No Waterloo Region tournament on 2018 LPGA schedule

Brooke Henderson lines up a putt on the 18th green during the second round of the LPGA Classic at Whistle Bear Golf Club on Friday, June 9, 2017. (THE CANADIAN PRESS / Mark Blinch)

Any hopes the world’s top female golfers might return to Waterloo Region next year have officially been dashed.

The LPGA’s newly released schedule for 2018 makes no mention of the Manulife Classic, which was held locally from 2012 through 2017.

Grey Silo Golf Club in Waterloo hosted the first three years of the tournament. It moved to Whistle Bear Golf Club in North Dumfries for 2015, and remained there for 2016 and 2017.

The tournament’s status was placed in jeopardy earlier this year, when Manulife declined to renew its sponsorship agreement. A new title sponsor was never found.

With the Manulife Classic off the books, there will be only one Canadian stop for the LPGA in 2018 – the CP Women’s Open in Regina in late August.