Jennifer Kirby, Sara-Maude Juneau, Christine Wong and Rebecca Lee-Bentham to join recently turned
professionals Sue Kim and Stephanie Sherlock in field at St. Charles Country Club
13 Canucks to compete for Canada's national women's open championship
Winnipeg (Golf Canada) - August 17, 2010 - Golf Canada in partnership with title sponsor CN, is pleased to announce the list of talented Team Canada athletes who have received an exemption to compete at the 2010 CN Canadian Women's Open, August 23-29 at St. Charles Country Club.
Team Canada's Jennifer Kirby of Paris, Ont., and Sara-Maude Juneau of Fossambault, Que. as well as Development Squad members Christine Wong of Richmond, B.C. and Rebecca Lee-Bentham have been offered tournament exemptions and will join former Team Canada members and recently turned professionals Stephanie Sherlock of Barrie, Ont. and Sue Kim of Langley, B.C.
Kirby leads the way on the heels of a semi-final showing at last week's US Women's Amateur where she lost 1-up to the eventual champion. The Alabama sophomore also competed in the 2010 US Women's Open and is a year removed from one of the most impressive amateur season's in Canadian golf history where she won the 2009 Royale Cup Canadian Junior Girls Championship, the 2009 Royale Cup Canadian Women's Amateur Championship, the 2009 Ontario Women's Amateur Championship, the 2009 Ontario Junior Girls Championship, the 2009 Toronto Star Women's Amateur Championship and the 2009 CN Future Links Pacific Championship.
Juneau's 2010 season includes a victory at the 2010 Quebec Amateur Championship and a third place finish at the 2010 Royale Cup Canadian Women's Amateur Championship. In addition to competing in the 2010 US Women's Open, she also advanced to the round of 16 for match play at the 2010 Ladies British Open Amateur Championship and the recent US Amateur where she lost to Kirby in the round of 16.
Lee-Bentham's 2010 season includes a victory at the 2010 Royale Cup Canadian Junior Girls Championship and a trip to the semi-finals of match play at the Ladies British Open Amateur Championship. A four-time CN Future Links champion, Lee-Bentham has also won the 2007 Ontario Women's Amateur and recently made it to the round of 64 match play at the US Amateur, losing in an extra hole to the event's #1 seed. She also competed earlier this summer in the 2010 US Women's Open.
The 18-year old Wong has also had an impressive 2010 season, winning the 2010 BC Women's Amateur Championship and finishing as the runner-up low amateur at the 2010 US Women's Open Championship. Wong tied for 11th at the 2009 Royale Cup Women's Amateur Championship and has also won the 2009 Seattle Junior Open and the 2009 Bellingham Junior Open as well as finishing 4th at the 2009 World Junior Girls Championship.
The Team Canada quartet will joined recently turned professionals and former Team Canada standouts Sherlock and Kim who are making their pro debut at this week's Canadian PGA Women's Championship.
Sherlock's jump to the professional ranks follows an impressive run at last week's US Women's Amateur where she advanced to the semi-finals of match play before losing out this past Saturday. Last June, she finished as runner-up and was low amateur at a CN Canadian Women's Tour event, where she had previously won in 2008. At the Royale Cup Canadian Women's Amateur Championship, she was champion in 2007, placed 2nd in 2008 and 3rd in 2005 and 2009, as well as runner-up finisher at the Ontario Women's Amateur Championship in 2009 and a third place finish in 2006.
Kim finished fourth on the 2010 CN Canadian Women's Tour Order of Merit to earn her exemption into the CN Canadian Women's Open next week at St. Charles Country Club in Winnipeg. Her most prominent year was 2008, where she was two-time winner on the CN Canadian Women's Tour event, the first-ever amateur to win. Kim's success on the CN Canadian Women's Tour that year would earn her the Jocelyne Bourassa Player of the Year Award and Top Amateur of the Year Award. The 19-year-old former B.C. Junior Girls Champion has also had two runner-up finishes at the Royale Cup Canadian Women's Amateur Championship (2007, 2009) as well as a tie for second at the 2010 CN Canadian Women's Tour event at Rivermead Golf Club.
"With less than a week to go until the CN Canadian Women's Open, we are pleased to extend tournament exemptions to this talented group of Team Canada competitors," said Sean Van Kesteren, Tournament Director of the CN Canadian Women's Open. Each of these competitors has had tremendous results both nationally and internationally and will give golf fans in Winnipeg a glimpse of the bright future of Canadian women's golf."
