWEAR AND GOLF CANADA ANNOUNCE PARTNERSHIP EXTENSION
Golf Canada and LEVELWEAR announced an agreement that will see LEVELWEAR extend their official apparel partnership with the National Sport Federation for golf through 2022.

The multi-year extension will continue LEVELWEAR’s support as Official Headwear and Apparel provider across a multitude of Golf Canada properties and championships. The LEVELWEAR brand will continue as the official headwear and apparel as well as the official volunteer uniform for several of Golf Canada’s properties including the RBC Canadian Open, the Canadian Pacific Women’s Open, Canadian Amateur Golf Championships and the World Junior Girls Championship.

The partnership will also extend across Golf Canada’s digital network of web, social and golfer engagement platforms.

“LEVELWEAR has become one of our most engaged partners and we are pleased to extend their meaningful commitment to Canadian golf across so many foundational pillars of our organization,” said Golf Canada CEO Laurence Applebaum. “The LEVELWEAR brand represents the highest quality performance for both serious and recreational golfers. Our robust partnership touches many levels of Canadian golf, from amateur to professional, and we are excited to continue working with their talented team.”

For LEVELWEAR, extending and deepening their brand alignment with Golf Canada was a natural evolution to grow a partnership that began in 2017.

“We are proud to be extending our partnership with Golf Canada and their many world-class golf programs, championships and golfer engagement platforms,” said LEVELWEAR President & CEO Hilton Ngo . “Supporting golf at all levels in Canada is a key priority and our collaboration with Golf Canada has done a tremendous job in elevating our brand with Canadian golfers nationally.”

Aurora, Ont. (Golf Canada) – Golf Canada and LEVELWEAR today announced an agreement that will see LEVELWEAR extend their official apparel partnership with the National Sport Federation for golf through 2022.

The multi-year extension will continue LEVELWEAR’s support as Official Headwear and Apparel provider across a multitude of Golf Canada properties and championships. The LEVELWEAR brand will continue as the official headwear and apparel as well as the official volunteer uniform for several of Golf Canada’s properties including the RBC Canadian Open, the Canadian Pacific Women’s Open, Canadian Amateur Golf Championships and the World Junior Girls Championship. The partnership will also extend across Golf Canada’s digital network of web, social and golfer engagement platforms.

“LEVELWEAR has become one of our most engaged partners and we are pleased to extend their meaningful commitment to Canadian golf across so many foundational pillars of our organization,” said Golf Canada CEO Laurence Applebaum. “The LEVELWEAR brand represents the highest quality performance for both serious and recreational golfers. Our robust partnership touches many levels of Canadian golf, from amateur to professional, and we are excited to continue working with their talented team.”

For LEVELWEAR, extending and deepening their brand alignment with Golf Canada was a natural evolution to grow a partnership that began in 2017.

“We are proud to be extending our partnership with Golf Canada and their many world-class golf programs, championships and golfer engagement platforms,” said LEVELWEAR President & CEO Hilton Ngo . “Supporting  golf at all levels in Canada is a key priority and our collaboration with Golf Canada has done a tremendous job in elevating our brand with Canadian golfers nationally.”

AURORA, Ont. – With the opening-round of the $2.25 million (US) CPKC Women’s Open less than two days away, tournament week at Magna Golf Club continues to showcase the finest in women’s professional golf.

Wednesday, August 21st is Championship Pro-Am Day. The event will see professional golfers take to the course to entertain a field of amateurs as part of the LPGA Tour’s ‘Nine and Nine’ Pro-Am format, where amateur participants will play nine holes each with a pair of LPGA Tour professionals.

Click here for pairings and start times.

BROOKE HENDERSON FEELING GREAT HEADING INTO 2019 CP WOMEN’S OPEN TITLE DEFENSE
Defending champion Brooke Henderson told media Tuesday that she feels great heading into Thursday’s opening round.

“It’s amazing. I played nine holes yesterday and nine this morning and the course is in incredible condition. I think it’s going to be a lot of fun for all of us girls to go out there and probably try to make a lot birdies and shoot low scores,” said Henderson.

