When the world’s best female golfers converge in Regina this August, years of hard work and dedication will pay off for Saskatoon’s Anna Young.
“It’s pretty exciting,” said Young, who has qualified for the CP Women’s Open, her very first LPGA Tour event, because of a sponsorship exemption.
“Obviously I want to play well, but you can't just decide to play well. There's a lot of other factors. My game's going in the right direction, so I'm just going to stick with the process and play it like any other tournament. But it will be an added bonus that it's in Saskatchewan."
The 24-year-old has been plying her trade on the Symetra Tour since 2016, a level just below that of that LPGA, while also competing on the APT Stars of Tomorrow’s professional mini tour.
The timing of the event, unfortunately, coincides with stage one of the LPGA’s Qualifying School, where golfers compete for spots on the tour. But the decision as to which event to attend wasn’t a hard one.
"It honestly wasn't a really big choice for me,” she said. “I called the LPGA, and just made sure I knew every possible option I had for status next year. And I know 10 years from now, I'm not going to ever regret playing the first LPGA event in Saskatchewan."
For Young, the opportunity to measure herself against the best women’s golfers in the world will be a motivating factor when she hits the course, but it won’t be the biggest factor.
"Just being able to be an inspiration to people, and kids who maybe want to play but aren't sure that they can do it,” she said. “I just feel like if I can get my name out there and inspire a couple girls or a couple younger guys to play, it's just going to do so much for golf in Saskatchewan, and that means a lot."
The CP Women’s Open begins Aug. 20 in Regina at the Wascana Country Club.
