Brooke Mackenzie Henderson, golfer (born 10 September 1997 in Smiths Falls, ON). Golf phenom Brooke Henderson has won the Bobbie Rosenfeld Awardas Canada’s best female athlete three times (2015, 2017, 2018), as well as the ESPY Award for best female golfer in 2019. She is the youngest golfer ever to win a professional tournament (at age 14), the youngest ever to win the Canadian Women’s Amateur Championship (at 15), and the second youngest female golfer ever to win a major title (at 18). She holds the record for most victories (10) by a Canadian professional golfer on either the PGA or LPGA Tour, beating the previous record of eight held by George Knudson, Sandra Post and Mike Weir. In 2015, she became the first Canadian to win on the LPGA Tour since Lorie Kane in 2001.
LPGA Kingsmill 2017
Family and Childhood
Brooke Henderson is the youngest of two children of David and Darlene Henderson. Golf is a major part of the Henderson family, as David, Darlene, and Brooke’s uncle Tom Henderson all golf regularly. Brooke started playing golf at the age of three at the Smiths Falls Golf & Country Club, where her uncle Tom won the club championship 13 times. Brooke’s older sister, Brittany, currently serves as Brooke’s caddie.
Brooke’s passion for golf came at an early age. While in kindergarten, she would go to the driving range at the Lombard Glen Golf Club with Brittany during recess and lunch time. “I remember seeing her with that great big driver, way taller than she was,” said her former teacher Karen Donovan in an interview with Ken Warren of the Toronto Sun.
Swing Mechanics
In an interview with Chris Stevenson of Flagstick.com, Henderson discussed her unconventional mechanics with the driver. She takes her driver farther back in her backswing than most golfers. When she first started golfing at age three, she always wanted to out drive Brittany. “She turned back far and she swung hard,” according to Stevenson, creating clubhead speed through the power in her core and legs. “Nobody ever really touched it or changed it and I’m really grateful they didn’t,” said Henderson. “It’s unique to me, but it works.”
Hockey
Like many Canadians, Brooke was active in wintersports. She started figure skating and was a goaltender in the Smiths Falls Girls Hockey Association by the time she was eight. “To be a goalie, you have to be a little bit strange, a little bit odd,” she told Wendy Graves of Hockey Canada in an interview in 2018. “I built so many amazing friendships and my teams did pretty well. We had a lot of victories and some losses, but we took it together as a team. It really taught me a lot in many other sports.” Her father, David Henderson, was also a goaltender; he played for the Nepean Raiders of the Canadian Junior Hockey League in 1976–77.
By the time Brooke was 14, she realized she could no longer be a high-performance athlete in two sports and decided to concentrate on golf.
Junior Golf Career (2008–12)
At the age of 10, Henderson finished 11th at the 2008 Quebec and Eastern Ontario Provincial Junior Championship in Sainte-Victoire-de-Sorel, Quebec (an event won by her sister, Brittany). Brooke also won the 2008 CN Future Links Ontario Championship in Stratford, Ontario. The following season, in 2009, Brooke won four junior golf tournaments in Ontario and was named to the Ontario Team Championship.
In 2010, at the age of 12, Brooke recorded her first hole-in-one during the opening round of the CN Future Links Quebec Championship in Sainte-Sophie, Quebec, an event she also won. In 2011, she won six tournaments: the CN Future Links Ontario Championship in Deerhurst; the Eastern Provinces Championship and the Cataraqui Golf and Country Club Women’s Field Day in Kingston; the Ontario Junior Girls Championship in Goderich; the 13–14-year-old division at the Optimist International Junior Golf Championship in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida; and the Genesis Junior in Haworth, New Jersey.
In 2012, at age 14, Henderson made history when she became the youngest golfer ever to win a professional golf tournament. Henderson’s win came at the CN Canadian Women’s Tour event in Beloeil, Quebec. She set the record at the age of 14 years, nine months and three days. Lydia Ko of New Zealand set the old record when she won the 2012 New South Wales Open at the age of 14 years, nine months and five days. Henderson also won the 2012 Canadian Junior Girls Championship in Calgary, Alberta. At age 14, she was the youngest competitor ever at the Canadian Women’s Open.
Amateur Career (2013–14)
In 2013, Henderson became the first Canadian to win the South American Amateur Golf Championship near Bogotá, Colombia. She also made the cut as an amateur at the 2013 US Women’s Open in Southampton, New York, and was victorious at the Junior Orange Bowl in Coral Gables, Florida.
In 2013, Henderson once again had great success in Beloeil, Quebec. At the age of 15, she became the youngest person ever to win the Canadian Women’s Amateur Championship. She also won her second straight Canadian Juvenile Girls Championship.
In 2014, at age 17, Henderson was ranked as the world’s best amateur female golfer. Among her wins were three prestigious amateur golf events in the United States: the Women’s Porter Cup, the South Atlantic Women’s Amateur Championship and the Scott Robertson Memorial). While competing as an amateur at age 16 in Komoka, Ontario, Henderson became the youngest winner ever of the PGA Women’s Championship of Canada, and did so with a record championship score of 13 under par. She also won the Canadian Women’s Tour event in Niagara Falls and the Ontario Women’s Amateur Championship in Brampton. Henderson made the cut in four LPGA events and was the lowest-scoring amateur at the 2014 US Women’s Open, where she tied for 10th.
