Two significant events involving top Canadian players — one on the women’s side, one on the men’s — tee off Thursday. Here’s what to know about them, plus the latest developments in the PGA Tour vs. LIV Golf battle:
The CP Women’s Open is back.
The LPGA Tour’s lone Canadian stop returns from a two-year, pandemic-induced hiatus this week at the Ottawa Hunt and Golf Club in the nation’s capital. Though it’s no longer a major championship, the tournament formerly known as the Canadian Women’s Open (and about a million other names as sponsors have shifted in and out) still offers one of the richer non-major purses on the tour and attracts most of the best players.
Eighteen of the top 20 in the Race to the CME Globe — a season-long points competition that determines who gets to compete in the Tour Championship — are expected to play in Ottawa. That includes world No. 1 (and defending CP Women’s Open champion) Jin Young Ko of South Korea and the winners of all five 2022 majors.
Among that group is the woman who will be the overwhelming fan favourite this week. Canada’s Brooke Henderson is ranked fifth in the world after winning the second major title of her career last month at the Evian Championship in France. With 12 victories on the LPGA Tour — including the 2018 CP Women’s Open in Regina — the 24-year-old from Smiths Falls, Ont., has already won more major-tour events than any other Canadian golfer in history.
WATCH | Can Canada’s Brooke Henderson win at home (again)?:
Rejuvenated Brooke Henderson returns home for CP Women’s Open
5 days ago
Duration 2:17
Brooke Henderson of Smiths Falls Ont., fresh off her 2nd major victory, looks to win the national championship for a 2nd time.
Henderson is one of 18 Canadians slated to compete in Ottawa. Maude-Aimee Leblanc (No. 111) is the next-highest in the world rankings, while Monet Chun is the most intriguing. The 21-year-old from Richmond Hill, Ont., won the Canadian Women’s Amateur last month before making it to the final match of the prestigious U.S. Women’s Amateur. Though she was trounced by 17-year-old Saki Baba of Japan, it was another impressive showing by Chun, who earlier this year led the University of Michigan to its first conference championship.
There’s also a 12-year-old in the field: Vancouver’s Lucy Lin on Monday became the youngest player ever to qualify for this event. On the other end of the age spectrum, 57-year-old Lorie Kane, a four-time winner on the LPGA Tour, will make her 30th and final appearance at the Canadian Women’s Open.
The PGA Tour will crown its playoff champion.
The top 30 players in the FedEx Cup standings are invited to this week’s Tour Championship in Atlanta. Canada’s Corey Conners got in at No. 24 after finishing tied for fifth yesterday at the BMW Championship in Delaware.
For the Tour Championship at East Lake, players are given a starting score based on where they rank in the standings. First-place Scottie Scheffler, who’s also No. 1 in the world rankings, begins at 10-under. Second-place Patrick Cantlay, who won yesterday in Atlanta, starts at 8-under. Conners is part of a group of players that will begin at 1-under (there’s an even-par group below them). Whoever has the lowest score after the final round on Sunday wins the FedEx Cup and the $18-million US prize that comes with it.
More players are poised to jump ship to LIV Golf.
British Open champ and world No. 2 Cameron Smith, who’s long been rumoured to be leaving for the PGA Tour’s Saudi-financed rival, is reportedly among seven guys who will officially defect next Monday. That’s the day after the Tour Championship ends — and just in time for the next LIV event, starting Sept. 2 in Boston.
Meanwhile, the PGA Tour and its loyalists are trying to figure out how to stop the bleeding after losing Phil Mickelson, Dustin Johnson, Bryson DeChambeau, Brooks Koepka, Patrick Reed and other big names to their extremely deep-pocketed rival. Last week, Tiger Woods spearheaded a meeting of 20 elite players to talk about how to reshape the tour — and retain top talent.
Reportedly, Woods and world No. 4 Rory McIlroy, the most outspoken critic of LIV, are backing a plan that would see something like 15 PGA Tour events set aside for a limited number of top players to compete for elevated purses — essentially, their own LIV-style tour within the established tour. The prize money wouldn’t be quite as eye-watering as LIV’s $25-million events, and there would be no nine-figure guaranteed contracts. But it’s a lot more tangible than the moral haranguing the PGA Tour is currently resorting to in hopes of guilting guys out of taking the Saudi money.
