Anyone who has followed Brooke Henderson’s rise over the last few years as a professional is well aware that she is a special talent. There are plenty of ways to measure that, none better than the fact she has already won five times on the LPGA TOUR, including a major championship.
Like most weeks she plays, a good result by Brooke pushes me to check the relevant lists and rankings, including the LPGA TOUR career money list. This week, after a 5th place finish at the Sime Darby LPGA Malaysia it boosted her to a significant spot on that ranking.
With the $58,391.00 (all figures USD) she earned in Malaysia, the 20 year-old now sits in 90th place on the all-time money list. That is notable not just for the position itself, but where it puts her in relation to another of Canada’s great golf professionals.
Sitting in 89th place on the career money list is Dawn Coe-Jones, the British Columbia native that won three times on the LPGA TOUR, and sadly, succumbed to cancer last year at the age of 56. She is 2nd in official money earned all-time by a Canadian on the LPGA TOUR.
Jones earned a remarkable $3,315,478 during her career. Henderson has now earned (officially, as she also had non-member earnings prior to her first win) $3,301,829.
Now comes the impressive part. Henderson has accomplished the feat in just 71 starts as an LPGA member. Jones required 513 events to compile her winnings.
That puts Henderson at a pace of earning, on average, some $46,504.63 per event on the LPGA TOUR.
While there are no guarantees that she can maintain pace, or have or want the longevity of a career like Dawn Coe-Jones, the math is this. At her average, if Henderson played as many events as Jones did, the Smiths Falls golfer would earn a remarkable $23,856,875.20 in on-course income.
It’s speculation of course, but fun fodder for consideration.
Lorie Kane is currently the top Canadian in the career LPGA TOUR money list. At $6,953,047 she currently holds the 34th all-time position. Still active, she accomplished that in 440 starts.
No matter how you work the math, it’s been a lucrative start for Brooke Henderson in her LPGA TOUR career. It seems only a matter of time before she becomes the top female golfer from Canada to ever player the game.
No matter the metric you consider.
