Brooke Henderson has won on the LPGA tour 14 times, but winning the female CPKC Open for the second time is at another level for her.
Henderson fired a low 67 to get ahead of Minjee Lee from Australia for a blow to Sunday’s final round to win the Canadian Women’s National Golf Championship. The victory ended a drought that covered more than two years, adding an additional brightness to the Henderson title.
“I think this could be the longest among the victories, so for that reason it makes it super special,” said Henderson. “To be able to win the Canada Open, the CPKC Women’s Open, for the second time is very special.”
Henderson also won the Open Women’s in 2018 in Wascana Country Club in Regina. That made her the first Canadian in 45 years, from Jocelyne Bourassa de Shawinigan, which., In 1973, to win the National Championship.
Now he has achieved the feat twice in seven years.
Look | Henderson wins the second female title of his career: CPKC:
Brooke Henderson of Smiths Falls, Ontario, obtains his 14th victory in the LPGA race with his first victory on the tour in more than two years.
He also added another victory to his career count, and the oldest by a Canadian professional golfer.
“This week was more than special. Being able to finish it and raising the trophy is again extremely great. It still feels super surreal,” said Henderson. “When I won in 2018, I woke up Monday morning thinking that I still had to play the final round, so I wonder if that nightmare will happen again tomorrow.”
Henderson and Lee finished Saturday’s third round tied in the first at 11 below, three blows ahead of the field.
Between Henderson’s popularity in Canada and the quality of Lee’s star, he has 11 victories in LPGA Tour in his career, including this year’s female PGA championship, the final pairing of the tournament had massive crowds that followed them around the River-Valley course.
“Today it was really hard because there were so many people,” said Lee, who had a 3 Bajo 68 round to go to the second on the list of points of the LPGA Tour. “It was very strong today and I only tried to concentrate, obviously, in me and in the things I could do to get the lowest score.
“That is more or less what I did and what I tried to concentrate. I think, in general, I did a pretty good job.”
‘There were some dark times’
Henderson’s last victory was the Hilton Grand Vacations champions tournament in January 2023. He said that although he always gave a positive turn to his drought as Victoria, he still had his doubts.
“There were some dark times, surely. I feel that my family was so supportive and just said it will continue, just work hard, it will come,” said Henderson, whose sister Brittany Sepanik is his caddie and his father Dave Henderson is his coach. “I’ve been saying to everyone for a long time, it’s close, it’s close, it’s close.
“Finally, breaking again is very exciting.”
Those fights saw Henderson sink in 53º in the list of CME Globe points and 58 in the Rolex World Women’s Golf ranking. It is projected to move until 26 on the LPGA Tour points list, putting it in a position to join the world team in the International Crown Hanwha LifePlus at the end of October and play in the Tour championship of the CME group of the season at the end of November.
Lorie Kane of Charlottetown, who had four victories of LPGA Tour in her career in the Hall of Fame of the Canadian golf, was in the two victories of the Henderson Women’s Open. She said she expected the Canadians to give more recognition to Henderson, 27, for what she has achieved.
“I automatically thought until 2018, when we had been waiting, waiting and waiting and waiting for years, and that was surreal,” Kane said, standing, Greenside when Henderson presented his score card. “This is now 14 victories. The first 13, we have not given enough credit to this child.
“I certainly hope this is something that keeps people talking about how good it is, instead of what is wrong.”
Aphrodite Deng of Calgary, fifteen, had a round of 2 out of 73 to finish in a draw for 20 as the low tournament fan.
