Marc DesRosiers/ Front Page Media

The 4th round of play at the CN Canadian Women’s Open in Mirabel, Quebec had 3 players sharing the lead going in, including defending champion Michelle Wie.

Michelle Wie in the 4th and final round of the CN Canadian Women's Open Tournament at the Hillsdale Golf club in Mirabel, Quebec. Photo By Marc DesRosiers/ Front Page Media

With Wie vying for another win, that should have been the main topic of conversation but many discussions that morning centered around Irene, the hurricane that, although downgraded to a tropical storm, was scheduled to sweep over the area later in the day. The decision was made to move up the start times to try and avoid the worst of the weather that was moving in. Despite that decision, the winds remained a major issue and shortly after 11 a.m., the rain also became a factor.

While many players stated that these were some of the worst conditions that he had ever faced, the caliber of play remained high. Several players came in under par and in the case of Stacy Lewis (Woodlands, TX), her score of 67 was the best of the day; and put her in contention for the win, finishing the tournament with a 12-under total.

Paula Creamer off the tee at the Canadian Women's Open at the Hillsdale golf club in Mirabel, Quebec on Sunday August 28th, 2011. Photo by Marc DesRosiers/ Front Page Media

Also starting the day at 12-under were the 3 leaders: Tiffany Joh (San Diego, CA), Michelle Wie (Honolulu, HI), and Ai Miyazato (Okinawa, Japan). Being the last group to tee off in the morning meant that they got spend the most time in the rain. Michele Wie, the defending champion held strong, finishing in second place, tied with Stacy Lewis at 12-under for the tournament. “It was a hard day. I don’t think I played on more difficult conditions ever” she stated. Asked about her take on the week, she said that she felt good and took away a lot of positive, and feels good to be back in contention again.

Another fan favourite, Paula Creamer (Mountain View, CA), decked out in her fabulous pink attire, did her best  to maintain or improve on her 8-under position going in, but fell back by two, ending the day with a score of 74, giving her a 6-under result for the tournament and sharing the 18th position with 4 other players. This was her first time in the region; we certainly hope her next visit will be under more favourable conditions.

Brittany Lincicome charges ahead in the 4th and final round of the Canadian Women's Open at the Hillsdale golf club in Mirabel, Quebec. Photo by Marc DesRosiers/ Front Page Media

The day belonged to Brittany Lincicome (Seminole, FL) who started the day at 11-under and improved her position to 14-under at one point, ending the day with a score of 70, giving her a 13-under par result for the win. Expecting the day to be difficult and scores to be high, her focus was to  “take one hole at a time, don’t get ahead of yourself and don’t think of the outcome” she said. Lincicome did not know she had won until after playing the 18th hole, when her caddy  A.J. Eathorne let her know. She had not looked at the leader board the whole day. “There was one (scoreboard) on 17 green, and I literally took my umbrella and put it in front of me and walked straightforward so I wouldn’t see it because it just makes me nervous” she said.

There were a few tense moments on the 18th hole when her ball got caught is the crosswinds and landed in the hospitality tent area, far off to the left of the fairway . She was entitled to a free drop away from the temporary obstruction and proceeded to play for par, ending the tournament at 13-under for the win.

Lincicome takes home $337,500 US for the victory and moves to fifth place on the LPGA money list.

Canadian Maude-Aimee Leblanc, the leading canadian going into the final round with an 8-under position, finished even after a difficult day on the course, She ended  the day at 80 and tied in 49th position for the tournament.

Maude-Aimee Leblanc struggled in the 4th round but still made a great impression with her 8-under par position going into the final round. Photo by Marc DesRosiers/ Front Page Media.