Taya Battistella Wins CN Canadian Women’s Tour Stop In North Vancouver

Past CN Canadian Women’s Tour champion earns exemption into 2009 CN Canadian Women’s Open

NORTH VANCOUVER, B.C. (RCGA) – Taya Battistella of Bend, OR outlasted the competition over two rounds, firing a final-round 1-over par 73 to win the season opening event on the 2009 CN Canadian Women’s Tour at Seymour Golf and Country Club in North Vancouver, B.C.

During today’s round, the 29-year old professional carded two birdies, three bogeys and 13 pars to sit even par for the tournament, giving her a slim two-stroke win over second place finisher, 27-year old Courtney Erdman of Altadena, CA.

The deciding factor for Battistella proved to be the last two holes, where she finished her round making clutch shots while Erdman had some difficulties finding the bottom of the cup.

Battistella hit a clutch 8-iron approach shot to 18 inches on hole No. 17. The shot proved to be the difference as Erdmun parred the 316 yard par 4 to go two-back with only one hole to go.

“Knocking it tight on (hole) 17 and making the birdie putt was key,” said Battistella. “It helped me to relax and took the edge off for the last hole. I just tried to keep the ball down the middle on the 18th; knowing par would be good enough for the win.”

Erdman saw two lengthy putts narrowly miss the cup, which could have changed today’s outcome.

“It just killed me to see those putts lip out on No. 17 and 18,” said Erdman, who shot a final-round two-over par 72. “I haven’t played a tournament in eight months as I’ve been busy teaching. But I thought this Tour would be a great way to try to qualify for an LPGA Tour event and I hope to grab a couple of top-10’s or a win so that I can play in the CN Canadian Women’s Open in Calgary.”

Erdman, who was a participant on the Golf Channel’s The Big Break: Ka'anapali in 2008, only plans to play professional golf on the Canadian circuit this year. She took home $6,996.36 (CAD) and 450 Order of Merit points for her second place finish.

Battistella took home top spot at the Canadian Tour’s western event in 2006 which was held at Duncan Meadows Golf and Country Club, located on Vancouver Island. The win earned her an entry into the 2006 CN Canadian Women’s Open held at London Hunt and Golf Club in London, Ont. where she tied for 70th.

With her win today at Seymour, she earned $10,000 (CAD) and an exemption into this year’s $2.75 million (US) CN Canadian Women’s Open, which will be held August 31-September 6 at Priddis Greens Golf and Country Club in Calgary. She plans to retire from professional golf after this season.

Seymour Golf and Country Club once again proved to be a formidable opponent; surrendering just a single round at even par or better (T3 - Ashli Bunch, Morristown, TN, 75-72-147 +3). Adding to the challenge was Mother Nature, whose early morning rain drizzles proved to be a factor for those with early tee-times.

The next stop on the CN Canadian Women’s Tour takes place June 7-9 at the Stanley Thompson designed Cutten Club in Guelph, Ont. Similar to each stop on the 2009 CN Canadian Women’s Tour, the championship will feature a purse of $60,000 including $10,000 for the winner as well as an exemption into the 2009 CN Canadian Women’s Open and coveted Order of Merit points.

Players competing on the Tour will 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.

Now in its ninth year, the CN Canadian Women’s Tour has established a reputation as one of the premier women’s developmental golf tours in North America. Many of Canada’s top professionals have competed on the Tour including Lorie Kane, Isabelle Beisiegel and Alena Sharp. Each event plays out over 36 holes. With close to 300 participants annually in three championships across the country, the CN Canadian Women’s Tour continues to raise the bar for women’s professional golf nationwide. More information about the CN Canadian Women’s Tour including a full listing of competitors, post-round results and championship start times are available through the CN Canadian Women’s Tour website at www.cncanadianwomenstour.com or Royal Canadian Golf Association website at www.rcga.org.

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.