It’s as though the weather gods knew a major international spectacle was scheduled this week in Edmonton’s river valley. After record-setting rain fell on Alberta’s capital city for much of the summer, the sun has been shining the last few days, helping the Royal Mayfair Golf Club prepare its course for the world’s best female golfers. They’ve already descended on the private course situated along the North Saskatchewan River in the heart of the city, with a pro-am scheduled for Wednesday before the CPKC Canadian Women’s Open begins Thursday. Wade Peckham, the Royal Mayfair’s course superintendent, hopes the clear skies and warm temperatures continue all week. His grounds staff has been run off their feet all summer, like every area course, trying to keep up with all the rain that led to soggy conditions. While the greens and tees weathered the water thanks to internal drainage systems, the constant flooding saw seven complete bunker washouts and flooded fairways. “It was extremely hard on the staff,” Peckham told CTV News Edmonton on Monday. “A lot of my staff are younger; it’s their first jobs. They’re learning how to work, so there’s nothing harder than slinging sand back up a slope when it’s wet, and pumping water constantly.” There’s been recovery, though, Peckham explained, and the course has “come back really nice,” Peckham said. “This is the best stretch of weather Edmonton’s had, I think, in two months,” he said. “We got a little bit of rain last night, (but) it didn’t matter much. We’re ready to go.” Actually, they were ready on Friday, when the Royal Mayfair handed the keys to Golf Canada and the LPGA, followed by the first of the 156 golfers starting to arrive on Sunday to register. On Monday, most of the field was at the golf course for practice rounds. It’s the third time the Royal Mayfair has hosted the Canadian Women’s Open, all within the last 20 years, and fourth time it has been staged in Edmonton. The Edmonton Country Club held it first, in 1996, when England’s Laura Davies won at the west-end course. The four-round, 72-hole tournament began in 1973 and is an official annual stop on the LPGA Tour. This year’s prize purse is worth $2.75 million. Arguably one of the biggest draws for the Open is Brooke Henderson, the Ottawa native who won it last year in Mississauga, Ont. Her victory last summer marked just the third time in history a Canadian has taken it, twice by the 28-year-old herself. Henderson joined the LPGA Tour in 2015, has $14.9 million in career earnings along with 14 career wins, and has competed for Canada at the Olympic Games three times. New Zealand’s Lydia Ko won the Open in 2013, the last time the Open graced Edmonton, while Mexico’s Lorena Ochoa was victorious at the Royal Mayfair in 2007. The Royal Ottawa Golf Club will host the tournament next year. Top-ranked women’s golfer Nelly Korda headlines the field and is one of six Top 10 players who will compete at the Royal Mayfair, including HyoJoo Kim, Miyu Yamashita, Ruoning Yin, Hannah Green and Minjee Lee. So far this season on the tour, the 27-year-old Korda has won four of the 12 events in which she’s played. Matt Johnson, the president and chief operating officer of the Royal Mayfair, said organizers expect between 75,000 and 80,000 spectators over the four-day tournament. He told CTV News Edmonton it’s a “special opportunity” to see the very best in action. “The city should relish that, to see the world’s best do what they do in Edmonton once every 12 or 13 years,” he said. “What you’ll see here is how calm everything is and how quiet is around the players. They’re super focused. They’re not here to have a chat and learn more about you; they’re here to win. It’s their job, and we treat it that way, but it’s pretty interesting watching their habits and how they perform.” Tickets for the CPKC Canadian Women’s Open can be purchased through Ticketmaster. Henderson is one of 15 Canadians playing in the Open, including Albertans Eileen Park of Red Deer, and Aphrodite Deng and Tillie Claggett of Calgary. The trio received tour exemptions into the field as has the world’s No. 1-ranked amateur, Kiara Romero of San Jose, Calif. With files from CTV News Edmonton’s Jeremy Thompson
