August 29, 2022
Class I

Children, Paula Reto Win Big at CP Women’s Open

Written by Carolina Worrell, Senior Editor

CP presents CHEO Foundation with a check for $2.5 million. Pictured (left to right) are Steve Read, Acting President and CEO, CHEO; Dr. Jane Lougheed, Chief of Cardiology, CHEO Hospital; CP Ambassador, Lorie Kane; Aurora Amos, CP Child Ambassador for 2022 CP Women’s Open; James Clements, CP Senior Vice-President Strategic Planning & Technology Transformation; Laurence Applebaum, CEO Golf Canada; and CHEO bear.

Record attendance and incredible performances, including by big winner Paula Reto, during the Canadian Pacific (CP) Women’s Open on Aug. 28 helped CP raise $2.5 million to support the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario (CHEO) Foundation and $510,000 for 2022 CP Women’s Open community partner Perth & Smith’s Fall District Foundation, the railroad reported in a release.

According to CP, Reto, who hails from South Africa, finished 19 under par to take home her first Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) Tour win and the $352,500 winner’s share of the $2.35 USD million purse, one of the largest for a non-major on the tour.

Paula Reto of South Africa celebrates with the championship trophy following the final round of the CP Women’s Open at Ottawa Hunt and Golf Club on Aug. 28, 2022 in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. (2022 Getty Images)

“The CP Women’s Open returned to Ottawa with great fanfare and the best golfers in the world so that CP could raise funds to support CHEO’s important work and continue the legacy of giving to the communities where our employees live and work,” said CP President and CEO Keith Creel. “The Ottawa community and the world’s best golfers did not disappoint, and we are proud to be a part of this world-class tournament.”

“We congratulate Paula Reto on her masterful play to win the CP Women’s Open,” added Creel. “It was a tremendous week of golf, but more importantly, together we have made a significant contribution to CHEO Foundation and to eastern Ontario, a key province in our network. CP is proud to continue to make a difference in communities across Canada through CP Has Heart, our community investment program supporting heart health initiatives.”

The total donation, CP says, is the result of several fundraising efforts of the CP Has Heart campaign. Through CP Birdies for Heart, CP contributed for each birdie made by Ottawa Hunt and Golf Club members prior to the tournament and for each birdie made by LPGA players on the 15th hole during tournament play. According to CP, the railroad also matched all donations made during a CHEO campaign online during February, which is heart month.

CP Senior VP Strategic Planning and Technology Transformation James Clements (right) accompanied by CP Ambassador and Canadian golf legend Lorie Kane (left) present a donation to Margot Hallam, Executive Director of the Perth & Smiths Falls District Hospital Foundation on the final day of the CP Women’s Open at the Ottawa Hunt and Golf Club.

“When the generosity of this community, led by CP, turned enthusiasm and elite sport into care for young cardiology patients at CHEO, it became an inspiring reflection of what we can do when we work together,” said CHEO Foundation Acting President and CEO Steve Read.

On Friday, Aug. 26, the railroad celebrated CP Ambassador Lorie Kane’s “remarkable” golf career as she finished her 30th and final CP Women’s Open on the 18^th green of the Ottawa Hunt and Golf Club. Kane is moving on to compete on the Legends of the LPGA, the official senior tour of the LPGA, and will compete in senior women’s major golf championships.

“Lorie has made outstanding contributions to women’s golf and the community, including as a CP Ambassador,” said Creel. “We cherish Lorie for her contributions as a CP Ambassador since 2014, and I look forward to her continuing as a significant member of the CP team promoting CP Has Heart in the community.”

According to the railroad, Kane has established a reputation as a mentor to young female golfers, including fellow CP Ambassador Brooke Henderson. Since turning professional in 1996, Kane has recorded four career victories on the LPGA, accumulated 99 Top-10 finishes and sits 46th on the Career Money List with nearly $7 million in earnings. She has won five times on the Legends of the LPGA.

Lorie Kane pictured (left to right) with CP representatives, Mark Redd, Executive Vice-President Operations, James Clements, Senior Vice-President, Strategic Planning and Technology Transformation, Chad Becker, Chief of Administration and Corporate Events, and John Brooks, Executive Vice-President and Chief Marketing Officer, after completing her round Friday at the CP Women’s Open at the Ottawa Hunt and Golf Club.

On Aug. 24, Golf Canada announced that it has renamed its newly created recognition awards as the Lorie Kane Community Spirit Awards, which will “celebrate the commitments of individual leaders using golf as a platform to positively impact their communities.”

Off the course, Lorie was named a recipient of the Order of Canada in 2006–the highest honor for a civilian–and selected as a torchbearer for the 2010 Winter Olympic Torch Relay. She was inducted into the Canadian Golf Hall of Fame (2015) and Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame (2021).