The previous record number of competitors at the Whirlpool Canadian PGA Women's Championship was 64, set back in 1993.

LPGA TOUR regulars Nancy Harvey of Swift Current, Saskatchewan and A.J. Eathorne of Penticton, BC are the latest to confirm their attendance. Harvey is a three-time winner of this championship, claiming the title in 1994, 1995, and 2000. Eathorne has finished in the runner-up position in each of the last two years.

Charlottetown, PEI's Lorie Kane will also be back to defend the crown she won by ten strokes last year at the Glendale Golf & Country Club in Hamilton, Ontario. Kane has won five of the last six Whirlpool Canadian PGA Women's Championships.

This will mark Kane's tenth consecutive appearance in the annual event. She has never finished out of the top ten. Her lowest finish was a tie for 8th in 1994.

Kane and Harvey are among four past champions in the field. Cathy Sherk of Niagara Falls, Ontario, winner of the inaugural Whirlpool Canadian PGA Women's Championship in 1987 and again in 1990, will play as well as 1993 champion Lanie Cahill of Brockville, Ontario. There are also 12 amateurs in the field.

2002 marks the 6th consecutive year with Whirlpool Canada as title sponsor of the Championship. The 16th annual competition features the top Canadians on the professional golf tours, female club professionals from across the country and a select group of amateurs.

Total purse for the Whirlpool Canadian PGA Women's Championship is $65,000 with $13,000 and a complete set of premium Whirlpool appliances awarded to the champion.

The 36-hole stroke play championship is contested on Tuesday and Wednesday with Monday set aside for the pro-am. The Whirlpool Canadian PGA Women's Championship is one of five national championships staged each year by the Canadian Professional Golfers' Association.

The first event of 2002 was the Samsung Canadian PGA Championship, a BUY.COM TOUR event won by Aaron Oberholser on June 9. Gar Hamilton, of Oakville, Ontario captured the Canadian PGA Seniors' Championship June 28 in Manotick, Ontario. Still to come are the PING Canadian PGA Club Professional Championship, August 7 - 9 at the Okanagan Golf Club in Kelowna, BC, and the Titleist/FootJoy/Cobra Canadian PGA Assistants' Championship September 25 - 27 at the Beach Grove Club in Delta, BC.

The Whirlpool Canadian PGA Women's Championship presented by Aquafina is the third of four events on the Bank of Montreal Canadian Women's Tour. Isabelle Beisiegel of St-Hilaire, PQ won the first event May 13-14 in Surrey, BC while Christine Greatrex of Vancouver, BC won the second stop June 17-18 in DeWinton, Alberta. The Tour concludes July 29-30 at Club de golf Le Blainvillier in Blainville, PQ.

About Whirlpool
Whirlpool Home Appliances are supplied by Whirlpool Canada, the largest supplier of major home appliances in the country. The company sells products under the brand names Whirlpool, KitchenAid, Inglis, Roper and Admiral and is a major supplier of Kenmore appliances to Sears Canada, the country's leading retailer.

About Bank of Montreal's Involvement with Golf
In addition to being the proud title sponsor of the only Canadian stop on the LPGA Tour and of the Canadian Women's Tour, Bank of Montreal is also the title sponsor of Future Links, a national development program for junior golfers.

About the Canadian PGA
The Canadian Professional Golfers' Association is a membership-based non-profit organization representing over 3,000 club and tournament golf professionals across Canada. The Association was founded in 1911 making it the oldest professional golf association in North America. The Canadian PGA is committed to enhancing and promoting the game of golf by providing golfers and CPGA approved facilities with the highest quality administrators, teachers, players and promoters of the game, through superior training, education and member development.

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For more information, contact
Terry Dyni
Director of Communications
Canadian PGA
(519) 853-5450, ext. 230
terry@canadianpga.org