Canadian Pacific Women’s Open
Vancouver Golf Club
Coquitlam, British Columbia, Canada

TOP STORYLINES

KO RETURNS TO SITE OF HER HISTORIC VICTORY
Lydia Ko’s historic march to history as the youngest winner in LPGA history came right here three years ago at the Canadian Pacific Women’s Open at Vancouver Golf Club. The championship has moved around to two different venues while Ko’s gone on to win six more LPGA titles in the time since.

At only 15 years old, Ko surpassed Lexi Thompson as the youngest winner in LPGA Tour history with her three-shot victory over Inbee Park in 2012. Ko would go on to defend her title in 2013 at the Canadian Pacific Women’s Open and join Pat Bradley as the only players ever to defend their titles at Canada’s national championship. However, Ko was unable to go for the three-peat a year ago as she endured her second worst finish of 2014 with a tie for 55th at London Hunt and Country Club.

Ko’s 2015 has been just as historical as that initial 2012 win. She not only became the youngest player - man or woman - ever to reach No. 1 in the world after the season’s first tournament, but she now owns seven of the nine youngest wins in LPGA history after winning both the ISPS Handa Australian Women’s Open and the Swinging Skirts LPGA Classic Presented by CTBC. On the season, Ko has 10 top-10s in 17 events and despite a lull in the middle of the season, she’s rebounded nicely since with three top-10s in her last five starts including back-to-back ties for third at the Marathon Classic and RICOH Women’s British Open before a tie for 46th last week in Portland.

With a win this week, Ko would join Pat Bradley as the only three-time winner of this event.

A 17-YEAR-OLD CANADIAN SUPERSTAR
At the very first edition of the Canadian Pacific Women’s Open in 1973, Canadian Jocelyne Bourassa won her national championship. However, the last 41 editions have gone by without a native winner.

The Canadian fans will surely be hoping that changes this week with 17-year-old Canadian superstar Brooke Henderson. On Sunday, Henderson joined Lydia Ko and Lexi Thompson as the only players ever to win on the LPGA Tour before their 18th birthday with her eight-shot win at the Cambia Portland Classic.

Henderson also became the first Canadian to win on the LPGA Tour since Lorie Kane in 2001. Henderson also became the youngest Canadian - male or female - to win at the highest level on the PGA Tour or LPGA Tour.

Henderson missed the cut at the 2013 CP Canadian Women’s Open and finished in a tie for 46th a year ago, but 2015 has been quite the year on the LPGA Tour for Henderson. Not only did she win the Cambia Portland Classic, but she also posted three top five finishes before her win in Portland, including a tie for fifth at both the U.S. Women’s Open and KPMG Women’s PGA Championship and she has risen to No. 17 in the Rolex Women’s World Golf Rankings.

Now, Henderson has the chance to win back-to-back tournaments and continue to make history in Canadian golf.

SO YEON RYU BACK FOR MORE
After three rounds at this event a year ago, Annika Sorenstam’s all-time scoring record of 27-under-par looked like it might be in doubt with So Yeon Ryu at 20-under-par through 54 holes. Ryu didn’t have quite the same form in a final round 69, but she still cruised to a two-shot victory while finishing 23-under-par for the tournament. The win was Ryu’s first in over two years, finally breaking through after she had posted 28 top-10s finishes since her last win in 2012.

Now, Ryu, who as always has been one of the most consistent players on Tour with seven top-10s in 2015, is hoping to duplicate what Lydia Ko did before her and defend her title in Canada.

Ryu is coming off a tie for 13th finish at the Cambia Portland Classic and the last time this event was hosted at Vancouver Golf Club in 2012, Ryu uncharacteristically missed the cut with rounds of 73 - 75.

LAST SOLHEIM CUP PUSH
Ten of the 12 players for the United States Solheim Cup team will be set at the conclusion of play Sunday. For the American players not earning automatic bids, this is their last chance to make an impression on American Captain Juli Inkster before she announces her final two captains’ picks live on Golf Channel during a Golf Central special, airing from 7-8 PM EST Monday, August 24th.

If the race ended today, the eight Americans players who would earn spots via Solheim Cup points are Stacy Lewis, Lexi Thompson, Cristie Kerr, Michelle Wie, Brittany Lincicome, Morgan Pressel, Angela Stanford and Gerina Piller. The next two spots based off of the Rolex Women’s World Golf Rankings would be Lizette Salas and Alison Lee. As a result, this is the last week for Paula Creamer, Brittany Lang, Jessica Korda, Mo Martin, and Austin Ernst to make a move to either one of the automatic spots or impress Inkster enough to ensure their spot on her team.

Lee actually passed Creamer and Korda in the Rolex Rankings following her tie for 8th last week in Portland to position herself in the last automatic spot heading into the final week. But with one of the strongest fields of the year in attendance and 60 Solheim Cup points up for grabs, only Lewis, Thompson, Kerr, Wie, Lincicome, Pressel and Stanford’s spots are locked in at this point. The last five spots will be decided this week, and Creamer, Korda, Lang, and Martin are all within 10 spots in the Rolex World Rankings of Lee and Salas.

The 2015 Solheim Cup will take place Sept 18-20 at St. Leon-Rot Golf Club near Heidelberg, Germany.

PARK’S ROLL CONTINUES INTO CANADA
World No. 1 Inbee Park comes into the Canadian Pacific Women’s Open on the heels of securing a career grand slam at the RICOH Women’s British Open. Park has now won two of the last three major championships and six of the last 14.

Arguably just as impressive, Park has posted four wins and seven additional top-10s in 18 starts in 2015 and currently holds a commanding lead in the Race to the CME Globe, Rolex Player of the Year, Vare Trophy and money list.

Surprisingly, though, among Park’s 16 LPGA wins, none have come at the Canadian Pacific Women’s Open; although she has won in Canada at the 2014 Manulife Financial LPGA Classic in Waterloo.

Among nine starts in Canada’s national championship, Park only has two top-10s. However, both of those came in the last three years with a third last year and a second here in 2012 at Vancouver Golf Club.

Canadian Pacific Women's Open Top Storylines

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