REGINA – An early bogey may have been a good thing for Canada’s Brooke Henderson at the CP Women’s Open on Thursday.

She attacked the Wascana Country Club course with a vengeance after the early hiccup, firing six birdies over seven holes at one point en route to a 6-under-par 66 that left her two shots off the first-round lead.

“It was really solid today,” Henderson said. “I got off to a little bit of a shaky start with a bogey on the first hole but I made a ton of birdies today and that’s always a really good sign.”

Colombia’s Mariajo Uribe, Thailand’s Ariya Jutanugarn and Japan’s Nasa Hataoka shared the course record by opening at 64. American Angel Yin and Nanna Koerstz Madsen of Denmark were one shot back.

Henderson was joined at 66 by three-time CP Women’s Open champ Lydia Ko of New Zealand, Australia’s Minjee Lee and several others. Victoria amateur Naomi Ko was in a group at 68.

Uribe was in one of the opening threesomes and set the early tone by trimming a shot off the course record.

“It’s nice to start with a bogey-free round to actually see my golf game getting to where I know it is,” Uribe said. “It’s going to be a good week.”

Jutanugarn matched her score about an hour later. The world No. 2 opened with four straight birdies and had just one blemish with a bogey on the par-4 16th hole.

“Today my goal was (just) don’t worry about the future too much,” she said. “Don’t think about what I’m going to shoot today. Just try to focus on things I can control.”

Several players went low in the morning as they took advantage of ideal weather conditions. Hataoka and Henderson were two of the afternoon standouts.

Preferred lies were in effect on the 6,675-yard course. Greens were playing firm and fast and there was only a light breeze in the heat and sunshine.

Henderson was hitting the ball long off the tee and left a few strokes out there. She missed a seven-foot par putt on the 11th hole and settled for par on the 12th after missing an eight-footer.

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Playing in a group with top-ranked Sung Hyun Park and Anna Nordqvist, Henderson moved back up the leaderboard with back-to-back birdies on the 14th and 15th. She saved par on the 17th hole after a nice up-and-down from the sand and just missed an eight-foot birdie putt on No. 18.

The course seems to set up well for the 20-year-old from Smiths Falls, Ont. If her short game is on point, Henderson could be in the mix on the weekend.

Another hot day was in the forecast for Friday but the wind was expected to pick up.

“I think this course is meant to be windy, so I think some holes can kind of play in your favour that way,” Henderson said. “It’s just going to be a challenge for the whole field.

Have a day @brookehendersongolf! The Smiths Falls, Ont. native trails the lead by 2 after the first round #CPWO

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“Hopefully I still hit the ball in good places, give myself a lot of birdie looks and hopefully capitalize.”

Nordqvist, from Sweden, and Park, from South Korea, were at 2-under 70 in a group that included Maude-Aimee LeBlanc of Sherbrooke, Que., and Anne-Catherine Tanguay of Quebec City. Alena Sharp of Hamilton and amateur Celeste Dao of Notre-Dame-de-l’Ile-Perrot, Que., opened at 71.

There are 16 Canadians in the field. Play will continue through Sunday at the US$2.25-million tournament.

Charles Fitzsimmons of London, Ont., and Todd Fanning of Winnipeg shared the previous course record at Wascana. They posted rounds of 65 at last year’s Canadian men’s mid-amateur championship.

Saskatoon’s Anna Young will never forget her first 36-holes on the LPGA Tour.

The 24-year-old won’t make the cut at the CP Women’s Open in Regina on Friday but overall, she said the experience “was awesome.”

Young fired a 3-over, 75 to cap her first ever Tour event at plus-9. She said her second round went better than her first 18 holes on Thursday.

“I started off a little better. My putting has been solid the last couple days which I’m proud of because these are different conditions than what I normally play on the Symetra and Mini-Tour so I’m proud of myself for adapting to that,” she said.

For the second day in a row the back nine holes at the Wascana Country Club caused Young all kinds of trouble. She was 3-under par on the front nine holes over her two days and plus-12 on holes 10 to 18. Young said she was more familiar with the front leading up to the event.

“I was much more comfortable playing off the front nine because I was only allowed to play the front more often,” she explained. “I hit a lot more shots on the front this week leading up to the event and that showed.”

Despite missing the cut and not playing on Saturday and Sunday Young said taking part in the tournament fulfilled a life-long dream.

