OTTAWA, Ont. – After Brooke Henderson captured last week’s Meijer LPGA Classic forSimply Give, she was looking forward to a week off.
But first, she won again.
Less than 24 hours after her first victory of the LPGA Tour season – marking the 15th winner on Tour in 15 events – Henderson teamed up with PGA Tour winners Keegan Bradley and Billy Andrade to with the CVS Health Charity Classic (fellow LPGA Tour stars Paula Creamer, Cristie Kerr, Gerina Pillar, Morgan Pressel, and Lexi Thompson were also in the field) before flying home to Canada.
In Smiths Falls, Ont. – about 45 minutes from Ottawa, Canada’s capital – a throng of family and friends welcomed her, and helped to celebrate her most recent victory.
“To be able to come home and celebrate with family and friends… it was so much fun,” said Henderson. “It’s been that extra boost I needed, especially with a long stretch on the schedule coming up.”
From there, she headed to Ottawa Hunt and Golf Club to chat – alongside Canadian Golf Hall of Famer and multi-time LPGA Tour winner Lorie Kane – about the CP Canadian Women’s Open later this summer.
Although she said the week of the Meijer LPGA Classic was the highlight of her year, so far, there is a sneaky suspicion that that week may be usurped by the last week in August, when the LPGA Tour returns to Canada for the second time on the schedule.
“It’s the No. 1 event on my bucket list,” Henderson said of the Canadian Women’s Open. “But I think it’s the perfect fit this year.
“I love that trophy right there,” she added during a media conference at the clubhouse. “I really want to hold it. I can’t do it yet, but maybe this summer I’ll be able to.”
The 19-year-old laughed Wednesday as she told a story of meeting Pressel for the first time at the 2008 iteration of the Canadian Women’s Open, which also took place at the Ottawa Hunt and Golf Club.
Henderson was just a smiley 10-year-old when she participated in an event with Pressel in Ottawa, and Pressel remembered Henderson the following day, calling out to her and handing her an autographed glove and ball – which, to this day, still sit in the Henderson’s house in Smiths Falls.
Although Henderson now has twice as many victories on the LPGA Tour as Pressel (four versus two), she recalled with a smile that she was ‘too nervous’ to speak with Pressel for ‘a long time’ because of how long she had considered her an idol. Now, however, the two are friends. But Henderson said Wednesday she still remembers how Pressel made her feel that week in 2008, and it’s something she hopes to do with the youngsters who are attending the event later this summer.
“I definitely want to try to give that to every little girl and every little boy and every fan I meet along the way,” she explained.
Henderson’s whirlwind week back in Canada also includes a trip to Toronto to assist in a charity event with 34-time LPGA Tour winner Betsy King and an event with Golf Canada.
There was also hope to head to the Henderson family cottage Thursday for some actual time off during her off week before getting re-focused on defending her title at the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship.
She admitted she’ll be trying to stay tough mentally over the next couple of weeks – with major championships so prominent on the schedule – but she says physically she feels good.
“Hopefully I can keep that up and pair it with a good mentality and I can come away with some great finishes,” she said.
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