Alena Sharp Blog: "CN Canadian Women's Open"

All year I look forward to playing in the Canadian Women's Open. I feel like this is a major tournament. It is not listed on the schedule as a major, but in my heart it will always be. CN has taken over the tournament and they do a wonderful job.

This year the tournament was in Ottawa at the Ottawa Hunt Club. I arrived in Ottawa on Sunday night after a restful week at home. Monday morning I participated in the Women's Only Pro-Am. This was a great time and I played with four women who could have some fun but also play well at the same time. We were on fire early in the round eagling the first hole and finishing the front nine at seven under. Unfortunately, we hit our wall and could only make two birdies on the back nine.

Tuesday, my manager had me lined up to do a live interview on CTV for their noon newscast. After the interview I headed to the practice tee to get some work done before I headed out on the golf course for a practice round. Tuesday night was the pairings party. I came back to the golf course for the party and to talk with some of the amateurs from the Pro-Am. I had lots of laughs and really enjoyed myself.

Before I knew it Wednesday rolled around and I played in the Pro-Am with Jerry Boland from CN. We had a blast. Laughed all day and our team covered their bet against another team. I also had a press conference where the Media was all over me about my Toronto Maple Leaf head cover. I said I would carry an Ottawa Senators head cover for the week if someone would bring me one, just to support the local flavor. Wednesday night my parents came into town and we all enjoyed ourselves with some good Italian food.

Thursday was game time. I was ready to tee it up. I had a pairing that made me feel like a midget as well as old. I was 6 inches shorter then either one of my playing partners as well as 8 years older. I was happy with how I played and finished the first round one under.

Friday came very early as I was the first tee time, but I was happy to have some fresh greens. Also I knew the weather was coming in the afternoon and did not have to worry about getting my round in before the bad weather hit. I played decent and was at even par for the tournament. It was nice to be able to relax in the afternoon and know I did not have to get up early to finish my round. I was well inside the cut line and that also made me happy. That night CN had a party slated on the agenda. Some of my friends came along with my parents. The party was a 70's theme. My parents could not get off the dance floor all night and it was such a fun party. There was a hairdressing area, "tattoo" area, Harley bikes for photos, a candy store, burger joint, ice cream shop, and grill cheese sandwich's being ironed by a very large lady. Everyone enjoyed themselves. I don't know how CN will out do this party. People were raving about it on Saturday at the course. It is nice to relax and have some fun during a big tournament such as the CN Open. 

The weather on the weekend was windy and the greens became dry, firm and faster. I did not play great but I felt like I did not play badly. The most memorable thing from the weekend was the putt I made on the 72nd hole on Sunday when everyone was waving little Canadian flags. My third shot into the par 5 18th was a little left and spun even more left. I was had a 45 foot putt. As I walked onto the green I received a large cheer. It was a great moment. I looked at my putt from both sides. I picked a line and went with it. It had about 6 feet of break. As soon as I hit it the crowd started to cheer. The ball started curving and my arms started raising. The crowd got louder and louder as the ball got closer to the hole. All of a sudden the ball disappeared and the crowd went wild as well as me. I threw my putter up and my caddy and I high fived. It is a putt that I will never forget. I would have loved to see a replay of it, but my memory will not be lossed.

Overall, the week was such a success. Looking back, I realize that this year was much more difficult than last year. Last year I went out and played and no one really knew who I was. This year I felt a little more pressure from the media and I think I put too much pressure on myself on the weekend. But I held my own. I would have liked to finished better but that is the game of golf. You rarely get what you want. But the putt on the 18th green is something I will never forget!!

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