Delta, BC Resident Yi Cao - Image Credit PGA Tour Canada

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

Delta resident Yi Cao earned his Korn Ferry Tour status the hard way. All Cao did was finish first and second in the final two events of the PGA Tour Canada season to grab the fifth and final graduating spot on the Fortinet Cup points list.

Cao closed the season-ending Fortinet Cup Championship at Country Hills Golf Club in Calgary with a five-under 66 that moved him into solo second place at 17-under par. He holed a chip for eagle on the par 5 17th hole to move into second place.

Cao had entered the tournament ninth on the points list and his big finish in Calgary, which came on his 32nd birthday, was enough to move him into fifth on the points list. The top five players all earned some status on the 2024 Korn Ferry Tour and all get a pass through to the final stage of this fall’s PGA TOUR qualifying school, where the top five finishers will earn their PGA TOUR cards.

Doug Hanzel Defeated Two-Time Champion Gene Elliott On First Playoff Hole - Golf Canada Photo

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Pemberton, B.C. – Doug Hanzel’s birdie putt on the first hole of a playoff sealed the win and the 2023 Canadian Men’s Senior Championship, presented by BDO on Friday at Big Sky Golf Club in Pemberton, B.C. With the win, Hanzel also takes home the Super Senior Championship, becoming the first player to win both titles in the same year since the Super Senior division was added in 1995.

“I’m 66 but still competitive in senior golf. I don’t feel like a super senior, I’m still hitting it far. This was my third time playing the Canadian Senior and what a beautiful place. I wouldn’t have had the opportunity to come to this part of the world unless a tournament was hosted here, so I’m grateful,” said Hanzel following the playoff win.

SFU Red Leafs Golf Coach Matthew Steinbach - Image Credit Bryan Outram/BC Golf

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

There was a time not that long ago when Simon Fraser University golf coach Matthew Steinbach would have been delighted to have his men’s team inside the top 25 of the NCAA Division II pre-season rankings.

But when this season’s rankings were recently released with the SFU men tied for 23rd, Steinbach couldn’t help feeling like his team wasn’t getting the respect it deserved.

“There’s a belief within the program that we belong in the top 10 on the national stage,” Steinbach said in an interview. “I was disappointed with that (ranking) and we have a little chip on our shoulder because of it. Sometimes I think we get neglected as the only Canadian school in the NCAA.”

Vancouver BC's Stuart Macdonald - Image Credit Bernard Brault/Golf Canada

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

Vancouver’s Stuart Macdonald will be on the bubble when the PGA Tour Canada circuit completes its season at this week’s Fortinet Cup Championship in Calgary.

Macdonald missed the cut at last week’s final full-field event, the CRMC Championship, in Brainerd, Minn. In doing so, he dropped from fourth to fifth on the Fortinent Cup points race.

The top five on the list after this week’s event at Country Hills Golf Club in Calgary will earn status on the 2024 Korn Ferry Tour. Macdonald must hold his position or improve it in order to earn one of those five coveted cards.

BC's Jonnie Motomochi Caddied For Yu Liu In The CPKC Women's Open - Image Credit Brad Ziemer/BC Golf

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

Back in 2003, Delta’s Jonnie Motomochi made headlines when at age 12 he became the youngest player to compete in the Canadian Amateur Championship, which was held that year at Shaughnessy Golf & Country Club.

Motomochi was back at Shaughnessy last week, but this time he wasn’t playing. Motomochi caddied for China’s Yu Liu at the CPKC Women’s Open. “A kid that I coach, his dad knows her dad, they used to practise at the same course in Beijing,” said Motomochi, who coaches at Morgan Creek Golf Club in Surrey.

“Her caddie got Covid so they gave me a call Monday night. “It was a great experience. She’s a really good player, so it’s been fun. I didn’t say much, I didn’t do much.”

CPKC Women's Open Champion Megan Khang With The Trophy From Her First LPGA Victory - Brad Ziemer/BC Golf Photo

By Brad Ziemer. British Columbia Golf

Through it all, through all the close calls and the 33 top-10s, Megan Khang never stopped believing. She knew there would be a magical moment like the one that unfolded early Sunday evening on Shaughnessy Golf & Country Club’s 18th hole.

Finally, Khang is a winner on the LPGA Tour. She did it in the most dramatic fashion, birdieing the 72nd hole to force a playoff with South Korea’s Jin Young Ko and then winning it on the first extra hole.

Brooke Henderson's Game Was Slightly Off In Round 3 As Evidenced By Sister & Caddy Brittany Pointing Right On This Tee Shot - BC Golf Photo

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

Megan Khang has done everything but win on the LPGA Tour. She has a great opportunity to finally cross that off her to-do list in Sunday’s final round of the CPKC Women’s Open at Shaughnessy Golf & Country Club.

