In the News

[Jeffrey Reed]

BRITTANY LINCICOME, MORGAN PRESSEL, STACY LEWIS AND SANDRA GAL JOIN FIELD FOR 2011 CN CANADIAN WOMEN’S OPEN



Monday Open Qualifier set for Monday, August 22 at Club de golf Le Blainvillier; four exemptions available into Canada’s National Women’s Open Championship





Mirabel, Que. (Golf Canada) – CN and Golf Canada are pleased to announce that LPGA Tour stars Brittany Lincicome, Morgan Pressel, Stacy Lewis and Sandra Gal have confirmed their intention to challenge for the $2.25 million (all figures US) purse at the 2011 CN Canadian Women’s Open being held August 22-28 at Hillsdale Golf and Country Club.



Lincicome’s confirmation comes on the heels of her victory last week at the ShopRite LPGA Classic. Currently the No. 15 ranked player on the LPGA Tour’s Rolex Women’s World Golf Rankings, the long-hitting Lincicome is a four-time LPGA winner including the 2009 Kraft Nabisco Championship.



Joining Lincicome will be Morgan Pressel, a two-time LPGA winner and fan-favourite on the LPGA Tour. Currently the No. 17 ranked player on the LPGA Tour’s Rolex Women’s World Golf Rankings, the 23-year old made history in 2007 when her victory at the Kraft Nabisco Championship made her the youngest player in LPGA Tour history to win a major championship (18 years, 10 months, 9 days).



Also confirming her intention to compete is Stacy Lewis, winner of the 2011 Kraft Nabisco Championship. The 26-year old former amateur standout with the University of Arkansas has made the cut in all six tournaments she’s played in 2011 and is currently the No. 14 ranked player on the LPGA Tour’s Rolex Women’s World Golf Rankings.



The trio will be joined at Hillsdale Golf and Country Club by Sandra Gal, currently the No. 35 ranked player on the LPGA Tour’s Rolex Women’s World Golf Rankings who earned her first career LPGA Tour victory earlier this year at the 2011 Kia Classic.



“We are pleased to welcome Brittany Lincicome, Morgan Pressel, Stacy Lewis and Sandra Gal to the field for Canada’s National Women’s Open Championship,” said Sean Van Kesteren, Tournament Director of the CN Canadian Women’s Open. Brittany, Stacy and Sandra have all won events in 2011 while Morgan is consistently among the most popular players on Tour. I’m sure each will be among our fan favourites challenging for the title this summer at Hillsdale.”



Lincicome, Pressel, Lewis and Gal will be joined at Hillsdale Golf and Country Club by a number of previously confirmed LPGA stars including world No. 1 Yani Tseng, world No. 2 Suzann Pettersen, world No. 3 Jiyai Shin, world No. 4 Cristie Kerr and world No. 11 Paula Creamer as well as defending champion and world No. 10 Michelle Wie.



A field of 156 competitors will vie for the $2.25 million CN Canadian Women’s Open. The deadline for players to confirm their intention to compete at the 2011 CN Canadian Women’s Open in Mirabel, Que. is Tuesday, August 16.



Lorie Kane, Alena Sharp, Samantha Richdale, Lisa Meldrum and LPGA rookie Stephanie Sherlock will also compete at Hillsdale this August and look to become the first Canadian to win an LPGA Tour event on home soil since Jocelyne Bourassa did in 1973. Oakville, Ont., native Jessica Shepley will also compete for the national title after earning an exemption by way of her victory at the CN Canadian Women’s Tour event in Squamish, B.C. Additional Canadian competitors will be announced in the coming weeks.



MONDAY OPEN QUALIFIER – FOUR SPOTS AVAILABLE

The final four exemptions into the 2011 CN Canadian Women’s Open will be up for grabs at the Monday Open Qualifier set for August 22 at Club de golf Le Blainvillier in Blainville, Que. The Monday Qualifier is open to a maximum of 60 players (professional or amateur) with an RCGA Handicap Factor/USGA Index of 2.0 or better. Playing spots in the Monday Open Qualifier are still available with the four lowest qualifiers from the 18-hole stroke play competition receiving exemptions directly into Canada’s National Women’s Open Championship. More information is available at www.cncanadianwomensopen.com.



CN MIRACLE MATCH PROGRAM NOW ACCEPTING DONATIONS

The 2011 CN Canadian Women’s Open will help to raise money for both the Sainte-Justine UHC Foundation and The Montreal Children’s Hospital Foundation, the official charitable beneficiaries of the CN Miracle Match campaign. Individuals and corporations looking to support the Montreal Children’s Hospital Foundation and Sainte-Justine UHC Foundation can visit www.cnmiraclematch.ca to make their donation.



CN Miracle Match is a national charitable initiative designed to rally communities across Canada behind a very worthy cause, supporting paediatric care. Each year since 2006, CN and Golf Canada have raised funds to support a children’s hospital by matching funds raised through various initiatives that are connected with the CN Canadian Women’s Open. In the past five years, the CN Miracle Match program has raised $4.35 million for children’s hospitals.



VOLUNTEERS NEEDED

The CN Canadian Women’s Open is also looking for volunteers to fill the a number of committee positions including Scoring, Player Transportation, Caddies for the Pro-Am, Corporate Hospitality, Marshals and Volunteer Security. Each year more than 1,400 volunteers from within the host community contribute to the success of the CN Canadian Women’s Open.



TICKETS – DAILY, WEEKLY AND CLUBHOUSE PACKAGES

Tickets for the 2011 CN Canadian Women’s Open are now on sale with pricing as follows:

Junior Grounds Ticket (17 & under) FREE

Early Week Daily Grounds Ticket (Monday -Wednesday) $10

Anyday Grounds Ticket (Thursday-Sunday) $25

Weekly Grounds Badge $75



Family Pack $99

(incl. 4 Anyday tickets; 2 parking passes; a $20 food voucher; and a 15% merchandise discount coupon)



Clubhouse Single (Monday-Sunday, incl. parking) $150

Clubhouse 2-Some (Monday-Sunday, incl. parking) $250

Clubhouse 4-Some (Monday-Sunday, incl. parking) $475





ABOUT THE 2011 CN CANADIAN WOMEN’S OPEN

Stars of the LPGA Tour will challenge for the 2011 CN Canadian Women’s Open, with a US$2.25 million prize purse, from August 22 to 28 at the Hillsdale Golf and Country Club in Mirabel, Quebec. The CN Canadian Women’s Open is proudly sponsored by CN, CVS Controls Ltd., TaylorMade adidas Golf, Corona Extra, The Globe and Mail, Mike Weir Wine, The Glenlivet, BlackBerry, Delmar, LG, Reader’s Digest and CBC. For updated corporate hospitality, tickets, volunteer and sponsorship information please visit www.cncanadianwomensopen.com or call 1-800-571-LPGA (5742).



ABOUT CN

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.



GOLF CANADA—LOVE THE GAME. GROW THE GAME.

Golf Canada – a member-based organization governed by the Royal Canadian Golf Association (RCGA) – is the governing body of golf in Canada, representing close to 350,000 members at almost 1,500 clubs across the country. Recognized by Sport Canada as the National Sports Organization (NSO) for golf in this country, Golf Canada is responsible for promoting participation in and a passion for the game of golf in Canada.



Golf Canada actively conducts championships, programs and services to help shape the present and future of golf in Canada. High performance athlete development, National Golf in Schools, Golf Fore the Cure, the Canadian Golf Hall of Fame and Museum 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 under the respected RCGA brand.



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.