Brooke defends Lotte title, equals LPGA Canada win mark
Brooke Henderson captured her second consecutive Lotte Championship on Saturday, winning her eighth LPGA title to match Sandra Post for the most all-time tour triumphs by a Canadian.
Brooke fired a final-round twounder 70 at Oahu’s Ko Olina Golf Club course to finish 72 holes in Hawaii on 16-under 272 for a fourstroke victory over South Korea’s Ji Eun-hee.
Sandra, 70, claimed eight tour titles from 1968 through 1981.
“It’s amazing to be mentioned in the same sentence with Sandra Post,” Brooke said.
Brooke, 21, also equaled the best showing by any Canadian man on the US PGA Tour, with Mike Weir and George Knudson having each won eight career titles.
“It has just been surreal the last few years,” Brooke said. “It’s just really amazing to get this win to tie Sandra and Mike Weir too.
“I’m so happy. I’m just glad I could come out on top.”
Brooke, who shared the thirdround lead with American Nelly Korda, won her first LPGA title at the 2015 Portland Classic as a qualifier. She won twice each in 2016, 2017 and 2018 with her lone major title coming at the 2016 Women’s PGA Championship.
“My parents have sacrificed so much for us to have this dream out here, to make our dream a reality,” said Brooke.
Thailand’s Ariya Jutanugarn and Australian Minjee Lee shared third on 277, one stroke ahead of American Danielle Kang, Mexico’s Gaby Lopez and South Korea’s Choi Hye-jin.
SOUTH CAROLINA: World No 1 Dustin Johnson overhauled halfway leader Shane Lowry to open up a one-stroke advantage after the third round of the windswept RBC Heritage in South Carolina on Saturday.
Johnson, a South Carolina native, shot a three-under 68 in trying conditions to end on 10-under 203, making his move with three consecutive birdies from the 13th and holding on to his lead despite dropping shots at 16 and 17.
Lowry’s lead evaporated with three bogeys on the back nine and he finished with an even-par 71, tied for second on nine-under along with Ian Poulter (67) and Rory Sabbatini (68) at Hilton Head Island’s Harbour Town Golf Links.
Six others were tied a shot further back on eight-under 205.
“I think I have been driving it well,” Johnson said. “That’s a big key around here.
“The wind direction was a lot different than it has been the last two days. The course played very difficult, especially the last three holes. It was hard to make putts.”
But make putts he did, none bigger than a 47-footer at the parthree 14th.