Canada’s Maddie Szeryk puts in her best performance yet at the CP Women’s Open – National

Canadian Maddie Szeryk proved herself she could hold her own on the LPGA Tour.

Szeryk, from London, Ontario, had her best performance yet on the world’s top women’s golf circuit last week, finishing 26th at the CP Women’s Open. She finished Sunday’s national championship on an even par 71 at the Ottawa Hunt and Golf Club, finishing 9th overall.

“It’s really something special. I was definitely a little suffocated in 18th place, just by the crowd and everyone who came out and gave me such support,” said Szeryk, just a few steps from the grandstand surrounding the last hole of the course.

“It was really something special.”

Szeryk, 26, missed the cut in six straight tournaments to start her first full season on the LPGA Tour. She and partner Kristy McPherson of the United States placed 36th in the Dow Great Lakes Bay Invitational on July 13, earning $4,841 in winnings.

At the CP Women’s Open, she more than quadrupled and took home $19,701.

“I was hoping for a few more birdies, but overall it was a great week,” said Szeryk. “I’m really happy with the result.

“It was just great to have such a good week at the Canadian Open.”

Szeryk turned pro in 2018 and finished 35th in the LPGA Q-Series to earn a tour card that season. Her performance at the CP Women’s Open will propel her from 184th to 158th in the CME Globe rankings race and open up new opportunities to assert her Tour status.

She will be on the field at the Dana Open at Highland Meadows Golf Club in Sylvania, Ohio next week and will also play the rest of September’s events.

“It’s very nice because there were a lot of last-minute trips this year,” Szeryk said. “At least I know the next couple and can move on from there.”

Hamilton’s Alena Sharp (67) won the third Sandra Post Award of her career as the bottom Canadian at the national championship, finishing 17th with 10th. Like Szeryk, Sharp, 41, said it will be an advantage for her and could help her avoid having to qualify for the LPGA Tour again.

“When I make the cut at the Canadian Open, I usually do pretty well, so it was nice to get a good result here,” Sharp said. “That definitely puts me in the Q-Series, the final tier, so I don’t have to do Q-II, so that’s a big deal too.

“Hopefully I can keep that momentum going and not even have to do that.”

World No. 5 Brooke Henderson, 69, of Smiths Falls, Ontario, finished 5th in the 49th place. Amateur Lauren Zarestky (73), from Thornhill, Ontario, who starts Monday at Texas Tech, finished 75th with 1 over. Toronto’s Rebecca Lee-Bentham (72) finished 76th with 2 overs.