‘MY GAME IS CLOSE TO BEING EXTREMELY GOOD’
Brooke Henderson thinks she’s on verge of second-year breakthrough
DUNROBIN, ONT. She’s what you might call a natural.
Brooke Henderson of Smiths Falls, Ont., who started swinging golf clubs when she was three, is just 19 — but she’s already among the world’s top women’s golfers.
Ranking as high as No. 2 on world rankings in 2016, Henderson is currently 14th.
While her results so far this season haven’t been exactly what she’s looking for (she’s earned US$222,896), Henderson says her game is coming along nicely and it may be only a matter of time before she wins her fourth LPGA event (one of her three victories was a major, the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship in 2016).
Her drives average 261.2 yards and her scoring average this year is 70.56.
On Tuesday, Henderson (who already has career earnings of more than $2 million) was back home, hosting a clinic for junior golfers along with sister/caddy Brittany.
Here’s a Q and A with Henderson, who reached the Final 16 in a match play tournament in Mexico City last week.
Q Assess your year so far.
A I’ve played really well. It’s been a little disappointing with some of the results, but I feel like my game is close to being extremely good. It’s just one or two shots every week.
Q Is the grind of the tour what you thought it would be?
A It is a dream come true being able to play against the best players in the world week in and week out. It definitely is hard work. When your game is not quite there, you have to persevere and stay patient. That’s kind of where I am right now. I’ve had a ton of top-20s, two top-10s. I’ve been in contention. I’m really close to being to where I was last year.
Q Are you a victim of expectations?
A There are a lot of expectations on me. But I love pressure and it’s what you make of it. I’m excited to get playing again next week in Virginia.
Q Is it fun getting home?
A It is. I love being home, even though it’s like December here — it’s so cold. I haven’t been home since Christmas, so it’s nice to relax for a bit, take a break, then regroup for the tour again.
Q Is is a bit of a recharge-the-battery time for you?
A Yeah, absolutely. It’s been a busy season. To see family and friends gives me some more energy. Hopefully, I can recharge the battery and be ready to go.
Q Is there pressure on you because you’re a marquee player to be there every week ... have you thought about taking some time off?
A I’m actually going to take two (tournaments) off this year — Arkansas and the Scottish Open — so I can make sure my focus and mental strength are where they need to be when I’m playing. Taking a few weeks off will keep me energized and happy when I’m on the course.
Q Do you like doing the kids’ clinics?
A Yeah. The way they look at me is really cool. I love being able to talk to them, hopefully answer some questions and help them out a bit. Golf is such an amazing game.
Q Do you apply a lot of what you learned (from being on the Tour in 2016) already this year?
A Yeah. Playing the courses last year, this year I knew where to hit it, where the good spots and the bad spots were. I knew the surroundings. I didn’t always know the language — maybe I knew ‘hi’ or ‘goodbye’ or ‘thank you’ a bit more. Everything I do more, every golf course I see, the better I’m going to be this year and in years to come.
Q How much time do you spend analyzing your game and deciding what you’re going to work on?
A For me, it’s always been short game I’ve been working on. I tried to gain some distance in the off-season and I’m still trying to do that. If I have shorter clubs in, the percentage of me making more putts and more birdies will be greater. That’s kind of where I’m at right now. I hit the ball great last week in Mexico. I was hoping it would be a special week for me; if I’d made a few more putts, I think it could have been.
Q Does being out here around the young players remind you of when you were 10, 12 and 14 years old?
A Yeah. I remember watching a clinic done by (current LPGA Tour player) Morgan Pressel when I was young. She really inspired me. To see her like that, it made me feel more comfortable with LPGA Tour players, knowing I wasn’t that far off. Seeing how they were actual people, not just an LPGA star, that was really important so hopefully, I can show that to the kids, too.
Q You’ve got a big tournament in Ottawa on your calendar this year. Are you thinking ahead to that?
A Yeah. The Canadian (Pacific Women’s) Open will be an amazing week. Hopefully, I can peak for it and it’ll be a highlight to remember. Having family, friends and people from all around the Ottawa Valley and in Ottawa come and support me will be great. I’m really excited for it.
Q How does Hunt Club (the site of the Canadian Open) set up for you?
A I recently became an honorary member, I love going there and it feels like home. If I can just play there a few more times this summer, I can get a good strategy and a good plan and I think I will play really well.
Q There’s going to be so much pressure (playing at home), do you feel like you’re well positioned to handle that because of what you’ve been through?
A Almost every week, I think about the Canadian Open in the back of my mind. When there are big crowds or TV cameras, I try to think about how it’s going to be at the Canadian Open. Every week, I’m trying to use that as a stepping stone and get ready. I know it’s going to be pressurefilled. There are going to be a lot of expectations, for sure. I don’t want to disappoint, I want to give them a good show. I’ll be ready.
Q What do you need to do to get that extra putt to fall or get that wedge just that much closer?
A Continue to work hard. Golf comes and goes. It’s one of those games where some weeks you have it and you can wake up the next day and you don’t. You have to persevere, be patient and wait for it to come.
Q Do you find time to keep an eye on the Senators and the NHL playoffs?
A I’m pretty pumped for them. It’s really awesome. I haven’t seen one of the games, but I’ve definitely heard about it.
Q You’ve hit that high level, you were ranked No. 2 on tour last year at one point — anything you’ve ever done you’ve wanted to be No. 1. Is that still the goal?
A Yeah, absolutely. It will be very difficult to be No. 1 in the world. But a lot of people didn’t think I’d get to No. 2. That’s a lot of my motivation. I’m at (14) right now, but if you think about the big picture, that’s still pretty amazing. Of course, I want to be better. Every week, I’m keeping the world ranking in the back of my mind. Hopefully, I can have some more top finishes, win a couple of times and get inside the top-10 and hopefully, the top-5 by the end of the year.
Q What do you do outside of golf right now?
A I love my friends and staying in touch with them. I’m a big texter when I’m not on the golf course. Movies, TV shows ... especially when we’re in other countries where there’s not a lot of English. We like to relax when we get home, watch a good movie. Nothing too crazy, just a typical teenager.
Q What’s a movie you’ve seen recently and give me a couple of go-to TV shows?
A One of my favourite Disney movies is Aristocats and I recently watched that. I watched both Hunger Games a few days ago. White Collar on Netflix, I love that show — we’re on Season 5 now so we’re almost done.
Q Are you and your sister going to do a book when you’re done this — like the two sisters travelling the world together?
A I think that’d be pretty cool, so maybe we’ll have to do that.
Q Your dad (Dave) is still your No. 1 coach, are you still sending videos back and forth or how does that work when you’re on the road?
A He’s been able to travel a lot. This year, he’ll probably come to 18-19 events which will be great. He never really looks at my swing too much, he looks at the factors. He’ll watch TV, he’ll watch the scores and he’ll see where I need to improve on the golf course. He’s always sending me advice on how to pick up that one shot.
Q It was him with you when you first started to play golf. Now as you hit the pinnacle, he’s still the one to oversee your swing. Is that a comfort thing for you?
A Yeah, absolutely. He wasn’t a professional golfer, he was just a great amateur player. He knows so much about the game, so much more than I do. I owe him a lot. Him and my mom (Darlene), they sacrificed a lot for my sister and I to be in the position we’re in.