Tag: Brooke Henderson

Brooke Henderson holds off a Cinderella rookie to collect second major title at Amundi Evian Championship

Henderson overcame an early-round four-putt to drain the one that mattered most.

Brooke Henderson overcame an early-round four-putt to drain the one that mattered most – a 9-footer on the 72nd hole to win the Amundi Evian Championship, her second major championship title and first in six years.

Henderson, 24, stayed patient throughout a difficult day, reminding herself of the saying that majors are won on the back nine. Even the closing birdie proved somewhat stressful after a pulled tee shot forced her to lay up on the closing par 5, which plays as the easiest hole on the course.

The winningest Canadian player in history, Henderson is a two-time winner this year and now boasts 12 career LPGA titles. She started the week with record-setting back-to-back 64s and held on to finish at 17-under with a final round of even-par 71, good for a $1 million payday.

The hectic Sunday saw six players tied for the lead on the back nine. Rookie Sophia Schubert, playing in only her second major as a professional, pulled away with a one-shot lead deep into the round but was caught by Henderson, who birdied three of the last five.

The Cinderella — 26-year-old Schubert — started the week with a double-bogey on the first hole Thursday. Her second-round 65 was her lowest round on the LPGA and her third-round 66 was the second lowest of her career. She came into the week ranked 283rd in the world with $82,796 in earnings.

The 2017 U.S. Women’s Amateur champion cruised around Evian like it was a Tuesday practice round. Schubert said she avoided leaderboards until the 18th, where she narrowly missed a 9-foot birdie putt that would’ve forced a playoff.

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Brooke Henderson, who hasn’t won a major in six years, holds two-shot lead at Amundi Evian Championship

Brooke Henderson is searching for her first major championship in six years.

Last year at the Amundi Evian Championship, Minjee Lee roared back from a seven-shot deficit to win her first major in a playoff. The effort matched the largest come-from-behind triumphs in LPGA major championship history, set by Patty Sheehan and Karrie Webb.

Given Evian’s reputation for low scores, it seems no lead is safe on the shores of Lake Geneva. Brooke Henderson led by as many as five on Saturday but ended the day with a two-stroke advantage over So Yeon Ryu, a two-time major winner who has struggled of late.

Henderson hasn’t won a major title since 2016 and paces the field at 17 under after posting a steady 68. The 11-time winner on the LPGA set a major championship record with back-to-back 64s in the first two rounds.

“It wasn’t my best today,” said Henderson, “but I really hung in there when I needed to, which feels nice. Was able to birdie a couple of the par 5s at least, which is good. I had a lot of good birdie looks, too, which is all you can really ask for.”

Nelly Korda came into the weekend trailing only Canada’s finest but walked off the 18th green in disbelief after an even-par 71. Four bogeys on the day dropped her into a share of sixth, six shots back of Henderson.

“I didn’t hit it very good,” said Korda, “Didn’t really putt great. Made some really good saves here and there, but overall a little bit of a disappointing day.”

Sophia Schubert of the United States competes in the Amundi Evian Championship in the French Alps town of Evian-les-Bains, a major tournament on the women’s calendar, on July 23, 2022. (Photo by JEAN-PHILIPPE KSIAZEK / AFP)

Sophia Schubert, the 2017 U.S. Women’s Amateur champion, sits in solo third. Playing in only her second major as a professional, Schubert birdied the last four holes to get to 13 under. The Texas grad tied for 58th at the Evian five years ago, not long after she beat Albane Valenzuela in the final match of the Women’s Amateur.

“I’m just trying not to think about it in a way,” said Schubert. “I mean, I get to play with some of the best golfers in the world and I think to myself that I deserve to be here.

“I’m just trying to keep my confidence up and just keep going.”

Schubert will be paired in the penultimate group on Sunday alongside Carlota Ciganda, who is in a share of fourth with Sei Young Kim.

World No. 1 Jin Young Ko joins Korda in the group at 11 under. Ko won the 2019 Evian.

“Greens are slow and greens are soft,” said Ko, “so everybody can do like aggressive play. So, yeah, I do, too.”

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Ayaka Furue leads Evian Championship, but world No. 3 Nelly Korda and No. 10 Brooke Henderson are on her heels

Four of the world’s top 10 players sit inside the top 10 through round one.

