Kim Hyo-joo Leads Charge as Korean Golfers Seek 7th LPGA Win of Season in Canada

Korean players on the LPGA Tour, who have been dominating the 2026 season, are challenging for a victory in Canada this week.

The CPKC Women's Open, which opens the day after tomorrow for a four-day run at the Royal Mayfair Golf Club (par 70) in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, is Canada's national title tournament that began in 2001, though its title sponsor has changed several times.

It was held as the CP Women's Open for a while before changing to the CPKC Women's Open starting with the 2023 tournament.

This is because Canadian railway giant Canadian Pacific (CP) merged with Kansas City Southern of the United States, changing the company name to CPKC.

This year's tournament boasts a total purse of $2.75 million (approx. 3.9 billion won), with a winner's share of $412,500.

In this tournament, Korean players will compete for the championship trophy against Nelly Korda (United States), who firmly holds the No. 1 spot in the world rankings.

While Haeran Ryu, who secured two major titles this season, will not participate, a strong contingent of Korean players including world No. 4 Kim Hyo-joo, 2019 tournament champion Ko Jin-young, Kim Sei-young, Choi Hye-jin, Lee So-mi, and Im Jin-hee will compete to claim the season's 7th combined victory.

Korean players have won six tournaments this season, including two wins each by Kim Hyo-joo and Haeran Ryu.

While this tournament represents Canadian women's golf, looking at past champions, New Zealand-born Lydia Ko holds many records.

Lydia Ko set a record by winning the 2012 tournament as an amateur at the Vancouver Golf Club in British Columbia, Canada.

She achieved back-to-back titles by winning the following year's tournament as an amateur at the Royal Mayfair Golf Club, and after turning professional, she reached the top again in 2015, collecting three wins at this tournament alone.

In last year's tournament, Brooke Henderson (Canada) won, upholding the pride of Canadian golf.

Henderson, who has 14 career LPGA Tour wins, will compete again this year to defend her title.

(Photo courtesy of KLPGA, Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.