Ko, Henderson well-rested for British Open

MILTON KEYNES, England – Lydia Ko and Brooke Henderson got timely breaks before the Ricoh Women’s British Open.

Ko and Henderson were both off last week while many top players competed in the UL International Crown team matches in Illinois.

The 19-year-old Ko visited France for a promotional event for her upcoming title defence in The Evian Championship and took some tourist time in London before arriving at Woburn Golf Club.

“I went and watched a musical in London,” Ko said Wednesday, the day before the start of play on Woburn’s Marquess Course. “I watched Matilda. We asked some friends which musical. I’ve watched three, four other musicals here in London. I said, ‘Hey, what’s popular right now? I watched Miss Saigon, Mama Mia, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, what’s my next go-to?’ And they said Matilda.”

The 18-year-old Henderson had played nine straight weeks on tour.

“And then I also added another two-day event in there, as well,” Henderson said. “So, kind of 10 weeks in a row, but it was fun. It did get a little bit tired, but I just rested on my days off, Monday and Tuesday, a little bit more than normal. Just tried to pay attention from my body with that.”

The second-ranked Canadian successfully defended her title in Portland, Ore., and won the KPMG Women’s PGA for her first major victory during the stretch.