The best players in the women’s game are in France for the Amundi Evian Championship, their fourth of five majors this season and several of the biggest names in the field have already risen to the top.

Ayaka Furue, world No. 31, didn’t get off to a great start Thursday afternoon. After three straight pars to open her round, Furue’s first shape on the scorecard was a square which came at the par-4 13th, her fourth hole of the day. She’d bounce back nicely with four birdies over the last five holes of her outward nine.

The birdies didn’t stop once she made the turn as she added circles on Nos. 2, 3, 6, 7 and the par-5 9th.

The woman Furue was chasing all afternoon was Brooke Henderson, who teed off in the morning wave and got right to work with birdies on Nos. 10 and 11, her first two holes of the day. The remaining seven holes of her front nine were shapeless as she’d turn with a 2-under 34.

Maybe it was a quick snack at the halfway house, but the Canadian came out guns blazing on the second side. Birdies at Nos. 1, 2, 3 and 5 got her to 6 under for the day before trading a bogey on the par-3 8th with an eagle at the par-5 9th.

Henderson has finished inside the top 20 at all three majors so far this season, with her best performance coming at the Chevron in March (T-13).

World No. 3 Nelly Korda said earlier in the week she’s enjoying the record heat wave Europe is currently experiencing, as temperatures are expected to hover in the 90s all week.

“I enjoy playing in this. I would pick this over playing in cold any day. I do not enjoy playing golf in cold weather,” she said on Wednesday. “I actually make my schedule where I play mostly in warm weather…Growing up in Florida I’m so used to playing and practicing in this, so it doesn’t really bother me.”

Well, the sweat-drenched practice sessions paid off for the 23-year-old as she made it look easy around the Evian Resort Golf Club on Thursday.

Birdies on Nos. 12, 13, 15 and 17 sent her out with a 4-under 32. She’d add three more on her back nine, the course’s front nine, for an opening-round bogey-free 7-under 64.

The scorecard could have looked a lot better, too, if she took care of Nos. 7 and 9, both par 5s where she failed to capitalize on birdie bids.

Korda’s highlight of the day was a near ace at the par-3 5th.

The major champion was awarded Best Athlete, Women’s Golf at the ESPYs Wednesday night (Justin Thomas won in the men’s category).

Since returning from surgery on a blood clot in her arm, Korda has three top 10 finishes in four starts including a tie for eighth at the U.S. Women’s Open in June.

Cheyenne Knight sits solo fourth at 6 under, while Jin Young Ko, Lydia Ko, Charley Hull, Yuna Nishimura and Perrine Delacour are T-5 at 5 under.

Friday’s TV and streaming schedule

Golf Channel: 5-7 a.m. ET and 9:30-11:30 a.m. ET
NBC Sports: 7-8 a.m. ET and 11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. ET

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Long overdue: Lexi Thompson headlines list of notable LPGA major championship droughts

Thompson is hardly alone among big names on the LPGA who haven’t won a major in quite some time.

Lexi Thompson’s 57th major start will long be remembered as one of her most painful losses. Certainly not on the level of the 2017 ANA Inspiration (now Chevron Championship), where a four-stroke fiasco rocked the golf world and led to a change in the Rules of Golf.

And not as stunning as the five-stroke collapse on the back nine at The Olympic Club at last year’s U.S. Women’s Open.

But the KPMG Women’s PGA loss at Congressional certainly ranks a solid third on Thompson’s list of major heartbreaks. An 11-time winner on the LPGA, Thompson still only has one major on her resume and it came at the 2014 Chevron Championship.

Thompson is hardly alone, however, in big names on the LPGA who haven’t won a major in quite some time. Here’s a list of notables:

Marquee group of Nelly Korda, Brooke Henderson and Inbee Park – all past KPMG champions – headline at Congressional

Henderson’s lone major victory came six years ago at the KPMG Women’s PGA.

BETHESDA, Maryland –  There’s something about pulling into a past champion’s parking space at Congressional Country Club that gets the day off right. Brooke Henderson is again reminded of that life-changing day at Sahalee – when she took down World No. 1 Lydia Ko in a playoff – as she arrives at her locker, stamped with “past champion.”

