DALY CITY, Calif. - Brooke Henderson’s first cut made in an LPGA event – the 2013 U.S. Women’s Open as a 15-year-old – came with Morgan Pressel in her pairing during the third round. Sunday, her first win on the LPGA Tour could come with Pressel in her group as well. It was a dream then, and she’s now 18 holes away from the realization of an even bigger dream as she tees off in the 1:05 PM final group with Pressel alongside her.
“Playing with her in the U.S. Women’s Open was an amazing experience,” Henderson said. “Ever since then she’s been very kind to me. I’ve still always been a little nervous around her because I’ve looked up to her my whole life, but I’m really looking to forward to tomorrow.”
At only 17, she is already a hero across Canada to many young girls, and she remembers the treatment she received from Pressel when the roles were reversed. Sometimes there’s disappointment when meeting a role model that doesn’t live up to the pedestal they’ve been placed on. That was never the case with Pressel for Henderson. She always lived up to the hype – first when she was a young eight-year-old fan and years later as a fellow competitor. The kindness Pressel displayed then is the same Henderson shows now to her fans.
“Growing up she was my biggest role model other than my sister,” Henderson said. “I always looked up to her. I met her probably when I was around eight years old. That was so cool. She spent a little extra time with me than the other girls, which I thought was really neat.”
Although Henderson’s memory circles back to Pressel as far back as eight, Pressel’s been a fan of hers since first playing with her four years ago at the Canadian Women’s Open.
“I’ve been watching her for a long time, since the first time I played with her at the Canadian Open,” Pressel said. “I watched her then and it was incredibly impressive. I knew she would be something special out on our Tour as well.”
“It’s been very, very impressive so far.”
But this is unchartered territory for the precocious Canadian. She finished 10th at the U.S. Women’s Open and said she doesn’t feel 17 or think it’s a factor. But by the same vein, she’s never had to sleep on the third-round lead with the world No. 1 and three major champions – Shanshan Feng, Stacy Lewis, and So Yeon Ryu – all within five shots of her lead. If anyone knows what she’s going to be going through, it’s Pressel – the youngest major champion in LPGA Tour history with a win at the age of 18 at the ANA Inspiration.
“It’s very impressive to watch the young girls. To think that was me is kind of crazy,” Pressel said. “I’ve certainly never had nearly the success Lydia [Ko] has had, and she’s handled it all with an incredible smile and extreme grace. So it’s been very impressive to watch as a competitor and colleague and friend.”
It’s another reason why Pressel knows she can’t wait for Henderson to come back. She’ll have to go catch her, while also trying to hold off Ko, who is just three shots back, if she wants to snap a nearly seven-year winless drought.
“Lydia and Brooke both bring tremendous tenacity and fire. They know they can do it. They step up to that tee and there is no fear,” Pressel said. “Not to say that a few develop, but as you play out here more and more, I think sometimes the younger that you are the more naïve you are to all the pressure and everything else that goes with it. I mean look at how strong Brooke played yesterday and today.”
Since Ko’s arrival on the scene, she’s essentially looked immune to the pressure. She’s always said that’s not the case and provided a charmingly refreshing admission this week in her pre-tournament press conference that the major championships give her “butterflies a lot” and that she struggles to fight the feeling that her game’s not “up to the standard” at majors. Henderson says she’s much the same but hopes to use them as fuel and not her undoing.
“I agree with [Lydia] for sure,” Henderson said. “Obviously I’m not in the same boat as she is and had the great success she has, but it’s very similar. Back home in Canada I have received a lot of pressure from Canada for the last couple years. If you have pressure it means you’re doing something right. I try and use it to my advantage and try and use it to help me get better.”
Ultimately, it’s Ko – quietly lurking in Henderson’s rear view mirror entering the final round – that may be her biggest comfort heading into the final round.
“Everybody is different, you know, but definitely these kids see Lydia doing that, and they played with her in amateur and junior golf,” Stacy Lewis said, “and I think it does open their dreams and horizons.”
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