Brooke Henderson a good fit for Pinehurst No. 2’s layout
After a day patrolling the Pinehurst No. 2 golf course, the home of the LPGA U.S. Open, the No. 3ranked amateur in the world was calm, cool and focused.
Brooke Henderson, of Smiths Falls, Ont., and still only 16 (she turns 17 later this summer,) says she’s “a lot more confident this time.” It is her second crack at the Open, having made the grade for the first time last year. She finished 59th overall. Now she knows what to expect and the thought of playing with the stars of the game doesn’t intimidate.
The other factor, “I’ve played this course before,” she said by phone. She did play in a tournament on the North Carolina track last year. “You have to watch out because if you don’t hit it straight, you can get in a lot of trouble. And you have to be careful around the greens because the ball can run away on you.”
Sounds like a veteran, doesn’t she? But really that is what she has become. She has played a lot of tournaments this past year, including a respectable showing at the Manulife Classic in Waterloo, Ont., two weeks ago and a win in the Porter Cup, an amateur tournament held last weekend in the Buffalo, N.Y., area where she shot a final round 62 for the win. That 62, Brooke says, is her best round ever.
There is something inside this young golfer that only a few players have. She seems to have that innate ability to deliver when it matters most.
In the Manulife tournament, nearing the end of the 36 holes, she appeared likely to miss the cut.
But in the last five holes, she notched two birdies to make the grade. Over the next two rounds she went deeper under par, eventually finishing at six-under and just behind the top Canadian in the tournament.
“I realized that I had better get going,” she said about the final push to make the cut. And get going she did with a birdie on the final hole to play on the weekend. Even though she has played Pinehurst No. 2 before, and she has done well recently, the goal is pretty straightforward: make the cut and play on the weekend.
For Tristan Mullally, who has been Brooke’s coach, the young woman continues to surprise. This week, in advance of the Open, he is walking the course with his four charges, including Brooke. They are mapping out a strategy to attack the course and to avoid its pitfalls. And they are building upon the notes they took from the NorthSouth tourney last year.
Mullally says there won’t be an issue of distance for Brooke. She can hit the ball a long way. The trick is to be patient and take what the course gives you. And to watch out for the greens.
“The course plays almost like a links course. You are going to hit great shots here and the course will still make you look foolish,” he says, which means a lot of bump and run golf.