CHUN FEELS HER TIME TO WIN HAS COME
Korean seizes lead at CP Women’s Open in Ottawa, while Henderson survives cut
Relax, people. Hometown favourite Brooke Henderson made the cut after two rounds of the Canadian Pacific Women’s Open.
On the downside, the 19-yearold LPGA Tour star from Smiths Falls, Ont., is nine strokes behind leader In Gee Chun at the Ottawa Hunt and Golf Club.
Chun put on another sparkling display Friday, shooting a 4-under-par 67 that gave the 23-year-old from Seoul a two-round total of 134 and a two-stroke advantage over her nearest pursuers.
Those would be a trio of Americans: Mo Martin (67), 2011 Canadian Open champion Brittany Lincicome (68) and Marina Alex (70).
“I made a lot of seconds this year,” said Chun, who has had four runner-up finishes in 2017, including one in the Manulife LPGA Classic at Cambridge, Ont., in June. “But I think it was a good memory and good experience, so I think I’m ready to win.”
Henderson scuffled on the way to a 3-over 74 on Thursday, but she showed off the inner fight for which she is well-known and worked her way inside the top70-and-ties cut line. Things got a little dicey when she bogeyed the par-3 eighth hole, but she smoked a mighty drive and even mightier 7-wood second shot to reach the green on the par5 ninth, and a two-putt birdie ensured the tournament’s featured star would remain on the inside of the gallery ropes for the weekend with a total of 143.
She was asked: Still think you can come back and win?
“Miracles do happen,” said Henderson, whose previous best finish in the Canadian Women’s Open was a tie for 14th last year at Priddis Greens Golf and Country Club near Calgary.
“I think that is probably a bit outside of my range, but I can still climb the leaderboard. I can still try to get my best finish ever at the Canadian Open, which was last year. That’s probably my main goal going into (Saturday).”
Of the other 13 Canadians in the field, only one also made the cut, and Brittany Marchand of Orangeville, Ont., is looking down the leaderboard at Henderson after carding a 67 that got her to 2-under 140 total.
“I was trying not to think about the cut,” said Marchand, a regular on the LPGA-affiliated Symetra Tour who received a sponsor invitation to play in this event. “But then once I made a few birdies, I knew, obviously.
“I basically said to myself, go out and make pars and, if the birdies fall, the birdies fall. A few of them started falling, and then I was like, I was going to make the cut, and I thought about it and played my own game.”
Lincicome has a well-deserved reputation as one of the LPGA Tour’s longest hitters, but it was a nifty touch around the green that got the 31-year-old into a share of second. From deep grass to the right of the 18th green, she lofted her ball over a bunker and onto the fringe, where it trickled a few paces past the cup. She drained the putt for birdie.
“I’m driving the ball pretty well,” said Lincicome, who beat Stacy Lewis and Michelle Wie by one stroke to win the 2011 tournament at Hillsdale Golf and Country Club in suburban Mirabel, Que.
“Some of these holes out here, there are a lot of bunkers that are right in my way, right in my landing zone, so we’re kind of being a little more aggressive than I feel like we probably should be.
“But so far, since I’m driving it well, we’re just going to keep doing it. I obviously have a lot more wedges in my hands (for approach shots) than most girls, so I need to take advantage of those.”
Martin said there were some difficult flag positions in both of the first two rounds, “but I think, playing in the morning, these greens are really pure, but they’re also so pure that they hold spike marks like straight up. So, yesterday in the afternoon, I had quite a few putts just dealing with spike marks. This morning, on the pure greens, I think it was just nice to have some clean runs at birdie.”
Exactly 70 players made the cut for the final two rounds. That did not include 12 Canadians: Maddie Szeryk (70) of London, Ont., Anne-Catherine Tanguay (73) of Quebec City, Jaclyn Lee (74) of Calgary, Augusta James (76) of Bath, Ont., all at 149; Maude-Aimee Leblanc (77–150) of Sherbrooke, Que.; Hamilton’s Alena Sharp (73–151); Orleans’ Grace St-Germain (72–152); Calgary’s Jennifer Ha (80–154); Hannah Hellyer (78–156) of Stirling, Ont.; Samantha Richdale (80–157) of Kelowna, B.C.; Naomi Ko (75–158) of Victoria, and Lorie Kane (81–161) of Charlottetown.
Henderson will tee off in the third round with Brittany Altomare (69) of the United States in the morning. Chun and Martin will be in the final group, scheduled to start in the afternoon.
I basically said to myself, go out and make pars and, if the birdies fall, the birdies fall.