Brooke Henderson’s goal on Friday morning was to get as far and as quickly away from the cut line as possible following her Even par opening round of 71, which left her seven strokes off the pace of first-round leader Akie Iwai at the CPKC Women’s Open. Henderson accomplished that goal, and then some, by scrambling her way to a five-under par round of 66 to climb not just safely inside the cut line but into contention heading into the weekend in her national championship.

“To finish the day 5-under, it was a really good day and I'm just really excited to be teeing it up the next two days and look forward to the amazing crowds out here,” Henderson said about the hometown support she’s enjoyed the first two days while competing at Mississaugua Golf and Country Club. “Feel like a lot of good momentum, a lot of confidence after today's round. Hopefully just go out strong tomorrow and put up a good number.”

Friday, the Canadian got off to a hot start as she nearly holed her approach from the fairway at her second hole of the day, which she managed to convert for her first birdie of the round. She made the turn in 33 to thunderous claps from the fans who were hitting the boards surrounding the “rink hole” at the par three 10th hole. Henderson made par in front of the growing sea of fans who came out for the 7:45 a.m. tee time to support their country’s winningest golfer, who was part of a star grouping that featured world No. 1 Jeeno Thitikul and LPGA Tour rookie Lottie Woad.

Henderson gave up a single shot at the 11th all day, but she immediately rebounded with birdies on the back-to-back par 5s at the 12th and 13th holes, in which she rocked back on her feet as she waited to see her long birdie at the 13th find the bottom of the cup. She put an exclamation on her round with two more birdies at the 17th and 18th holes to climb inside the top 10 on Friday morning.

“This week it's been nice because when things haven't worked out well I've been able to be gritty and get up and down, and I'm really proud of that,” said Henderson about her ability to scramble through the first two days. “When I was hitting it in good spots and giving myself birdie looks I was rubbing the edge or making them.”

Earlier in the week Henderson made a putter change, something she did quite frequently in recent years looking to recapture the magic she found early in her career. The new club combined with the overwhelming fan support might just be the winning combination Henderson has been seeking as she looks to get back to her winning ways.

“There is definitely room for improvement, but I definitely feel like I am trending in the right direction and that's very exciting,” said Henderson about her game this week. “Lots of positives to take away from the week so far.”

The round is a bright spot in what has otherwise been, as Henderson has described, a weird year that hasn’t met her standards when it comes to her performance on the golf course. The Canadian has been a machine at racking up top 10s throughout her career, but through her 17 starts so far this season she has just a single top 10 finish. And has gone without a win on Tour since 2023. Since Henderson joined the Tour in 2015 she’s amassed 13 wins, including two major titles, but has largely been a non-factor this season on the LPGA Tour. But that could all change this week in her home country.

“I'm right there,” Henderson said about her chances this weekend. “Just got to keep going, put two more solid rounds together.”

Henderson Plays Her Way into Contention Heading into Weekend at Home in Canada

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