Brooke Henderson wins for the first time since turning pro
Brooke Henderson claimed her first victory as a pro on Thursday, outduelling her older sister to claim the opening event of the Suncoast Series Tour in Winter Garden, Florida.
The 17-year-old, who announced her decision to turn pro in December, trailed sister Brittany by two strokes to start the final round before making her charge on the back nine of the West Orange Country Club, nailing three straight birdies and moving into a tie for the lead with four holes to play. Brittany, seven years Brooke's senior, regained the lead with a birdie at No. 16 before giving it back with a bogey on the next hole, setting the stage for a final hole showdown between the two siblings.
Brooke gained the advantage by sticking her approach shot tight to the hole while Brittany was forced to make an up and down for par after missing the green. That opened the door for Brooke to capture the title with a 10-foot birdie putt and a round of 69, which was the lowest round posted over the course of three days, according to a report on flagstick.com
Brooke, who had previously won three professional titles as an amateur, collected slightlly more than $2,000 for the win.
Maria Hjorth of Sweden, a five-time winner on the LPGA Tour, finished third.
Nicole Vandermade of Brantford, Ont., the only other Canadian in the field, finished in a tie for sixth after a final round 73.
Brooke will next attempt to qualify for her first LPGA Tour event of the year on Monday at the one day qualifier for the Bahamas LPGA Classic at the Ocean Club. While her older sister will caddie for her in that event, several other Canadians will be in the field. SooBin Kim of Coquitlam, B.C., Jennifer Kirby of Paris, Ont. and Rebecca Lee-Bentham of Toronto will also be vying for one of two spots in the field. Henderson just missed qualifying for this week's LPGA Tour opener by two strokes in the qualifying event last Monday.
Editor's Note: An earlier version of this story failed to include proper attribution (now above) to flagstick.com The Globe and Mail apologizes to the website for the omission.