Calgary’s Tillie Claggett wins PGA Women’s Championship of Canada, PGA pro Casey MacNeil finishes as runner-up
By: Brendan Stasiewich, PGA of Canada
(Burlington, ON) — Amateur Tillie Claggett put a pin in a memorable week at Burlington Golf & Country Club on Thursday, winning the PGA Women’s Championship of Canada by a commanding seven strokes with a total score of 13-under, the lowest mark in relation to par since Brooke Henderson’s 13-under performance in 2014.
Claggett’s dominant display helped her secure the biggest title of her young career. Her victory not only adds her name to the Lorie Kane trophy, filled with Canadian golf legends, but also earns her a coveted exemption into the CPKC Women’s Open, Canada’s national women’s open championship set for next month at Mississauga Golf & Country Club.
“This feels good,” said Claggett, who spent much of her childhood in Calgary before moving to Texas for high school. “It has been a hard year and a half. Golf has kind of sucked for about eighteen months for me.
“I've kind of been knocking on the door a few times as my coach likes to say. So, it just really means a lot to be able to get it done in the final round because it is kind of a mental challenge to do that,” added Claggett.
Fittingly, the soon-to-be senior at Vanderbilt’s win comes at the same venue where Brooke Henderson captured the championship in 2015.
“She is so cool. She's has done so much for girls in Canada,” said Claggett, who fired rounds of 68-63-69 this week. “I don't think there was a girl who played golf in Canada who didn't look up to Brooke when we started, so it’s just an absolute honour and I hope I can someday make my country proud like she has.”
2025 marked the third time in the past four years that an amateur has won the event, with Michelle Xing winning in 2024 and Sarah-Eve Rheaume winning in 2022.
The championship marked the final stop of Golf Canada’s She Plays Golf series, which brought together top professional and amateur women across the country at three events and introduced new players to the game with development opportunities during tournament weeks.
Katie Cranston claimed the She Plays Golf Order of Merit title and, like Claggett, earned an exemption into the CPKC Women’s Open.
Meanwhile, PGA of Canada professional Casey MacNeil made birdie on the 18th hole to tie for second place alongside Jasmine Ly. The pair split the first and second place prizes while MacNeil added the bonus PGA of Canada pro money to go home with $12,975.
The 7th hole this week was selected at the E-Z-GO ‘It’s Good to Go’ Hole of the Week. Claggett was the only player to make eagle on the hole, however, she already earned the maximum eligible amount for an amateur.
Thus, all players who made birdie on the hole throughout the week were put into a draw. After the random draw, Casey Ward is our winner of the $250 cash prize thanks to E-Z-GO.