Brooke Henderson lines up a putt on the fourth hole during the second round of the Pelican Women's Championship at Pelican Golf Club on Nov. 20, 2020 in Belleair, Florida.Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images
It’s an odd time of year to have a professional golf tournament – let alone a major championship – but Brooke Henderson is making the most of it.
“Usually by American Thanksgiving I’m putting my feet up and taking a break and getting ready for Christmas, so it’s definitely been different but it’s pretty cool. I love Christmas music, so driving to the course it’s actually been kind of calming and relaxing,” Henderson said.
The 23-year-old goes to the U.S. Women’s Open, the final major of the LPGA Tour’s truncated 2020 schedule, on a hot streak, having finished in the top six in four successive events.
“I feel like this would be the best Christmas present I could give myself,” Henderson said.
The U.S. Women’s Open is the penultimate event of the LPGA Tour’s season, with the CME Group Tour Championship next week at the Tiburon Golf Club in Naples, Fla. The combined purse for the next two weeks is over US$8-million – the richest stretch in women’s golf.
Henderson finished tied for second at the ANA Inspiration in Rancho Mirage, Calif., in September and notched a sixth-place finish at the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship in Atlanta in October, both majors.
This year’s U.S. Women’s Open is taking place at Champions Golf Club in Houston. For the first time in the event’s 75-year history two courses will be used over the first two days. Tournament officials said this is to maximize daylight for the 156-player field.
Golfers will play one round on Thursday or Friday on the Cypress Creek course (with a long history in the men’s game, having held the U.S. Open, the Ryder Cup, and two separate PGA Tour events in the past) and the other on the Jackrabbit course. The weekend rounds will both be played at Cypress Creek.
While both courses will play long (more than 6,700 yards for Cypress Creek and more than 6,500 for Jackrabbit) they are very different. Cypress Creek boasts wide fairways and massive greens – measuring upward of 10,000 square feet – while Jackrabbit is tight, with small greens.
Henderson said it’s been both mentally and physically taxing preparing for this week’s event.
“I’m going to have to try to focus when I’m out there and understand as best I can to get a good strategy,” Henderson said. “Tonight and even tomorrow morning before I play I’ll chat a lot with [Brittany Henderson, Brooke’s sister and caddie] and compare what we’re trying to do out there on each golf course and have a good understanding of every hole.”
Henderson already has the most wins for a Canadian on either the LPGA or PGA Tour, having won her ninth LPGA Tour event in June, 2019. She hasn’t won yet this year, but is still ranked sixth in the world. She has only one major championship title, the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship in 2016, to her credit, however, and has a laser-like focus on these big events.
“The atmosphere is amazing, and being at a major championship is still great,” said Henderson, despite the fact there are no fans on site. “There’s that energy that I miss from the fans but we’ve missed that all year. I just try to do everything I can to get a plan in place and hopefully put myself in a good position to be in contention come the weekend.”
Henderson said she’s feeling better adjusted to the goings on both on and off the golf course now versus earlier in the year. Because of COVID-19, she took an extra month at home in Smiths Falls, Ont., before rejoining the LPGA Tour in August.
Alena Sharp is the other Canadian in the field.
The 39-year-old from Hamilton is still looking for her first victory on the LPGA Tour but has had a steady 2020 season. She sits 50th on the LPGA Tour’s season-long Race to CME Globe.
She also got married a few weeks ago to her long-time partner Sarah Bowman. Bowman, who is American, is Sharp’s partner on the golf course as well – she’s been Sharp’s caddie since 2014. The ceremony took place in the backyard of their Arizona home.
“Maybe we already had our first marriage quarrel, I don’t know. It’s the U.S. Open, so …” Sharp said with laugh in an interview Tuesday. “No, all is good. Happy that Sarah is here with me, and these last two weeks are big weeks, so we want to have a good finish to the year.”
Sharp tees off on the Cypress Creek course Thursday at 12:21 p.m. Eastern time while Henderson tees off on the Jackrabbit course at 11:37 a.m. Eastern.