Canadian Brooke Henderson makes up ground in third round at LPGA major

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 02/04/2022 (1618 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Brooke Henderson’s renewed sense of self-belief helped her climb the leaderboard at the LPGA Tour’s first major of the year.

Henderson shot a 5-under 67 in the third round at the Chevron Championship and sits tied for fifth heading into Sunday’s finale in Rancho Mirage, Calif.

The native of Smiths Falls, Ont. has not finished outside the top 11 in any of the five events she’s played this season.

Despite her solid position on the leaderboard, Henderson is 10 shots back of the lead held by American Jennifer Kupcho. Kupcho shot an 8-under 64 on Saturday and has a six-shot advantage over defending champion Patty Tavatanakit in second.

Kupcho won the inaugural Augusta National Women’s Amateur three years ago — this year’s edition wrapped up Saturday afternoon, but is winless as a professional.

Henderson finished the first and second rounds with a bogey, which left a sour taste. Her 67 on Saturday, however, was bogey free.

She hit 14 of 18 greens in regulation on Saturday — the most she’s hit in the tournament — and said she “rubbed a lot of edges” with her putts. Having her putter heat up is going to be key if she wants to notch another solid result come Sunday evening.

“Same game plan going into tomorrow,” said Henderson. “Try to hit a bunch of fairways, bunch of greens, and hopefully the putter is hot.”

Winnipeg Free Press | Newsletter

The Warm-Up

Winnipeg Jets Game Days

On Winnipeg Jets game days, hockey writers Mike McIntyre and Ken Wiebe send news, notes and quotes from the morning skate, as well as injury updates and lineup decisions. Arrives a few hours prior to puck drop.

Sign up for The Warm-Up

Sign Up

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

I consent to CASL agreement.

The big question this weekend was about how Henderson would handle her new driver, but she’s passed that test.

Henderson averaged 302 yards off the tee on Saturday — partially due to how dry the course is playing. Perhaps more important, she has hit just over 76 per cent of fairways so far at the event.

“Obviously I was not thrilled to have to switch to this driver,” she said, “but so far it’s working out really well.”

Henderson’s best result at the Chevron Championship is a tie for second, in 2020 when she lost in a playoff.

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