Sports

Statistical Observations Leading into the CPKC Womens Open – LPGA

Published

1 year ago

August 23, 2023

So many changes can happen in just one year within the LPGA Tour. New faces join the organization, experienced professionals hit a wall and consistent players gain confidence, becoming leaders on Tour with persistence and determination.

At this year’s CPKC Women’s Open at Shaughnessy Golf and Country Club in Vancouver, British Columbia, spectators will experience elite athletes showcasing the best of their game. Some of this year’s strongest players competed in this tournament last year and missed the cut. Let’s see how their recent statistics will predict their success this year in Canada.

Celine Boutier is having a season to remember with three wins in 16 starts, including her first major title at The Amundi Evian Championship in her native country of France. Boutier has recorded at least six top-10 finishes in each of her last three seasons. According to KPMG Performance Insights, her consistency from tee to green has allowed her to make an average of three birdies per round, ranking in the top 50 of all players on Tour. This will be Boutier’s fourth time competing in Canada with her three previous appearances resulting in just two sub-70 rounds in 10 total rounds played. Her best finish is a tie for 25th that came in 2019.

	2022	2023
Top-10 Finishes	12: 3rd	6: T5
Strokes Gained Tee to Green	0.86: 40th	0.99: 38th
Birdie Average Per Round	3.93: 16th	3.35: T49
Putting Average – Putts Per GIR	1.75: T5	1.81: T63

Minjee Lee is entering this week as one of only four active players to make the cut in every event played in 2023. Lee holds this accomplishment alongside Linn Grant, Nasa Hataoka and Hyo Joo Kim who all rank in the top 26 in the Race to the CME Globe standings. The strength of Lee’s game is her ability to hit greens in regulation consistently leading to double-digit numbers of birdies or better in all 13 events played this year. She has finished in the top 20 in eight of her last nine starts. This is Lee’s seventh appearance at the CPKC Women’s Open, and in her six previous starts, she has recorded 10 of 20 rounds in the 60s and three top-25 finishes. Her best result is a tie for fourth in 2018.

	2022	2023
Top-10 Finishes	6: T14	2: T33
Strokes Gained Tee to Green	2.81: 4th	2.02: 9th
Birdie Average Per Round	4.24: 2nd	4.04: 4th
Putting Average – Putts Per GIR	1.79: T33	1.80: T46

Jin Young Ko is continuing to perform at a high level this year, finishing in the top 30 11 times in 13 total starts this season. Ko has consistently ranked as one of the best putters on Tour with a six-year career average of 1.76 putts per green in regulation. She is averaging more than four birdies per round for a fourth season in her six-year LPGA Tour career. Ko has excelled in competition much like Lorena Ochoa did during her prime. She is averaging one win in every 6.6 events played or 15% of the time and has ranked as one of the top five players in the world for more than four consecutive years according to the Rolex Women’s World Golf Rankings. Ko has competed in the CPKC Women’s Open three previous times, recording eight of 10 rounds in the 60s with a total score to par of 35-under. Her 2019 win in Canada was her sixth win on Tour. Currently, Ko has earned 15 LPGA Tour wins including seven victories outside the United States.

	2022	2023
Top-10 Finishes	5: T19	5: T8
Strokes Gained Tee to Green	0.62: 59th	1.43: 21st
Birdie Average Per Round	3.58: T34	4.02: 5th
Putting Average – Putts Per GIR	1.79: T33	1.77: T14

As the tournament excitement builds, fans wait with anticipation for the opportunity to see the best women compete for the trophy. By using course management, skill and precision, the 2023 winner will emerge victorious and add her name to a lengthy list of talented CPKC Women’s Open champions.

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Edler to sign one-day contract to retire as a Vancouver Canuck

Published

10 hours ago

September 17, 2024

Anne Joseph

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.

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Sixth-ranked Canadian women to face World Cup champion Spain in October friendly

Published

17 hours ago

September 17, 2024

Anne Joseph

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

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Maple Leafs announce Oreo as new helmet sponsor for upcoming NHL season

Published

21 hours ago

September 17, 2024

Anne Joseph

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.

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