Professional Career (2015–19)
Henderson turned professional on 18 December 2014 at the age of 17. She turned down a scholarship from the University of Florida and signed with sports agency IMG. In 2015, she won two Suncoast Ladies Tour events in Florida and the Symetra Tour’s Four Winds Invitational in South Bend, Indiana. She also defended her title at the PGA Women’s Championship of Canada in Burlington, Ontario.
As a rookie, Henderson participated in various LPGA events as a qualifier or sponsor exemption. Her status changed in August when she became the second golfer ever to win an LPGA event after participating through Monday qualifying. Henderson was granted full LPGA membership after beating her nearest competitor by eight strokes at the Cambia Portland Classic. She became the third youngest champion in LPGA history (17 years, 11 months and six days) and became the first Canadian to win on the LPGA Tour since Lorie Kane in 2001. In December of 2015, Henderson won her first Bobbie Rosenfeld Award, presented to Canada’s female athlete of the year.
Brooke Henderson’s second LPGA title was a major championship. On 12 June 2016, she became the second Canadian woman to win a major title when she won the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship at the Sahalee Country Club near Seattle. The first was Sandra Post at the 1968 LPGA Championship. At 18 years, nine months and two days, Henderson became the second youngest female golfer ever to win a major title. Ironically, the youngest was Henderson’s playoff opponent at Sahalee, Lydia Ko, who was 18 years, four months and 20 days when she won the 2015 Evian Championship in France.
Henderson’s key shots at the 2016 Women’s PGA Championship in the fourth round were on the 11th and 17th holes. Her shot on the 11th hole was a 90-foot putt for an eagle and then on the 17th hole, Henderson made a clutch 36-foot putt for birdie, which helped her force a playoff. Also in 2016, Henderson defended her title at the Cambia Portland Classic and moved to second place in the World Golf Rankings — the highest a Canadian golfer has ever been ranked.
In 2017, Brooke Henderson won two LPGA tournaments for the second year in a row. In both events, she had a four-round score of 17 under par. Her first title of 2017 came at the Meijer LPGA Classic in Belmont, Michigan, where she beat American stars Lexi Thompson and Michelle Wie by two strokes. Then, on 2 October, Henderson won the McKayson New Zealand Open by five strokes over Jing Yan of China. In addition to her two titles, Henderson had eight Top 10 finishes (including a second place finish at the 2017 KPMG Women’s PGA Championship) and won her second Bobbie Rosenfeld Award in three years.
Henderson made golf headlines in 2018 when she became only the second Canadian ever to win the CP Women’s Open on 26 August. In a historic weekend at the Wascana Country Club in Regina, Henderson shot a four-round score of 21 under par to beat Angel Yin of the United States by four strokes. Henderson followed in the footsteps of Jocelyne Bourassa, who won the Canadian Women’s Open (then called La Canadienne) in 1973. Earlier in 2018, Henderson also won the LOTTE Championship in Hawaii. For the third time in four years, Henderson won the Bobbie Rosenfeld Award.
For the fourth consecutive calendar year, Henderson recorded at least two victories on the LPGA Tour. On 20 April 2019, she defended her title at the LOTTE Championship, and then on 16 June, she won her second Meijer Classic in three years. By winning the Meijer Classic, Henderson set the record for most wins by a Canadian on either the PGA or LPGA Tour with nine. On 10 July 2019, Henderson received the ESPY Award for best female golfer.