Henderson’s lone major victory came six years ago at the KPMG Women’s PGA, and she comes into this year’s championship on the strength of a recent triumph at the ShopRite LPGA Classic.

“Every time I come back to this event,” she said, “I’m just trying to recreate what I did then and hopefully get off to a fast start on Thursday.”

The winningest Canadian golfer of all time will be joined in Round 1 by 2021 KPMG champion Nelly Korda and three-time winner Inbee Park, who won this event from 2013 through 2015. They’ll tee off at 7:33 a.m. on Thursday on Congressional’s newly renovated Blue Course, which is hosting a women’s professional event for the first time.

The field of 156 will compete for $9 million, doubling last year’s purse.

2022 ShopRite LPGA Classic
Brooke Henderson hits off the 13th tee during the final round of the 2022 ShopRite LPGA Classic in Galloway, New Jersey. (Photo: Matt Rourke/Associated Press)

Park, a seven-time major winner, skipped the U.S. Women’s Open earlier this month to get back in top form. This week she’s staying at the home of her best friend, who lives 30 minutes away in Fairfax, Virginia.

“I don’t know how I did it,” said Park of sweeping this event three straight years. “Yeah, if you ask me if I could do it now, I think it will be pretty impossible to do it. Back then I just ­– my game and everything was in great shape, and I was probably putting a lot better than what I am now today.”

While Henderson and Park are trying to end major championship droughts (Park’s last major victory came in 2015), Korda is trying to extend her streak to two consecutive years.

Last year at Atlanta Athletic Club, Korda rose to No. 1 in the world when she nabbed her first major. So much life has transpired since then for the young American, from winning Olympic gold to battling back from surgery on a blood clot in a subclavian vein in her left arm.

After recording a top-10 finish in her first event back in four months at the Women’s Open at Pine Needles, Korda lost in a playoff last week at the Meijer LPGA Classic, where she also won in 2021.

“Ever since I started hitting, it’s just been kind of full throttle,” said Korda of her return to golf.

“I have not taken more than two or three days off since then. I’m just happy to be out here playing competitive golf. I gave myself a chance last week. If you told me that when I was laying in the ER, I would have definitely been very happy with that.”

When asked what she attributed her strong play out of the gate to, Korda said it’s as much mental as it is the hard work on her game and body.

“I think it’s also about the attitude that you have on the golf course,” she said. “I feel like the more you enjoy it out there, the better you play, the less you get kind of ticked off, the less things go wrong, I guess, in a sense.

“Since I’ve been back, I’ve made sure that I’ve had a good attitude and enjoyed every second of it, and I think that’s contributed to my good play.”

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Brooke Henderson eagles first playoff hole to beat Lindsey Weaver-Wright at LPGA ShopRite Classic for 11th victory

Using a new left-hand low putting grip, Brooke Henderson earned her 11th LPGA victory.

Brooke Henderson took the clubhouse lead at 12 under Sunday after making a birdie on the 18th hole. A few minutes later, Lindsey Weaver-Wright joined her at 12 under after also making a birdie at the last, and that forced a playoff at the LPGA ShopRite Classic.

Golf fans watching on TV had to then scramble to a livestream after CBS cut out of its live TV coverage to pick up the final round of the PGA Tour’s RBC Canadian Open.

On the first playoff hole, Henderson, showing she’s more comfortable with a new left-hand low putting grip, drained a six-footer to close out her 11th LPGA win with an eagle on the 18th hole.

Henderson made the grip change in the days leading up to the U.S. Women’s Open, where she finished tied for 15th at Pine Needles.

Seven days later, she capped off her week with a bogey-free, final-round 64 at Seaview Golf Club in Galloway, New Jersey. Henderson had five birdies and an eagle in regulation. Weaver-Wright, seeking her first LPGA win, had four birdies in her last six holes to force the extra golf session.

It’s Henderson’s 11th LPGA win and first since the 2021 Hugel-Air Premia LA Open. She now has at least one win in seven of her eight seasons on the LPGA.

The $262,500 first-place check pushes her career LPGA earnings over $9 million.

Jodi Ewart Shadoff eagled the 18th hole to get to 11 under and claim solo second. Lydia Ko and Albane Valenzuela tied for fourth at 10 under.

