Back in the swing
Henderson plans to make up for lost time starting with the LPGA Tournament of Champions
Brooke Henderson — no longer Canadian golf’s wunderkind but one of the country’s top athletes — is about to embark on her seventh season on the LPGA Tour.
And even she, at 23, has trouble believing that’s the case.
“It’s gone by so fast,” Henderson said by phone from her home in Naples, Fla., where she’s preparing for the LPGA Tournament of Champions, which starts Thursday in Lake Buena Vista.
“You always think you’re going to remember everything, but sometimes you think back and you can’t remember what year it was or where it was or what even happened. It’s just crazy.”
It’s not surprising to hear that she has trouble remembering all the successes. Her nine tour wins — the last one in 2019 at the Meijer LPGA Classic — are the most by any Canadian on the LPGA or PGA Tour.
Henderson ended up playing a reduced schedule last season, erring on the side of caution to limit travel during the COVID-19 pandemic. She had won twice every season since 2016 — including a major championship and the 2018 CP Women’s Open in Regina — but that streak was snapped.
Still, she notched six top-10 finishes in the 10 tournaments she did play and enters 2021 ranked sixth in the world.
Henderson said she wasn’t disappointed about not winning last year, having only played 10 times, and is anxious to start a more robust schedule with the Tournament of Champions — expanded for one year only to include winners from the past three seasons.
“To have the opportunity to play again is such a great feeling,” said Henderson, who will again have sister Brittany as her caddy and dad Dave as her coach.
One thing Henderson has been able to avoid since she turned pro has been injuries. While many of her contemporaries have battled neck or back problems, the Canadian — despite a swing that features a mighty well-past-parallel lash – has been injury-free.
“Knock on wood, hopefully it stays that way,” said Henderson, who added she has had wrist pain off and on in the past, but nothing serious.
She said she’s spent most of the brief off-season — the 2020 schedule wrapped up Dec. 20 — the same as the last few years. The native of Smiths Falls, Ont., flew home to Canada and spent a week with family, this time after quarantining for 14 days. The nasal swab to test for COVID-19 during LPGA events “doesn’t go as far up as the one in Canada,” she joked.
Now back in Florida, she’s easing into her routine. The second stop on the tour calendar doesn’t tee off until Feb. 25, the first full-field event in Orlando. The schedule picks up speed in March, and Henderson already has the CP Women’s Open in August circled on her calendar.
The lone Canadian LPGA event was cancelled in 2020. Last year’s host club, Vancouver’s Shaughnessy Golf and Country, will get another shot starting Aug. 26. Henderson won her home tournament in 2018 and hopes fans will be allowed to return by August.
“I’m smiling just thinking about it,” she said. “I love playing the CP Women’s Open. Hopefully we’re in a safe place to do that.”
Also cancelled in 2020: the Tokyo Olympics. Henderson and Hamilton’s Alena Sharp will represent Canada if the rescheduled Games happen this summer. They also played together in Rio in 2016, when Henderson finished tied for seventh.
But before those two latesummer events, four of the LPGA’s five majors are scheduled. Henderson said she’s looking forward to getting back into some semblance of a routine. Entering her seventh year on the LPGA Tour, she’s learned a lot and plans to draw on that experience to return to the winner’s circle.
“I feel like patience is the No. 1 thing I’ve learned out on tour,” she said. “Even in 2020, being patient and riding it out and working hard … you hope things work well in the future.”
The future is now for Henderson. Her next challenge starts Thursday.