Schedule Set for 2012 CN Canadian Women’s Tour
03/13/2012
- Five Tour exemptions available into 2012 CN Canadian Women’s Open -
Oakville, Ont. (Golf Canada) – CN and Golf Canada are pleased to announce the championship schedule for the 2012 CN Canadian Women’s Tour, Canada’s only professional golf tour for women.
This season’s scheduled Tour events, which include a practice round, 18-hole Pro-Am and 36-holes of competition will be held May 14-16 at Richmond Country Club in Richmond, B.C.; June 11-13 Club de golf Beloeil in Beloeil, Que.; and June 25-27 at Legends on the Niagara in Niagara, Ont.
Total season prize money for the 2012 season is $180,000 (CDN) for three events. Each 36-hole championship purse will be $60,000 with the champion being awarded a $10,000 winners’ cheque.
“The 11th CN Canadian Women’s Tour season promises exciting play as competitors vie for one of five exemptions into the 2012 CN Canadian Women’s Open in Vancouver,” said Adam Helmer, Golf Canada’s Manager of Rules and Competitions. “We’ve secured outstanding host venues, and we look forward to welcoming top Canadian and international players to courses across the country.”
Richmond Country Club will open the Tour’s 2012 season, having previously played host to several Golf Canada sanctioned events, including the 2006 CN Future Links Pacific Championship, a 2008 CN Canadian Women’s Tour event and the 2010 Canadian Junior Boys Championship. Club de golf Beloeil, the Tour’s second stop, is hosting a CN Canadian Women’s Tour event for the second consecutive season, while Legends of the Niagara, site of the 2004 BMO Canadian Women’s Open (now operating as the CN Canadian Women’s Open), will play host to the season’s Tour finale.
The winner from each of the three Tour events will receive an exemption directly into the CN Canadian Women’s Open with the additional two exemptions being distributed based on the CN Canadian Women’s Tour season-ending Order of Merit standings. Each Tour stop winner will also be awarded up to three special invitations to compete in Symetra Tour tournaments in 2012.
The top three players on the CN Canadian Women’s Tour season-ending Order of Merit will be awarded direct entry into Stage 2 of LPGA Qualifying School. All entry fees will be paid for Stage 2 and, if applicable, Stage 3 – up to a value of $4,000 each.
The CN Canadian Women’s Tour will also feature priority status and exemptions for the second consecutive season, affording players direct entry into Tour fields.
Many of Canada’s elite female golfers have used the CN Canadian Women’s Tour to hone their skills and develop as athletes both on and off the course. CN Canadian Women’s Tour alumnae Lorie Kane, Alena Sharp, Samantha Richdale, Jessica Shepley, Adrienne White, Lisa Meldrum, Isabelle Beisiegel, Stephanie Sherlock, Kirby Dreher, Rebecca Lee-Bentham and Maude-Aimée LeBlanc have all used their experiences as Canadians on the Canadian development circuit as a catalyst to future successes. Other CN Canadian Women’s Tour graduates include Yani Tseng, Ryan O’Toole, Sara Brown and Katy Harris.
ABOUT CN
Canadian National Railway Company and its operating railway subsidiaries – 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 metropolitan areas of Toronto, Buffalo, Chicago, Detroit, Duluth, Minn./Superior, Wis., Green Bay, Wis., Minneapolis/St. Paul, Memphis, and Jackson, Miss., with connections to all points in North America. For more information on CN, visit the company’s website at 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.
ABOUT THE CN CANADIAN WOMEN’S TOUR
One of the world’s premier developmental tours, the CN Canadian Women’s Tour continues to attract rising Canadian and international female golf professionals as well as top female amateurs. Many of Canada’s top professionals, including Lorie Kane and Alena Sharp as well as 2012 LPGA Tour members Rebecca Lee-Bentham and Maude-Aimée LeBlanc have competed on the CN Canadian Women’s Tour as a springboard to future success. The 2012 season will see events hosted at Richmond Country Club in Richmond, B.C., Club de golf Beloeil in Beloeil, Que. and Legends on the Niagara in Niagara, Ont. Total season prize money for 2012 is $180,000 (CDN); each championship purse will be $60,000 with the champion earning $10,000. As well, the top three players on the CN Canadian Women’s Tour season-ending order of merit will be awarded direct entry into Stage 2 of LPGA Qualifying School. All entry fees will be paid for Stage 2 and, if applicable, Stage 3 (up to a value of $4,000 each). For more information, visit www.cncanadianwomenstour.ca.
GOLF CANADA – LOVE THE GAME. GROW THE GAME.
Golf Canada is the governing body of golf in Canada, representing more than 340,000 members at close to 1,500 clubs across the country. Recognized by Sport Canada as the National Sport Organization (NSO) for golf in this country, Golf Canada’s mission is to grow participation, excellence and passion in the sport while upholding the integrity and traditions of the game.
A proud member of the Canadian Olympic Committee, Golf Canada conducts championships, programs and services to help shape the present and future of golf in Canada. High performance athlete development, Golf in Schools presented by Callaway, Golf Fore the Cure presented by Subaru, the Canadian Golf Hall of Fame and Museum, CN Canadian Women’s Tour 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 golf in Canada, the association also administers the Rules of Golf, amateur status and handicapping and course rating.
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.
Media Contacts:
Dan Pino
Director, Corporate Communications
Golf Canada
Office: 1-800-263-0009 ext. 406
Mobile: 416-434-5525
Email: dpino@golfcanada.ca
Matthew Cudzinowski
Coordinator, Media and Public Relations
Golf Canada
Office: 1-800-263-0009 ext. 258
Mobile: 289-259-5616
Email: mcudzinowski@golfcanada.ca