The 25-year-old Khang birdied four of her last five holes in Saturday’s third round to take a three-shot lead into Sunday. The Massachusetts native sits at 11-under through 54 holes on a Shaughnessy course that has proven to be a superb test.

“Honestly, I am relieved the day is over,” Khang said after her round. “It was kind of like you look at the leaderboard and you know who is behind you and you try to ignore it as much as you can, but it’s kind of scary.”

BC's Lauren Kim Can Still Look Back On A Pretty Successful Summer Despite Missing The Cut In The CPKC Women's Open - Image Credit Brad Ziemer/BC Golf

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

Lauren Kim is not going to let some struggles at Shaughnessy spoil what has been a super summer for the Surrey teen.

Like all of the other amateurs — and many of the pros — competing at the CPKC Women’s Open, Kim didn’t perform as well as she had hoped in the LPGA Tour event.

“Honestly, I don’t really know what happened,” the 18-year-old said after finishing 10-over through two rounds and missing the cut. “It was more just technical (swing) stuff than mental stuff. It just didn’t happen this week. I was a little disappointed, but finished off pretty strong, so I am okay with that.”

Canada's Brooke Henderson Had A Nice Bounce Back Round Of 68 In Round 2 Of The CPKC Women's Open - Image Credit Brad Ziemer/BC Golf

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

It was difficult to know who was more relieved, Brooke Henderson or the organizers of the CPKC Women’s Open.

Suffice to say everyone was delighted when Henderson, the face of this tournament, rebounded with a bogey-free four-under 68 in Friday’s second round and comfortably made the cut.

Henderson drives ticket sales at this event and her early departure would have left a huge void at Shaughnessy Golf & Country Club.

Former BC Junior Girls Champion Luna Lu - BC Golf Photo

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

They battled their nerves along with an exceptionally tough golf course. Teeing it up a LPGA Tour event was a new experience for five of the six British Columbians playing in the CPKC Women’s Open at Shaughnessy Golf & Country Club.

“I think on a scale of one to 10 on the first tee I was like an eight or a nine,” was how Burnaby’s Luna Lu described her nerves early in Thursday’s opening round. “And then after about nine holes I was like maybe 5 or 6.”

The 16-year-old former B.C. Junior Girls champion carded a five-over 77, joining a large percentage of the field who were over par for the day.

The CPKC Women's Open 1st Round Leader Is Yuka Saso - Image Credit Golf Canada

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

Just like it did back in 2005 and 2011 for the PGA TOUR, Shaughnessy Golf & Country Club is presenting a stern test for some of the best female golfers on the planet.

There were lots more bogeys than birdies in the first round of the CPKC Canadian Women’s Open. Only 18 of the 156 players in the field of the LPGA Tour event managed to break par.

Everyone is chasing 2021 U.S. Women’s Open champion Yuka Saso, who rattled off four straight birdies on her back nine and shot a six-under 66, a new tournament course record at Shaughnessy.

New Zealand's Lydia Ko Is Trying Win Her 3rd CPKC Title In Vancouver & 4th Overall - Image Credit Bryan Outram/BC Golf

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

Lydia Ko is back in Vancouver and that got her to thinking about how important the city has been to not only her golf career, but her life. 

Ko won her first LPGA Tour event at the age of 15 way back in 2012 at Vancouver Golf Club and then returned to the same course three years later and won again.

“I had my first LPGA Tour win in Vancouver and I think that is where everything kind of started,” Ko said Wednesday after playing in the CPKC Women’s Open pro-am at Shaughnesy Golf & Country Club. “Who knows, if I didn’t win or play that event maybe I might have not got the opportunities along the way. It’s always going to be a very special place for me.”

Vancouver's Victoria Liu Will Have Her Dad Miles On The Bag When She Tees It Up In This Week's CPKC Open At Shaughnessy G&CC - Image Credit Brad Ziemer/BC Golf

By Brad Ziemer. British Columbia Golf

Victoria Liu was on the driving range early Wednesday afternoon at Shaughnessy Golf & Country Club, which is not unusual. Shaughnessy has become a second home of sorts for the Vancouver resident, who is heading into her third year of collegiate golf at Princeton University.

But this was a little bit of a different range session.

To her left, Lexi Thomson was hitting balls, and a couple of spots to her right, Brooke Henderson was warming up.

It was a ‘this isn’t Kansas anymore’ type of moment for Liu, who on Thursday afternoon will tee it up in her first L:PGA Tour event at the CPKC Women’s Open.

2018 CPKC Women's Open Champion Brooke Henderson Sports Her New Look At The Media Presser At Shaughnessy G&CC - Image Credit Bryan Outram/BC Golf

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

She isn’t exactly humming that old Johnny Nash tune — 'I Can See Clearly Now' — but Brooke Henderson is excited about a change she is making at this week’s CPKC Women’s Open.

