Teens make their mark at CPKC Women’s Open, signalling bright future for women’s golf

The 2026 CPKC Women’s Open tournament in Edmonton set a positive tone for the future of Canadian women's golf. For the first time in its history, four players aged 18 or younger qualified for the event. Vancouver’s Anna Huang emerged as the standout performer, finishing tied for fourth at 12-under-par after securing the top Canadian position in the tournament on both of her attempts.

Calgary's Aphrodite Deng and Richmond Hill’s Michelle Xing, who turned 18 in July, also made the cut following two previous attempts. Meanwhile, 16-year-old amateur Clairey Lin made her tournament debut at a young age and finished 3 over par.

Canada’s women’s head coach, Salimah Mussani, expressed her enthusiasm for the young talent emerging from the country, stating that these promising players are the future of Canadian women’s golf. She likened them to Brooke Henderson, a Canadian golfer with 14 career wins and two CPKC titles. Henderson finished tied for 13th in the tournament, while praising the exceptional scores displayed by all the Canadian players.

Huang, Deng, and Lin have all committed to Stanford University, which holds a strong history in women's golf with three NCAA titles in the past five years. The trio, now part of Golf Canada’s NextGen women’s team, have vowed to support and motivate each other as they continue to grow and excel in their sport. Huang's European Tour wins and top-10 finishes in the tournament have garnered attention from the LPGA, leading to their inclusion in the FM Championship, starting at TPC Boston in Massachusetts.