Henderson makes historic leap
Third-round 63 put Canadian back in hunt for title at Canadian Pacific Women’s Open
OTTAWA — Maybe, just maybe, Brooke Henderson can pull off that miracle comeback after all.
After thrilling thousands of sundrenched fans with a brilliant birdie-fest en route to a course-record 8-under-par 63 at the Ottawa Hunt and Golf Club Saturday, Henderson has set up a dream scenario for organizers of the Canadian Pacific Women’s Open.
Henderson is 7-under for the tournament, in a six-way tie for sixth, just three strokes off the lead with 18 holes to play. She will tee off at 9:53 PDT, in the second to last group of the day, a threesome that also includes Mirim Lee and Cristie Kerr, who both sit at 8-under. Norway’s Nicole Broch Larsen and Mo Martin of the U.S. share the lead at 10-under, while second-round leader In Gee Chun of South Korea is alone in third at 9-under.
Henderson, who needed a birdie on her final hole Friday just to make the cut, now has a shot at becoming the first native to win the Canadian Women’s Open since 1973.
“I felt pretty good right from the start,” Henderson said. “I felt like I could make something happen, and I made putts that I didn’t even know I could make and I made shots that were just great.”
Winning remains a long shot, but don’t dare tell that to the overflowing galleries of Henderson faithful.
As Henderson proved Saturday, she can hit spectacular long shots. Her drive on the seventh hole measured 297 yards.
She can hit short shots, too. She closed out Saturday’s round with a clutch, par-saving 20-foot putt on 16, followed by birdies on 17 and 18 that resulted in a roar of cheering that echoed around the course.
Sunday’s crowd figures to be something else altogether.
“Crazy, crazy,” she said, when asked about her expectations for the final round. “But I’m super excited about it. Hopefully, it does live up to the expectation, and hopefully I can play well enough to keep their interest and see what happens.”
Saturday offered a different kind of pressure performance for the 19-year-old from Smiths Falls, just a 45-minute drive from Ottawa.
On Friday, it was all about getting through the nerves of just making the cut, which she accomplished by a whisker. When asked then about contending for the title, she suggested “miracles do happen.”
Free of the cut-line stress Saturday, Henderson took ownership of the course early. She birdied the second, third, sixth and eight holes. She kept the momentum going with a tense par save on nine, making the turn at 4-under.
With the crowd steadily growing as morning turned into afternoon, she finished her round with birdies on 12, 14, 17 and 18.
“Having the cut out of the way, (that) kind of gave me a little bit of a scare (Friday), being so close and almost not playing on the weekend,” she said. “So I knew I had to get going. (Saturday) is moving day, so it was very ... I moved, that’s for sure.”
Her Saturday round matched the 8-under score Yani Tseng of Thailand produced in the second round of the 2008 Women’s Open at Ottawa Hunt, but that was a round of 64 on what was then a par-72 layout.
Brittany Henderson, Brooke’s older sister and caddy, says the mood was different from the start.
“We were just more relaxed going out there,” she said. “We were just able to enjoy it more and ride the momentum more. She had put so much pressure on herself, but after she made the cut, she just thought, ‘Let’s just go.’ And she did.”
The Hendersons were smiling throughout the round.
“It was like the perfect day,” Brooke Henderson said. “I hit the ball extremely well. Mentally, I was right on. I felt in the zone, as a lot of athletes call it. I felt like I was in the best place of mind for me to play my best.”
Henderson acknowledged the weight of the crowd got to her during her opening round Thursday.
“I kind of let them get in my way a little bit,” she said.
Now, though, her message is the more, the merrier. A big crowd can unnerve an opponent and inspire the hometown hope.
“I love big crowds,” she said. “I love when I’m playing well and I can kind of ride with them and have their support with me. So, going into (Sunday), I’m going to do everything I (normally) do, just like every other week on the LPGA Tour and just hopefully, things go my way.”