CALGARY — Alena Sharp finds it hard to believe she first competed at the Canadian women’s golf championship two decades ago.
Despite missing the cut at the 2004 Legends on the Niagara course in Niagara Falls, Ont., she gained valuable experience and has since seized every opportunity to tee it up at the annual event.
“It doesn’t seem like it’s been 20 years,” said the 43-year-old Sharp, who hails from Hamilton, Ont. “I remember when they announced my name on the tee and there was a lot of people there from Brantford where I grew up playing.
“I was just so nervous, I sniped it left into the rough. I made par on the hole, so I got underway.”
When Sharp tees off at Earl Grey Golf Club in the afternoon wave of golfers on Thursday at the 2024 CPCK Women’s Open, it will be her 19th appearance competing at the annual LPGA tournament.
“I’ve played so many great courses for the event and I’m just really happy to be there back in Calgary,” said Sharp, whose best finish at the Canadian championship was in 2016 at nearby Priddis Golf and Country Club where she finished fourth and cashed a cheque for $116,607.
Having played a couple practice rounds on Earl Grey’s Par 72, 6,856-yard layout, Sharp said that the course suits her game just fine.
“I grew up playing a tree-lined course playing Brantford Golf and Country Club, so it kind of reminds me of that,” said Sharp, who finished in a tie for 19th place last Sunday at the Dana Open at Highland Meadows Golf Club in Sylvania, Ohio. “The greens are all tilted, so it requires pretty precise shot making into the greens.
“It’s playing long right now. I’m not sure if it’ll firm up or not – definitely not getting any run on the drives yet. There’s a lot of mid irons into the greens, so you have to have some good trajectory to stop them.”
Fellow Canadian Brooke Henderson, of Smith Falls, Ont., agreed with Sharp that keeping the ball in play will be a priority to score well at Earl Grey.
“It’s in really good shape,” said Henderson, who will play in the early morning groupings on the opening day of the tournament. “The rough is very thick. It’s very important to hit a lot of fairways around here, I believe. I think we’re going to see some good scores, so hopefully get off to a fast start on Thursday and make a bunch of birdies.
“Just being able to go out and attack where you can and be smart-aggressive on holes where par is good.”
In addition to being able to rely on encouragement from Canadian fans in Calgary, Sharp will also have some family support in her entourage.
“It’s special for me this week,” said Sharp, who’s enjoying getting time to see her aunt Elly Piet and uncle Paul Denaghel. “(They) live here, so I get to see them, spend some time with them. I’m staying for a few days afterwards before I head over to Paris for the Olympics. I’m definitely feeling more at home here this week.”
Along with Henderson, Sharp qualified to represent Canada at the Paris Olympics as the top two Canadians in the world rankings when the qualification window closed in late June.
“I think it’s a different week because the Olympics are coming up and everybody has been congratulating me on making the team,” Sharp said. “Wherever we are in the country I feel like I’m at home. You don’t get that every week on the tour. We have a lot of support here and the volunteers are amazing.”
In addition to Sharp and Henderson, 15 other Canadians are among the field of 156 professional and amateur golfers who will take part in the four-day event.
“That’s pretty amazing,” said Sharp. “They’re really good and they hit it far. I think it’s just changed a lot since when I was a kid, so it’s nice to see that. I hope they have a good week this week. It’s an amazing thing to be able to play in your national Open.”
Ontario will be well represented at the CPKC Women’s Open as sisters Ellie and Maddie Szeryk, of London, will be joined in Calgary by Toronto’s Vanessa Borovilos, Brampton’s Brooke Rivers, Oakville’s Katie Cranston, Mississauga’s Savannah Grewel as well as Monet Chun and Michelle Xing, both of Richmond Hill.
Vancouver’s Anna Huang and Leah John are two of five golfers at the event from B.C. The others are Surrey’s Lauren Kim, Port Coquitlam’s Yeji Kwon and Delta’s Mary Parsons.
Quebec is represented by two competitors in Montreal’s Brigitte Thibault and Sherbrooke’s Maude-Aimee Leblanc.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 24, 2024.
Laurence Heinen, The Canadian Press