New Zealand’s Ko could only muster an even-par-72 in the final round at Vancouver Golf Club to finish at 12-under-par, allowing Lewis to catch her after the American shot 67, but Ko prevailed in the opening hole of sudden death.
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Henderson’s four-under for the tournament landed her in a tie for 23rd, the top Canadian, and the best Canadian result since 2010 when Lorie Kane tied for 11th. “I was only one-under through nine, but I was hitting the ball really well and giving myself a lot of opportunities, so to go four-under on the back nine and finish birdie-birdie on 17 and 18 is definitely a cool feeling and definitely a momentum-builder for next week”.
By the time she got to 18 she needed to two-putt from 60 feet to join Lewis in the playoffs.
On Tuesday Henderson was granted her Tour card and there were already predictions she could win the Canadian Open. She was made an honorary member of Vancouver Golf Club, where she won her first LPGA Tour title in 2012 at the age of 15. I want to share this with everyone who came out here this week.
This time she was the steely pro, calling on resolve and nerve to win this event for the third time in four years. Coming up the 18th fairway, dressed in black, there was a lightness to her step and an air of relaxed relief she hadn’t had earlier in the tournament.
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Henderson landed in Vancouver to a crush of attention, an instant national sensation, but after three uneven rounds she was one-over, tied for 50th, a distant 13 shots off the lead. Ryu had a 64, and Kim shot 68. She finished one shot out of the playoff, but her top finishes continue to give her the lead in the Rookie Of The Year rankings. That left her at 1 over and just on the line that made the cut. With several veterans hoping for a selection from Captain Juli Inkster, Lee may be the only rookie on the team. I loved playing for them and playing in front of them. Hull was a surprising addition to the European team two years ago, as she routed Solheim Cup veteran Paula Creamer as a 17 year old. Henderson landed her iron near the hole and strolled to the green buoyed by a steady drumbeat of applause from the several hundred fans lining the last stretch and in the stands. It was Park’s first event since winning the Women’s British Open and completing the Career Grand Slam.
