Brooke Henderson finished one stroke back at the Swinging Skirts LPGA Classic on Sunday.Eric Risberg/The Associated Press
Brooke Henderson fell just shy of joining an elite group of golfers to win an LPGA tournament before reaching the age of 18. But the confidence it gave her suggests that victory may be right around the corner.
Sunday was one of the most significant days in the young golfer's career. The 17-year-old from Smiths Falls, Ont., carried a one-shot lead into the final round of the Swinging Skirts LPGA Classic in just her second appearance on the tour this year since turning pro. The former world No. 1 amateur was trying to join Lydia Ko and Lexi Thompson as the only players to win an LPGA event before turning 18, and the first Canadian to win one since Lorie Kane in 2001.
Henderson went into the last round on Sunday in Daly City, Calif., playing in a final group with one of her idols, Morgan Pressel. The young Canadian, who shot a course-record 65 on Friday and played calm and cool on Saturday, turned slightly nervous and off her game by Sunday, and finished third. She called it a great lesson.
"I didn't get the win last week, but I was definitely really close and right in it," Henderson said on a teleconference with Canadian media on Wednesday. "It was a big confidence boost for me for the rest of the season."
Canadian Alena Sharp, a 10-year veteran of the LPGA Tour, watched Henderson down the stretch on Sunday in California and tweeted at the youngster, "I'm twice your age but still learned so much from watching you! You are inspiring. Canadians stick together."
In December, Henderson announced she would forego a golf scholarship at the University of Florida and turn pro. A top-10 finish at an event usually earns a golfer a spot in the next event, but that's just for LPGA Tour members and Henderson is not yet a member. Commissioner Mike Whan has consistently declined waivers to join the tour if a golfer hasn't reach the minimum age of 18 – that is, unless that player has already won an LPGA event.
Henderson decided to keep rolling after the Swinging Skirts, heading right to the airport in search of a flight that would get her to Irving, Tex., to play in Monday qualifying at the next event on the circuit, the Volunteers of America North Texas Shootout. With a flight delayed until 4 a.m., Henderson caught some sleep in the airport and the plane. When she finally arrived at the Las Colinas Country Club, she played a qualifying round that was stopped and continued Tuesday morning because of weather and darkness. In the end, Henderson won a four-woman playoff to earn a berth into the tournament.
She is far from your typical 17-year-old. She said she was going to spend the remainder of Wednesday walking the course in Irving, studying its intricacies in preparation for her first round on Thursday.
Henderson is playing some Symetra Tour events and is limited to a small number of LPGA events by sponsor exemption or through Monday qualifiers. She has been granted sponsor exemptions to the ShopRite LPGA Classic in Galloway, N.J., in late May, followed by the Manulife LPGA Classic in Cambridge, Ont., in early June. She has also earned entry to the U.S Women's Open in July in Lancaster, Pa., by virtue of finishing in the top 10 there last year as an amateur. She says she aims to play as many events as possible.
"This year is a learning experience year for me," Henderson said. "So when I am at an LPGA Tour event, I want to take advantage of it and play the best I can. In terms of chasing a win every week, it's in the back of my mind, but just trying to play my best, make the cut and climb the leaderboard on the weekend."
Rachel Brady