“It’s been an awesome experience talking to the media, it’s been a real cool experience and good preparation for the future. It’s been so much fun signing autographs, I love playing golf for me, but I also like to aspire younger kids,” she said.

Young will now fly to Siuox Falls, South Dakota on Monday and play in the next Symetra Tour event. Following that she will continue to play events on a “week to week” basis.

Brett Henry put up the best score among the handful of Saskatchewan golfers still in the field at the Canadian Mid-Amateur Championship in Victoria, B.C. on Thursday.

The Prince Albert product stroked a 1-over, 71 bringing his three-round total to 217. Henry’s score leaves him in 16^th place heading into Friday’s final round of the event at the Victoria Golf Club. He opened with a birdie on hole one but ran into trouble with a trio of bogeys in a row on holes three, four, and five. Henry managed to sprinkle three birdies into his best round of the 72-hole tournament.

Humboldt’s Mike Herperger continued his solid showing as well shooting a 2-over, 72. He sits in a tie for 17^th.

Regina’s Travis Fifi, who was once as high as fifth in the event dropped back to a tie for 31^st after posting an 11-over, 81 in round three. Shawn McNall of Regina played well carding a 73, he’s in a tie for 45^th and Saskatoon’s Shaun Dunphy shot a 6-over, 76. Dunphy sits in a tie for 60^th.

Victoria’s Saare Adams leads the tournament at 3-under par, the winner receives an exemption into the 2019 RBC Canadian Open.

Round four tee offs begin at 7:30 a.m. Pacific time. Online scoring is available here.

Anna Young’s first round in the LPGA will be remembered as a tale of two nines.

Young, 24, teed off on the back nine holes first at the Wascana Country Club for the CP Women’s Open Thursday showing signs of nerves until the turn. Young shot 45 through the first half of her debut round but found her game on the front nine holes shooting 2-under par dropping her score to a respectable plus-6, 78. The Saskatoon product admitted the first nine holes were a struggle.

“I was a little bit nervous,” she said after the round. “Sometimes when nerves kick in you lose a little feeling and I forgot my swing thoughts. It was the first shot of the Canadian Open and right now that’s something that’s important to me is to feel my swing. I forgot it on the first one and thought, I need to remember that.”

She certainly found her game during the latter portion of the round including knocking down a trio of birdie putts in her last five holes. Young said she identified what was causing her to pile on strokes during the opening nine holes.

“It wasn’t so good at the beginning, I figured out what I was doing and came back on the back which feels pretty good. The front nine was rough so I had to do something about it,” she said.

She will have some work to do on Friday if she hopes to make the cut and play on the weekend. Young said she wasn’t aware of the rest of the 156 player’s scores instead just focusing on her own round. She tinkered with some mechanics halfway through which also brought her score back to a competitive level.

“Tempo is a big thing I work on, especially in tournaments. That is what I was focused on, but I realized that my tempo was quick, but it was a shorter swing. I was leaving the face open and as soon as I realized that everything went better,” she said.

She won’t have much time to rehash her first 18 holes, Young will tee off in the first group Friday at 7 a.m. along with fellow Canadian Brittany Marchand and Daniela Iacobelli.

Prince Albert’s Bobbi Brandon feels she can do more in her second round of the CP Women’s Open at the Wascana Country Club in Regina.

The Moon Lake Golf and Country Club professional qualified for her second career LPGA event on Monday at the Royal Regina Golf Club. She said just getting a chance to play in her first tour event since 1998 was special.

“I was super excited,” she told Golf Saskatchewan after round one at the Wascana. “It looked more and more possible as the numbers got lower. I have been working on my game leading up to the qualifier and I knew if I put something solid together I knew I’d have a chance.”

Brandon teed off in one the early groups on day one of the 72-hole event playing with Jessy Tang and Jackie Stoelting. Stoelting’s caddy is the 2018 Saskatchewan senior men’s champion Rick Hallberg. Brandon said she wasn’t jittery ahead of the round but did have trouble finding the fairway.

“It was nice seeing a lot of familiar faces, I wasn’t actually that nervous either which was good. I just couldn’t get it going, I struggled off the tee which was unfortunate because my swing felt pretty good. I’m not happy with the score and maybe tomorrow I can fix the kinks and put something together that will feel better,” she said.