Henderson will be wearing glasses for the first time in competition when she tees it up in Thursday’s first round at Shaughnessy Golf & Country Club. “I have worn glasses off the course for a long time, but I’ve never played with them, so it was a bit of a change,” Henderson said after her practice round on Tuesday.

LPGA Tour Rookie Star Rose Zhang Was A Hit With First Nations Youth At Her Clinic At Musqueam Golf & Learning Centre - Image Credit: Brad Ziemer/BC Golf

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

The first question came from nine-year-old Constanza Ordaz, who asked Rose Zhang something all frustrated golfers would like to know. “What does she do when she misses something, when she misses a shot,” the youngster asked Zhang. “What do you do?”

Zhang and everyone who had gathered at the Musqueam Golf and Learning Centre chuckled at Constanza’s question. “I wish there was a thing so you couldn’t miss on the golf course,” Zhang said. “But it’s frustrating. Golf is hard.”

Before she set foot for the first time on Shaughnessy Golf & Country Club, the site of this week’s CPKC Women’s Open, Zhang dropped by the Musqueam Golf Centre on Tuesday morning for a clinic organized by Golf Canada and the British Columbia chapter of the First Tee.

Burnaby, BC's Luna Lu Monday-Qualified For The CPKC Women's Open With Her Longtime Coach Brett Saunders As Her Caddy - Image Credit Brad Ziemer/BC Golf

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

Little girls dream big and Luna Lu was no exception. She started to get serious about golf when she was eight or nine years old and that’s when she began imagining what it would be like to play on the LPGA Tour. Well, she’s about to get a taste of it.

The 16-year-old from Burnaby has played her way into this week’s CPKC Women’s Open at Shaughnessy Golf & Country Club. Lu, the 2022 B.C. Junior Girls champion, earned one of four spots up for grabs at the tournament’s Monday qualifier at Point Grey Golf & Country Club.

UBC T'Bird Women's Golf Alum Sonja Tang - Image Courtesy Golf Canada

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

Some additional British Columbia content has been added to this week’s CPKC Women’s Open at Shaughnessy Golf & Country Club in Vancouver.

Port Coquitlam’s Yeji Kwon, Sonja Tang of Victoria and Surrey’s Angela Arora were all given late exemptions into the event by Golf Canada. They will join Surrey’s Lauren Kim and Vancouver’s Victoria Liu in the Shaughnessy field.

Kim earned her exemption by winning the Canadian Women’s Amateur Championship, while Liu received hers for winning the Glencoe Invitational in Calgary earlier this summer. They join a star-studded field that includes nine of the top 10 and 22 of the top 25 on the LPGA Tour’s Race to CME Globe standings.

The winners of all five of the LPGA Tour’s major championships this year will be at Shaughnessy.

It's almost here! The previously postponed CKPC Women's Open is happening next week at Vancouver's venerable Shaughnessy Golf & Country Club.

The top women golfers in the world are coming to BC in search of our National Women's Open title and you can be there for the week just by entering our FREEgolf pool. All entries up until 9pm PDT on Wednesday, August 23rd, 2023 will be put into a random draw for 2 weekly passes.

BC's Alex Zhang Won Both The Junior & Juvenile Boys National Titles - Image Credit Christian Bender/Golf Canada

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

Alex Zhang is making a habit of winning big events the day before his birthday. His latest came on his final day as a 14-year-old at North Bay Golf Club in Ontario where the Richmond resident won the biggest title of his young life, the Canadian Junior Boys Championship. Actually, make that ‘titles,’ as Zhang also won the Juvenile Boys Championship for players aged 16 and under.

“Best gift ever,” a delighted Zhang said of a birthday present — two national championship trophies — that arrived a day early.

Canada's Brooke Henderson - Image Credit Jurgen Kaminski/British Columbia Golf

Nine of the top-10 and 22 of the top-25 players on the Race to CME Globe Standings along with 16 in-year winners, eight past champions and 10 Canadians head to Vancouver for Canada’s National Open Championship Aug. 22-27 at Shaughnessy Golf and Country Club

(AUGUST 16, 2023) Vancouver, B.C. – Golf Canada in partnership with Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CPKC) announced today the final field of competitors set to challenge for the 2023 CPKC Women’s Open taking place August 22-27 at the Shaughnessy Golf and Country Club in Vancouver, B.C.

Defending champion Paula Reto leads a stellar field of competitors that includes nine of the top-10 and 22 of the top-25 players on the Race to CME Globe standings. The field will also include 16 of the LPGA Tour’s in-year winners and all 2023 Major winners including two-time major champion and new world no. 1 Lilia Vu.