A major blow to Canadian women’s golf

Suddenly there’s a new major, and while it can be argued about whether the LPGA needs a fifth one, the bigger issue is that the door appears to have closed on the chance of the Canadian Women’s Open regaining the status it once had.
Titleist Scotty Cameron Studio Select Laguna 2 Putter which the national women’s open is being played, said this week she “was a little bit hurt” hearing the new status accorded to the Evian Masters.
Knowing the 46-year-old LPGA Tour veteran, she was politely holding back how she really felt because to her, other Canadians on the Tour, those in this country who love the game, a dedicated title sponsor in Canadian National Railway, and to Golf Canada, it surely must have been tantamount to kicking someone for good measure when they’re already down.
It’s been 11 years since the Canadian Women’s Open had status as one of the LPGA’s four majors along with the Kraft Nabisco Championship, LPGA Championship and U.S. Women’s Open. The Canadian Open had been part of the family of majors from 1979 to 2000, the last year of du Maurier’s history as title sponsor because of federal government legislation banning tobacco companies from sponsoring sports events.
The Women’s British Open, already a major on the Ladies European Tour, was given what was taken away from the Canadian Open.
The Bank of Montreal and subsequently BMO Financial Group effectively replaced du Maurier from 2001 to 2005, and since 2006 the championship has worn CN’s colours.
All through the years since it lost the Titleist Scotty Cameron Studio Select Laguna 2 Putter , the tournament has remained one of the Tour’s premier championships and has got even better because of CN.
Kane has bled red for this country throughout her career on the on and off the golf course and in particular behind the scenes where she’s worked long and hard to remind all of the importance of the Canadian Women’s Open, women’s golf in general, and the overall health of the game in this country.
“I have lobbied hard and it’s really out of my control as to where it goes from here,” she said. “I don’t know what more we can do.”
What Kane knows for certain is this:
“You’ve got the strongest field of the year on a great course with a big purse with a sponsor who loves women’s golf, and more importantly a sponsor who is dedicated to leaving Titleist Scotty Cameron Studio Select Laguna 2 Putter behind,” she said, referring to the CN Miracle Match charity fundraiser of which this year beneficiaries are a pair of Montreal children’s hospitals.
“So it is a major?” Kane asked. “Sure it is.”
LPGA Tour commissioner Mike Whan addressed the issue when he met the media for the first time Wednesday. He suggested the “major” distinction might be redundant in case of this particular championship.
“I’ve said many times in certain cases, and I put CN in that case, if we put ‘major’ in front of this tournament, I don’t know much or what would change,” Whan said.
“Right now you look at the field and the course and the way the players feel about it and the history of
who has won Titleist Scotty Cameron Studio Select Laguna 2 Putter , I’m not sure you can be a whole lot better, you know?
“It’s so spectacular that it’s hard to think about it being better,” he added.
Whan’s right about just how big the Canadian Women’s Open is, but “spectacular” just doesn’t sound as good as “major.”
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