Henderson not worried about slow start
RANCHO MIRAGE , CALIF. 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 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. 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. And she’s not accepting the idea it’s natural to have a bit of a letdown.
“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, 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.