Nine members of Team Canada program set to join Brooke Henderson, Savannah Grewal, Alena Sharp and Maude-Aimee Leblanc in 13-player Canadian contingent along with other notable exemptions into the field for Canada’s National Open Championship
CPKC Women’s Open to benefit MacKids through CPKC Has Heart program
MISSISSAUGA, Ont. – Golf Canada and Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CPKC) today announced 13 players that have received exemptions to compete in the 51st playing of the CPKC Women’s Open, August 20-24 at Mississaugua Golf and Country Club in Mississauga, Ont.
Leading the way are nine members of Team Canada, including 15-year-old Aphrodite Deng of Calgary, Alta. Deng made history last month, becoming the first Canadian to win the U.S. Girls’ Junior Championship at the Atlanta Athletic Club in Johns Creek, Ga. The win was the third of the year for Deng, having previously won two junior titles earlier this season. Deng was victorious at the 2025 Junior Invitational at Sage Valley in April and the 2025 Mizuho Americas Open in May where she played alongside then world no. 1, Nelly Korda. Deng will be making her first appearance at the CPKC Women’s Open and is currently ranked No. 22 on the World Amateur Golf Rankings (WAGR).
Lauren Kim of Surrey, B.C. earned an exemption as the top ranked Canadian on WAGR at No. 17. Kim will compete in her third consecutive CPKC Women’s Open coming off a strong sophomore season at the University of Texas. Kim captured her second collegiate title at the Betsy Rawls Invitational in March and earned eight top 10 finishes last season. Kim also competed in the Augusta National Women’s Amateur (ANWA) for a second consecutive year, finishing T14 to tie the best-ever Canadian finish at the prestigious championship.
Anna Huang of Vancouver, B.C. will be competing in her second consecutive CPKC Women’s Open. The 16-year-old turned professional in January and earned status to compete on the Ladies European Tour for the 2025 season. Huang has competed in 11 events this season and has earned four top 20 finishes and one additional top 25 finish to date. In 2023, Huang helped Canada win its first-ever World Junior Girls Championship on home soil at Brampton Golf Club, an event where she finished T2 in the individual competition.
Vanessa Borovilos of Etobicoke, Ont. (No. 42 WAGR) will be competing in her third consecutive CPKC Women’s Open. The 19-year-old recently set the record for the lowest round of stroke play in the 125-year history of the U.S. Women’s Amateur Golf Championship last week at Bandon Dunes in Bandon, Ore. Borovilos also qualified and competed in the U.S. Women’s Open in May. Borovilos recently completed her first year at Texas A&M University, where she earned her first collegiate title at The Chevron Collegiate along with three additional runner-up finishes and was named to the SEC All-Freshman Team.
The foursome will join several other Team Canada teammates who earned exemptions through the She Plays Golf Championship Series. 14-year-old Clara Ding of White Rock, B.C. won the Golf BC Group BC Women’s Open and 16-year-old Shauna Liu of Maple, Ont., won The Peloton Glencoe Invitational. Both Ding and Liu will be making their first starts in an LPGA Tour event. Tillie Claggett of Calgary, Alta. booked her spot after winning the PGA Women’s Championship of Canada and Katie Cranston of Oakville, Ont. earned an exemption after finishing atop the Order of Merit standings for the three-tournament series. Cranston will be competing in her fourth consecutive CPKC Women’s Open, while Claggett will be making her debut in Mississauga.
Michelle Xing of Richmond Hill, Ont. recently earned an exemption for winning the 111th playing of the Canadian Women’s Amateur Championship, presented by BDO. The 17-year-old was the only player under par for the tournament and won the Duchess of Connaught Gold Cup by four shots. Xing will be making her second consecutive appearance in Canada’s National Women’s Open Championship after earning an exemption through the She Plays Golf Championship Series last year.
The nine members of Team Canada will join previously announced, 13-time LPGA Tour winner and the winningest golfer in Canadian history, Brooke Henderson of Smiths Falls, Ont. in the field for the CPKC Women’s Open. Additional Canadian LPGA Tour players competing as part of the 13-player Canadian contingent are Mississauga’s own Savannah Grewal, Alena Sharp of Hamilton, Ont. and Maude-Aimee Leblanc of Sherbrooke, Que.
Joining the Canadian contingent is fellow Canadian Women’s Amateur Championship winner, Yurang Li of Fullerton, Calif., who earned an exemption for winning the Canadian Women’s Amateur title in 2024. Li recently transferred to Baylor University ahead of her junior year after spending the previous two years at the University of Illinois. Li will make her first appearance at the CPKC Women’s Open.
A trio of international rising stars have also accepted tournament exemptions to compete at Mississaugua Golf and Country Club.
Carla Bernat Escuder of Castellón de la Plana, Spain will be making her professional debut at the CPKC Women’s Open. Escuder won the 2025 ANWA by one shot in her third appearance in the prestigious amateur championship. This season, Escuder has competed in four majors on the LPGA Tour and recently finished T58 at the AIG Women’s Open. She also won five collegiate titles and earned 14 top-fives, and 16 top 10 finishes during her time at Kansas State University.
Anna Davis of Spring Valley, Calif. will be making her third appearance in tournament history. Davis competed in both the 2022 and 2024 CPKC Women’s Opens and was the low amateur in both tournaments, finishing T39 and T56, respectively. Davis is entering her junior year at Auburn University where she has already won three collegiate tournaments. In addition, Davis won the 2022 ANWA and competed in the 2023 and 2024 tournaments in Augusta, Ga.
Soomin Oh of Ansan, South Korea will also be competing in Mississauga. The 16-year-old earned her exemption after winning the individual title at the 2024 World Junior Girls Championship at the Credit Valley Golf and Country Club, right next door to Mississaugua Golf and Country Club in Mississauga. Oh is currently ranked No. 12 on WAGR and has earned three titles in 2025 after winning five times in 2024. Oh won the Kang Min Koo Cup Korean Women’s Amateur in June for the second straight year and competed in her first ANWA in April.
“We are very proud to add these 13 incredibly talented players into our field for the 51st playing of Canada’s National Women’s Open Championship,” said Claire Welsh, Tournament Director, CPKC Women’s Open. “Our field is shaping up to be one of the strongest in recent years and we are excited to offer these Canadian and international rising talents an opportunity to compete alongside the best in the world on the LPGA Tour.”
There are four additional tournament exemptions to be awarded during the CPKC Women’s Open Qualifier on Monday, August 18 at Credit Valley Golf and Country Club.
The CPKC Women’s Open through CPKC Has Heart will once again leave a meaningful impact in the host community of Canada’s National Women’s Open Championship. For 2025, CPKC has selected MacKids, the arm of Hamilton Health Sciences Foundation dedicated to fundraising for McMaster Children’s Hospital, as the primary charity partner with a goal to raise more than $2.8 million in support of pediatric cardiac care initiatives from newborn to adolescent. In addition, Trillium Health Partners will be the community charity partner with CPKC generously matching donations up to $250,000 in support of Trillium Health Partners cardiac program equipment needs, with up to $500,000 expected to be raised.
Tickets for the 2025 CPKC Women’s Open are available here. Children aged 12-and-under get free admission with a ticketed adult.
