ISPS Handa Women's Australian Open Tuesday Pre-Tournament Notes

Rolex Rankings No. 8 Brooke Henderson posted the second-most top-10 finishes on the LPGA Tour in 2016 behind Rolex Player of the Year Ariya Jutanugarn (16) with 15 in her 31 starts (48%). Between February and April, the 19-year-old Canadian rode a streak of eight consecutive top-10 finishes in events played, and later captured two wins in June including her first major at the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship.

Henderson knows that she set the bar high last season and plans on exceeding the lofty expectations heaped upon her as a rising LPGA superstar.

Henderson: “I think last year every week I was going into it, goal number 1 to make cuts and then goal number 2 to be in the top 10, and then if I had a chance to win, go after the win; where this year I think I’m going to approach it a little bit differently - go after some more wins on tour and then if I don’t win, then top 10, and of course, always making sure I’m making cuts. But I’m going to be a little bit more aggressive and hopefully add a few more titles to my name.”

Looking to return to form, an injury-free Michelle Wie will be breaking out a new putting style this week. After missing the cut in the season-opening Pure Silk-Bahamas LPGA Classic, Wie decided to work on “The Claw” putting grip made popular by the likes of PGA Tour players Phil Mickelson and Sergio Garcia. Wie will also go away from her “table-top” stance and return to a regular stance over the putter.

Wie is now ranked No. 182 in the world after having been as high as No. 2 in the world in 2006. She hasn’t won since the 2014 U.S. Women’s Open, but Wie told reporters that she loves the grind and putting in the work to get back to the high-level play that made her into one of the game’s most recognizable faces.

“I love being out there,” said Wie. “I love the game. I love trying to get better every day, especially having a tough year last year, you’re definitely more motivated to go out there and work harder than anyone else, and it feels good. It feels good to go out there and it always feels great knowing that you’ve put everything in it that day and just sleep better at night.”

The following players earned a spot in the ISPS Handa Women’s Australian Open field via the Tuesday qualifier:

Nanna Madsen, 66 (-6)

Leticia Ras Anderica, 70 (-2)

Ann-Kathrin Lindner, 70 (-2)

Michelle Wie returns to play in the ISPS Handa Women’s Australian Open for the first time since 2012, where she missed her cut in her lone appearance in this event.

Wie has five top-10 finishes since her last LPGA victory at the 2014 U.S. Women’s Open and had just one top-10 all of last season (T10, Blue Bay LPGA) after earning none in 2015.

Wie was the first recipient of the Rolex ANNIKA Major Award in 2014 thanks to her U.S. Women’s Open victory and a solo second finish at the Kraft Nabisco Championship.

Wie, a four-time Solheim Cup team member (2015, 2013, 2011, 2009), currently ranks 19th in Team USA’s Solheim Cup standings.

Brooke Henderson had top-10 finishes in two Australian events in 2016 - a T9 result in her lone Australian Open appearance and a T8 finish in the RACV Ladies Masters.

Brooke Henderson was one of three teenagers with LPGA wins in 2016 - Lydia Ko (two at 18yo, two at 19yo) won four times, Minjee Lee (one at 19yo; one at 20yo) won twice and Henderson (two at 18yo) won twice.

Henderson was the youngest player to win on Tour in 2016 and became the second youngest player to win a major championship in LPGA history (18 years, 9 months, 2 days) with her win at the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship, trailing only Lydia Ko, who won the 2015 Evian Championship at 18 years, 4 months, 20 days. She also became the youngest ever winner of the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship, besting Yani Tseng (2008 – 19 years, 4 months, 16 days).

Last season, Ariya Jutanugarn (469) and Brooke Henderson (455) both eclipsed the all-time birdies in a season record previously held by Stacy Lewis (451 in 2014).