Brooke Henderson expects to be tested at the U.S. Women’s Open and ‘a monster’ of a golf course

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 02/06/2021 (1948 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Nothing should be hard to believe when it comes to Brooke Henderson but, at 23, she is already making her ninth appearance at the U.S. Women’s Open. And this week she will try to tame a beast of a venue to win her second major championship.

“This tournament has a special spot in my heart,” Henderson said Wednesday, from a chilly Olympic Club in San Francisco. “In 2014, I was low amateur (and) I got the little medal that day. But hopefully someday I’ll get the big trophy.”

The U.S. Women’s Open is the biggest event on the LPGA Tour, offering the biggest first-place cheque for a single tournament in women’s golf and played at a big-time golf course. The Olympic Club’s Lake Course has hosted the men’s U.S. Open five times, and just four golfers have broken par over four rounds.

Former world No.1 and reigning Olympic gold medallist Inbee Park said if you hit it in the rough, which hasn’t been cut since April 26, it’s an automatic bogey, and Henderson agreed.

“It is phenomenal how thick it is,” she said. “(The course) is definitely a monster.”

Henderson did not advance from round-robin play at last week’s LPGA Tour match-play event but said she is still in a good place with her game and suggested her early exit was a blessing in disguise.

“I was able to come (to Olympic Club) early and walk the course Sunday, which was really nice, and get a feel for what this course was going to challenge us with,” the Smiths Falls, Ont., native said. “Normally you try to chase as many birdies as you can whereas this week, honestly, I think you’re trying to chase as many pars as you can.”

Three other Canadians will tee off Thursday. Noémie Paré, of Victoriaville, Que., Megan Osland, of Kelowna, B.C., and Toronto’s Rebecca Lee-Bentham qualified at various sites in the United States. Paré is part of Canada’s amateur squad and this is her first major championship. Osland is left-handed — a rare site in the women’s game — and qualified alongside another lefty at her site. Two left-handed golfers in the U.S. Women’s Open might be a record.

“I was a hockey player growing up and I guess that’s where I get that from,” Osland told TSN.

This is Lee-Bentham’s first LPGA Tour event since 2016, when she retired from tournament golf. She started coaching in Toronto, and seeing the game from a different perspective inspired her to play again. She won a PGA of Canada event in 2019.

“A lot of working with kids helped me and inspired me to enjoy the game more,” said Lee-Bentham, now 29. “I feel like, now that I’m back at it, it’s a different experience. I feel like I’m more grateful being out here and just trying to take the opportunity to learn.”

Henderson hasn’t seen “Becky” this week, but she’s hoping for the best for her. “She is a great friend of my sister (Brittany, also her caddy) and of mine from back in the day, so I’m excited that she was able to qualify this year, And hopefully she has a good week.”

Winnipeg Free Press | Newsletter

Mike McIntyre | On Sports

Thursdays

Keep up to date on sports with Mike McIntyre's weekly newsletter.

Sign up for Mike McIntyre | On Sports

Sign Up

I consent to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies.

I consent to CASL agreement.

Henderson, ranked fifth in the world, is looking for a good week herself. She won the Hugel-Air Premia LA Open the last time the tour was in California.

He most recent results at the U.S. Women’s Open haven’t been what she wanted — Henderson tied for 39th in 2019 and tied for 44th last year at an event that was postponed until December because of COVID-19 — but she’s eager for another crack at major championship glory. She won her first major title, one of 10 tour titles overall, at the 2016 KPMG Women’s PGA Championship. This week will be a grind, she admits, but she’s looking forward to it.

“I think you kind of have to be prepared for everything, all the challenges,” Henderson said. “That’s exactly what a U.S. Women’s Open should do — it should test you physically and mentally, and you should be drained at the end of the week.”

But not drained enough, Henderson hopes, to lift the trophy in triumph.

Adam Stanley is an Ottawa-based contributor to the Star’s Sports section and the host of golf podcast Next Round’s On Me. Follow him on Twitter: @adam_stanley