Maddie Szeryk of Canada tees off on the 13th hole during the pro-am at the LPGA CPKC Canadian Women's Open golf tournament, in Vancouver, on Wednesday, August 23, 2023. After a down year, Canada will double the number of Canadians on the LPGA Tour in 2024. Szeryk and Alena Sharp will return to the top women's professional golf circuit next year and Savannah Grewal will make her debut after all three qualified at the LPGA Tour's Q School last week. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck

After a down year, there will be more than double the number of Canadian golfers on the LPGA Tour in 2024.

Maddie Szeryk and Alena Sharp will return to the top women's professional golf circuit next year and Savannah Grewal will make her debut after all three qualified at the LPGA Tour's Q School last week. They'll join world No. 12 Brooke Henderson and Maude-Aimee Leblanc on tour.

"That'll be really cool to grow on the women's side and have more players out on the LPGA Tour every single week," said Henderson before Szeryk, Sharp and Grewal had confirmed their status. "It's been really fun to watch the men's side of Canadian golf, they've been playing amazing with four wins on the PGA Tour last season, which is really cool.

"Hopefully something similar like that can happen on the LPGA Tour in the next few years."

Henderson of Smiths Falls, Ont., and Szeryk of London, Ont., were the only two Canadians on the LPGA Tour last season after Leblanc of Sherbrooke, Que., missed most of the year with an injury.

Szeryk is also happy to see ranks of the Canadian contingent swell in 2024.

"It's so great to see that, that there's going to be more Canadians out there," said Szeryk. "We all feel the support from each other and build off of that, so that will be really nice to have more."

Henderson maintained her LPGA Tour membership thanks to her end-of-season ranking and Leblanc will return on an injury exemption. Szeryk had to re-earn her LPGA Tour membership through Q-School after finishing the 2023 season just outside of the rankings threshold.

She tied with Hamilton's Sharp for 38th at the third stage of the qualifying format.

"A lot of relief that the week was over. It was just a stressful week," said Szeryk with a sigh. "Obviously, you want to be on the LPGA and play as best as you can.

"I think I'm just relieved and excited that I get to play out there again next year, because that's really the dream."

Grewal, from Mississauga, Ont., was the top Canadian at Q-School after she tied for 10th at 18 under. She turned professional in November after playing U.S. collegiate golf at Clemson. It is a requirement for all golfers to turn pro before entering the third stage of Q-School.

"Honestly, my goal is to be rookie of the year," said Grewal, who made three starts on the LPGA Tour as an amateur. "I want to go out there and hopefully play some good golf."

The 22-year-old Grewal will be the youngest Canadian to make her LPGA Tour debut as a professional since Henderson, now 26, turned pro in 2014.

HUGHES UP — Mackenzie Hughes of Dundas, Ont., has benefited from Jon Rahm's defection to the Saudi-founded LIV Golf. Rahm was formally suspended by the PGA Tour "due to his association with a series of unauthorized tournaments," which removes his name from the FedEx Cup's eligibility points list. That moves Hughes up from No. 51 to No. 50, and makes him eligible for all seven of the PGA Tour's US$20 million signature events in 2024.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 12, 2023.

News from © The Canadian Press, 2023