Two-time Meijer LPGA Classic winner Brooke Henderson is two shots back of defending champion Nelly Korda, and four shots out of the lead, after two windy rounds at Blythefield Country Club. The gallery was full and the energy was high as the past champions played together Friday morning and battled for position on the leaderboard. The fierce competition appeared to favor both players, as the two nearly went shot-for-shot on the front nine before Korda pulled away on the back. Henderson shot a 6-under 66 and Korda a 7-under 65.
“I had a really nice stretch where I was making a ton of birdies and Nelly was, too. It was really fun. We could kind of feed off each other,” Henderson said. “The crowd gets behind you and you're pushing each other to make birdies. The energy is high, and I feel like fun is the only way you can really sum it up.”
Henderson made six birdies and an eagle during Friday’s round with two bogeys on the card. In six appearances at the Meijer LPGA Classic, Henderson’s 36-hole 134 is her third-lowest. Her best score through two rounds is 128, recorded in 2019 after she notched back-to-back 64s, ultimately going on to win the event for the second time. The major champion earned her 11th LPGA victory at the ShopRite LPGA Classic Presented by Acer last week in New Jersey and it’s that victory combined with her knowledge of Blythefield that’s giving her a lot of confidence with two rounds left to play.
“Right now it's a great stretch of golf for me. Obviously winning last week was a huge bonus and really grateful for that,” she said. “Coming into this week knowing that I've had such success here was really exciting, and it's nice to put myself pretty close to the top of the leaderboard through two days. Just half the tournament is over, so hopefully, I can make a big climb the next two.”
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