Henderson not worried about slow start
It seems like Brooke Henderson can’t win.
That’s in the figurative sense because the 19-year-old from Smiths Falls, Ont. has proven she is one of the world’s best.
She’s won three times on the LPGA Tour. She beat world No. 1 Lydia Ko in a playoff with one of the best pressure shots in Canadian golf history to win her first major last season, the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship.
But despite her success in a busy year that included the Rio Olympics — her 31 events last season and 121 rounds were the most on Tour — critics said she was playing too much and was going to burn out.
For sure, it was a demanding schedule for the unflappable youngster. After her win at the KPMG and successfully defending her title at the Cambia Portland Classic, Henderson was one of the favourites going into the Olympics. You only had to spend a little time around her to see how many demands on her time there were.
She was always there to do another interview or sign another autograph or take a selfie with a young fan, so it probably shouldn’t come as a surprise her results to start 2017 haven’t been up to Henderson’s or her fans’ expectations.
Now the narrative is: “What’s up with Brooke Henderson?”
Probably nothing, other than the ebbs and flows of golf and easing into a fresh season. She’s 18th on the money list in 2017 and her best finish is a tie for fourth earlier this month in Singapore. Her world ranking has gone from a high of second to the depths of 13th. She’s pushed her official career earnings to $1.9 million. What a disaster. When she missed the cut last week at the Kia Classic, commentator Judy Rankin said Henderson needed “to go back to being the bubbly Brooke on the course we saw last year.”
Bubbly? She’s as competitive as anybody.
She has no regrets about pushing as hard as she did last year and she’s not accepting the idea it’s natural to have a bit of a letdown.
“That wasn’t my plan (to ease into 2017), but last year was a really busy year and I met all of my goals,” Henderson said. “It was kind of like the perfect year, 17 top-10s, winning two events including a major, representing Canada in the Olympics. It was kind of a highlight year.
“This far into the 2017 (season), I haven’t necessarily performed or got the results I want, but I feel like my game is really close.” she said.
As she heads into the ANA Inspiration beginning Thursday, the first major of the golf season, Henderson is optimistic.
“Having played the golf course the last few days, I think it suits my game really well, so if I can get my mental attitude the way it should be, I think I’ll be right there on Sunday.”
And maybe she’ll even be bubbly.