LPGA Tour stars Na Yeon Choi, Paula Creamer, Lexi Thompson and Natalie Gulbis have confirmed their intention to challenge for the $2 million (U.S.) purse at the 2012 CN Canadian Women's Open running August 20-26 at The Vancouver Golf Club in Coquitlam.
Choi's confirmation comes on the heels of her victory last week at the U.S. Women's Open. Currently the No. 2 ranked player on the LPGA Tour's Rolex Women's World Golf Ranking, Choi is a six-time LPGA winner.
Joining Choi will be Paula Creamer, a nine-time LPGA winner and fan-favourite on the LPGA Tour. Currently the No. 13 ranked player on the LPGA Tour's Rolex Women's World Golf Rankings, the 2010 U.S. Women's Open champion has represented the United States on four occasions in the Solheim Cup.
Also confirming her intention to compete is teenage sensation Lexi Thompson, who, with a victory at the 2011 Navistar LPGA Classic, became the youngest winner in LPGA Tour history (16 years, 7 months and 8 days). Currently the No. 22 ranked player on the LPGA Tour's Rolex Women's World Golf Rankings, the 17-year old has made the cut in eleven of the twelve tournaments she's played in 2012 including a pair of top-five finishes.
The trio will be joined at The Vancouver Golf Club by another fan-favourite, Natalie Gulbis, who is currently the No. 90 ranked player on the LPGA Tour's Rolex Women's World Golf Rankings. Gulbis, a 1-time LPGA Tour winner, has represented the United States on three Solheim Cup teams.
"We are pleased to welcome Na Yeon Choi, Paula Creamer, Lexi Thompson and Natalie Gulbis to the field for Canada's National Women's Open Championship," said Sean Van Kesteren, Tournament Director of the CN Canadian Women's Open. "Our field is coming together over the next few weeks and should once again feature the world's best players competing for Canada's National Women's Open Golf Championship. Add to that the opportunity for British Columbia golf fans to enjoy world class golf and family activities onsite while helping to support the BC Children's Hospital Foundation through the CN Miracle Match program and there's great reason for the community to get excited about the 2012 CN Canadian Women's Open."
Choi, Creamer, Thompson and Gulbis will be joined at The Vancouver Golf Club by a number of previously confirmed LPGA stars including world No. 1 Yani Tseng, world No. 6 Suzann Pettersen, world No. 9 Cristie Kerr, defending champion and world No. 15 Brittany Lincicome, and world No. 49 Katherine Hull.
Women's World Amateur Golf Ranking No. 1 and teenage sensation Lydia Ko will also compete at The Vancouver Golf Club, alongside Team Canada athletes Jisoo Keel (16) of Coquitlam, B.C. and Brooke Henderson (14) of Smiths Falls, Ont., both of whom earned champion's exemptions into Canada's National Women's Open Championship by way of victories on the 2012 CN Canadian Women's Tour.
Canadian LPGA Tour players Lorie Kane of Charlottetown, P.E.I. and Alena Sharp of Hamilton, Ont. as well as LPGA Tour rookies Maude-Aimée LeBlanc of Sherbrooke, Que. and Rebecca Lee-Bentham of Toronto will also compete at The Vancouver Golf Club this August and look to become the first Canadian to win an LPGA Tour event on home soil since Jocelyne Bourassa in 1973.
A field of 156 competitors will vie for the $2 million CN Canadian Women's Open. The deadline for players to confirm their intention to compete at the 2012 CN Canadian Women's Open is Tuesday, Aug. 14th.
