Break lets Henderson contribute
LPGA golfer at Eagle Creek to give clinic, raise money for young local athletes
Brooke Henderson was fortunate.
She grew up playing every day at Smiths Falls Golf & Country Club without needing the help of the Kevin Haime initiative that has led to the purchase of 630 memberships for kids in the Ottawa area over the last 11 years.
Now a rising star on the LPGA Tour, Henderson is more than happy to lend her assistance to the program.
She and her sister/caddy Brittany were at Eagle Creek on Tuesday to give a clinic to 150 juniors during a Kids to the Course Classic that raises money for kids who dream of being the next Brooke Henderson.
Afterwards, Henderson posed for photos and signed autographs for those donating to the cause.
“Kevin Haime does such an amazing job with this event,” Henderson said of the one-day tournament, which is presented by Ping. “Getting kids to the course, and having Ping being such a big supporter of it as well is really amazing. So we’re just happy to be here, supporting, and hopefully some of the kids that were out at the clinic today decide to keep going in golf and see what their future brings.”
Speaking in front of a such a large group of kids doesn’t fluster — but then neither does standing over a putt with a championship on the line.
“I always want to do a good job and make sure that they find it interesting, that they might walk away inspired or motivated to do something,” she said. “Hopefully we did that today.”
Henderson is off to a good start this season, sitting fourth on the LPGA money list with earning of US$514,331 in 11 events. Since her rookie year of 2015, she has won $3,843,914.
Her biggest purchase was a condo in Florida last year.
“I’ve had a lot of good finishes, which is really exciting,” she said of her 2018 performances. “A second place, T7, T9 and a win. So I can’t complain too much. I’ve had a couple of up and down weeks but for the most part it’s been a lot of fun, and things have been going well.”
Life on the road is something both Brooke and Brittany enjoy.
“Being able to go to a whole bunch of places around the world and experience culture, food, language, everything ... it’s so different from here,” Brooke said.
“We love it,” Brittany said. “It’s been awesome. We learned how to count to five in Korean last week. We’re just learning a lot and it’s always exciting.”
Their favourite restaurant is the Chipotle Mexican Grill chain, although Brittany says they ’ve been eating there a little too much lately and are now trying to “spice things up a little” with Italian restaurants.
Who is in charge of their laundry?
“It’s a team effort,” said Brittany. “Everything is a team effort.”
Said Brooke: “I think being on the road is a little bit of work. But it’s so much fun, it’s worth it. Being able to find good laundry spots, good hotels, and the right airlines and everything. It’s kind of fun. Brit does a really good job of booking all that stuff, and I just kind of show up.”
Next on the calendar is the Kingsmill Championship in Williamsburg, Va., May 17-20. The summer schedule continues to pick up from there.
“The U.S. Open is in three weeks, which I’m really excited about,” Henderson said. “The Canadian Open is always such a big thing for us, and it’s in Regina this year, which will be a little bit different. Hopefully it will turn out to be a great week.”
As far as goals are concerned, Henderson just wants to continue to establish herself on the tour.
“The CME ranking, a lot of it has to do with the money you’re making every year,” she said. “I think if I was in the top six this year I’d have a chance to win the million dollars at the end of the year. I’m five right now so if I could stay in the top six I’d be happy.”
Hopefully some of the kids that were out at the clinic today decide to keep going in golf and see what their future brings.