CN and RCGA Announce Schedule for 2010 CN Canadian Women’s Tour

Six Tour exemptions available into 2010 CN Canadian Women’s Open; Tour now offers Paid Exemptions into LPGA Tour Sectional Qualifying and Duramed Futures Tour Eligibility

Oakville, Ont. (RCGA) – CN and the Royal Canadian Golf Association (RCGA) are pleased to announce the championship schedule for the 2010 CN Canadian Women’s Tour, Canada’s only developmental golf tour for women.

This season’s scheduled Tour events, which include a practice round, 9-hole Pro-Am and 36-holes of competition will be held May 5-7 at Quilchena Golf & Country Club in Richmond, B.C.; June 27-29 at Blue Springs Golf Club in Acton, Ont.; and July 11-13 at Club de golf Rivermead in Gatineau, Que.

A notable addition to the 2010 campaign is that the top three players on the CN Canadian Women’s Tour season-ending order of merit will be awarded direct entry and entry fees paid into both LPGA Tour Sectional Qualifying Tournaments (a $5,000 value each). As well, the champion of each CN Canadian Women's Tour event is eligible to compete in Duramed Futures Tour events for the remainder of the 2010 season.

Total season prize money for the 2010 season is $180,000 (CDN) for three events. Each 36-hole championship purse will be $60,000 with the champion being awarded a $10,000 winners’ cheque.

“This year the CN Canadian Women’s Tour season is going to be one of our best yet,” said Richard Kuypers, Tournament Coordinator for the CN Canadian Women’s Open. “The top three players on the order of merit will receive their fees into the LPGA Tour Sectional Qualifying Tournaments. This important enhancement to our Tour will undoubtedly help to attract the best possible field of competitors to our championships.”

The winner from each of the three Tour events will receive an exemption directly into the CN Canadian Women’s Open with the additional three exemptions being awarded based on the CN Canadian Women’s Tour Order of Merit standings.

Quilchena Golf & Country Club will open the Tour’s 2010 season, hosting their first RCGA sanctioned event, while Blue Springs Golf Club, a ClubLink property and home of the Canadian PGA, will be the Tour’s second stop of the season. The final tournament will be held at Club de golf Rivermead, past host to the Royale Cup Canadian Junior Girl’s Championship, Royale Cup Canadian Women's Amateur Championship, the CN Canadian Women’s Tour and the 1920 Canadian Open.

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. CN Canadian Women’s Tour alumnae Lorie Kane, Alena Sharp, Samantha Richdale, Jessica Shepley, Adrienne White, Lisa Meldrum and Cindy Pasechnik have all used their experiences as Canadians on the Canadian development circuit as a catalyst to future successes. Other CN Canadian Women’s Tour graduates include Yani Tseng, Russy Gulyanamitta and Mallory Blackwelder.

Player bios for golfers who regularly play in CN Canadian Women’s Tour events are now available online at http://www.cncanadianwomenstour.com/.

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 http://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. For more information about the Canadian Women’s Tour visit http://www.cncanadianwomenstour.com/.

ABOUT THE ROYAL CANADIAN GOLF ASSOCIATION
The Royal Canadian Golf Association (RCGA) is the governing body of golf in Canada, representing 352,000 members at 1,613 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/.