Brooke Henderson hangs tough at LPGA event

Canadian rookie hangs tough as angry golf course bares its teeth

RYE, N.Y. — Two rounds, six shots difference between them, two different stories, but both saying a lot about 17-year-old Brooke Henderson and her golf game.

In the second round Friday at the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship, the second of five majors on the LPGA Tour, the Smiths Falls sensation had an eventful up-anddown round and managed to grit out an even-par 73.

It wasn’t much like the brilliant 6-under 67 she had Thursday, but it was an indication she can grind when needed. Thanks to that, she finds herself just two shots out of the lead going into the weekend at a major. She is tied for fourth at 6-under par 140 with last week’s winner Suzann Pettersen of Norway, who had the day’s low round, a 7-under 66.

Pettersen was one of only three players who broke 70 Friday at a malicious Westchester Country Club. Sei Young Kim had a 5-under par 68 and took the lead at 8-under par.

Forty-year-old veteran Karrie Webb added a 71 to an opening 68 and is in second with five-time major winner Inbee Park (71-68).

First round leader Jenny Shin (66-75) and American favourite Stacy Lewis (70-71) are tied for sixth, a shot behind Henderson and Pettersen.

“I didn’t have my ‘A’ Game today. I hit a lot of shots just really close to being really good, but would just roll off the back because the greens were a little bit firmer and a little bit faster,” Henderson said, summing up what it’s like to play in a major.

“And I think today, I was up and down a lot. I had a lot of bogeys (five) on the card and I had a lot of birdies (five), too. Just one of those days you have to learn from and move on.”

It was the kind of day where Henderson could have shot her way out of contention. It didn’t come easily like Thursday, but she hung in there.

Like most of the field, she had her hands full on a course which was showing a major tournament’s teeth (it claimed world No. 1 Lydia Ko, who missed the cut by a shot after a 76, ending her streak of cuts made at 53).

Henderson hit some good shots that weren’t rewarded. It would have been easy to be frustrated. But she showed a remarkable ability to keep it from spinning away and a lot of patience for a 17-year-old.

She said she was happy with the way she kept it from slipping away by repeatedly bouncing back.

“Yeah, I am. It could have been a lot worse than it was today. I was 2-over at one point on the front nine (after eight holes) and was able to come back with birdies on 9 and 10. And pretty easy birdies, tap-ins, which I’m very happy with,” she said.

“But I mean, overall, even par, as you mentioned, on a major championship course is never too bad.”

Alena Sharp from Hamilton was the only other Canadian to make the cut, which fell at 1-over par. She had a 74 Friday and is tied for 47th at even par.