Eileen Park Fires Opening-Round 67 to Lead PGA Women's Championship of Canada
SMITHS FALLS, Ont. – Seventeen-year-old Eileen Park put together a stellar opening round at Smiths Falls Golf & Country Club on Tuesday, carding a four-under-par 67 to take the first-round lead at the 39th PGA Women's Championship of Canada.
The Team Canada NextGen Team member recorded seven birdies, including five on the back nine, to move to the top of the leaderboard in the national championship, where the winner will earn an exemption into the 2026 CPKC Women's Open.
Although her score was among the best of her young tournament career, Park said she entered the day with a much simpler objective.
"Honestly, going into this round today, my goal was just to hit a lot of greens and putt it into the hole as much as I could," said Park. "I wasn't expecting a low round today but having such a good group and just having fun out there just made the game of golf easy."
Park was paired alongside fellow Team Canada team member Katie Cranston and credited the familiar pairing with helping create a relaxed atmosphere throughout the round.
"Playing with Katie is so much fun. I've played with her a couple of times already. Just having her beside me when we play, it's just so much fun. We talk, laugh and just yap."
After making the turn, the Red Deer, Alta, native caught fire, making five birdies over her final nine holes despite increasingly challenging conditions.
"During the windy times, I just tried to keep my game simple and safe," Park explained. "I took some aggressive lines on accident, which helped me a lot. Just having shorter clubs into the green made for easier birdie opportunities."
She finished her round in style by rolling in a birdie putt on the demanding par-three 18th.
"That last hole is a tough hole. There's water everywhere," she said. "I had a good number, so I was confident with it. I hit it to about 12 feet, pin high, and when I was going through my routine, I thought, 'Oh, this is going in.'"
Competing against a strong field of both professionals and amateurs, Park said she is embracing the opportunity to learn while also putting herself in contention for a national title.
"Obviously this field is pretty good. There are a lot of good players in this field. I'm just trying to learn from them as well, do my best and hopefully win."
Park's impressive performance was reminiscent of Michelle Xing’s win at the event in 2024, when she lifted the trophy at just 15-years old.
Kayla Black made only a single bogey on Tuesday to sit alone in second place, two back of the lead.
PGA of Canada professional Casey MacNeil shot even par and is the low professional. There is an addition $10,000 purse exclusively for PGA of Canada members.
PGA of Canada professionals are also competing for the Birdie Juice Birdie Race crown. The player with the most birdies this week among PGA pros will earn an additional $250. MacNeil and Madison Barber each made four birdies on Tuesday.
The championship continues Wednesday with the second round at Smiths Falls Golf & Country Club. Following 36 holes, the field will be cut to the low 30 professionals and amateurs (excluding PGA of Canada members) before the final round, where the overall champion will be crowned and one of the coveted exemptions into the 2026 CPKC Women's Open will be awarded, as well as a second exemption for the She Plays Golf Order of Merit leader.