Is this the year the 'Canadian' gets put back into the Canadian Pacific Women's Open?

Jocelyn Bourassa can thank Brooke Henderson for putting her in the same league as Pat Fletcher when it comes to notoriety.

Fletcher was the last Canadian to win the Canadian Open -- in 1954, believe it or not -- and every summer his name makes headlines accompanying stories that contemplate the possibility of someone ending that long drought.

But Bourassa, the last Canadian to win the Canadian women's open when she did it in 1973, seldom gets any mention. The main reason is that there haven't been many Canadian women golfers considered legitimate contenders for the Open title in recent years. The last one was Lorie Kane almost a decade ago.

But all that changed on Sunday when Henderson, a precocious 17-year-old from Smiths Falls, Ont., registered her first LPGA Tour victory. She has to be considered one of the favourites heading into this week's Canadian Pacific Women's Open in Coquitlam, B.C.

This isn't one of those homer stories. Henderson has been one of the world's top women golfers this year, with enough winnings to place her 14th on LPGA tour, even though the Canadian event will be her first as a bona fide member of the tour. Even though she was granted her card just this week, Henderson has amassed $668,000 in earnings in a truncated season.

How impressive has her rookie pro season been? She's played in only 10 events, meaning she averages $66,800 in winnings each outing. Only world No. 1 Inbee Park, No. 2 Lydia Ko and No. 3 Stacy Lewis have topped that average.

As Mike Weir, Kane and David Hearn have learned, the pressure placed on Canadians trying to break a long national golf championship drought can be overwhelming, so what's a girl fresh out of high school going to do?

On one hand, Henderson seems like a kid in an adult's world. This week she talked about how "cool" it was to have fans ask for her autograph or pose for photos.

"There are still players out here that I want their autograph and I want to take pictures with them," she said.

On the other hand, she's certainly not lacking for confidence. Asked if winning an LPGA event, by eight strokes mind you, was something she'd ever contemplated, she coolly replied, "In my dreams, yes."

Asked if being the face of Canadian women's golf at such a tender age was daunting, she said, "I was the face of Canadian golf since I was 14 years old."

As for questions about handling pressure, her answer was almost terse: "I'm not doing it for anybody else, but ... myself."

And when asked about her impressive victory at the Cambia Portland Classic, she said she could have done better. Better than 21-under? Oh my.

So it's not surprising that she says ending Bourassa's reign is within her sights.

"That would be amazing and definitely a goal of mine," she said. "I think it's possible. My game is in a great spot and as long as I can stay focused and determined over the next couple of days ... If I can get a solid game plan together and go out there and play my game on Thursday, it could happen."

Of course, others may have a say in that. Here are four other golfers who have to be considered among the favourites:

Inbee Park: All the 27-year-old Korean has done this year is pile up $2 million in earnings while winning four tournaments, including two majors. Having won six of the last 14 majors, Park simply has to be on her game to win in most events.

Lydia Ko: The 18-year-old New Zealander already has two Canadian titles to her name, having won as a 15-year-old in 2012 and again in 2013. She's won twice this year and has complied 10 top-10 finishes. Returning to the scene of her inaugural victory should provide her with a little extra confidence.

Stacy Lewis: The 30-year-old American is third in world rankings, even though she's still looking for her first victory of 2015. But she's has nine top-10 finishes and always seems to be high on the leaderboard. 

So Yeon Ryu: The 25-year-old South Korean is the defending champion, so she's shown that she can win north of the 49th parallel. She hasn't won this season, but has seven top-10s and is fifth in the world rankings.