Two-time major champion Brooke Henderson went bogey-free on Thursday at the Honda LPGA Thailand, carding a 5-under 67 to sit three back of first-round leader Peiyun Chien in an eight-way tie for third.
The 26-year-old Canadian got off to a quiet start, parring her first six holes of the day before picking up her first birdie of the round on the par-5 7th hole at Siam Country Club’s Old Course. She didn’t wait long to make another birdie, doing so on the par-4 9th hole to turn in 32, but cooled off again with three pars on holes 10, 11 and 12.
The par-4 13th hole saw Henderson make her third birdie of the day to get to 3-under, and she struck again on the par-3 16th hole, now sitting at 4-under overall with two holes to go. She ultimately parred No. 17 and finished strong with a birdie on the par-5 18th hole to post a bogey-free 67, her ninth round of 67 or better at the Honda LPGA Thailand and her second blemish-free round of the 2024 LPGA Tour season.
“Kind of a slow start, six pars in a row, but it was nice to get a birdie on 7 and another one on 9 to make the turn at 2-under,” said Henderson, who hit 14 of 14 fairways and 15 of 18 greens in the first round. “I was just trying to continue to try to make some birdies on the back nine and climb up the leaderboard a little bit, so definitely happy to finish with one on 18. To get (to -5), no bogeys feels good.”
This is Henderson’s sixth time teeing it up in Chonburi, and in her five previous Honda LPGA Thailand appearances, she has recorded three top-10 results, tying for seventh in 2018, finishing sixth in 2019 and tying for fourth in 2022. This week marks her third start of the 2024 LPGA Tour season, and Henderson already has earned one top-five and one top-20 finish so far this year, coming solo third at the Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions and tying for 16th at the LPGA Drive On Championship at Bradenton Country Club.
After a challenging 2023 season that saw her win in her first tournament of the year and then not find the top 10 again until the middle of last summer, this recent stretch of solid golf she’s put together dating back to the 2023 BMW Ladies Championship has to feel like a breath of fresh air for Henderson. In that span, the 13-time LPGA Tour winner hasn’t finished worse than T22 and has picked up three T6 or better results, a far cry from where she was early in the season last year.
Now, with three days of play left in an event in which she has had some good history and a solid start generating plenty of positive momentum, the Canadian could prove dangerous over the next 54 holes at Siam Country Club and pick up her 14th Tour title in Asia, a place she has yet to win as an LPGA Tour member.
“I love playing here in Thailand and in Singapore next week, two of my favorite events on Tour,” said Henderson. “I love the atmosphere and the energy and everything these two weeks bring. I was coming over here to try to make some birdies and try to get some top finishes.
“I feel like I was hitting the ball really well (today) and made some good putts. That's always a nice feeling. This golf course has always suited me pretty well. So hopefully, keep the irons hot and make a climb the next few days.”
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