Henderson, who earlier this year defended her title at the LOTTE Championship in April and won the Meijer LPGA Classic for Simply Give in June (her ninth LPGA Tour title), is now, at 21, Canada’s winningest golfer on the LPGA or PGA Tour.

She looks to become the first person since Lydia Ko (2012-13) to win back-to-back CPKC Women’s Open titles. If she were to win this week, she would also become the first Canadian to win multiple CPKC Women’s Opens.

“To have won the CPKC Women’s Open last year is probably the highlight of my career so far,” said Henderson. “Just being with all the great fans from the nation and just having so much attention on me and then still being able to perform as well as I did and execute those shots under pressure was really exciting for me.”

Magna Golf Club, Henderson said, has been a pleasure to play. Mike McMahon, the head golf professional at the club, has walked around with Henderson both Tuesday and Monday and has provided her with some tips. She said ball striking will be key this week.

“The fairways are pretty generous and the greens are very large. I think if you can be really precise on approaches with your ball striking you’ll hit it to the right slopes, right quadrants on the green. That’ll be really important to give yourself a good look at birdie,” she said. “It’s in amazing shape. It’s going to be a lot of fun. I do think if the conditions stay as they are right now there will be some low scores. I think that will be fun for fans as well.”

Every year since 2016 Henderson has won twice on the LPGA Tour and has ascended as high as fifth on the Rolex Rankings this year. But still, the CPKC Women’s Open is a highlight on her calendar.

“To win the CPKC Women’s Open last year was incredible. Do I think I’m going to do it again this year? I’m going to give it all I have, my best shot,” she said. “Like I said, I’m going to give it my all, see what I can do, and hopefully post a solid round on Thursday and give the fans something to cheer about.”

Henderson is one of 15 Canadians to play in this year’s CPKC Women’s Open, including Lorie Kane of Charlottetown, PEI – making her record-setting 29th appearance.

12-YEAR-OLD MICHELLE LIU TO MAKE ANTICIPATED CP WOMEN’S OPEN DEBUT
Age is just a number, but this week at the CPKC Women’s Open, it’s an important one.

After finishing as top Canadian at last month’s Canadian Women’s Amateur Championship, Michelle Liu, of Vancouver, earned a spot in the CPKC Women’s Open.

At just 12 years old, she is the youngest person to ever tee it up in Canada’s national open.

“I feel like I’m getting pretty famous,” said Liu. “I think it’s a new experience for me, so I would say that’s definitely pretty cool.”

Liu finished the Canadian Women’s Amateur, which took place this year at Red Deer Golf and Country Club, at 1-over par. She finished tied for 12th, one shot better than Team Canada National team member, Brigitte Thibault.

Liu said her big goal this week was to just play well and enjoy herself.

“I definitely do hope for a lot. I know there are a lot of great players here in the field. I think it was 96 out of the top 100 players, so I definitely say (making the cut is) going to be pretty hard,” she said. “I hope for a lot and I expect a little bit less.”

Liu, who is entering grade eight, said she also plays volleyball and basketball when she’s not golfing. Art is one of her hobbies – she has a web comic with a few friends – and she started a foundation called the Hope for Girls Foundation to pay for school supplies for girls in the Northern part of the Guangzhou province in China.

But while she’s fairly busy off the golf course, this week is about what’s happening on the golf course for Liu, who has already teed it up with some LPGA Tour winners including Christina Kim, and practiced alongside her idol, fellow Canadian Brooke Henderson.

“I’m looking forward to being able to play with even more great players, especially in like the environment of a professional golf tournament,” said Liu. “I think it’s definitely going to be a challenge for me and my mental game to be able to focus and like keep my mind on each and every shot.”

PAIRING AND START TIMES – ROUNDS 1&2

Pairings for the first and second rounds of the 2019 CPKC Women’s Open are available here.

 

CP WOMEN’S LEADERSHIP SUMMIT A SUCCESS
Canada and Canadian Pacific were proud to conduct the second annual CPKC Women’s Leadership Summit on Tuesday, August 20 at the Sheraton Parkway Toronto North in Richmond Hill, Ont., as part of the weeklong excitement of the 2019 CPKC Women’s Open.