Brandon shot an 11-over, 83. As of press time she was sitting 100^th overall. Making Friday’s cut will be a challenge, but she said there are still positives to take out of the experience.

“I know I have a good score in me, I want to see what I can shoot on this course. It’s been super fun, and everyone’s been super supportive. I appreciate it,” she said.

Brandon will tee off for round two Friday at 12:37 p.m. with the same two players.

Saskatchewan will have five players stick through cut down day at the Canadian Mid-Master Championship including Travis Fifi who sits in fifth place halfway through the event.

Fifi shot a stellar 3-under, 67 on Wednesday allowing the Regina product to climb to fifth on the leaderboard at 1-under par. Fifi only carded one bogey during the round to go along with four birdies including holes one and two.

Joining Fifi for rounds three and four will be Mike Herperger, Brett Henry, Shaun Dunphy, and Shawn McNall. Herperger, the Saskatchewan mid-amateur champion bounced back from a 5-over, 75 on Tuesday with a 71 to sit at plus-6. He’s in a tie for 33^rd place. Prince Albert’s Henry is also in 33^rd after carding his second straight 3-over, 73.

Dunphy and McNall are in a logjam at 58^th, both are 9-over par, one stroke ahead of the cut line. McNall was even on Wednesday, Dunphy shot 2-over.

Dave Stewart posted an 11-over, 81, the Saskatoon product finished at plus-13. Colin Coben finished at plus-15, Mitchell Matichuk is 16-over. Brad Phelps will finish the tournament at plus-17, Ken Rodgers was 18-over. Scott Thompson shot his second straight 81 to finish at plus-22, Taylor Afseth was plus-31, and Jason Mohr carded a 10-over, 80 to finish the event at plus-25.

In the inter-provincial competition Saskatchewan finished in sixth place at plus-17.

Scorecards and Thursday’s tee times can be found here.

On the eve of the CP Women’s Open at Regina’s Wascana Country Club, Golf Canada’s boss is expecting a fantastic event.

Laurence Applebaum is nearing the one-year mark of his tenure as the chief executive officer for Golf Canada and his second LPGA event in the country. Applebaum was in the position last year when the tournament was held in Ottawa. He said Wednesday during a media conference alongside LPGA commissioner Mike Whan at the Wascana Country Club that expectations are high for the first ever event in Saskatchewan.

“It’s obviously Wednesday of this year, but I already feel all of our metrics for the CP Women’s event 2018 is going to exceed. It’ll be a record on many, many fronts here, so I’m excited about this week. I’m excited about 16 Canadians in the field. I’m excited about our prospects for a great weekend,” Applebaum said.

Among the 16 Canadians in the field are Saskatoon’s Anna Young who was exempted into the event via a sponsorship. Moon Lake Golf and Country Club professional Bobbi Brandon got in through the Monday qualifier at the Royal Regina Golf Club. Young is making her debut, Brandon played an LPGA event in 1998. Applebaum was part of a media day event in early June. At that time the Wascana was facing some challenges but Applebaum said the grounds crew and staff have worked tirelessly to get the course into ready shape.

“The CEO and general manager, Greg Dukart, is here. Just what his team has been able to do in the last 60 days in a challenging. It’s a challenging weather environment and a challenging summer, they’ve put their hearts and their minds, and they’ve put their resources into making this a great event,” he said.

Brandon will tee off at 7:22 a.m. in a group with Jesse Tang and Jackie Stoelting. Young is playing in a group with fellow Canadian Brittany Marchand and Daniela Iacobelli, they will tee off on hole 10 at 12:15 p.m.

Regina’s Travis Fifi and Saskatoon product David Stewart are the low shooters for local golfers on day one of the Canadian Mid-Amateur Championship in Victoria, B.C.

Fifi and Stewart both shot opening round scores of 72 leaving them in a tie for 23^rd. Prince Albert’s Brett Henry sits in a tie for 39^th position at plus-3. Saskatchewan mid-amateur champion Mike Herperger of Humboldt is in a tie for 63^rd place after carding a 5-over, 76.

Colin Coben is in 81^st place after firing a six-over, 76, that leaves the Saskatchewan Golf Hall of Famer in a tie for 23^rd in the mid-master (40 +) division.

Shaun Dunphy, Brad Phelps, and Mitchell Matichuk are all in a log-jam at plus-7, they are in 90^th place. Phelps also qualifies in the mid-master division, he is tied for 30^th.

