Savannah Grewal is still getting used to playing on the LPGA Tour, including normalizing playing in majors.
Grewal, from Mississauga, Ont., is in her sophomore season on the top women's golf circuit in the world and is one of three Canadians in the field at this week's Chevron Championship, the first major of the year. Grewal said that after playing in three majors in 2024 she's learned to take them as just another round of golf.
"I feel every tournament on the LPGA is still a little starry-eyed for me in a sense because this has been my dream since I was eight-years-old and I'm living out my dream," said the 23-year-old Wednesday during a weather delay during her practice round at The Club at Carlton Woods in The Woodlands, Texas. "It's always going to be fun and exciting for me, so I think that's something that hasn't necessarily changed.
"I think my approach to things, whether it's a major or whether it's not a major, is I try to go into the tournament with the same mindset because I think the moment you try to make it bigger than what it actually is or make it into this huge thing is when you add external pressure to yourself."
Grewal played in three majors in her rookie LPGA Tour season, missing the cut at the Chevron Championship, the KPMG Women's PGA Championship, and the Amundi Evian Championship. Although Grewal made the cut at eight of her final nine tournaments last year to finish 97th on the LPGA Tour's points list, she had to qualify for the 2025 Chevron Championship based on her performance so far this year.
"It feels like honestly an honour," said Grewal. "I wasn't guaranteed to be in this event this year, so it feels good to have been able to play my way into the event.
"Any time you get to compete in a major, it's really special because that's the kind of tournament everyone wants to go out and win. It's also what most people are remembered for, right? How many majors did they win? What did they do in the majors?"
Grewal has played in four events this season, making the cut at the Blue Bay LPGA on March 6, the Ford Championship on March 27, and the JM Eagle LA Championship on April 17.
"(There have) just been some little things here and there that I want to improve on," said Grewal of her season so far. "You're always striving to improve and to get better, so I definitely feel like it's headed in the right direction.
"I just haven't felt like I've seen myself put together four rounds yet. If I'm able to do that, it'll feel a little more like a success."
Grewal will be joined by Brooke Henderson of Smiths Falls, Ont., and Hamilton's Alena Sharp on the Jack Nicklaus Signature Course this Thursday. Henderson is 42nd on the Race to CME Globe points list, Sharp is 104th and Grewal is 107th.
U.S. WOMEN'S OPEN — Vancouver's Leah John earned a spot in this year's U.S. Women's Open, the third major of the year, after tying for first in a qualifying round at Del Paso Country Club in Sacramento, Calif. on Monday. John will be making her major debut on May 29 and will be playing in her second career LPGA Tour event, having played in the CPKC Women’s Open last summer in Calgary.
The national team member from Vancouver fired rounds of 65-70 (135) to finish at 7-under for 36 holes and earn one of three spots available along with her former University of Nevada teammate Gabby Kano. John became overwhelmed with emotion once she finished her second round, knowing she secured her spot.
EPSON TOUR — Josee Doyon of Saint-Georges, Que., is 23rd on the Race for the Card points list heading into Friday's first round at the IOA Championship. She'll be joined on the Champions Course at Morongo Golf Club at Tukwet Canyon in Beaumont, Calif., by Maddie Szeryk (25th) of London, Ont., Monet Chun (40th) of Richmond Hill, Ont., Yeji Kwon (77th) of Port Coquitlam, B.C., Brooke Rivers (98th) of Brampton, Ont., and John (unranked).
PGA TOUR — The all-Canadian paring of Nick Taylor and Adam Hadwin, who grew up together in Abbotsford, B.C., face Garrick Higgo and Ryan Fox in the first round of the Zurich Classic of New Orleans. Ben Silverman of Thornhill, Ont., will team with Finland's Sami Valimaki and Adam Svensson of Surrey, B.C., pairs with Australia's Cam Davis at TPC Louisiana in Avondale, La. Taylor is 20th in the FedEx Cup standings, Hadwin is 110th, Svensson is 148th and Silverman is 163rd.
DP WORLD TOUR — Aaron Cockerill of Stony Mountain, Man., is the lone Canadian at the Hainan Classic. He's 122nd on the European-based tour heading into play this week at the Blackstone Course of Mission Hills Resort Haikou on Hainan Island in China.
CHAMPIONS TOUR — Calgary's Stephen Ames and Mike Weir of Brights Grove, Ont., will tee it up on Friday at the Mitsubishi Electric Classic. Ames is a three-time champion at TPC Sugarloaf in Duluth, Ga., having won in 2017, 2023 and last year. He's 41st on the Schwab Cup money list and Weir is 81st.
KORN FERRY TOUR — Sudarshan Yellamaraju of Mississauga leads the Canadian contingent into this week's Veritex Bank Championship. He's 12th on the second-tier tour's points list. He'll be joined at Texas Rangers Golf Club in Arlington by Matthew Anderson (31st), also from Mississauga, Myles Creighton (51st) of Digby, N.S., Roger Sloan (101st) of Merritt, B.C., Etienne Papineau (116th) of Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Que., and Vancouver's Stuart Macdonald (132nd).
AMERICAS TOUR — Toronto's Drew Nesbitt is the top-ranked Canadian on the PGA Tour Americas. Nesbitt is tied for 11th on the third-tier circuit's points list. He's one of 11 Canadians playing in the KIA Open at Quito Tenis & Golf Club in Ecuador this week.
EVANS SCHOLARSHIP — A pair of high school students from Victoria have been awarded the Western Golf Association's Chick Evans Scholarship. Connor Meir from Oak Bay High School and Joe Harris from Reynolds Secondary School have earned a full four-year housing and tuition scholarship for golf caddies.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 23, 2025.
John Chidley-Hill, The Canadian Press
