She Plays Golf grows to Calgary, Greater Vancouver & Greater Toronto area in 2024

Professional women’s championship series and regional participation festivals mark the rebirth of an enhanced Canadian Women’s Golf Tour and national qualifying path into CPKC Women’s Open.

Championship series and participation festivals are set for Calgary, Vancouver, and Toronto in 2024 with a call for corporate support further expansion in 2025 and beyond.

Golf Canada is pleased to announce that She Plays Golf will expand to three markets in 2024. She Plays Golf was successfully piloted across Calgary as part of the Glencoe Invitational in 2023 and new events will also be conducted in Greater Vancouver and Greater Toronto this summer.

She Plays Golf is a citywide celebration of women’s golf anchored in each host market by a $60,000 CAD professional golf championship contested over 54-holes for a field of 60 professionals and elite amateurs. These enhanced championships – the Peloton Glencoe Invitational, GolfBC Group BC Women’s Open, and ORORO PGA Women’s Championship of Canada – will be newly linked together in a She Plays Golf Championship Series that marks the rebirth of a professional women’s golf tour in Canada.

For 2024, the top two finishers in each event from the She Plays Golf Championship Series will qualify for the CPKC Women’s Open on the LPGA Tour, set for Earl Grey Golf Club in Calgary from July 23-28, 2024.

Players will earn points for their finishes in the She Plays Golf Championship Series towards a series-long standings. The winner of the point standings following the ORORO PGA Women’s Championship of Canada will also earn qualification into the 2024 CPKC Women’s Open, if not otherwise qualified, and will be supported by Golf Canada’s Q school bursary program if they enter LPGA Q school in the fall.

Complementing the She Plays Golf Championships Series are concurrently held She Plays Golf Festivals, which feature inclusive programming for women and girls who are recreational golfers or exploring the sport for the first time. She Plays Golf Participation Festival events will take place at golf courses across the host city during the same week as She Plays Golf Championship Series tournaments.

“Increasingly, financial support for women’s sports in Canada is becoming more tangible. She Plays Golf will strengthen women’s golf in Canada in the same manner that PWHL showcases elite women’s hockey talent and Project 8 seeks to transform women’s soccer,” said Laura Wilson, Golf Canada’s Director of Inclusion Programs and Safe Sport. “We are eager for corporate partners and other organizations to invest and align their brands with She Plays Golf to support further expansion. The She Plays Golf Championship Series will provide more playing opportunities for Canada’s best female athletes, filling a void for women’s professional events in Canada, while She Plays Golf Festivals will connect women and girls to golf in a safe, welcoming, and non-intimidating environment.”

The 2024 She Plays Golf Championship Series will begin in Calgary, Alberta with the Peloton Glencoe Invitational from June 12-15 at the Forest Course at Glencoe Golf and Country Club. She Plays Golf Festival events for women and girls will be held concurrently across the city of Calgary at locations such as McCall Lake Golf Course, Blue Devil Golf Club and Golfuture YYC. Additionally, Glencoe will host U.S. Women’s Amateur Qualifying following the event on Monday, June 17.

The second stop in the 2024 She Plays Golf Championship Series will be the GolfBC Group BC Women’s Open, June 19-22 at Pitt Meadows Golf Club in Pitt Meadows, B.C. She Plays Golf Festival events will take place at select courses throughout the lower mainland. In addition, U.S. Junior Girls Qualifying will take place June 19 at Riverway Golf Course in Burnaby, on the date of the official practice round for the GolfBC Group BC Women’s Open. Juniors entered in the U.S. Junior Qualifier and the GolfBC Group BC Women’s Open may play their practice round on an alternate date.

The third and final event of the 2024 She Plays Golf Championship Series will be the ORORO PGA Women’s Championship of Canada, July 2-5 at a venue to be announced in the Greater Toronto Area. PGA of Canada members and touring professionals along with Canada’s top amateurs and juniors will compete for a national championship. She Plays Golf Participation Festival events will be held at various golf facilities throughout the Greater Toronto Area.

Open to professionals and amateurs from Canada and abroad, all three events in the She Plays Golf Championship Series are played over 54 holes with a cut after 36 holes. Each championship will see players compete for a $60,000 purse, WAGR points, and two qualifying spots into the 2024 CPKC Women’s Open.

Golf Canada is also creating turnkey resources to enable all 1600+ member facilities to run their own She Plays Golf Festival events. The resources will help local course operators attract new participants and ensure a fun and positive first golf experience for women and girls. The resources will draw inspiration from successful existing women’s programs from various parts of Canada, including Golf Ontario’s Women’s Try Golf program and Golf & Tacos in Western Canada.

Looking ahead to 2025 and beyond, Golf Canada and its partners will work to further expand the footprint of She Plays Golf to establish a nationwide series of professional championships and accompanying participation festivals. Canadian companies and organizations interested in further strengthening women’s golf across Canada – from grass roots participation all the way up to entry-level professional golf – are invited to get involved with She Plays Golf. 

Additional information about championship entry and festival schedule for each She Plays Golf event will be available in the coming weeks.