Kirby, Juneau, Wong, Lee-Bentham, Sherlock and Kim will join fellow Canadians Lorie Kane, Alena Sharp, Jessica Shepley, Lisa Meldrum, Samantha Richdale, Adrienne White and Seema Sadekar in the hopes of becoming the first Canuck since Hall of Famer Jocelyne Bourassa won the 1973 La Canadienne to win an LPGA event on home soil.
Four additional spots into the field will be determined on Monday, 23rd as players will tee it up in the CN Canadian Women's Open Monday Qualifier at Elmhurst Golf and Country Club.
The players announced today will join the field at St. Charles Country Club that includes previously announced LPGA Tour stars including Paula Creamer, world no. 1 Cristie Kerr, Michelle Wie, Yani Tseng, Morgan Pressel, 15-year old golf sensation Alexis Thompson and defending champion Suzann Pettersen.
The field of competitors for the 2010 CN Canadian Women's Open will be announced on Wednesday, August 17, 2010.
ABOUT THE 2010 CN CANADIAN WOMEN'S OPEN
Stars of the LPGA Tour will challenge for the 2010 CN Canadian Women's Open from August 23-29 at the St. Charles Country Club in Winnipeg. Tickets for all tournament rounds are still available and can be purchased online at www.cncanadianwomensopen.com or by calling 1-866-571-5742. Kids 15-and under get into the event free all week with a ticketed adult.
CN MIRACLE MATCH TO BENEFIT CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL FOUNDATION OF MANITOBA
Earlier this year, CN announced the Children's Hospital Foundation of Manitoba Inc. as the official charity beneficiary of the CN Miracle Match program that will accompany the 2010 CN Canadian Women's Open. CN Miracle Match will rally the Winnipeg and Manitoba communities to make charitable donations to the Children's Hospital Foundation. Each year since 2006, CN and Golf Canada have generated funds to support a children's hospital by matching donations made through initiatives associated with the CN Canadian Women's Open. In the past four years, this program has raised more than $3.5 million for children's hospitals. For more information visit www.cnmiraclematch.ca.
ABOUT THE CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL FOUNDATION OF MANITOBA
Established in 1971, the Children's Hospital Foundation of Manitoba works to support the special health care needs of children through reliable and consistent funding of equipment and programs at Winnipeg Children's Hospital and pediatric medical research at the Manitoba Institute of Child Health. Since its inception, the Foundation has raised close to $100 million. For more information about the Foundation, please visit www.goodbear.mb.ca.
NORTH AMERICA'S RAILROAD
CN - Canadian National Railway Company - spans Canada and mid-America, from the Atlantic and Pacific oceans to the Gulf of Mexico, serving the ports of Vancouver, Prince Rupert, B.C., Montreal, Halifax, New Orleans, and Mobile, Ala., and the key cities of Toronto, Buffalo, Chicago, Detroit, Duluth, Minn./Superior, Wis., Green Bay, Wis., Minneapolis/St. Paul, Memphis, St. Louis, and Jackson, Miss., with connections to all points in North America. For further information please visit www.cn.ca.
CN DELIVERS THE GREAT GAME OF GOLF
CN is proud to support golf in Canada and is pleased to bring the best of women's professional golf to Canada with its title sponsorship of the CN Canadian Women's Open and the CN Canadian Women's Tour. In addition to supporting women's golf, CN contributes to the development of golf among young people across the country through its sponsorship of the CN Future Links program. CN is pleased to work with Golf Canada to help develop golf as a sport for women and juniors across Canada and to increase the accessibility of golf to recreational and competitive golfers. Visit www.cn.ca.
GOLF CANADA - YOU BELONG
Golf Canada is a member-based organization governed by the Royal Canadian Golf Association (RCGA). Recognized by Sport Canada as the National Sport Organization (NSO) for golf in this country and representing more than 350,000 members and 1,600 golf clubs, Golf Canada is responsible for promoting participation in and a passion for the game of golf in Canada.
Golf Canada actively conducts championships, programs and services to help shape the present and future of golf in Canada. Canada's National Amateur Golf Team program, National Golf in Schools, Golf Fore the Cure, the Canadian Golf Hall of Fame and Museum and CN Future Links, Canada's national junior golf program, are only some of the initiatives the association leads for golf in Canada. As the authority for the game of golf in Canada, the association also administers the Rules of Golf and Amateur Status as well as Handicapping and Course Rating under the esteemed RCGA brand.
In addition, Golf Canada conducts Canada's most prestigious golf championships. The RBC Canadian Open and CN Canadian Women's Open attract the best professional golfers in the world, while regional junior and national amateur championships provide world class competitive opportunities for Canada's top golfers to showcase their talents.
For more information about what Golf Canada is doing to support golf in your community, visit us online at www.golfcanada.ca.