Brittany Lincicome, who is about six months pregnant, was in contention for most of the week but bogeys on Nos. 14 and 17 on Sunday damaged her chances. She finished tied for sixth at 9 under along with Alex Marina and Nasa Hataoka.

The defending champion of the ShopRite, Celine Boutier, finished tied for ninth at 8 under.

Next week, it’s the Meijer LPGA Classic in Belmont, Michigan, which will serve as the final tune-up for the third major on the LPGA’s 2022 schedule, the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship at Congressional Country Club in Bethesda, Maryland.

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Two-time champ Brooke Henderson withdraws from Lotte Championship

She grabbed the title at the event in both 2018 and 2019.

Prior to the Lotte Championship at Hoakalei Country Club, Brooke Henderson said she was eager to play on West Oahu, as she grabbed the title at the event in both 2018 and 2019.

“Obviously, I won here twice. I have so many great memories,” she told LPGA.com. “I love that trophy. So it’s great to be back here this week.”

The Canadian star withdrew after her second round on Thursday, however, due to an unspecified illness. She posted a pair of bogeys and a double-bogey on her final four holes, and was 10 shots off the pace set by 36-hole leader Hyo Joo Kim.

Henderson, 24, hadn’t finished outside the top 15 in a half-dozen previous starts this season, with her best coming at the season-opening Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions, where she finished second.

Henderson entered the week third in the LPGA point standings.

Meanwhile, in pushing out to the lead Kim posted a bogey-free 67 and went into the third round with a three-shot lead over Sarah Kemp.

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As Lydia Ko can attest, Lotte Championship can be springboard to future LPGA success

Since 2012, the champion of the Lotte has gone on to win multiple LPGA titles in the same year.

If history is any indication, the winner of this week’s Lotte Championship will enjoy even more success in 2022.

Since 2012, the champion of the Lotte has gone on to win multiple titles in the same year. For last year’s champion Lydia Ko, that second title came in Saudi Arabia last fall on the Ladies European Tour.

Ko’s seven-stroke victory last year on Oahu broke a near three-year victory drought on the LPGA for the former No. 1.

“I think it was more proving to myself that I can be back in the winner’s circle,” said Ko ahead of this week’s title defense. “I actually finished my season out pretty well. Started my season well in 2020 and 2021. To kind of win here was a confidence booster.”

This year’s Lotte will be held for the first time at Hoakalei Country Club, located 20 miles outside of Honolulu. The tournament starts Wednesday and will conclude on Saturday.

Jennifer Kupcho, the 2022 Chevron champion, joins Ko as a headliner of the event along with fellow 2022 winners Danielle Kang, Leona Maguire and Atthaya Thitikul.

With the course’s close proximity to the ocean, Ko is bracing for a windswept week. Hoakalei’s tighter fairways and sticky rough demand precision.

“There are some tougher holes where the wind is the opposite way to how the green sits,” said Ko, “so that makes the greens a little bit smaller. “I think having like strategic target style in that kind of holes, and then the holes that are going to be a little bit easier or shorter, to really take advantage of those.

Masters inspiration

Brooke Henderson, a two-time winner at the Lotte, said she took inspiration from Masters champion Scottie Scheffler’s post-tournament news conference when he talked about how Sunday morning was so rough that he “cried like a baby.”

An overwhelmed Scheffler told his wife that he didn’t think he was ready for the moment.

“She told me, ‘Who are you to say that you are not ready? Who am I to say that I know what’s best for my life?’ ” said Scheffler.

“And so, what we talked about is that God is in control and that the Lord is leading me; and if today is my time, it’s my time. And if I shot 82 today, you know, somehow I was going to use it for His glory. Gosh, it was a long morning. It was long.”

Henderson, a major champion who also possesses a strong faith, appreciated Scheffler’s vulnerable answer.

“I just really loved a lot of the things he had to say and how he approached the Sunday after feeling not his best in the morning time,” said Henderson. “I really learned a lot actually, so that was pretty cool.”

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With new 46-inch driver in play, Brooke Henderson looks to continue strong play at Chevron

“Definitely miss my 48-inch driver, but this one, it’s good.”

RANCHO MIRAGE, California —  Brooke Henderson tested a number of different driver shafts and heads trying to find the perfect match heading into the Chevron Championship.

