Brooke M. Henderson of Canada, hits her tee shot on the 11th hole during the first round of the women's golf event at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Wednesday, Aug. 17, 2016.Alastair Grant/The Associated Press
Before she became the biggest name in Canadian golf, Brooke Henderson was a small town girl with big time dreams.
The word precocious was invented to describe people like herself. So was prodigy. Before she even hit her teens, her abilities were the talk of amateur golf circles across the country. By the time she entered high school she had separated herself from the pack of top young female golfers in the country, most far older than her. Her attention to detail was the stuff of legend.
To wit: In Grade 10, Henderson was invited to play in a prestigious amateur tournament at the famed Carnoustie golf club in Scotland. In the weeks preceding the tournament, she would go on the range with the head pro at her local club in her hometown of Smith Falls, Ont., (pop 10,000) and imagine every type of shot she might encounter while playing the famed Scottish track; under trees and around bushes; fades to the right to avoid bunkers on one hole, draws to the left to dodge a berm on the right on another. She was playing the course in her mind. She would hit balls until it was too dark to any longer see them.
Even back then, her ambitions were evident, her sights clearly set on her future, even when it came to playing in the Summer Olympics one day.
"In 2016, I'll be 18," a 14-year-old Henderson told The Globe and Mail's Roy MacGregor. "Why not?"
On Wednesday, Henderson realized her dream, opening up the Olympic golf tournament with a 1-under 70. It was a round that brought out one of Henderson's greatest attributes; her grit. When she double bogeyed and then bogeyed two holes early in her round, she came back with an eagle and a birdie. She would suffer another double bogey on 12. Overall, she had two doubles, a bogey, an eagle and four birdies.
It is the essential definition of an up-and-down round.
"Very interesting," is how Henderson described it. "I don't see double bogeys on my card very often which is a good thing. It's a learning experience."
While her round could have certainly been better, it could also have been a lot worse. By her own admission, the strongest part of Henderson's game on Wednesday was her putting. She was clutch inside 10 feet. She needed a couple of those to save double. The good news is that after all that she is right in the hunt. Henderson's Team Canada teammate Alena Sharp shot a 1-over 72. She sat tied for 37th place, and of only 60 players, there are few players truly out of medal contention after only one round.
Korea's Inbee Park was in second after shooting a 66. Lydia Ko, the No. 1 ranked player in the world, was at two-under.
When you see Brooke Henderson in person it's hard to believe she is 18. She is a cherub. Yet she talks and conducts herself like someone who has been playing the women's professional golf tour for years. Polished is the word that comes to mind. She has been coached up in all areas. She instinctively reverts to safe and easy answers in interviews. "I'm just trying to get better every day, as a person and golfer," she likes to say. "My game is in a good place right now," she'll smile. "I'm blessed to be playing a game I love," she'll tell you.
There isn't anything particularly wrong with this. But it does serve to illustrate just how long she has been preparing to do this. Kids in Canada's national junior golf program get media training; they are taught: don't say anything controversial. Henderson clearly received an A in that class. At the same time, there is something utterly charming about her; the girl from Smith Falls is never far from the surface.
It can be witnessed in her choice of caddies. Henderson uses her sister, Brittany, herself an accomplished golfer trying to make it to the LPGA tour. But she is not a professional caddy. Many have questioned Henderson's decision to use such an inexperienced on-course advisor when her fellow competitors are using professionals who have been lugging pro bags for years and have loads of experience.
The answer can be seen on the course, in the easy rapport the two enjoy. Brittany is Brooke's best friend. She calms her sister down when she needs it; makes her laugh when she could use a giggle too divert her mind from the misery of the game. Henderson also climbed to No. 3 in the world with her sister on the bag. So there is that.
After Henderson's Olympic debut, Brittany stood patiently waiting for her sister to finish her media obligations. Next stop was going to be the driving range, where Brooke was no doubt going to be imagining the shots she was going to need to hit on Thursday.
The Olympic competition is underway, and Brook Henderson is where she so often is in golf tournaments: right in the hunt.
Gary Mason