HENDERSON’S SUCCESS IS A FAMILY AFFAIR
Parents, sister all played a part in rise of Canadian teen phenom
However success is defined, however score is kept, nothing is certain. There are no guarantees. Dave Henderson, a reasonable man, knows this.
“The Chicago Blackhawks don’t win the Stanley Cup every year,” he says matter-of-factly. “The Calgary Flames don’t make the playoffs every year.”
So when his daughter — the smiling face of Canadian golf, the third-ranked player on the planet and one of the most appealing sporting brands in the world — is about to stroke a long putt, Dave is keenly aware of Brooke’s chances.
Not filtered through some warm and fuzzy lens, either.
“I come at it from a math-science perspective — I’m doing calculations all the time,” says Dave. “If Brooke’s got a 23-foot putt, I know a PGA guy makes it only 15 per cent of the time on a flat surface. So 85 per cent of the time you’re going to miss. Like Gary Player said, you’re going to have more down times than up times — whether it be shots or days or tournaments.
“So if you’re losing a tournament, are you really a loser? We look at it like, ‘No, you’re not. You’re successful for being there. You’re successful for trying your best.’”
That sensible detachment — “Our theme is speed and science,” says Pops, with wife Darlene standing nearby. “That covers the mechanics of it, covers the biology behind it” — can be a sanitypreserving measure.
Handy because the Hendersons are blazing through the early stages of a wild ride, with starring roles for everyone: Brooke, 18, headlines. Sister Brittany, six years older, caddies.
Dad, a retired junior-high teacher, coaches.
Mom, a retired teacher of disabled children, book-keeps.
“To see that meteoric rise, we’re very proud,” says Dave, taking a breather the other day before Brooke’s practice session at Priddis Greens, site of the CP Women’s Open. “But we know she’s going to bob up and down. We know she needs some luck and some strong support. It’s a whole family affair.
“We try to be prepared in all aspects ... so there’s no surprises. But we also know life has surprises each and every day. For that reason, we try not to be stressed about it.”
As it is, it’s full-time work following Brooke, the busiest member of the LPGA (no one has played more rounds, more events, than her).
From Smiths Falls, Ont., the parents have travelled to 13 of her 22 tourneys, although they didn’t get to the Olympics. Sometimes pragmatism, especially in the face of a $40,000 outlay, rules.
“I’m on a fixed income and so is Darlene,” explains Dave. “To throw it all away on one week? It’s not rational for anybody to do that. We go where time and money allow.” They’re here now. And their kid is everywhere. Cover girl for programs and posters. No way they missed the hand-written sign (“Please use other door” — Brooke Henderson) at the entrance of the media tent. A joking nod to her ubiquity, no doubt.
During a mid-week news conference, Dad, cup of coffee in his hands, and Mom, stack of newspapers tucked under her arm, listened to reporters ask Brooke about being young, being Canadian, being the favourite, being in Brazil.
She fielded queries with aplomb.
Not that her folks are surprised.
The Hendersons know their daughter is gathering an education, garnering a global view, through her career. They banked on that, even if U.S. college suitors had chased hard. (University of Florida came close. “They’ve got a $110-million budget,” says Dave, “and they were going to spend it all on Brooke.”)
The girl’s decision to turn pro in 2014 ended up being unnecessarily controversial, according to her father.
“School would have been a huge mistake,” he says. “Not to say college is a mistake — not at all — but you can see how successful Brooke’s been in every capacity, not just financially. She’s learning more by being on the road, by being knowledgeable about worldly events. When you hear her speak, she speaks very fluently, very wisely, about a lot of things.
“Can you imagine being 18 years old and seeing all of Asia, all of Europe, travelling to different countries and seeing different people, different cultures, different ways?”
While Dave has theories for everything — he did teach for 31 years, after all — his daughter’s ridiculous ascension stumps him. Best he can figure, Brooke was in sponge mode while Brittany, as a youngster, had been the centre of (golf ) attention.
“Brooke would sit in the back seat, listening to conversations,” says Dave. “She’d swing an umbrella as we walked the course for Brittany. All of a sudden, when it was her turn, she was not there” — he holds his left hand at his waist — “but way up at this high level.”
Now Dad raises his hand to his eyes.
“And we were like, ‘What just happened here?’ ”