The CPKC Women’s Leadership Summit brought together like-minded businesswomen from across the country for a day of networking, empowerment and philanthropy. The Summit also raised awareness for the CPKC Women’s Open, with attendees receiving access to the tournament during the week.

The keynote speaker Roberta Bowman, Chief Brand & Communications Officer of the LPGA, and was joined by LPGA Tour Professional Mariah Stackhouse for an athlete Q&A.

Attendees heard from business leaders Maeghan Albiston, Assistant Vice-President of Investor Relations & Pensions at CP, Anne Simard, Chief Mission & Research Officer of the Heart and Stroke Foundation and Jennifer Tory, Chief Administrative Officer of RBC.

A new addition to the leadership summit in 2019 was the athlete panel, which featured four accomplished Canadian Olympians — speed-skater Anastasia Bucsis, soccer goalkeeper Karina Leblanc, multi-sport star Georgia Simmerling and two-time ice hockey gold medalist Natalie Spooner.

Rogers Sportsnet Central Co-Anchor Evanka Osmak was the emcee and panel moderator for the event.

For more information about the CPKC Women’s Leadership Summit, please visitwww.cpkcwomensopen.com/wls.

BIRDIES FOR HEART
You can help fundraise for an upgraded Cardiac Operating Suite at SickKids by pledging a donation amount or per birdie for 2019 CPKC Women’s Open tournament play. Whenever a LPGA Tour player sinks a birdie on the 17th hole, your chosen dollar amount is donated to SickKids Foundation. For all donations made through Birdies For Heart, spectator support will be matched by CP. To participate, please click here.

 

AURORA, Ont. – Kelly Tan’s 7-under-par 65 led the way at the 2019 CPKC Women’s Open Monday Qualifier at Scarboro Golf and Country Club.

Tan, of Malaysia, was the medalist Monday by five shots. Tan is a full-time member of the Symetra Tour who has played four times on the LPGA Tour in 2019. She also represented Malaysia at the 2016 Rio Olympics. This will be Tan’s fifth appearance at the CPKC Women’s Open.

Suzuka Yamaguchi of Japan finished in second with a 2-under-par 70. Yamaguchi is 145th on the Race to CME Globe.

Robyn Choi of Australia and Muni He of China finished at 1-under 71 to round out the four golfers earning spots in the 2019 CPKC Women’s Open via final (Monday) qualifying.

Maddie McCrary of the United States and Julieta Granada of Paraguay, a past winner on the LPGA Tour, were awarded sponsor invitations following qualifying.

Casey Ward (72) of Picton, Ont., finished as the low Canadian and was also awarded a sponsor exemption. Ward is an award-winning PGA of Canada member based out of Credit Valley Golf and Country Club.

With the addition of Ward to the field, there will now be 15 Canadians competing at the 2019 CPKC Women’s Open, including defending champion Brooke Henderson of Smiths Falls, Ont. and Lorie Kane of Charlottetown, PEI – who is making her record-setting 29th appearance at the CPKC Women’s Open.

Click here for the full Monday Qualifier leaderboard.

AURORA, Ont. (Golf Canada) –– The final four spots into the 2019 CPKC Women’s Open field will be determined in Monday’s final qualifying event at Scarboro Golf and Country Club.

A total of 36 competitors will challenge for one of four spots into the field for Canada’s Women’s Open Golf Championship. The Final Qualifier features 18 holes of stroke play with the low four competitors receiving an exemption into the 2019 CPKC Women’s Open field. If necessary, a hole-by-hole playoff will be conducted immediately following the conclusion of play.

Click here for pairings, start times and results from Final Qualifying on Monday, August 19. Results will be available as players complete their rounds.

Tournament week for the 2019 CPKC Women’s Open kicks off at Magna Golf Club as the stars of the LPGA Tour return to the Greater Toronto area for the first time in 17 years.

In addition to practice rounds in the morning, also taking place is the Canada Day All-Star Clinic and Pro-Am benefiting Golf Canada Foundation.

The All-Star Clinic will feature TSN’s Rod Black conducting live interviews with LPGA Tour stars including Cheyenne Woods, Brittany Lang, Katherine Kirk, Alena Sharp, and members of Team Canada’s Young Pro program followed by a shotgun start at 12:30 pm. For a complete list of golfers taking part in the Pro-Am, click here.

