Henderson shoots 63 to make big move at Ottawa Hunt
OTTAWA, Ontario — Brooke Henderson made a big move Saturday in the Canadian Pacific Women’s Open to the delight of her many home fans.
The 19-year-old major champion from nearby Smiths Falls shot a course-record 8-under 63 to get into contention at Ottawa Hunt, finishing before most of the other leaders even teed off.
“I knew I had to get going,” Henderson said. “Today is moving day, and I moved, that’s for sure.”
A day after birdieing the par-5 18th to make the weekend cut on the number, Henderson had eight birdies in her bogey-free round to reach
7 under — leaving her three strokes behind third-round leaders Nicole Broch Larsen and Mo Martin.
“I felt like I could make something happen,” Henderson said. “I made putts that I didn’t even know I could make, and I made shots that were just great.”
Larsen, an LPGA Tour rookie from Denmark, birdied two of the last three holes for a 66.
“I’ve made 21 birdies so far, so I know it’s scorable,” Larsen said. Five-time LPGA Tour winner Sophie Gustafson is serving as Larsen’s caddie.
“It’s our first week together,” Larsen said. “But she’s definitely a help out there. We’re just trying to kind of play our game for three holes and then we go three holes and starting a new game. That’s kind of kept me in the birdie moment. It’s been really good so far. I’m sure she will help me tomorrow.”
Martin birdied the final two holes for a 67. She won the 2014 Women’s British Open for her lone tour title.
“I had another solid front and then a hot back nine, so that’s a good combination here,” Martin said. “Pretty much just continuing the momentum from the last couple days.”
Second-round leader In Gee Chun was a stroke back after a 70. Cristie Kerr (68) and Mirim Lee (66) were 8 under.
“I really haven’t hit my stride hitting it yet this week,” said Kerr, the
2006 winner at London Hunt. “I feel like if I hit it good I’m going to be a
force tomorrow.”
Top-ranked So Yeon Ryu (69) was at 7 under along with Henderson, Stacy Lewis
(69), Shanshan Feng (68), Marina Alex (70) and Mi Jung Hur (65).
Henderson has four LPGA Tour victories, winning the major KPMG Women’s PGA last year and the Meijer LPGA Classic in June. She trying to join Jocelyne Bourassa
(1973 La Canadienne) as the only Canadians to win an LPGA Tour event in Canada.
“The biggest crowds I’ve ever played in front of, and I know they’re all out here for me, so that makes it even more special,” Henderson said. “Coming up 18 I kind of just took a peek around and I didn’t see any green grass outside of the ropes,” Henderson said. “Everybody was everywhere. So it’s such an incredible feeling. Being so close to home makes this week so much more special.”
She expects even bigger and louder crowds Sunday.
“Crazy, crazy. But I’m super excited for it,” Henderson said. “Hopefully, it does live up to the expectation, and hopefully I can play well enough to keep their interest and see what happens.”
The Northern Trust
OLD WESTBURY, N.Y. — Jordan Spieth needed only three holes to leave a strong cast of challengers wondering what it’s going to take to catch him in The Northern Trust.
Spieth ran off three straight birdies on the back nine at Glen Oaks Club and finished with a pair of pars for a 6-under 64, matching the low score of the tournament and building a three-shot lead over Dustin Johnson.
It was the second straight day that Spieth filled his card with birdies on the easier back nine at Glen Oaks — a 30 on Friday, a 31 on Saturday.
Johnson, his regular partner at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, failed to take advantage until he stuffed his approach into 4 feet on the 18th hole for a birdie and a 67 to narrow the gap and get into the final group with Spieth.
Spieth was at 12-under 198, and his reputation — even for a 24-year-old in his fifth year on the PGA Tour — is as daunting as the size of his lead. Spieth has a 9-5 record with at least a share of the 54-hole lead, including nine of his last 10.
“Ten except for one hole,” he said with a smile, referring to the quadruple bogey he made on the 12th hole at Augusta National that cost him the 2016 Masters.
Paul Casey, who seems to play his best golf this time of the year, and defending champion Patrick Reed each hat a 66 and were next in line at five shots back, along with Jon Rahm (67) and Matt Kuchar (68).
Missing from the mix are Jhonattan Vegas and Rickie Fowler, who started the third round as part of the four-way tie for the lead that included Spieth and Johnson. Vegas shot a 72 to fall eight shots behind. Fowler, playing with Spieth, opened with five bogeys in six shots and fell 10 shots behind after a 74.
“A five-shot lead requires two things — a really good round from whoever is coming from behind and the leader to stumble a little bit,” Rahm said. “And Spieth is not known for being one to stumble.”
That’s only partially correct. Spieth lost a three-shot lead in four holes at the British Open last month, and he lost the lead with five holes to go until he answered with one of the strongest finishes in major championship history to win at Royal Birkdale. A month before that, he struggled badly with his putter in the final round at the Travelers Championship until he won in a playoff by holing a bunker shot.
What he would love on Sunday is the kind of boring round he put together at Pebble Beach — two birdies, no bogeys, no excitement, a four-shot victory.
“I don’t expect it, though,” Spieth said. He didn’t have reason to believe he would have a three-shot lead when the third round began with so many players in the mix. Johnson took the early lead with a birdie from the bunker on the par-5 third hole, and then Spieth began the first of two big runs. He holed birdie putts of 20 feet, 12 feet and 25 feet over a four-hole stretch, and looked as though the lead would get even bigger when he settled over an 8-foot birdie chance on the ninth hole.
And then he three-putted with an aggressive stroke on a downhill putt. Spieth bounced back with a birdie on the 10th, and then after failing to birdie the lone par 5 on the back nine, he went back to work with the putter with a 10-foot birdie on No. 14, a 20foot birdie on the par-3 15th and a shot into
4 feet on the 16th for three in a row. Johnson stopped hitting it close and twice had to work hard not to lose ground.
At three shots behind, he still looms as a big threat as the No. 1 player in the world whose game is rounding back into the form that made him appear to be so unbeatable until his back injury before the Masters.
“Let’s be honest here — I’d rather have a three-shot lead,” Johnson said. “But it’s not that bad coming from three shots back, either, because that can change in one hole, really. But obviously, Jordan is playing really well, so he’s going to be tough to beat tomorrow. … If I can drive it well again tomorrow and maybe hole a couple putts, maybe some of his putting will rub off on me and I’ll start holing them.”
Spieth will be going for his fourth victory of the year, one that would make him the front-runner for PGA Tour player of the year.