The inaugural Canadian Women’s Open was organized by the Royal Canadian Golf Association and held at Montreal Municipal in 1973, when home favourite Jocelyne Bourassa held off the challenge of Americans Judy Rankin and Sandra Haynie in a playoff. Back then it was a 54-hole tournament called La Canadienne and the format remained as three stroke play rounds of 18 holes for the first six years before it was changed to the present 72-hole set up.

Sponsorship from Imperial Tobacco Canada began in 1974 and the event ran for ten years as the Peter Jackson Classic before it became the du Maurier Classic. Canadian tobacco restrictions brought the Imperial patronage to an end in 2000 and this was also the year when the tournament lost its status as one of the LPGA’s four major championships in favour of the Women’s Open in Great Britain.

A number of different title sponsors have featured in the new millennium, starting with the Bank of Montreal in 2001. The Canadian National Railway company then came on board in 2006 and this arrangement lasted until 2013, with Canadian Pacific Railway taking over the following year. Prize money has risen from US$1,200,000 in 2000 to US$2,250,000 in 2019, with the winner receiving 15% of the prize pot.

The current Canadian Women’s Open trophy was designed in the UK by master craftsman Nicolas Winton, who has also produced trophies for the R&A and USGA. Two other awards are presented in addition to the trophy: the Canadian professional with the lowest score wins the Sandra Post Medal and the Canadian Amateur with the lowest score is given the Marlene Streit Medal.

Three women have won the Women’s Open three times: Americans Pat Bradley (1980, 1985, 1986) and Meg Mallon (2000, 2002, 2004), along with Kiwi Lydia Ko in 2012, 2013 and 2015. JoAnne Carner (1975 and 1978) and Brandie Burton (1993 and 1998) have each claimed two titles. After initial success in the competition in 1973, Canada had to wait all of 45 years until the next home win at Magna Golf Club, Ontario in 2018 with Brooke Henderson’s 4-stroke victory.

The Women’s Open has been held at St George’s Golf & Country Club on five occasions, with Beaconsfield Golf Club in Quebec and Vancouver Golf Club in British Columbia both hosting the tournament four times. It has also been staged three times at London Hunt & Country Club, Ottawa Hunt & Golf Club, and Priddis Greens Golf & Country Club.

A number of Canadian Women’s Open venues are not featured below. The courses at Montreal Municipal (1973) and Candiac Golf Club (1974) no longer exist and none of the following five layouts are currently listed in any of our Canadian provincial charts: Board of Trade – now the Country Club (1986), Cedar Brae (1976), Lachute (1977), Summerlea (1981, 2002) and Wascana (2018).