BROOKE REIGNS IN PORTLAND
Smiths Falls golfer a winner again
This wasn’t a stunning and emphatic victory by a Monday qualifier.
Nor was it a staredown and eventual beat-down of the world’s No. 1 female golfer at an LPGA Tour major.
This was simply Brooke Henderson going about her business — and showing why she’s vaulted to No. 2 from No. 70 in the world rankings over the past 365 days.
It wasn’t spectacular, and it wasn’t always pretty, yet the 18-year-old from Smiths Falls defended her Cambia Portland Classic title with relative ease. No one could mount a charge down the stretch as Henderson cruised to a four-stroke victory over American veteran Stacy Lewis on Sunday, continuing her run of success in the Pacific Northwest.
On the highlight reel, Henderson’s third career LPGA Tour win doesn’t come close to last year’s eight-stroke demolition of the field in Portland by the then-Monday qualifier, or her wild playoff triumph over No. 1 Lydia Ko at the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship last month in Washington State.
But with Ko not in the field after her win in Arkansas last week, the spotlight was on the reigning Portland champ. Coming off her first missed cut of the year in Arkansas, Henderson embraced the challenge. She led wire to wire and scrambled her way out of danger down the stretch to post a convincing victory — a very good sign heading into another major, the U.S. Women’s Open, next week in San Martin, Calif.
“I didn’t really play my best today, but I hit good shots when I needed to and got some good breaks, too,” Henderson told reporters after she was drenched with water by fellow LPGA-ers — including Canadian Olympic teammate Alena Sharp — following her final putt.
“That’s always really nice ... It was really tight all day until I looked at the scoreboard on 17 and saw that I was going to have quite a big lead going into the last hole. That was very comforting. It was kind of a weird day of golf. I hit some really good shots and hit some really bad shots, but it all worked out.”
A 1-under 71 on Sunday pushed Henderson to 14-under for the tournament. On Saturday, Henderson shot 70 and described her play as “pretty awful.”
Of course, Henderson’s awful is far different from what would be awful for many others.
The key this week was ball striking — especially with her trusty driver on the par-5s. She was 10-under for the week on 16 par-5s, allowing her to gain an edge during a tournament where she produced little magic with her putter.
Tied with Mariajo Uribe after the Colombian made birdie on No. 11, Henderson regained control on the par-5 12th. An excellent bunker shot from a green-side trap led to an easy birdie. Meanwhile, Uribe bogeyed — and Henderson had a two-shot lead, an edge she would not relinquish.
When she got into trouble after two wayward shots on the par-4 17th, Henderson saved par by drilling a 10-footer. Unable to match Henderson’s touch around and on the green, Uribe double bogeyed — and it was game, set, match.
“Knowing that I still had a lot left where I could have played and scored better, I think gives (me) a lot of confidence,” Henderson said after moving within one win of Lorie Kane for second among Canadians in LPGA Tour victories (Sandra Post is first with eight). “You know, knowing that I can compete against the best in the world when I don’t necessarily have my best game.”
With her $195,000 cheque, Henderson is second to Ko with $1.286 million in earnings this season. Few would be surprised if there’s another Henderson-Ko battle on tap at one of several big events before summer’s end — the U.S. Women’s Open, the Ricoh Women’s British Open, the Rio Olympics or one of the two Canadian stops on the LPGA Tour in Calgary and Cambridge, Ont., respectively.
“Getting the major championship win just a couple weeks ago in Washington and knowing that I can win a major championship was definitely a huge momentum changer, (a) confidence boost,” Henderson said. “And then coming off a win here, I think it’s really going to give me a lot of confidence. I know U.S. Open, it takes a lot of skill (and) patience and I’m really excited for it.”
So should all golf fans, as two teens — Henderson and Ko — with big games and resumés gear up for another major showdown on the west coast.