September 1, 2023
RICHMOND, BC (PGA of BC) - From August 24-27, the world's greatest female golfers battled for the CPKC Women's Open title at Shaughnessy Golf & Country Club. Megan Khang captured her first career LPGA Tour win in thrilling fashion, defeating 2019 champion Jin Young Ko in a playoff after shooting 9-under-par over 72 holes. Khang had 33 career top-10s on the LPGA Tour before clinching this victory.
Shaughnessy Golf & Country Club and Golf Canada saw tens of thousands of golf fans come out to support the LPGA Tour players, who found the course to be a world-class test of their abilities. Ashley Zibrik, Host Professional and President of the PGA of BC said she is thrilled with and appreciative of the entire Shaughnessy team for their tireless efforts in putting on a phenomenal, successful event. Zibrik made history as the first female Host Professional in tournament history.
“This has been one of the best weeks of my career, hands down,” said Zibrik. “To see how hard every department worked and how much time and energy they have dedicated to this week has been awesome. We’ve all put in the most hours we have ever put in before but couldn’t be happier because it’s been so much fun. To showcase Shaughnessy to the world has been amazing and it’s something the team can celebrate for years to come.”
As the first woman to host the CPKC Women’s Open, Zibrik hopes she can set a precedent for the future and see other women consistently host the event.
“I’m incredibly proud. Growing up playing as a junior girl, you have hopes and dreams of playing on the LPGA Tour. To be able to host an LPGA Tour event is amazing,” said Zibrik. “What I would look forward to is not being the last woman to host for another 48 years. If we can continue to grow the number of women in our industry, that would make me even more proud.”
Brooke Henderson won the Sandra Post Medal as low Canadian, finishing the tournament at 2-under to tie for 13th. Canadian Alena Sharp also made the cut, ultimately tying for 36th.
“Fifteen competitors from Canada, it’s fantastic. To have about 10 per cent of the field from our own country, I think it’s only going to bring more and more junior girls out to play and become fans. To see the juniors here walking around with the players has been so, so good because that’s the future of golf. Canada should be really proud that golf is trending in an amazing direction with a ton of talent on tour,” said Zibrik. “We’re extremely happy to see one of our own members of Shaughnessy, Victoria Liu, earn her way into the tournament with an exemption from the Glencoe Invitational. What an experience for her! So even if all 15 aren’t making the cut, they’re getting the experience to play with the best of the best in the world, which is awesome to see.”
To learn more about the event, including the $3.5 million donation by CPKC for children’s heart health in BC, please visit the Golf Canada recap available here. To see the full leaderboard, please click here.
This week, the LPGA Tour takes on its second A.V. Macan-designed course in a row with the players competing at Columbia Edgewater Country Club in the Portland Classic. For the full leaderboard, please click here.
