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TSN Senior Reporter

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A week ago, Ariya Jutanugarn was forced out of the Olympics with a sore knee. The pain was so severe that when the Thai golfer arrived in Calgary earlier this week, she came close to withdrawing from the CP Canadian Women’s Open.

But her knee responded and she elected to play. Turns out it was a good decision as the 20-year-old raced away from the field for a five-shot victory.

The victory was the fifth of the year for Jutanugarn, who has become the LPGA Tour’s most dominant player over the last five months, finishing out of the top 20 just once in that period. Her confidence has soared and her mammoth tee shots – usually played without a driver – have flown well down the fairway. For the week at Priddis Greens G&CC, she hit 50 of 56 fairways and averaged more than 270 yards in distance, a deadly combination that led to her win.

The latest title is much like the previous ones, captured with ease because of a relaxed and calm mind-set that frees Jutanugarn up on the course.

“After I won my first tournament, I feel like I reached my goal,” she told reporters after her round. “And after that I feel like I don't care what my ranking’s going to be. I don't care if I'm going to win the tournament or not. The only thing is I really want to be happy on the course. That's the only key I want to be right now.”

The $337,500 (US) she won is another way to stay happy.

The Canadian contingent, while not able to keep pace with Jutuanugarn’s brilliant play, was still impressive. And none more so than Alena Sharp, the veteran whose game has improved dramatically over the past two years. Her fourth-place finish was the best of her career and the best by a Canadian golfer in this event in the last 15 years.

“I can't really describe how great it feels to play this well in Canada because I have not played well at the Canadian Open in recent years,” Sharp stated. “And to come back here and miss the cut last time and then really dominate and kind of take a little bit back from the course that it took from me in 2009 [when the tournament was last held at Priddis] and be here in front of the hometown crowd, it's amazing. There's no better feeling to have.”

Two years ago, she set her sights on making the Olympic team and put a program in place to improve her game from all standpoints. The result was a more piercing ball flight, a wider array of short game shots, and a stronger belief in her abilities.

In short, her fourth-place finish is not a surprise but a result of a lot of hard work, and a win could be right around the corner.

Also blossoming this season has been Maude-Aimee Leblanc, who ended the week tied for 14th. After a string of six missed cuts and withdrawals early in the year, the Sherbrooke, Que., native has cashed a cheque in each of her last eight starts. The finish this week was her second best of the year.

“It means a lot to play good in front of everybody,” the six-foot-one, long hitter stated. “I mean, we have a lot of supporters this week, so it's nice to see everybody come out and support us. But yeah, I played good, but obviously there's some improvement I need to make.”

And the centre of attention, Brooke Henderson, the top-ranked Canadian, also finished tied for 14th. It was far from a normal week for Henderson, who managed to squeeze in tournament rounds between sponsor appearances, lengthy autograph sessions, and media requests.

“I don't think it was 100 percent,” said the Smith Falls sensation, “but it was really close to being really good, which is always fun. Canadian Opens, I haven't always finished my best here just because it's so busy and I have so many commitments and a lot of other things going on, but since I started when I was 14, I've just continued a little bit every year, which is always a good sign.”

The LPGA Tour will now travel east to Cambridge, Ont., to the second Canadian stop on the circuit, the Manulife LPGA Classic, where the spotlight will once again shine on the home-country players.