Many people have a childhood memory of reading through the Guinness World Records, finding out who had made record-setting marks in their favorite sport or held some obscure “World’s Most” title. Now, six LPGA Tour players have added their names to the Guinness files.
On Tuesday at Ottawa Hunt and Golf Club, two groups of three LPGA Tour players took to the par-3 17th hole in search of their place in Guinness World Record history. The goal? Make the most pars or better on a hole, set to at least 160 yards, in 3 minutes. LPGA Tour and Golf Canada Rules Officials were on site to ensure each hole was completed, not to mention an official Guinness World Records observer making sure the event met Guinness regulations.
First up, the trio of Megan Khang, Rebecca Lee-Bentham and Pauline Roussin, playing alternate-shot format, flew around 17 to complete five holes and set the Record. “We realized by the green that it was a pretty long hole, so we were just trying to come up with a strategy. We were like, okay, maybe we can do this probably, I would say four, five times,” said Khang. “Then I think it kind of hit. The pressure hit when it was like, okay, the horn blew and we were like, okay, we got to go, we got to go.”
Five holes was a short-lived mark, as A Lim Kim, Jennifer Kupcho and Alison Lee bested them with six completed holes and the official Guinness World Record. All six players will receive official plaques and recognition from Guinness World Records for their feats.
Click here for video from the Guinness Par 3 Challenge at the CP Women’s Open -
WORLD. RECORD. SET. 🏆@jenniferkupcho, @alisonlee and A Lim Kim set the @GWR for the most pars made in three minutes.@cpwomensopen | #CPWO pic.twitter.com/dtwgBwM1FP
“We lost the coin toss and so we had to go first, and I would like to think that we helped Alison, Jennifer and A Lim kind of see how to play the hole,” Khang joked. “But no, it was a ton of fun out there. There was some trash talking out there for sure. I mean, you don't realize how quickly three minutes goes.”
Preparing a golf course for a national championship like the CP Women’s Open takes a lot of work any given year, as Ottawa Hunt and Golf Club superintendent Eric Ruhs can attest. But on May 21, a storm in Ottawa Valley made those preparations even more difficult. The derecho, a straight-line storm with winds estimated at 75 miles per hours, brought down thousands of trees on the course.
“If you had asked me immediately after and for several weeks thereafter (if the course would be ready), there was a lot of doubt in our minds,” Ruhs said the day before the start of the 2022 CP Women’s Open. “But with a lot of support and a lot of help from not only our staff… we’ll be in premier tournament condition.”
For five consecutive days after the storm, the sound of 15 chainsaws could be heard clearing the damage. In total, 1,100 trees were removed and put to good use. According to Ruhs, some of the logs cleared had value and were sold, while the others were used to create some big piles of mulch.
“The volume of mulch was astronomical. Everything that could go through a tub grinder did,” Ruhs laughed. “One particular pile was 254 feet long and 28 feet high, and that was less than half the volume of mulch that we had.”
Ottawa Golf and Hunt Club was closed to members for over two weeks following the storm. But instead of staying home, the members traded their golf clubs for rakes, shovels and other tools to help with the cleanup effort.
“We had close to 100 members per day and on weekends 150 to 200 members per day come out to join us,” said Ruhs, who has been the club’s superintendent since 1987. “Clearly, they wanted their property back and there were a lot of emotions tied to the loss.”
After months of clearing trees and debris, the course is ready to welcome back the CP Women’s Open for the fourth time. The tournament was last played at Ottawa Hunt and Golf Club in 2017, when Canadian Brooke Henderson set the course record with a third-round 63, a mark that still stands, while Sung Hyun Park won the second of her seven LPGA Tour titles.
In the nine years of CP’s title sponsorship of the CP Women’s Open, more than $13.5 million has been raised to support children’s heart health in Canada via its CP Has Heart charitable program. The 2019 tournament marked the third time in six years that southern Ontario, this year’s host province, has hosted the CP Women’s Open, resulting in more than $5.5 million donated in the province: London (2014 – $1.3 million), Ottawa (2017 – $2 million) and Aurora (2019 – $2.45 million).
The main beneficiary of the 2022 CP Women’s Open is Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario (CHEO). Dedicated to the best life for every child and youth, CHEO is a global leader in pediatric health care and research. Based in Ottawa, CHEO includes a hospital, children’s treatment center, school and research institute, with satellite services located throughout Eastern Ontario. CHEO provides excellence in complex pediatric care, research and education.
Canadian legend Lorie Kane, who is playing in her 30th and final CP Women’s Open this week, is a long-time CP Ambassador. “It's all the great kids that I've met through the CP Has Heart program,” she said when asked about the highlights of her CP Women’s Open career. “Some of you may or may not know, but Kyle, who was an ambassador at Magna (Golf Club, the 2019 host venue), has passed. He was 20 years old. His mom shared with me that they would never have known the joy they had and the heart that was given to him at five months that they would have gotten 20 years. So those are more important to me than the almosts, the could haves.”
The 2022 CP Women’s Open will again feature the Birdies for Heart charitable program. For every birdie made at the par-3 15th hole during this week’s competition, CP will donate $5,000 to CHEO. The 2017 CP Women’s Open held at Ottawa Hunt and Golf Club saw 45 birdies over the four days of competition, for a total of $225,000.
For more, visit www.cpwomensopen.com/charity-information/ and www.cpr.ca/en/community/cp-has-heart