The mid-50s temperatures and rainy weather that plagued Lake Nona Golf and Country Club on Saturday had much of the field bundled up, including Canadian Brooke Henderson. The 24-year-old spends much of her time in Florida these days and claimed on Friday that she’s lost her “Canadian genes.” However, her game was anything but cold on moving day. She carded a bogey-free 4-under 68, hitting 10 of 14 fairways and 13 of 18 greens with just 27 putts to sit two back of the lead at the Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions.
“It was a really fun day playing with Joe Carter and Jeremy Roenick. It felt like an honor to be able to play with them, which is pretty cool,” said Henderson who made back-to-back birdies on 13 and 14. “It's nice to not have any blemishes on the card. I gave myself a lot of birdie opportunities for the most part which is exciting. Going into tomorrow I'm excited to be close to the top of the leaderboard and hopefully, I can just make a lot of birdies and see what happens.”
The Tournament of Champions is a great place to warm up the game after a nine-week offseason, and it’s even better preparation for the year ahead to be in contention this early. Henderson considered her time away from the game to be productive and even though she didn’t play much in these kinds of chilly, damp conditions, Brooke is chalking up the week as a success with one round left to play.
“I haven't played in the rain in a long time. In the offseason, I chose not to play in the rain so it’s a little bit of an adjustment. But overall I feel like Brittany really helped me out on those holes and she did a great job. Caddies need eight hands at that point, and she did a great job,” she said. “I'm excited to be back somewhat in contention. With a solid round tomorrow, I can make a charge, which is a great feeling. I'm just excited about the opportunity to be playing well on the weekend. The first three days have gone well, so hopefully, I just make a lot of birdies tomorrow and make a lot of putts.”
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