Hamilton golf stars Hughes, Sharp will tee off for Canada at Tokyo Olympics

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Published June 29, 2021 at 7:44 pm

OAKVILLE, Ont. — Between Mackenzie Hughes and Alena Sharp, half of Canada’s Olympic golf team will hail from Hamilton.

Golf Canada and the Canadian Olympic Committee announced Canada’s team for the Tokyo Games on Tuesday.

Brooke Henderson, of Smiths Falls, Ont., and Hamilton’s Sharp will represent Canada in the women’s tournament for the second time. They represented Canada at the 2016 Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in the first Olympic golf tournament since 1904.

Henderson finished in a tie for seventh in the women’s individual competition, while Sharp was 30th.

Hughes (pictured), who is a Dundas native, and Corey Conners of Listowel, Ont., will represent Canada in men’s competition in Tokyo.

Henderson is a 10-time winner on the LPGA Tour and is currently the seventh-ranked golfer in the world.
The 23-year-old and former world No. 1 holds the record for most professional golf wins by a Canadian and has earned 59 career top-10 finishes since joining the LPGA Tour in 2015.

“I am honoured and proud to be a part of Team Canada this summer,” Henderson said in a statement. “I love representing my country and feeling all of the support of family, friends and Canadian golf fans back home.”

Sharp qualified for her second Olympic Games as the 136th-ranked player in the world. The 40-year-old has earned 14 career top-10 finishes since joining the LPGA Tour in 2005.

Conners is the 37th-ranked golfer in the world. The 29-year-old joined the PGA Tour in 2018 and has earned 13 career top-10 finishes including a victory at the 2019 Valero Texas Open.

“This is something that I’ve thought about for a long time — I’ve worked hard toward qualifying for one of the spots, and I’m just so proud to be part of Team Canada this summer in Tokyo,” said Conners, who finished tied for eighth at The Masters earlier this season.

Hughes, ranked 65th in the world joins his former Kent State college teammate Conners as an Olympic rookie. The 30-year-old Hughes joined the PGA Tour in 2017 and has 12 career top 10s including a victory at the 2017 RSM Classic.

The Tokyo 2020 Olympic golf competition will take place on the East Course of the Kasumigaseki Country Club. The men’s event will be contested July 29 to Aug. 1, while the women will compete Aug. 4 -7.

The Canadian Press

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