Ko showed her class and composure throughout her final round but was outplayed by Henderson who shot a spectacular round of golf as other challengers fell away. After being well over 200, she’s now No. 2 at age 18, a Canadian hero in the vein of 2003 Masters champion Mike Weir, and could soon become one of the faces of the sport.
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Brooke Henderson became the first Canadian woman in 48 years to win an LPGA major championship on Sunday, and then made it clear that she is just getting started. “It was something I never felt before, and the adrenaline was great”.
Henderson’s patience paid off during the hard middle rounds, understanding that “par is your friend”, in major tournaments. Ko finished with a 67. Only two holes played under par on Friday – the par-4 third and the par-5 11th. “She’s 18 years old, and she is such a great personality”.
“I knew this was my chance”, she said.
Henderson was 14 when she played her first LPGA event at the Canadian Women’s Open.
Brooke Henderson, of Canada, lifts the championship trophy after winning the Women’s PGA Championship golf tournament at Sahalee Country Club on Sunday, June 12, 2016, in Sammamish, Wash.
“I was trying to take advantage of every opportunity I was given”, said Henderson, who earned full-time LPGA Tour status after winning Portland last August as a Monday qualifier and has had several top-10 finishes since. She made par on 18 to force the playoff, but Henderson had one more ideal shot left.
Ko made the turn with a three-shot lead over a group of six players at two-under, but the margin was quickly trimmed to one when Henderson rolled in an eagle putt from off the green on the par-five 12th hole. “The plan right now is to play as many events as I can and hopefully get a couple more wins”.
The Canadian’s flawless six-under 66 in the final round was enough for her to force a playoff with Lydia Ko, which she won with a birdie on the first extra hole. “And in the playoff hole, for her to take the “Tiger line” just right of the left trees, and then going right for the pin from the flawless yardage, she just played great”.
Then on the first hole of the playoff, Henderson hit her second shot at the par-4 18th to within three feet while Ko could only get to within 20 feet. “I didn’t feel like it was a bad stroke”. “The 6 over I had yesterday was just really disappointing”.
“Walking down the fairway we were yelling my name”, she said. “A year ago this was a dream and I thought this was possible. And for her to do that, you kind of get the feeling maybe it’s her day”.
This year Ko broke her schedule in America and Asia to return to New Zealand and win the NZ Open at Clearwater.
Asked on Monday if her entrance into the pro ranks, where there are an embarrassment of instructors and coaches and training tools touting an equal amount of techniques, had changed her approach, Henderson responded that, no, it was “very much the same”.
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Park said she will reconsider taking an extended break to let the thumb heal, one that could bring the Olympics into question.
