Eight weeks from showtime, the lineup is already deep.
CN Canadian Women’s Open tournament director Sean Van Kesteren revealed Monday what an easy sell our national championship is — already the Top 10 players in the Rolex World Women’s Rankings have confirmed their intention to enter the US $2.25 million LPGA event, Aug. 26-29 at St. Charles Country Club.
Course: St. Charles Country Club
Tickets: www.cncanadianwomensopen.com
Volunteers: 1,400; roster is full.
Fundraiser: The CN Miracle Match is underway. All funds raised will be matched by CN, and in 2010 go to the Children’s Hospital Foundation of Manitoba. Last year’s grand total in Calgary was $1.6 million.
Special Event: Tuesday will be CN Future Links Day. All adults accompanying their children to the grounds will be admitted free. Several promotions scheduled. During tournament week, any child 15 or under is admitted free with a ticketed adult.
The fourth-highest purse of the season, combined with an elite, traditional golf course, will do that.
Van Kesteren’s list includes new world No. 1 Cristie Kerr, who won last week’s major, the LPGA Championship, by 12 shots.
Van Kesteren also said the 156-player field will also include a minimum of nine Canadians. Lorie Kane, Alena Sharp, Samantha Richdale, Lisa Meldrum, are exempt with their tour memberships and Jessica Shepley is the CPGA women’s champ. The Open has also extended exemptions to Canadians Adrienne White and Angela Buzminski, and will provide two entries for the Canadian national women’s amateur team, he said.
Expect the tour’s talent to shine, Kane said Monday during her trip to St. Charles for media day.
“At the beginning of the year when (former No. 1) Lorena (Ochoa) decided to take an early retirement, I was a little concerned, just because who Lorena is as a person and what she brings to the tour,” Kane said. “Having said that, we’re deep. I think the talent pool on tour is the best it’s ever been.
“Cristie winning last week by 12 shots, that woman can downright play. When her putter gets hot, watch out.”
Kane toured St. Charles on Monday and hit a few shots, an advantageous scouting mission on the MacKenzie and Ross Nines that will be used for the championship. The test is expected to be set at almost 6,600 yards.
“Touring around here, I was chuckling to myself because there are some areas where you can cut some distance off this golf course,” Kane said. “And Laura Davies is going to have a field day here.
“Yani Tseng is as long, and Suzann Pettersen is long and there are a ton of girls who are hitting it a long way. I think the fans here in Manitoba will get to see some exciting golf.”
LPGA players have until Aug. 17 to confirm their entries but Van Kesteren said he doesn’t figure to have many nervous days.
“It’s not as hard (a sell) as it used to be,” he said. “It’s because of the purse levels and a premier date and being a national championship and we do some things a little differently. We take care of these players. They know when they come to Canada, they’re going to be treated well.
“And obviously we have this golf course, but it’s also the fans, they’re so knowledgeable.
“And we get a lot of them. The players enjoy when they’re at their practice round on Tuesday and there are (thousands) of people around.”
Kane, 45, has four career victories and more than $6.7 million in career earnings. She has suffered through a stretch of injuries for the last three years but said Monday she’s feeling better than she’s felt in some time.
“I’m feeling really good and I’ve been working with (swing coach) Sean Foley and with (caddy) Danny Sharp, the three of us have gotten me back to where I was at the beginning of my career,” she declared. “I have had not a very good run in the last two and a half years, probably three, and I feel the best is ahead of me.”
Kane said she intends to keep at it right through the Open, and if her relaxation level Monday — on a half-day, out-of-the-way stop between Rochester, N.Y. and Toledo, Ohio — was any indication, she’s found something.
“I think I’m probably more comfortable playing at home than I ever have been,” Kane said. “It was Dawn Coe-Jones who told me about 10 years ago that you need to start enjoying coming to Canada to play, not feel like it’s a burden.
“Now I’m enjoying golf. If it’s a good shot, it’s a good shot and if it’s in the trees, I have to find a way to get it out.”
The list also includes Japan’s Ai Miyazato, whom Kerr supplanted, as well as defending champion Suzann Pettersen, Jiyai Shin, Yani Tseng and Michelle Wie.
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