Tillie Claggett has had a tremendous summertime stretch and now she’s as eager as ever to put a tidy exclamation point on things with a start at the CPKC Women’s Open in August.
Claggett earned her spot in Canada’s National Women’s Open at the Mississaugua Golf and Country Club via her incredible seven-shot victory at the PGA Women’s Championship of Canada, part of the She Plays Golf Championship Series.
An incoming senior at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tenn., who shot a second-round 63 to push her to what turned out to be an insurmountable lead, also had a runner-up result at the Texas Women’s Amateur Championship in June and a semi-final appearance at The Women’s Amateur in Scotland.
This year will mark the CPKC Women’s Open debut for Claggett, a member of Team Canada’s National Team. It will not be, however, her LPGA Tour debut. She received a sponsor invite into the Volunteers of America Classic in 2020.
Claggett has always been an athlete growing up as a star swimmer before beginning to take golf lessons with her dad. She went to a sports school in Calgary which accommodates the schedule of high performing athletes before moving to Texas in Grade 9. She did club swimming there for a year but living in Texas she was obviously able to practice golf more, she says, and the schedule of balancing both sports became too much.
“Honestly, when I was doing both, I was so afraid of the day I had to choose,” she explains. “But the choice kind of made itself. I loved golf so much and there was so much more longevity in it. There was a lot more joy in it. I kept swimming in high school, but I chose golf from there pretty quickly.”
Claggett says she went to a “few” different post-secondary camps but with a laugh she explains, the way recruiting works now, she was able to send a lot of emails to coaches, but they are not allowed to respond. Alas, she kept her options open but quickly fell in love with the Vanderbilt campus, the coaches, the team environment and the city of Nashville and yet again, her decision was made quickly.
Growing up an athlete, Claggett says she’s always hit the ball awfully far which has helped her grow as a competitor as she’s notched five top-10 finishes across the last two seasons at Vanderbilt. Claggett says, even though her swimming days are behind her, she still “loves” the gym, working out upwards of six times per week.
“And when my putter gets hot, it’s hot. (At the PGA of Canada Women’s Championship) with the win, I was gaining two shots a round with the putting. Mainly my style is just that I like to play aggressive – I want to take advantage of my distance. It’s just how I play the game. It’s my style and it pays off more often than not,” Claggett says.
The plan now, Claggett explains, is to get her degree (in communications) that’s she’s worked so hard for and then will turn professional after that.
One more year of school, and one very special opportunity at Mississaugua to come.
SHE PLAYS GOLF CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES QUALIFIERS
The She Plays Golf Championship Series began in 2024 at The Peloton Glencoe Invitational in Calgary and features =three enhanced $60,000 54-hole championships.
Katie Cranston: Cranston received an exemption due to her finishing first in the Order of Merit at the conclusion of the She Plays Golf Championship Series. The Team Canada member went T2-T9-T9 in the trio of events.
Clara Ding: Ding, a member of Team Canada NexGen, won the first event of the She Plays Golf Championship Series in B.C. with a dramatic final-hole birdie. Amongst those Ding defeated was Cranston – they were two of three golfers to share a piece of the lead in the final day.
Shauna Liu: Liu won the Peloton Glencoe Invitational, the first event of the She Plays Golf Championship Series in a come-from-behind effort. It was the fourth win of the year for the 16-year-old and another Team Canada NexGen member.
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