When the going got tough, Brooke got tougher
KILDEER, Ill. — Canada’s Brooke Henderson got off to a tough start at the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship on Thursday after hitting bogeys on her first two holes.
But after a pep talk from her caddy and older sister, Brittany, the 20-year-old from Smiths Falls, Ont., managed to turn it around, fighting her way back to shoot a 5under 67 to sit in a tie for second place behind South Korea’s Sung Hyun Park, who shot a bogey-free 6-under 66.
“I was just trying to have a really good, solid score today, and with starting the first two holes like that, it kind of dropped your momentum a little bit, but Brit helped me through it a little bit, and we just started grinding away on my front nine, then slowly things started to turn around, started to hit it a little bit better,” said Henderson.
“That’s one thing about having my sister on the bag, she always knows the right thing to say. I don’t really remember anything specifically, but just kind of getting me to calm down and relax a little bit and just to believe that I could finish strong.”
Henderson is a stroke back with Jessica Korda, Jaye Marie Green and Brittany Altomore. She managed to climb to 1-over with a birdie on her ninth hole of the day, and hit a 30 on the back nine. Maude-Aimee Leblanc of Sherbrooke, Que., is in a tie for sixth after a 4-under 68 and Hamilton’s Alena Sharp shot 3-under 69.
“My front nine was a little bit rough, but I was happy to get a lot of birdies on the back nine and get myself back into it,” said Henderson.
“It was a lot of fun. I just feel like I was hitting the ball great and making a lot of putts, so hopefully waking up early tomorrow morning and getting the next round started, it’ll carry on.”
Henderson is looking to continue her run of success at the third of the LPGA Tour’s five majors. Her worst finish was also her first at the tournament, a tie for fifth in 2015. She was the runner-up last year and won in 2016.
Park, who is the 2017 U.S. Women’s Open Champion, birdied three of the four par-5 holes at Kemper Lakes.
The 24-year-old Park won the weathershortened LPGA Texas Classic in May, but followed that with three missed cuts and a tie for 61st last week in Arkansas. After a switch in putters, she believes she is rounding back into form.
The long-hitting Park birdied the par-5 15th to reach 5 under and parred the tough final three holes, finishing with a short putt on 18.
“I felt like something little was missing, especially my putting,” Park said through an interpreter. “But this week, I (feel) comfortable.”
The course favours long hitters, and that’s just fine with Korda.
She has five tour victories and her sights set on becoming the second member of her family to capture a major championship.
After tying for fourth at the ANA Inspiration this year, Korda missed the cut at the U.S. Women’s Open. But she’s off to a good start in this one.
“Oh, It was great,” said Korda, the winner in Thailand in February in her return from reconstructive jaw surgery. “Finally, a golf course that benefits the long-hitters. The last couple weeks it’s definitely been a lot of 3woods or even 4-irons off the tees, so this is really, really nice.”
Korda birdied three of the first six holes and ended her round on a rather strong note. She birdied Nos. 14 and 15 before making pars on the final three holes. Green closed with a birdie on No. 9. Michelle Wie shot 71, U.S. Women’s Open champion Ariya Jutanugarn had an even-par 72, and top-ranked Inbee Park and defending champion Danielle Kang followed at 73.
Lexi Thompson also shot 72, acing the 166yard sixth hole with an 8-iron. Brittany Marchand also had a hole-in-one with a 5-iron on the 175-yard No. 17. She shot 71.