Seymour Golf and Country Club Hosts First Stop on 2009 CN Canadian Women’s Tour

Canada’s only developmental golf tour for women kicks-off its ninth season

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NORTH VANCOUVER, B.C. (RCGA) - A stellar field of Canadian and international female golf professionals, as well as top female amateurs, will open the 2009 CN Canadian Women’s Tour season at the Seymour Golf and Country Club in North Vancouver, B.C., from May 24-26.

Scheduled Tour events include a practice round, 9-hole Pro-Am and 36-holes of competition. Earlier this season, CN and the RCGA announced some notable changes for the 2009 campaign. This year will see the total season prize money increased to $180,000 (CDN) while the total number of Tour events has been reduced from four to three.

With the total purse increase, each 36-hole championship purse will increase from $41,250 to $60,000 for the 2009 Tour season with each champion being awarded a $10,000 winners’ cheque.

“The 2009 CN Canadian Women’s Tour season is going to be our finest to date,” said Richard Kuypers, Tournament Coordinator, CN Canadian Women’s Open. “The new changes to the Tour, including the increase in the purse per tournament, will undoubtedly help to attract the best field of competitors to our championships.”

Players competing on the Tour will also earn points towards the CN Canadian Women’s Tour Order of Merit. The player with the most points at the end of the season will earn the Jocelyne Bourassa Player of the Year Award.

Another notable change to the upcoming championship season will include an additional exemption into Canada’s only LPGA Tour event for a total of seven exemptions. The winner from each of the three Tour events will receive an exemption directly into the CN Canadian Women’s Open, with the additional four exemptions being awarded based on the CN Canadian Women’s Tour Order of Merit standings.

The CN Canadian Women’s Open takes place August 31-September 6 at Priddis Greens Golf and Country Club in Calgary. After its stop at Seymour Golf and Country Club, the Tour will head to the Stanley Thompson designed Cutten Club from June 7-9 at in Guelph, Ont.; while Hillsdale Golf and Country Club in Mirabel, Que., will host the Tour finale from July 13-15.

PLAYERS TO WATCH
Many of Canada’s elite female golfers have used the CN Canadian Women’s Tour to hone their skills and develop as athletes both on and off the course. LPGA Tour member and Oakville, Ont. native Jessica Shepley as well as former LPGA Tour members Cindy Pasechnik of Calgary, Jennifer Wyatt of Richmond, B.C. and Jennifer Greggain of Rosedale, B.C. have used their experiences on the Canadian development circuit as a catalyst to future successes and will tee-it-up at Seymour Golf and Country Club for the first event of the 2009 CN Canadian Women’s Tour season.

“This year will be another great year for the Tour,” added Kuypers. “The strong field of players and the tough competition really makes this one of the premier women’s developmental golf tours in North America.”

This strong field of players confirmed for the first event also includes 2008 Tour sensation Sue Kim. The Langley, B.C., native and Canada’s National Women’s Amateur team member took last year’s Tour by storm with her back-to-back victories that earned her entry into the 2008 CN Canadian Women’s Open. Kim is one of Canada’s top junior golfers and for the 2008 season was awarded the Jocelyne Bourassa Player of the Year award.

Other notable Canadians confirmed for the first Tour event include National Women’s Amateur Team member Kira Meixner of Richmond, B.C. and National Women’s Developmental team members Jennifer Kirby of Paris, Ont., Anne-Catherine Tanguay of Québec, Que., and Rebecca Lee-Bentham of North York, Ont.

CN DELIVERS THE GREAT GAME OF GOLF
CN is proud to support golf in Canada and is pleased to bring the best of women’s professional golf to Canada with its title sponsorship of the CN Canadian Women’s Open and the CN Canadian Women’s Tour. In addition to supporting women’s golf, CN contributes to the development of golf among young people across the country through its sponsorship of the CN Future Links program. CN is pleased to work with the Royal Canadian Golf Association (RCGA) to help develop golf as a sport for women and juniors across Canada and to increase the accessibility of golf to recreational and competitive golfers. Visit www.cn.ca.

ABOUT CN CANADIAN WOMEN’S TOUR
Conducted by the Royal Canadian Golf Association (RCGA), the CN Canadian Women's Tour is one of the world’s premier developmental tours, attracting rising Canadian and international female golf professionals as well as top female amateurs. The only women's developmental tour in Canada, the CN Canadian Women's Tour will offer premier championship play at locations across Canada, competitive purses and the opportunity to earn exemptions into the CN Canadian Women's Open, Canada's only LPGA Tour event. LPGA Tour professionals such as Lorie Kane and Alena Sharp competed on the Canadian Women's Tour, and used their experiences as a springboard to future success. For more information about the Canadian Women’s Tour visit www.CNcanadianwomenstour.com.

ABOUT THE ROYAL CANADIAN GOLF ASSOCIATION
The Royal Canadian Golf Association (RCGA) is the governing body of golf in Canada, representing 377,000 members at 1,600 clubs across the country. Recognized by Sport Canada as the National Sports Organization (NSO) for golf in this country, the RCGA’s mission is to grow participation in and passion for the sport while upholding the integrity and traditions of the game. The RCGA conducts programs and services to help shape the future of golf in Canada. High performance athlete development, CN Future Links, Canada’s national junior golf program, turfgrass and environmental research, the Canadian Golf Hall of Fame and Museum, Rules of Golf and amateur status, handicapping and course rating are only some of the initiatives the association leads for golf in Canada. In addition, the RCGA conducts Canada’s most prestigious golf championships. The RBC Canadian Open and CN Canadian Women’s Open attract the best professional golfers in the world, while regional junior and national amateur championships showcase the best in Canadian golf.

For further information on what the RCGA is doing to support golf in your community please visit www.rcga.org.