A look back on 50 years of the LPGA in Canada, a former major championship that's still beloved

Gail Graham vividly recalls sitting on the edge of a bunker at the 1987 du Maurier Classic watching JoAnne Carner and Ayako Okamoto hit shot after shot with contrasting styles.

“I probably sat there for an hour, so starstruck,” she said.

Graham, who hailed from British Columbia, was low amateur that week in Quebec, and the experience helped solidify the notion that she could have a career on the LPGA.

It’s a story that has played out time and time again at Canada’s crown jewel event, which celebrates 50 years this week at the CPKC Women’s Open. For a long time, Canada’s biggest women’s event was an LPGA major, run by the first woman to win in 1973 – Canada’s Jocelyne Bourassa. It’s been inspiring the next generation ever since.

The tournament – which has had 10 different names over the years – was elevated to a major in 1979 and was stripped of it only because the government passed laws that forbade a tobacco company from advertising at sporting events. With du Maurier out and the stability of the event in question after 2000, the LPGA chose to instead elevate the Women’s British Open to major championship status.

“It was heartbreaking,” said Graham. “It was devastating, really.”

But the event rallied, returning in 2001 with a five-year deal with the Bank of Montreal. Though it was no longer a major, Canada’s Lorie Kane notes that players still thought of it as the tour’s fifth major, long before the Evian was given the status.

In addition to taking the event to the best courses around Canada, the CKPC also does the little things well that mean much to players, such as first-class food in player dining and a caddie shack that this year comes complete with a barber and masseuse.

This 2024 CKPC takes place for the first time at the Earl Grey Club in Calgary. There are 16 Canadians in the field of 156, and the purse of $2.6 million features a first-place prize of $390,000.

Here’s a look back on the history of one of the LPGA’s most important events: