Minjee Lee has played with Brooke Henderson more times than she can remember. And she knew what to expect from Canada’s winningest golfer when the duo was paired together for the final round of the CPKC Women’s Open on Sunday.

But perhaps what Lee wasn’t prepared for was to come up shy of Henderson, who returned to the winner’s circle for the first time in two years in her native Canada. The two went head-to-head in a match play style final round as they met each other shot for shot throughout the day in which the winner wasn’t decided until the 72nd hole at Mississaugua Golf and Country Club, where Henderson defeated Lee by a single stroke.

“I had a solid performance so can't really say anything,” Lee said after her second place finish on Sunday. “I kind of got out played I guess.”

Ahead of Sunday’s final round Lee said she wanted to put in some work on her putting and to improve her speed with the new club, a long putter that she put in the bag earlier this season for the first time. That work she put in with the short stick paid off on Sunday as Lee more than once drained putts from long range to keep pace with Henderson and tie her at the top of the leaderboard.

“I definitely think my putting has helped a lot with my confidence,” Lee said about the putter change. “You know, put a lot of my trust in it now so I feel like that's really let me play with a bit more freedom. Even if I do miss the green, like I trust that my chipping and putting will help me get up and down.”

Lee began the final round tied with Henderson atop the leaderboard at 11-under par through 54 holes and with a three-stroke cushion ahead of the world No.1, Jeeno Thitikul. Henderson and Lee both made birdie at their second hole of the day to further separate themselves from the field, only for both to drop shots at the fourth hole. They matched each other again with bounce back birdies, Henderson was the first to rebound with a birdie at the fifth hole, and then Lee at the eighth hole, for the duo to each make the turn in 34.

“I think [at the] beginning of the day we were three ahead I think, so this golf course is quite demanding. I didn't think there was anyone who was going to really jump super ahead, maybe if they tee'd off maybe an hour or two before and just posted a score,” Lee said. “I felt like it would probably most likely be that, that me and Brooke would be head-to-head. After nine it seemed like that's what kind of happened.”

As the pair of major champions stepped on to the 10th tee box, which was designated as “the rink” hole which had boards surrounding the teeing area designed to emulate a hockey rink, fans banged against the boards clamoring for the showdown to come to the par three. It was one of the many times that the fans showed their overwhelming support for Henderson.

“Today was really tough actually because there was just so many people. Obviously Brooke being Canadian it was a lot of fans were there for her,” Lee said about the atmosphere on Sunday. “I think I'm just -- I was very mentally strong today and I just tried to focus on obviously myself and the things that I could do to get the score lower. I think overall I did a fairly good job today.”

The turning point came at the 13th and 14th holes where Henderson made back-to-back birdies to separate herself from Lee, who got caught up in the rough at Nos. 14 and 16 and scrambled to save par.

Lee’s putter often saved her on the greens while her ball striking, which had been the strength of her game through the first three days in Canada, became a weakness for the Aussie on the final day. Lee hit just half of the fairways during the final round and found 66 percent of the greens.

While neither player has been a part of the Solheim Cup with their respective countries with Australia and Canada ineligible to participate in the competition, seeing the duo go toe to toe could be a preview of what could be another epic showdown later this fall when both Lee and Henderson compete in the Hanwha LIFEPLUS International Crown. Lee will represent Team Australia and Henderson, for the first time, will be a part of the newly-created World Team.

“She was really solid coming down the stretch. She hit really great iron shots and gave herself opportunities for birdie. The ones she did make were really clutch. Pin placements were not that easy,” Lee said about Henderson’s performance on Sunday. “It's great that she could get this win.”

Lee came up short of being the first two-time winner of the LPGA Tour season as she secured her third major title at the KMPG Women’s PGA Championship in June.

Lee Goes Toe-to-Toe with Henderson, Comes Up Short in Canada

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