Final Field Announced For 2009 CN Canadian Women’s Open

• Stellar field to include Top 50 LPGA Tour money leaders; Top 20 players from Rolex Ranking; and 20 of 24 Solheim Cup competitors
• 11 Canadians and eight former champions set to compete
• Free admission all week for kids 15 and under
• Alberta Children’s Hospital Foundation to benefit as event’s community beneficiary

Calgary (RCGA) – The Royal Canadian Golf Association (RCGA) in partnership with CN announced today the final field of competitors set to challenge for the 2009 CN Canadian Women’s Open, August 31 to September 6 at Priddis Greens Golf and Country Club in Calgary.

In all, the field at Priddis Greens is set to feature the top 50 players on the current LPGA Official Money List including defending champion Katherine Hull, world number-1 Lorena Ochoa and current LPGA Tour money leader Cristie Kerr. The 2009 edition of Canada’s national women’s Open championship will feature one of the strongest fields in recent history as the top 20 players on Rolex Rankings are all set to compete.

Ochoa, Hull and Kerr headline a stellar cast that also includes fellow LPGA Tour stars Paula Creamer, Morgan Pressel, Christina Kim, Se Ri Pak, Natalie Gulbis, and Karrie Webb challenging for the $2.75 million (US) purse. Michelle Wie will make her third consecutive appearance at Canada’s national women’s Open championship and first as an official member of the LPGA Tour.

Priddis Greens will also welcome 20 of 24 Solheim Cup competitors including all 12 members of the winning U.S. Team. Kerr, Kim, Creamer, Gulbis, Pressel and Wie will also be joined by US teammates Juli Inkster, Angela Stanford, Brittany Lincicome, Nicole Castrale, Kristy McPherson and Brittany Lang as well as assistant captain Meg Mallon. Eight members of the European Solheim Cup team will compete including notables Suzann Pettersen, Helen Alfredsson, Catriona Matthew and Anna Nordqvist.

Led by Lorie Kane and Alena Sharp, the field will feature a total of 11 Canadians hoping to become the first Canadian to take home a LPGA title on home soil since Canadian golf legend Jocelyne Bourassa’s historic victory in 1973 at La Canadienne Golf Championship. Other Canadians include A.J. Eathorne, CPGA Women’s champion Jessica Shepley of Oakville, Ont. and Ashley Sholer of Hamilton who earned an exemption through the CN Canadian Women’s Tour.

Six members of Canada’s National Amateur Team will also challenge the worlds best led by Royale Cup Women’s Amateur and Junior Girls champion Jennifer Kirby of Paris, Ont. Kirby will be joined by fellow National Developmental Team member Nicole Vandermade of Brantford, Ont. as well as Team Canada members Stephanie Sherlock of Barrie, Ont., Sue Kim of Langley, B.C. and Maude-Aimee Leblanc of Sherbrooke, Que. Also competing at Priddis will be former National Amateur Team member Kira Meixner of Richmond, B.C. who turned professional two weeks ago.

Eight former champions of Canada’s only LPGA event will be in the field including Hull (2008), Ochoa (2007), Kerr (2006), Meena Lee (2005), Meg Mallon (2000, ’02, ’04) Laura Davies (1996), Inkster (1984) and Webb (1999), whose victory came 10 years ago when Priddis Greens last hosted Canada’s only LPGA Tour event.

“The field is set and we are looking forward to another tremendous showcase of the world’s best golfers,” said Tournament Director Sean Van Kesteren. “CN has committed to making the CN Canadian Women’s Open a first class event on Tour and the response from players has been fantastic with the top 50 on the LPGA Official Money List confirmed to compete. With the Alberta Children’s Hospital designated as the event’s official charity, we’re hoping Canadian golf fans will continue to show their support for the CN Canadian Women’s Open and help us raise even more money for children’s hospitals through the CN Miracle Match Program.”

Four spots into the 2009 CN Canadian Women’s Open are still up for grabs with the Monday Open qualifier scheduled for Monday, August 31 at the Calgary Elks Golf and Country Club.

The full field of competitors for the 2009 CN Canadian Women’s Open is available online at www.cncanadianwomensopen.com.

The 2009 CN Canadian Women’s Open will once again feature a week’s worth of family entertainment with kids age 15 and under admitted free all week with a ticketed adult. Juniors will also have the opportunity to take part in golf clinics and activities onsite through CN Future Links, Canada’s junior golf program.

The Alberta Children’s Hospital Foundation has been designated as the official charity of the 2009 CN Canadian Women’s Open. To date, the CN Canadian Women’s Open has raised almost $2 million towards children’s charities since CN began its title sponsorship of the event in 2006.

Tickets for the 2009 CN Canadian Women’s Open can be purchased online at http://www.cncanadianwomensopen.com/ or by calling 1-866-571-LPGA.

ABOUT THE 2009 CN CANADIAN WOMEN’S OPEN
Stars of the LPGA Tour will be featured at the US$2.75 million CN Canadian Women’s Open from August 31 to September 6 at Priddis Greens Golf and Country Club in Calgary. The CN Canadian Women’s Open is proudly sponsored by the Canadian National Railway Company along with event partners CVS Controls Ltd., TaylorMade adidas Golf, Corona Extra, The Globe and Mail, CE Franklin Ltd., Calgary Sport Tourism Authority, Safeway, Mexico Tourism, CBC, The Glenlivet, Bell, Reader’s Digest and local media partners Calgary Herald, Corus Entertainment and Global Calgary. For updated corporate hospitality, sponsorship opportunities, daily tickets, and volunteer information please visit www.cncanadianwomensopen.com.

NORTH AMERICA’S RAILROAD
CN – Canadian National Railway Company – spans Canada and mid-America, from the Atlantic and Pacific oceans to the Gulf of Mexico, serving the ports of Vancouver, Prince Rupert, B.C., Montreal, Halifax, New Orleans, and Mobile, Ala., and the key cities of Toronto, Buffalo, Chicago, Detroit, Duluth, Minn./Superior, Wis., Green Bay, Wis., Minneapolis/St. Paul, Memphis, St. Louis, and Jackson, Miss., with connections to all points in North America. For further information please visit www.cn.ca.

ABOUT THE ALBERTA CHILDREN’S HOSPITAL FOUNDATION
The Alberta Children’s Hospital Foundation raises funds for excellence in child health and family centred care. Through the generosity of donors, the Foundation provides funding for innovative family centred programs, state of the art equipment, advanced medical training and internationally recognized pediatric research. For more information please visit www.childrenshospital.ab.ca.

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 http://www.rcga.org/