96 of the top 100 players on the LPGA Tour Money List as well as 17 in-year winners, nine past champions and 15 Canadians to compete August 19-25 at Magna Golf Club in Aurora, Ont.

CPKC Women’s Leadership Summit to kick off tournament week on Tuesday, August 20

2019 CPKC Women’s Open & CP Has Heart to benefit SickKids Foundation

AURORA, Ont. – Golf Canada in partnership with Canadian Pacific (CP) announced today the full field of competitors set to challenge for the 2019 CPKC Women’s Open taking place August 19-25 at Magna Golf Club in Aurora, Ont.

Defending champion Brooke Henderson of Smiths Falls, Ont., will battle one of the strongest fields on the LPGA Tour including 96 of the top 100 players on the 2019 LPGA Tour List and 17 in-year tournament winners. Henderson, currently ranked sixth on the LPGA Tour Money List and eighth on the Rolex Women’s World Golf Rankings, has two LPGA Tour wins on the season and her nine career LPGA Tour victories are the most ever by a Canadian on the LPGA or PGA Tour. Her victory in 2018 at The Wascana Country Club in Regina, Sask. made her the first Canadian since Jocelyne Bourassa 45 years prior to win the National Women’s Open.

A stellar field of international stars are lined up to challenge Henderson at Magna including nine of the top 10 players on the LPGA Money List – Jin Young Ko (No. 1), Jeongeun Lee6 (No. 2), Sung Hyun Park (No. 3), Lexi Thompson (No. 4), Minjee Lee (No. 5), Sei Young Kim (No. 7), Ariya Jutanugarn (No. 8) and Nelly Korda (No. 9).

Henderson also headlines a group of nine past champions coming to Aurora including three-time winner Lydia Ko (2012, 2013, 2015) in search of her record fourth title. Other past champions confirmed include Sung Hyun Park (2017), Ariya Jutanugarn (2016), So Yeon Ryu (2014), Suzann Pettersen (2009), Katherine Kirk (2008), Cristie Kerr (2006) and Juli Inkster (1984).

Other global LPGA Tour stars confirmed among the 156-player field include Jessica Korda, Paula Creamer, Daniel Kang, Shanshan Fang, Morgan Pressel, Anna Nordqvist, Carlota Ciganda, Nasa Hataoka, Moriya Jutanugarn, Charley Hull, Angel Yin, Jennifer Kupcho and Maria Fassi.

“We are absolutely thrilled to welcome the world’s best golfers to Magna Golf Club as the CPKC Women’s Open returns to the Greater Toronto Area for the first time in 17 years,” said Tournament Director Ryan Paul. “Our field, with 96 of the top 100 players on the 2019 LPGA Money List including 17 in-year winners, nine past champions and the very best rising talents in Canadian and international golf, is second to none. With Brooke [Henderson] coming in as our defending champion, golf fans will be treated to an incredible golf experience next week in Aurora.”

A full field list of players confirmed to compete in the 2019 CPKC Women’s Open is available online here.

The field of 156 competitors will vie for the US$2.25 million purse with the champion taking home $337,500.

FIFTEEN CANADIANS TO COMPETE AT MAGNA GOLF CLUB….
Led by Canadian sensation and CP Ambassador Brooke Henderson, 15 Canadians are currently confirmed to challenge for the CPKC Women’s Open including LPGA Tour regulars Alena Sharp of Hamilton, Anne-Catharine Tanguay of Quebec City and Brittany Marchand of Orangeville, Ont. Previously confirmed LPGA Tour rookie Jaclyn Lee of Calgary was forced to withdraw with an injury.

Also competing will be Symetra Tour players Maude-Aimee LeBlanc of Sherbrooke, Que., Megan Osland of Kelowna, B.C. and Valerie Tanguay of Saint-Hyacinthe, Que. along with Team Canada Young Pro Squad member Maddie Szeryk of London, Ont.