This marks her first week of competition using a shorter driver after the LPGA put in place the new Model Local Rule last week, which gives tours the option to limit the maximum length of a driver to 46 inches. Henderson, who said she feels at peace now about the new club, has used a 48-inch driver since junior golf and is one of the best overall drivers of the golf ball on tour.

Why wait until a major to make the change?

“You know, I’ve played over 46 inches since I was 15,” said Henderson, “so I was going to use the 48 up until I couldn’t anymore. But it was nice to have such great finishes with it coming into this week.”

Henderson, 24, hasn’t finished outside the top 11 in five starts this season, with her best coming at the season-opening Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions, where she finished second.

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Currently ranked 10th in the world, Henderson lost in a playoff in this event in 2020 and usually enjoys a strong Canadian crowd here in the desert.

When asked if she’d tried about a dozen different shafts in the search, Henderson said, “Oh, more.”

In the end, she wound up using the same shaft and Ping G400 driver head as before, just 2 inches shorter with a little extra weight in the grip.

“Went through a lot of different shafts and weights, et cetera, et cetera,” said Henderson, “but was able to I guess early January late December to pick one that I have in the bag this week that I felt was going to be the right club.

“Definitely miss my 48-inch driver, but this one, it’s good. I think as I get used to the timing and the rhythm of it I’ll be able to gain back some of the distance that I lost.”

Brooke M. Henderson of Canada plays her shot on the second tee during the third round of the HUGEL-AIR PREMIA LA Open at Wilshire Country Club on April 23, 2021, in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Meg Oliphant/Getty Images)

Henderson chokes down on all the clubs in her bag and said that going forward, she might consider gradually choking up on the rest of her clubs as well to help with timing and rhythm.

“That’s something time will tell,” she said.

In seven starts at Mission Hills Country Club, Henderson has never missed the cut and has five top-20 finishes. She tees off on Thursday alongside fellow major champion Lydia Ko.

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In Gee Chun battles through neck injury for one-shot lead at LPGA’s HSBC in Singapore

In Gee Chun grabs one-shot LPGA lead over Jin Young Ko and Jeongeun Lee6 in Singapore.

After more than three years without a victory, In Gee Chun wasn’t about to let a pain in her neck slow down her climb up the leaderboard Saturday at the LPGA’s HSBC Women’s World Championship in Singapore.

The three-time winner on the tour focused on her putting after suffering a spasm in her neck earlier in the week, then carded six birdies for a 66 to reach 12-under 204 at Sentosa Golf Club. That was good for a one-shot lead over Jeongeun Lee6 and World No. 1 Jin Young Ko heading into Sunday’s final round.

After hurting her neck Thursday, she considered withdrawing but instead relied on stretching, help from on-site trainers and Advil. She said she has played within herself and let her putter do the talking.

“I tried to make good focus on the putting green because I have spasm in my neck, so I didn’t try to hit hard,” Chun told the LPGA after taking the third-round lead. “I think it went really well on the putting green. …. That’s how I made a good score today.”

Chun’s most recent victory was at the 2018 LPGA KEB Hana Bank Championship. She also won the 2015 U.S. Women’s Open and the 2016 Amundi Evian Championship. She likely will need to make plenty more putts Sunday to hold off the player riding the hottest streak in the women’s game.

Jin Young Ko plays a shot from the ninth tee during her third round at the HSBC Women’s World Championship on March 5, 2022, at Sentosa Golf Club in Singapore. (AP/Paul Miller)

Ko shot a third-round 69, her 14th consecutive round in the 60s. That matched an LPGA record she already shared with Annika Sorenstam and So Yeon Ryu. She is in pursuit of her 13th LPGA victory and her sixth in her past 10 starts.

Lee6 had the lowest round of the day, carding seven birdies – six of them in a front-nine 31 – and an eagle to charge up the board with a 7-under 65 to tie Ko in second at 11 under par. Lee6 has one win on the tour, the 2019 U.S. Women’s Open.

American Danielle Kang fired a third-round 68 to climb into a three-way tie for fourth place at 9 under with Atthaya Thitikul (70) and Amy Yang (71) after three rounds. Brooke Henderson (71) was another shot back at 8 under.

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