The 18-year-old golfer from Smiths Falls, Ont., hopes the momentum and confidence she gained by winning the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship in a playoff Sunday propels her to more victories and top spot in the world rankings.
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The 18-year old Canadian and world number four holed a birdie on the first playoff hole at the Sahalee Country Club to become the second youngest victor of a major and end Ko’s quest for a third-straight major title.
“I think a little bit of fearless and believing in yourself”, Post said of the similarities between her and Henderson in a phone interview. “I was reading some of the names on this trophy and it’s very, very cool”. Ko missed to the left, and Henderson tapped in to cap a week that started with a hole-in-one on her fourth hole Thursday and ended with a major championship.
Henderson’s scrambling par and winning birdie on the 18th hole were far from her only highlights. Ko made a birdie on the 11th, but Henderson, playing two groups ahead, sank a five-foot birdie on No. 13 to get back to within one.
“I’m thrilled for many things”, she said. “I didn’t say that this week” – they didn’t realize it was the auto hole – “but I’m really happy to give it to her”. “I got to play in this incredible event and maybe I can continue to play and compete, but I still want to keep in touch with my kids”. That’s all I can do.
Ko remains the top gun and there remains much ground to be covered for Henderson to catch her. Her first victory came past year in Portland, Oregon.
At the age of 18 years, 9 months and 2 days, Brooke Henderson today became the youngest champion in the 62-year history of this Championship. “I think this is what the whole Championship is all about”. “It was something I never felt before, and the adrenaline was great”. But I’d like to say that I am the Canadian face to women’s golf.
Both players hit great drives on the replay of the 18th hole in the playoff, but Henderson pulled off a spectacular second shot that set her up with a fairly easy birdie putt from just inside of three feet.
Langer claims Senior Players Championship: FLOURTOWN, Pa. – Bernhard Langer won the Constellation Senior Players Championship for the third straight year, holing a 12-foot birdie putt on the final hole for a one-stroke victory at windy Philadelphia Cricket Club. A series of nervy putts allowed Weir to catch the American before he headed up 18 needing a par to force a playoff. With her second landing just short of the green, Henderson whipped out the putter and drained a superb long-range putt. I just got outplayed.
She let her shot-making do the talking.
Post won eight LPGA events over her career and was elected to the Canadian Sports Hall of Fame in 1988. “If you have that pressure it means you’re doing something right”. She had been aiming to become the youngest woman to win three consecutive majors.
Henderson has said she expects to be on Canada’s team when golf makes its return to the Olympics this summer in Brazil. Sahalee, with its tight, tree-lined fairways, was an ideal laboratory for her to test her natural game, and she said there were times when she was hitting all of her shots: high, low, draw, fade.
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Ko had surged into the lead at the end of day three, adding back-to-back 70s to her even par opening round, one of only three players to go into the final round under par.