Recent Pan Am Games mixed team bronze medalists Brigitte Thibault of Rosemère, Que., and Mary Parsons of Delta, B.C. will be joined by National Junior Squad members Emily Zhu of Richmond Hill, Ont. and Céleste Dao of Notre-Dame-de-l’Île-Perrot, Que.

Four-time LPGA Tour winner, CP Ambassador and Canadian Golf Hall of Fame Member Lorie Kane will make her record 29th appearance in the National Open.

The youngest player in the field will be 12-year old Michelle Liu of Vancouver who earned an exemption as the low Canadian at the recent Canadian Women’s Amateur Championship.

FINAL FOUR EXEMPTIONS MONDAY AT SCARBORO GOLF AND COUNTRY CLUB 
On Monday, August 19, the LPGA Tour will conduct an 18-hole stroke play qualifier at Scarboro Golf and Country Club to determine the final four exemptions directly into the 2019 CPKC Women’s Open. A full list of players competing is available online here.

2019 CP WOMEN’S OPEN TICKETS
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 and cheer on Canadian sensation and CP Ambassador Brooke Henderson as she defends her national title on home soil.

General admission tickets, starting at just $20 for early week access, 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 weeklong, fully transferable badge is $120.

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, a limited number of upgraded spectator viewing experiences are still available. A full list of ticket packages and pricing is available online atwww.cpkcwomensopen.com/tickets.

CP HAS HEART IN SUPPORT OF SICKKIDS FOUNDATION
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 five years of CP’s title sponsorship of the CPKC Women’s Open, $8.5 million has been raised to support children’s heart health in communities across Canada. This year, the campaign will benefit SickKids Foundation, the primary charity partner for the 2019 Canadian Pacific Women’s Open, as well as Southlake Regional Health Centre in Newmarket, Ont. For more information on CP Has Heart, visit www.cphasheart.com.

BIRDIES FOR HEART
You can help fundraise for an upgraded Cardiac Operating Suite at SickKids by pledging a donation amount or per birdie for 2019 CPKC Women’s Open tournament play. Whenever a LPGA Tour player sinks a birdie on the 17th hole, your chosen dollar amount is donated to SickKids Foundation. For all donations made through Birdies For Heart, spectator support will be matched by CP. To participate, please click here.

TELEVISION COVERAGE…
Thursday, August 22 – Golf Channel/TSN/RDS – 9:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
Friday, August 23 – Golf Channel/TSN/RDS – 9:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
Saturday, August 24 – Golf Channel/TSN/RDS – 2:30 p.m. – 5:30 p.m.
Sunday, August 25 – Golf Channel/TSN/RDS – 1:30 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.

* All times local.

CP WOMEN’S LEADERSHIP SUMMIT TO KICK OFF TOURNAMENT WEEK
Golf Canada and Canadian Pacific are proud to host the second annual CPKC Women’s Leadership Summit on Tuesday, August 20 at the Sheraton Parkway Toronto North in Richmond Hill, Ont., as part of the weeklong excitement of the 2019 CPKC Women’s Open. The CPKC Women’s Leadership Summit will bring together like-minded businesswomen from across the country for a day of networking, empowerment and philanthropy. The Summit will also raise awareness for the CPKC Women’s Open, with attendees receiving access to the tournament during the week.

Keynote speaker Roberta Bowman, Chief Brand & Communications Officer of the LPGA will be joined by LPGA Tour Professional Mariah Stackhouse for an athlete Q&A. Attendees will hear from business leaders Maeghan Albiston, Assistant Vice-President of Investor Relations & Pensions at CP, Anne Simard, Chief Mission & Research Officer of the Heart and Stroke Foundation and Jennifer Tory, Chief Administrative Officer of RBC. A new addition to the leadership summit in 2019 is the athlete panel, which will feature four accomplished Canadian Olympians—speed skater Anastasia Bucsis, soccer goalkeeper Karina Leblanc, multi-sport star Georgia Simmerling and two-time ice hockey gold medalist Natalie Spooner. Rogers Sportsnet Central Co-Anchor Evanka Osmak will act as the emcee and panel moderator for the event.

For more information about the CPKC Women’s Leadership Summit, including tickets and sponsorship opportunities, please visit www.cpkcwomensopen.com/wls.