Hot putter keeps Henderson in the mix
Defending champ two back at Women’s PGA Championship, writes Chris Stevenson.
OLYMPIA FIELDS, ILL. The eagle putt on the 18th hole at Olympia Fields curled up to the hole and fell in, the biggest of many crucial putts via Brooke Henderson’s hot putter Friday in the second round of the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship, setting her up for a strong defence of her title on the weekend.
Starting on the 10th tee Friday, the eagle at the turn helped spark the 19-year-old from Smiths Falls, Ont. to a 2-under par 69 and gave her a 5-under total through 36 holes, good for a tie for eighth, two shots off the lead held by Danielle Kang and Sei Young Kim, who both recorded rounds of 69-66 over the first two days.
“I made a lot of putts to keep myself in it today,” Henderson said. “I made one or two putts when I really needed it to get myself under par. It was a great day overall.”
Amy Yang (65-71), Jodi Ewart- Shadoff (70-66), Brittany Lincicome (70-66), Chella Choi (66-70) and Mi Hyang Lee (6967) are tied for third at 6-under.
Henderson is tied with Moriya Jutanugarn (69-68), world No. 1 So Yeon Ryu (69-68) and Sarah Jane Smith (70-67).
The only other Canadian in the field, Hamilton’s Alena Sharp, fired her second straight even-par 71 and sits tied in 41st position.
The 17th and 18th holes at Olympia Fields’ North Course are looking like they will play a big role in determining the winner come Sunday.
The 17th is a par-3 that played 212 yards into the wind on Friday. Henderson hasn’t hit the green yet. She made an incredible up-and-down Thursday to save par, but missed the green right on Friday and made bogey.
The par-five 18th played 464 yards Friday. Henderson had 197 yards in and hit her hybrid to nine feet from where she made that eagle. She birdied it in the first round on Thursday.
After the bogey on 17 put her 1-over on the day Friday, bouncing back with the eagle on 18 really turned her round around. She had a birdie at the par-5 sixth to get to 2-under on the day.
“(The 18th) kind of gives you a little bit of confidence because coming through 17 you tend to lose a lot of it, you know?” Henderson said. “You know you have a chance to get one stroke back or hopefully two if you play it right.
“Seventeen is a really tough hole and I haven’t played it quite right yet. I parred it yesterday, but it wasn’t a great tee shot. Hopefully (Saturday) I can get that tee shot on the green and then it’s not necessarily an easy two-putt, but you’re looking better for par if you can at least hit the green there.”
Henderson, despite her youth, showed a veteran’s experience as she adjusted to the constantly changing conditions on Friday. She teed off in mid-afternoon under threatening skies and play was suspended because of the weather after her group hit their tee shots on the 11th hole, their second hole of the day.
There was a steady downpour during the 34-minute delay and the conditions completely changed. The wind dropped and both the fairways and greens slowed down.
“It was a lot different than it was Thursday. The shots were holding, no wind, I couldn’t carry some bunkers today with my driver, the fairways were holding and the greens slowed down,” Henderson said. “It was a different golf course out there today. It was nice not having the wind swirling around all the time.”
Henderson chunked her first shot after the delay on 11, but got the ball up and down from the fairway to save par with a six-foot putt. She had a three-putt bogey on 12, but hit it inside three feet for birdie on the par-three 15th.
She made a five-footer for par on the first hole and made one from 11 feet for par on the fifth after driving in the rough and coming up short of the green.
She had good looks from around 10 feet on the eighth and ninth holes, but just missed both.
“It’s been a great last few days,” she said. “I would have liked to have seen one or two of those putts fall on eight and nine, but I have given myself great opportunities and that’s all you can do around here. Hopefully my putter stays hot and it keeps me in it the next few days and hopefully I have a chance on Sunday.”