Canadian Women's Open


The Canadian Women's Open, currently branded as the CPKC Women's Open for sponsorship reasons, is a women's professional golf tournament managed by Golf Canada. It has been Canada's national championship tournament since its founding in 1973, and is an official event on the LPGA Tour.

History

Originally a three-round tournament for its first six years; it has been a four-round tournament since 1978. From 1979 through 2000, the event was one of the LPGA Tour's four major championships. In 2001, due to a loss of sponsorship as a result of Canadian law, its status was stripped, and was replaced by the Women's British Open, an existing event which was already a major on the Ladies European Tour.
In 2007 and 2008, it was the final "winner" event of the LPGA season—i.e., an event in which the winner earns an automatic berth in the LPGA season-ending championship, the LPGA Tour Championship. As of 2009, the LPGA no longer uses this system to determine players who qualify for the Tour Championship. From 2007 to 2009, the CWO was the third richest event on the LPGA Tour, behind only the U.S. Women's Open and the Evian Masters in France. The prize fund was reduced in 2010 and 2012, but the $2.25 million purse remains among the highest on the LPGA Tour.
In 2012, amateur Lydia Ko became the youngest-ever winner of an LPGA Tour event. At 15 years and four months, she surpassed the record set by Lexi Thompson at 16 years and seven months in September 2011. Ko's win also made her only the fifth amateur to have won an LPGA Tour event, and the first in over 43 years.
She successfully defended her win as an amateur in 2013, and won her third in 2015 as a professional.
In 2018 Brooke Henderson became the first Canadian in 45 years, and only the second ever after Jocelyne Bourassa won the inaugural event in 1973, to win Canada's national open.

Title sponsorship

The tournament was first known as La Canadienne, as the event was held in Quebec. In 1974, it was sponsored by Imperial Tobacco Canada, becoming the Peter Jackson Classic until 1984, after which it became the du Maurier Classic; both Peter Jackson and du Maurier are cigarettes within the Imperial Tobacco Canada umbrella.
From 1988, the tournament was officially titled the du Maurier Ltd. Classic due to advertising restrictions that came into force under the federal Tobacco Products Control Act; the sponsorship was officially with du Maurier as a company and not the du Maurier brand, as the law did not restrict manufacturers themselves from sponsoring cultural and sporting events.
In 2000, the tournament was threatened by new regulations prohibiting any tobacco advertising at sports and cultural events, requiring du Maurier to end its sponsorship. Organizers stated that they were having difficulties finding a sponsor, and could not assure that the event would be held again in 2001. Due to this uncertainty, the LPGA Tour stripped the du Maurier of its major status in favour of the Women's British Open.
In November 2000, it was announced that the Bank of Montréal would become the new sponsor under a five-year deal, renaming it the Bank of Montreal Canadian Women's Open. The bank declined to renew the sponsorship; in 2006, the Canadian National Railway became sponsor, renaming it the CN Canadian Women's Open.
In November 2013, the Canadian Pacific Railway took over title sponsorship of the Canadian Women's Open. Canadian Pacific also increased the purse to US$2.25 million. Canadian Pacific merged with Kansas City Southern Railway in 2023 as Canadian Pacific Kansas City ; CPKC inherited the sponsorship, and announced an agreement to renew it through at least 2026. The purse further increased to US$2.5 million.
  • 1973: La Canadienne
  • 1974–1983: Peter Jackson Classic
  • 1984–1987: du Maurier Classic
  • 1988–2000: du Maurier Ltd Classic
  • 2001–2002: Bank of Montreal Canadian Women's Open
  • 2003–2005: BMO Financial Group Canadian Women's Open
  • 2006–2013: CN Canadian Women's Open
  • 2014–2017: Canadian Pacific Women's Open
  • 2018–2022: CP Women's Open
  • 2023–present: '''CPKC Women's Open'''

    Winners

Winners since 2001; purses are fixed in U.S. dollars.
^ Since Ko was an amateur, runners-up Inbee Park in 2012 and Karine Icher in 2013 won the $300,000 winner's share.
Note: Green highlight indicates scoring records.
Winners when the event was a major, from 1979 to 2000
YearChampionCountryScoreTo parTournament
Location
2000Meg Mallon282−6Royal Ottawa Golf Club
1999Karrie Webb277−11Priddis Greens Golf & Country Club
1998Brandie Burton 270−18Essex Golf & Country Club
1997Colleen Walker278−14Glen Abbey Golf Course
1996Laura Davies277−11Edmonton Country Club
1995Jenny Lidback
280−8Beaconsfield Golf Club
1994Martha Nause279−9Ottawa Hunt and Golf Club
1993Brandie Burton277−11POLondon Hunt Club
1992Sherri Steinhauer277−11St. Charles Country Club
1991Nancy Scranton279−9Vancouver Golf Club
1990Cathy Johnston276−16Westmount Golf and Country Club
1989Tammie Green279−9Beaconsfield Golf Club
1988Sally Little279−9Vancouver Golf Club
1987Jody Rosenthal272−16Islesmere Golf Club
1986Pat Bradley 276−12POBoard of Trade Country Club
1985Pat Bradley 278−10Beaconsfield Golf Club
1984Juli Inkster279−9St. George's Golf and Country Club
1983Hollis Stacy277−11Beaconsfield Golf Club
1982Sandra Haynie280−8St. George's Golf and Country Club
1981Jan Stephenson278−10Summerlea Golf & Country Club
1980Pat Bradley277−15St. George's Golf and Country Club
1979Amy Alcott285−7Richelieu Valley Golf Club

Winners before the event became a major in 1979
YearChampionCountryScoreTo parTournament
Location
1978JoAnne Carner 278−14St. George's Golf and Country Club
1977Judy Rankin212−4Lachute Golf Club
1976Donna Caponi212−4POCedar Brae Golf & Country Club
1975JoAnne Carner214−5POSt. George's Golf and Country Club
1974Carole Jo Skala208−11Candiac Golf Club
1973Jocelyne Bourassa214−5POMontreal Municipal Golf Club

Multiple champions

Multiple winners as a major championship
Multiple winners of the event since 1973
ChampionCountryTotalYears
Pat Bradley31980, 1985, 1986
Meg Mallon32000, 2002, 2004
Lydia Ko32012, 2013, 2015
JoAnne Carner21975, 1978
Brandie Burton21993, 1998
Brooke Henderson22018, 2025

- denotes won tournaments as an amateur.

Champions by nationality

1 - 1995 du Maurier winner Jenny Lidback had dual citizenship at the time of her win.

Future sites

  • 2026 – Royal Mayfair Golf Club