VANCOUVER – The Vancouver Canucks announced Tuesday that defenceman Alex Edler will sign a one-day contract in order to officially retire as a member of the NHL team.
The signing will be part of a celebration of Edler’s career held Oct. 11 when the Canucks host the Philadelphia Flyers.
The Canucks selected Edler, from Ostersund, Sweden, in the third round (91st overall) of the 2004 NHL draft.
He played in 925 career games for the Canucks between the 2006-07 and 2020-21 seasons, ranking fourth in franchise history and first among defencemen.
The 38-year-old leads all Vancouver defencemen with 99 goals, 310 assists and 177 power-play points with the team.
Edler also appeared in 82 career post-season contests with Vancouver and was an integral part of the Canucks’ run to the 2011 Stanley Cup final, putting up 11 points (2-9-11) across 25 games.
“I am humbled and honoured to officially end my career and retire as a member of the Vancouver Canucks,” Edler said in a release. “I consider myself lucky to have started my career with such an outstanding organization, in this amazing city, with the best fans in the NHL. Finishing my NHL career where it all began is something very special for myself and my family.”
Edler played two seasons for Los Angeles in 2021-22 and 2022-23. He did not play in the NHL last season.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 17, 2024.
The sixth-ranked Canadian women will face World Cup champion Spain in an international friendly next month.
Third-ranked Spain will host Canada on Oct. 25 at Estadio Francisco de la Hera in Almendralejo.
The game will be the first for the Canadian women since the Paris Olympics, where they lost to Germany in a quarterfinal penalty shootout after coach Bev Priestman was sent home and later suspended for a year by FIFA over her part in Canada’s drone-spying scandal.
In announcing the Spain friendly, Canada Soccer said more information on the interim women’s coaching staff for the October window will come later. Assistant coach Andy Spence took charge of the team in Priestman’s absence at the Olympics.
Spain finished fourth in Paris, beaten 1-0 by Germany in the bronze-medal match.
Canada is winless in three previous meetings (0-2-1) with Spain, most recently losing 1-0 at the Arnold Clark Cup in England in February 2022.
The teams played to a scoreless draw in May 2019 in Logroñés, Spain in a warm-up for the 2019 World Cup. Spain won 1-0 in March 2019 at the Algarve Cup in São João da Venda, Portugal.
Spain is a powerhouse in the women’s game these days.
It won the FIFA U-20 World Cup in 2022 and was runner-up in 2018. And it ousted Canada 2-1 in the round of 16 of the current U-20 tournament earlier this month in Colombia before falling 1-0 to Japan after extra time in the quarterfinal.
Spain won the FIFA U-17 World Cup in 2018 and 2022 and has finished on the podium on three other occasions.
FC Barcelona’s Aitana Bonmati (2023) and Alexia Putellas (2021 and ’22) have combined to win the last three Women’s Ballon d’Or awards.
And Barcelona has won three of the last four UEFA Women’s Champions League titles.
“We continue to strive to diversify our opponent pool while maintaining a high level of competition.” Daniel Michelucci, Canada Soccer’s director of national team operations, said in a statement. “We anticipate a thrilling encounter, showcasing two of the world’s top-ranked teams.”
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This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 17, 2024
TORONTO – The Toronto Maple Leafs have announced cookie brand Oreo as the team’s helmet sponsor for the upcoming NHL season.
The new helmet will debut Sunday when Toronto opens its 2024-25 pre-season against the Ottawa Senators at Scotiabank Arena.
The Oreo logo replaces Canadian restaurant chain Pizza Pizza, which was the Leafs’ helmet sponsor last season.
Previously, social media platform TikTok sponsored Toronto starting in the 2021-22 regular season when the league began allowing teams to sell advertising space on helmets.
The Oreo cookie consists of two chocolate biscuits around a white icing filling and is often dipped in milk.
Fittingly, the Leafs wear the Dairy Farmers of Ontario’s “Milk” logo on their jerseys.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 17, 2024.
