Follow Live Scoring From The Canadian Women's Amateur At Marine Drive GC
The world's best Women Amateur Golfers are at Marine Drive Golf Course this week vying for the Duchess of Connaught Gold Cup.
The women’s course record at Marine Drive GC is 68 set by former LPGA star Annika Sorenstam back in 1992 when Marine co-hosted the World Amateur Team Championships in Vancouver.
Sorenstam’s record has stood for the last 26 years, but some think it could finally fall when an exceptionally strong field gathers for the 105th playing of the Canadian Women’s Amateur Championship, which goes July 24-27 at Marine Drive.
“It’s a fantastic field,” says Doug Roxburgh, the legendary Marine Drive member who played in that World Amateur tourney in 1992. “The No. 1, 2 and 6 ranked women in the world will be there and a whole bunch more in the top 50 and top 100.”
Jennifer Kupcho of Westminster, Colo., and Lilia Kha-Tu Vu of Fountain Valley, Calif., are ranked 1 and 2 in the current World Amateur Golf Rankings and that is exactly how they finished at last summer’s Canadian Women’s Amateur Championship at Cutten Fields in Guelph, Ont.
Kupcho returns as defending champion and the 21-year-old has enjoyed a terrific 2018 season that includes winning the individual title at the NCAA Women’s Golf Championships this spring playing for Wake Forest University. Earlier this month, Kupcho finished tied for 16th at the LPGA Tour’s Marathon Classic in Ohio.
She went wire-to-wire at last year’s Canadian Women’s Amateur and beat Vu by five shots. Vu, a 20-year-old who plays for the UCLA Bruins, has already won four times this year, including the Pac-12 Championship. Patty Tavatanakit of Thailand, currently ranked sixth in the world, is the other top-10 player in the field at Marine Drive.
A spot in the 156-player field was a hot ticket as Golf Canada received 241 applications.
A strong Canadian contingent will be on hand to try and keep the Duchess of Connaught Gold Cup -- awarded to the winner -- on home soil. Augusta James, back in 2014, was the last Canadian to win the event. Canadian LPGA star Brooke Henderson won it in 2013.
All four members of Canada’s national amateur team -- World No. 16 Maddie Szeryk (London, Ont.), No. 26 Jaclyn Lee (Calgary), No. 177 Naomi Ko (Victoria, B.C.) and No. 249 Grace Ste. Germain (Ottawa) -- are in the field.
They will be joined by development squad members Celeste Dao of Notre-Dame-de-I’lle-Perrot, Que, Monet Chun (Richmond Hill, Ont.), Ellie Szeryk (London, Ont.) and Alyssa DiMarcantonio (Maple Ont).
CLICK HERE for scoring from the 105th Canadian Women's Amateur from Marine Drive Golf Club in Vancouver.