Canada’s golfing sweetheart is endearing herself to the golf fans in Hawaii.
With the windy conditions beating down her would-be challengers at the Ko Olina Golf Club, Brooke Henderson went back-to-back on Saturday at the Lotte Championship.
Brooke notched her eighth LPGA victory with a final round 70 and a 16-under par total — four shots better than runnerup Eun Hee Ji. Brooked tied Canadian Sandra Post’s LPGA mark as well as Mike Weir and George Knudson’s PGA Tour win mark.
Henderson bogeyed the first hole but got it in gear quickly after that and never looked back. Ji and Ariya Jutanugarn couldn’t catch her. They both shot 73. Playing partner Minjee lee failed with a 74 and Brooke’s other playing partner — Nelly Korda, shot 77 thanks to a face-reddening eight at the final hole. She hit her second in the water then suffered the indignity of hitting a fat chip shot that didn’t make it up the slope just short of the greeen. The ball rolled back past Nelly — into the water.
Brooke used her aggressive play to bury the competition.
“When I was younger it was just a goal to be on the LPGA Tour, to win my first event,” Henderson said after her victory. “And when that happened and I won my first major the year after, things kind of just started to fall into place. I knew the record was eight. Just kept creeping toward it the last three years, which was really exciting. And then I think starting last year I sort of saw that it was within my reach if I had two good seasons. Last year put me into great position, and coming back this year it’s been on the back of my mind every week that I tee it up. I’m just really happy that I have finally done it. Looking forward to overtaking it now.”
She will likely pass Post and the rest, perhaps this season.
“It’s really amazing to even be mentioned in the same sentence as Mike Weir, George, and Sandra,” Henderson said. “This week was really special. I always love coming to Hawaii. Last year was such an incredible week for me, to be able to hoist that trophy for the first time. Coming back I knew I knew the golf course really well and I have so many great memories pretty much on every hole, which is a great feeling.”
For Korda, it was a day long struggle after she made double-bogey at the relatively short par four seventh. She hooked her drive badly, found herself under a tree. She pitched out then hit a sloppy wedge shot some 45 feet from the hole and proceeded to three-putt for a six that basically took her out of it.
“Pretty bad,” Korda later said. “I mean, it was a tough day, but I ended really poorly and I’m pretty disappointed in that — it was an unfortunate final round, but there is nothing I can do about it anymore.”
The LPGA Tour heads back to the United States next week for the L.A. Open at historic Wilshire Country Club where Moriya Jutanugarn will defend her title.
2 Comments
baxter cepeda
Having Seen quite a bit of Brooke live recently at a few lpga events — because she is fittingly always in the power groups or final groups with her dynamic game — it’s amazing how Canadians come out for her literally everywhere and anywhere.
It’s almost a tiger like feeling in that some are there just to see Brooke. Brooke knocks one in and they are off to the next hole…Overall respectfully of course.
The thing to love here is that like tiger Brooke’s literally bringing people to the sport.
Tom Edrington
She’s pretty easy on the eyes as well….