For the most part, everything feels normal at the Ottawa Hunt and Golf Club — this year's host of the CP Women's Open. But then you walk by a volunteer dressed as a referee, and then you walk by two more, and eventually there's the 17th tee box, surrounded by hockey boards. "The Rink" is a new addition to the tournament, an idea taken from the men's Canadian Open to bring that Canadian edge to a sport sometimes lacking in that department.
Fans surrounding the hole are meant to be boisterous and players are meant to have fun. Canadian superstar Brooke Henderson said she plans on wearing an Ottawa Senators jersey on 17.
It's a spot where three years of patience, coupled with a renewed interest in golf, will all be released. Canada's yearly LPGA tournament returns for the first time since 2019 on Thursday.