Alena Sharp, an LPGA Tour player from Canada, was emotional after her first round at the Cambria Portland Classic on Thursday — not because of her opening score (an even-par 72), but because of some news she received from her agent at the conclusion of her round.
Sharp’s Tour bag — specially designed in a yellow and green color combination to honor the Humboldt Broncos junior hockey team, which suffered a tragic accident in April when their bus was struck by a truck, killing 16 members of the team and its staff, and injuring 13 — was auctioned off at a golf tournament in Saskatchewan, and raised $19,000. The money will go toward the purchase of an Isolette, a brand of incubator for premature babies, for the hospital in Humboldt.
The LPGA shared the story, including Sharp’s tearful reaction to the news.
“I was at a loss for words,” Sharp said. “I was so happy we could raise that much money in awareness. That’s just something that’s made my year, really.”
Sharp grew up in Hamilton, Ontario, but has family connections in Saskatchewan, and carried the bag when the LPGA Tour visited Regina, Saskatchewan, for last week’s CP Canadian Open.
