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TSN Senior Reporter

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It’s not a surprise but it is, finally, official.

Brooke Henderson and Alena Sharp will represent Canada at the Tokyo Olympics, Aug. 4-7. Their positions on the team were made official after rankings closed following the final round of the KPMG Women’s Open on Sunday.

The two golfers did the same five years ago in Rio when golf returned to the Games after more than a century away. Henderson finished seventh while Sharp ended up in 30th spot.

“This year will be very different,” said Henderson, “a lot more strict, as it should be for COVID purposes, but I'm definitely honoured to go and be with Alena Sharp and represent Canada and hopefully this time play a little bit better, and hopefully one of us or both walks away with a medal.”

The two have been locks to play for Canada for some time, being the top players from this country on the Olympic Golf Rankings. Henderson finished inside the top five while Sharp was 40th. They were the only two Canadian players inside the top 60 of the ranking.

Henderson has a win and five top-10 finishes so far this season.  Sharp has been in a bit of a slump but played well last week at the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship, ending inside the top 25.

“I’m really excited to be playing again,” said Sharp. “I’m looking forward to representing Canada and wearing the red and white.”

Having been through the Olympic experience once will be a significant benefit, stated Sharp. The competition featured a lot of different practices. For instance, prior to tee off, a television camera was pointed inches away from each golfer’s face as they were introduced, a rather unusual and unnerving moment.

“It’s going to be a little easier knowing what to expect,” she added.

The women’s event will take at Kasumigaseki Country Club. Due to the pandemic, players will not be permitted to travel anywhere other than their hotel and the golf course. There will be little chance to bond with other Canadian athletes or take in other events, something the golfers did in Rio.

The two players will get some help on the course from men’s head coach Derek Ingram who visited the Japanese facility prior to the pandemic and will pass on his many observations of that trip as well as what he sees from the men’s event which will be held the week prior. Former LPGA Tour player and now caddie Mardi Lunn is familiar with the course and has also given notes on it to Sharp.

There will also be assistance provide by their caddies. Henderson has her sister, Brittany, on the bag while Sharp has her wife, Sarah Bowman, to guide her.

There is also the matter of five years of maturity as professionals. Henderson, who was just 19 in Rio, admitted she felt the pressure of playing for Canada and tried to do too much. She was tied for third after two rounds and tied for eighth heading into the final 18. Now older, wiser and more talented, she has put reaching the medal podium high on her list of goals, but will be better prepared to handle the attention.

“When I was a little girl, I always dreamed of being in the Olympics somehow, being an Olympian,” said Henderson. “I didn't know how I was going to get there, but then golf came back in, and I worked really hard to get on that team.”

While many of the best male players including Dustin Johnson, Tyrrell Hatton, Sergio Garcia and Louis Oosthuizen have opted out of playing in Tokyo, every top-ranked woman has committed. In Bee Park, Lydia Ko and Shanshan Feng, the gold, silver and bronze medalists respectively from five years ago, will all be in the field.

The American team will include sisters Nelly and Jessica Korda, Lexi Thompson and Danielle Kang, while Park, Jin Young Ko, Sei Young Kim and Hyo-Joo Kim will round out the powerful squad from South Korea. U.S. Open runner-up Nasa Hataoka will carry the colours for Japan.