A new look, and perspective, is on hand for Brooke Henderson this week as she tries to win a second title at the CPKC Women’s Open this week at Canada’s only LPGA TOUR event.
A bespectacled Henderson met with the media on Tuesday at the Shaughnessy Golf & Country Club in Vancouver. She’s invigorated to be back competing on home soil, and hoping it provides the spark to turn a tumultuous year into a one more like she has been used to during her short but illustrious career.
Coming off a missed cut at the AIG Women’s Open two weeks ago, only her second at a major in some 40+ starts, the Smiths Falls, Ontario golfer has a positive and grateful attitude heading into the week on the west coast.
“I’m so excited that we have the opportunity to play here at Shaughnessy. It’s an amazing golf course and CPKC always treats all the girls and myself extremely well this week, so it’s a lot of fun. Yeah, just going to try to go out and make the most of this opportunity.”
The National Open has always been a touchstone for Henderson, it has already been five years since she won the CPKC Women’s Open title in Saskatchewan, and this will be 10th appearance at the event.
“This week is a big deal,” said Henderson when asked what the tournament means to her. “It’s the highlight of my year pretty much every year. It’s exciting to get to be so close to so many fans, and regardless of where we are in the country, the fans and the crowds come out to watch.”
After her victory in 2018, Brooke followed with a tie for third in 2019, but when the tournament returned to play in 2022 at the club where she has an honorary membership, she scraped her way to a share of 49th with heaps of expectation on her. It’s a demanding week for the biggest golf star in Canada, and that means balancing duties inside and outside of the ropes.
“Just to feel that kind of love and support, it’s really special. I try to do my best and try to sign a bunch of autographs and take pictures, but also trying to make sure that I give the right amount of time for myself to really prepare and get the right amount of rest so I can go out and perform on Thursday through Sunday.
Winning this championship back in 2018 is definitely the highlight of my career, so I would love to be able to do that again someday.”
Turning Things Around
Brooke initiated her 2023 campaign with a victory in Florida and currently sits in 11th place in the Race to CME Globe but is not shy to admit that the seventeen events she has played have been full of ups and downs. Amongst the highs of a win, and a second place at the Evian Amundi Championship, have been four missed cuts, unusual for her, along with a number of admittedly mediocre results.
“You know, it’s been a little bit up and down year, so hopefully this will be more of an up week. I feel like the game is trending in the right direction, and got to stick to the process.”
“To start out on such a high was amazing, and I’m really happy that I took some pressure off early. Winning every year is a big goal of mine and I would like to win twice, so hopefully the second win is coming up here soon.
The Test Ahead
The tree-lined Shaughnessy will prove to be a strong test this week. This is the first visit by the LPGA Tour but when the RBC Canadian Open was last held there in 2011, it yielded a measly -4 score for the winner, Sean O’Hair, a major-level score.
To no surprise Henderson’s initial reaction to the course centres around keeping in control of the ball on a layout that will play a smidge under 6700 yards and to a par of 72 this week.
“I think ball striking is something definitely going to be a big key here. The fairways are pretty tight and the greens are pretty small, so ball striking will definitely be very important and a big key. The greens are very slopey as well, so making sure you’re hitting the right spots on the greens.”
Brooke’s focus on ball-striking is a pointed and honest assessment of what has plagued her in 2023. She is down 55 spots (13th to 68th) in Strokes Gained Approach per round this year compared to last season. She also led the tour in a greens in regulation percentage when missing a fairway in 2022; she is 37th in that statistic so far in 2023, but it is certainly getting her attention.
“I am heading out to the range after this to work on some ball striking, so hopefully it’s sharp come Thursday,” she quipped.
Golf fans will also notice different look for Brooke this week; she has chosen to play with her glasses on.
She explained the change.
“Yeah, so I’ve worn glasses off the course for a long time but I’ve never played with them, so it was a bit of a change. But it was just time that I wanted to be able to see things a little bit better and maybe not depend on Brit so much.
“So I started practicing with them last week and seemed to go pretty well. This will be the first week in competition. I’m excited. Yeah, like I said, it’s really nice to be able to see some things. Hopefully it gives me maybe not an advantage, but helps me improve my game a little bit.”
A third of Brooke’s LPGA TOUR wins have come in the Pacific Northwest and she is hoping the demands of a tree-lined environment and the west coast atmosphere will lend itself to a positive week.
“I love this area. I love Vancouver. I love the Pacific Northwest, so I’m super excited to be back here. It was fun few weeks ago. I came in really quickly for media day, but even that quick journey up here was really amazing.
I feel like it’s so beautiful. The view we have on 10 and 11 and 12 this week, the tall trees, everything about this place is really special, so it’s cool that we get to bring the world’s best female golfers to this area, and hopefully lots of people can come out and support and watch.”
Henderson will get her tournament underway on Thursday at 1:21 om alongside Nelly Korda and two-time major winner for 2023, Lilia Vu.
She is one of fifteen Canadians in the field this week.
Click here for the full current list of competitors competing in the 2023 CPKC Women’s Open, August 22-27 at Shaughnessy Golf & Country Club in Vancouver.
