Miyu Yamashita extended her substantial lead, while Canadian youngster Aphrodite Deng made a significant climb up the standings on Saturday at the CPKC Women’s Open held in Edmonton. Yamashita from Japan carded a remarkable 5-under-par 65 in the third round, bringing her total to 19 under for the tournament at the Royal Mayfair Golf Club in Edmonton. With a six-shot lead going into Sunday, Yamashita, aiming for her fourth LPGA victory and second of the season, finished strong with a sixth birdie on the 18th hole to bounce back from a lone bogey on the 17th.
Expressing her fondness for the course, Yamashita mentioned her confidence in putting, stating, “I like this course. Putting, my feeling, so good.” Her 54-hole score of 191 set a tournament record, and her six-shot lead equaled the record for the largest 54-hole lead in the tournament’s history. Gina Kim of the U.S. and Japan’s Yuri Yoshida trailed behind Yamashita at 13 under after posting scores of 6-under 64 and 66, respectively, on Saturday.
Sixteen-year-old Aphrodite Deng, hailing from Calgary, showcased an impressive performance by carding the lowest round of the day at 63, bringing her total to 10 under and tying for sixth place. Reflecting on her round, Deng commented, “It felt really great, but I wasn’t really counting how low I was shooting. I was just trying to learn from my first two days and make the least mistakes as possible.”
In a notable first for the tournament, four Canadian women aged 18 and under, including Anna Huang from Vancouver and amateurs Michelle Xing from Richmond Hill, Ont., and Clairey Lin from Langley, B.C., made the cut and continued competing over the weekend. Huang, Xing, and Lin posted scores of even par, 1 under, and 2 over, respectively, in the third round.
Defending champion Brooke Henderson from Smiths Falls, Ont., recovered from a shaky start to finish the day at 7 under, trailing Yamashita by 12 strokes. Henderson, who won the tournament in both 2018 and 2021, expressed her determination to finish strong, acknowledging Yamashita’s impressive performance.
Amidst the cheers from the crowd, Deng, a member of Canada’s NextGen team, navigated her way through the course flawlessly, showing composure under pressure. Deng’s caddie, Benjamin Reed, a 19-year-old University of Florida student, has been a key figure in her success, having been on her bag during her victory at the 2025 U.S. Girls Junior Championship.
The weather forecast for the final round on Sunday predicts a temperature of 26C with some forest fire smoke in the morning, followed by potential thunderstorms in the late afternoon.