Ken Rodgers fired an 11-over, 81, the Regina golfer is in a tie for 135^th, in the mid-masters he’s 44^th.

Shawn McNall is tied for 117^th at plus-9, Scott Thompson is in a tie for 135^th at plus-11. Jason Mohr and Taylor Afseth both shot 85, their 15-over leaves them in a tie for 151^st.

Saskatchewan sits in sixth place in the inter-provincial competition.

Online scoring and Wednesday’s tee times are available here.

Saskatoon’s Anna Young is ready for her “dream to come true.”

The five-time Saskatchewan Amateur Women’s champion is preparing to play in her first ever LPGA event, fittingly in her home province. Young, 24, received a sponsorship exemption into the CP Women’s Open earlier this season. Speaking at a media conference Tuesday at the Wascana Country Club, she said the event is a moment she’s been waiting a long time for.

“It’s pretty awesome, I am so excited to be here. My first LPGA event in my home province, this is a dream come true,” Young said.

She won her last provincial amateur event in 2015, following her amateur career she turned professional and currently plays on the Symetra Tour in the central United States. She has two professional wins on her resume. Young said she is familiar with the Wascana course growing up in Saskatchewan but seeing the club set up for a Tour event is neat.

“I am so excited to be here, it’s really cool to see the stands and everything. I’ve come up a couple times to play the course and familiarize myself. It’s really cool to see it as normal and now there is stuff everywhere, it’s really cool,” she said.

Prince Albert’s Danny Klughart is caddying for Young during the event. The two became good friends in their early teens playing junior golf events together in Saskatchewan. Klughart is missing the Canadian Mid-Amateur Men’s Championship this week to honour a long-time pact between the two.

“We would travel to tournaments, our parents were friends, so we travelled together,” Young said. “We became pretty good friends and I always joked that he was going to caddy for me at my first LPGA event and now he is.”

Young will play in the Pro-Am on Wednesday teeing off at 10:30 a.m. The first round of the tournament begins Thursday morning. She said she’s looking forward to testing her game against the world’s best.

“When I was a junior I played in women’s events, when I was an amateur I played pro events. I jumped one step ahead just to try and get ready. It’s nice I will finally get a chance to compare my game to the best in the world and see how close and how far I am and what needs to be better,” she said.

Young hopes her Saskatchewan roots are beneficial, she said the wind can cause some players some trouble. She hopes that’s an advantage through out the week. She said whatever her result is in the Open, she’s thankful her debut is in her home province.

“Saskatchewan is a very supportive province, I’ve had a lot of people come up to me and tell me they are rooting for me,” she said.

You can hear Young’s complete media conference audio below.

Wascana Country Club superintendent Chad Fawcett is being honoured for his work ahead of the 2018 CP Women’s Open.

On Tuesday, Fawcett was presented with the National Tournament Recognition Award. The 33-year-old has supervised the grounds crew for four seasons in Regina. He said receiving the award was a nice touch.

“It’s pretty special,” he told reporters at the CP Women’s Open media centre. “A lot of work has gone into this. This year in particular with the tough year we’ve had, it hasn’t been the easiest year to grow grass. To host an event like this makes me and my staff feel pretty proud.”

Fawcett oversees a crew of 17 seasonal staff and five full-time, year-round employees. This week he will utilize approximately 10 volunteers. The crew does have experience hosting marquee events, last year the Canadian Mid-Amateur Men’s Championship was held at the Wascana. Fawcett said the course will play similar.

“The rough got a little longer this year just because mainly we had a little more precipitation. A little more fertilizer went on the golf course this year just to spruce it up a bit. Playing conditions will be similar, the greens should be the same firmness as last year,” Fawcett said.

The CP Women’s Open features 89 of the top 100 golfers on the LPGA Tour and will be broadcasted in over 200 countries. The course could be showcased to upwards of one billion viewers. Fawcett said having the Wascana featured throughout the week is exciting to him and the entire staff.

“it’s going to be pretty amazing to everyone. We don’t know what to expect when we see it on television. The golf course itself is different from what you see on tv on a weekly basis. I don’t think there is very many golf courses like this one,” he said.

Tuesday featured the player’s practice round. The second Pro-Am will take place on Wednesday. The tournament will start Thursday morning with the champion being crowned on Sunday afternoon.