Lydia Ko celebrates after winning the Canadian Women's Open in EdmontonJASON FRANSON/The Canadian Press
A trio of past LPGA Tour champions have been added to the field for this year's Manulife Financial LPGA Classic in Waterloo, Ontario.
Former Canadian Open winner Michelle Wie is joined by two-time defending Canadian Open champion Lydia Ko and Natalie Gulbis for the third edition of the event, scheduled for June 4 – 8 at Grey Silo Golf Course.
After several years of mediocre play, Wie appears to have rediscovered the game that made her one of most recognizable faces in golf. The two-time LPGA Tour winner has three top-10 results in six starts this year including a runner-up finish at the Kraft Nabisco Championship, the LPGA's first major of the season.
Ko has taken a definite liking to Canada, capturing her first LPGA Tour win at the 2012 Canadian Women's Open as an amateur. She followed that up with a successful defence last year in Edmonton. After turning pro late last year, the Korean-born New Zealander was granted a special exemption to join the LPGA Tour before her 18th birthday. She picked up her first win as a pro on the Korean Ladies Pro Golf Tour and her best result on the LPGA Tour this year has been a tie for second at the Founders Cup and a tie for third at the Australian Open.
Gulbis leapt into the media spotlight in 2005 as one of the most popular female golfers in the United States. Despite just one career victory in 2007, her popularity hasn't lost any steam over the years. She recovered from a health scare in early 2013, making 17 of 20 cuts with a season-best tie for ninth at the Women's British Open.