Anna Huang’s CPKC Women’s Open debut was a turning point in her golf career.
She missed the cut last year in Mississauga, Ont., as a 16-year-old.
“I wasn’t really sure what I was doing with my life to be honest,” Huang recalled. “I wasn’t playing very well at that time. I’d missed four or five cuts in a row.”
While her Canadian countrywoman Brooke Henderson charged to victory, Huang headed to the putting green with caddie and coach Sean Burke.
“After I missed the cut, he spent the weekend just working on my putting a lot. We also worked on speed things, alignment,” Huang said
“I definitely would say that with all of the practice and help I got in Mississauga, that really affected what happened afterwards, which was really good.”
Within the month, Huang had won back-to-back tournaments on the Ladies European Tour.
The Vancouver teenager won again in May in Morocco, but her victory in the PIF London Championship on Aug. 9 set the women’s golf world abuzz.
At 17 years, 9 months, and 10 days, Huang became the youngest player to win four LET titles, beating the previous record held by New Zealand’s Lydia Ko at 18 years old.
Huang also defeated world No. 6 Charley Hull at the PIF London Championship, the English star’s home tournament.
So Huang returns to the CPKC Women’s Open this year in a much different headspace.
“I’m definitely a lot more confident in my game,” Huang said. “Last year when I played the Canadian Open, I had zero wins under my belt, and I was a rookie.
“This year, second year on tour, I’ve played six majors now, played many LPGA events. I just have a lot more experience. That’s just going to be a really big help.”
The $2.75-million US CPKC Women’s Open begins Thursday and returns to Edmonton’s Royal Mayfair Golf Club, where Ko won as an amateur in 2013 for her second straight Canadian title.
Huang is part of a wave of emerging teenage golf talent in Canada that includes Calgary’s Aphrodite Deng, who at 15 was the low amateur in last year’s event in Mississauga, tying for 20th at 4-under.
That was the highest amateur finish since Ko’s victory in 2013.
“Last year did kind of raise my expectations, knowing that I can perform and compete against the best in the world,” Deng said.
“I definitely feel like more confident and more comfortable out there knowing what to expect and playing in front of all the crowds again.”
Deng, who has committed to Stanford University, was the first Canadian to win the U.S. Girls’ Junior Championship in 2025.
Deng also defended her title in the Mizuho Americas Open in May and tied for 17th in the U.S. Women’s Open in June.
Both Huang and Deng earned sponsor exemptions into the CPKC Women’s Open, as did 16-year-old Clairey Lin of Langley, B.C.
Lin made it back-to-back wins for Canadians at the U.S. Girls Junior Championship this year. She’s also committed to Stanford.
“This group is doing things that have not been done before, like winning U.S. juniors and getting into U.S. Opens at a young age,” said Golf Canada’s NextGen coach Jeff MacDonald.
“I’m getting asked a lot of questions from college coaches and people in general, ‘what is going on in Canada right now?”‘
Defending champion Henderson of Smiths Falls, Ont., will be joined in Edmonton by fellow LPGA Tour Canadians Maude-Aimee Leblanc of Sherbrooke, Que., and Mississauga’s Savannah Grewal.
Canadian Golf Hall of Famer Alena Sharp of Hamilton, Vancouver’s Leah John, Calgary’s Tillie Claggett and Katie Cranston of Oakville, Ont., were sponsor invites as were amateurs Lauren Kim of Surrey, B.C., Toronto’s Vanessa Borovilos, Eileen Park of Red Deer, Alta., Michelle Xing of Richmond Hill, Ont., and three-time Canadian junior women’s champion Shauna Liu of Maple, Ont.
Huang chose the pro path early.
“I never really liked school to begin with,” she said.
That meant starting on the European tour, with the LPGA requiring golfers to be 18 or turning 18 to become a member.
The combination of loneliness and on-course struggles made her question her decision to turn pro last year, but life eventually improved both on and off the course, she said.
“When I played a little bit better and started to gain a little bit more confidence, and made a few more friends, everything just came back together, which helped me get my first win on tour,” Huang said.
Huang’s father Alex will caddie for her in Edmonton. He was on her bag for her four LET wins.
Upon her arrival in Alberta’s capital less than 48 hours after her London victory, Huang was surprised at her reception at a local club where she went to practice.
“I got recognized a lot, and it was really cool,” she said. “They were telling me they watched the final round on TV. I’m really glad they were able to see that.”