Recorded six top-10 finishes, including a runner-up performance at the ANA Inspiration
Career Highlights:
2019:
27 events, 25 cuts made, $1,696,017 (4)
Became the winningest Canadian golfer in the history of the LPGA and PGA Tours with her ninth career win
Recorded her fourth straight multi-win season with a successful title defense at the LOTTE Championship and a win at the Meijer LPGA Classic
ESPY Award for “Best Female Golfer”, Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame People’s Choice Award
2018:
28 events, 24 cuts made, $1,473,247 (4th)
Recorded her third straight multi-win season with wins at the LOTTE Championship and the CP Women’s Open
Became first Canadian to win the CP Women’s Open since Jocelyne Bourassa in 1973
2017:
30 events, 28 cuts made, $1,504,869 (6th)
Recorded eight top-10 finishes and her second multi-win season in 2017
Shot a career-low 63 twice in 2017 – in the first round of the Meijer LPGA Classic for Simply Give and in the third round of the Canadian Pacific Women’s Open
2016:
31 events, 30 cuts made, $1,724,420 (3)
Became the second youngest player in LPGA history to win a major championship with her victory at the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship (18y/9m/2d), trailing only Lydia Ko
Made the most starts on Tour (31), had the second-most top-10s (15) and finished third on the LPGA Official Money List
Ranked second in birdies (455) in 2016; one of two players to break Stacy Lewis’ all-time mark of 451 in 2014 (Ariya Jutanugarn, 469)
Tied her career-low round of 65 three time in 2016 (six overall)
2015
14 events, 13 cuts made
Won her first LPGA Tour event at the Cambia Portland Classic by eight shots, the largest margin of victory on Tour in 2015
Was granted immediate LPGA membership by Commissioner Mike Whan following her victory
Recorded tied for fifth finishes at both the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship and U.S. Women’s Open
Made 10 starts as a non-member professional and earned $661,264 in unofficial money
Won the Four Winds Invitational on the Symetra Tour
Top-10 finishes in back-to-back U.S. Women’s Open – T10 in 2014, T5 in 2015
Only the third player ever to win before her 18th birthday, joining Lydia Ko and Lexi Thompson
Became the third-youngest winner in LPGA Tour history at the age of 17 years, 11 months, 6 days
Professional
Turned professional in December 2014
Recorded two victories on the SunCoast Series Tour in 2015
Won the Four Winds Invitational on the Symetra Tour and was granted membership for the 2015 season
Amateur Highlights
Made eight appearances in LPGA events as an amateur, making six cuts and recorded one top-10 finish (T10 at the 2014 U.S. Women’s Open)
Won her first professional event as an amateur at the 2012 Beloeil Golf Club event on the CN Canadian Women’s Tour at the age of 14 years, 9 months, 3 days
Won three additional pro wins on the CN Canadian Women’s Tour
Was runner-up at the 2014 U.S. Women’s Amateur
Won the individual title at the 2014 Women’s World Amateur Games
TORONTO – Reigning PWHL MVP and scoring champ Natalie Spooner will miss the start of the regular season for the Toronto Sceptres, general manager Gina Kingsbury announced Tuesday on the first day of training camp.
The 33-year-old Spooner had knee surgery on her left anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) after she was checked into the boards by Minnesota’s Grace Zumwinkle in Game 3 of their best-of-five semifinal series on May 13.
She had a goal and an assist in three playoff games but did not finish the series. Toronto was up 2-1 in the semifinal at that time and eventually fell 3-2 in the series.
Spooner led the PWHL with 27 points in 24 games. Her 20 goals, including five game-winners, were nine more than the closest skater.
Kingsbury said there is no timeline, as the team wants the Toronto native at 100 per cent, but added that “she is doing really well” in her recovery.
The Sceptres open the PWHL season on Nov. 30 when they host the Boston Fleet.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 12, 2024.
LAHORE, Pakistan (AP) — A top official of the Pakistan Cricket Board declined Friday to confirm media reports that India has decided against playing any games in host Pakistan during next year’s Champions Trophy.
“My view is if there’s any problems, they (India) should tell us in writing,” PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi told reporters in Lahore. “I’ll share that with the media as well as with the government as soon as I get such a letter.”
Indian media reported Friday that the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has communicated its concerns to all the Champions Trophy stakeholders, including the PCB, over the Feb. 19-March 9 tournament and would not play in arch-rival Pakistan.
The Times of India said that “Dubai is a strong candidate to host the fixtures involving the Men in Blue” for the 50-over tournament.
Such a solution would see Pakistan having to travel to a neutral venue to play India in a group match, with another potential meeting later in the tournament if both teams advanced from their group. The final is scheduled for March 9 in Pakistan with the specific venue not yet decided.
“Our stance is clear,” Naqvi said. “They need to give us in writing any objections they may have. Until now, no discussion of the hybrid model has happened, nor are we prepared to accept one.”
Political tensions have stopped bilateral cricket between the two nations since 2008 and they have competed in only multi-nation tournaments, including ICC World Cups.
“Cricket should be free of politics,” Naqvi said. “Any sport should not be entangled with politics. Our preparations for the Champions Trophy will continue unabated, and this will be a successful event.”
The PCB has already spent millions of dollars on the upgrade of stadiums in Karachi, Lahore and Rawalpindi which are due to host 15 Champions Trophy games. Naqvi hoped all the three stadiums will be ready over the next two months.
“Almost every country wants the Champions Trophy to be played here (in Pakistan),” Naqvi said. “I don’t think anyone should make this a political matter, and I don’t expect they will. I expect the tournament will be held at the home of the official hosts.”
Eight countries – Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, England, Australia, South Africa, New Zealand and Afghanistan – are due to compete in the tournament, the schedule of which is yet to be announced by the International Cricket Council.
“Normally the ICC announces the schedule of any major tournament 100 days before the event, and I hope they will announce it very soon,” Naqvi said.
RIYADH, Saudi Arabia – Ottawa‘s Gabriela Dabrowski and Erin Routliffe of New Zealand are through to the doubles final at the WTA Finals after a 7-6 (7), 6-1 victory over Nicole Melichar-Martinez of the United States and Australia’s Ellen Perez in semifinal action Friday.
Dabrowski and Routliffe won a hard-fought first set against serve when Routliffe’s quick reaction at the net to defend a Perez shot gave the duo set point, causing Perez to throw down her racket in frustration.
The second seeds then cruised through the second set, winning match point on serve when Melichar-Martinez couldn’t handle Routliffe’s shot.
The showdown was a rematch of last year’s semifinal, which Melichar-Martinez and Perez won in a super tiebreak.
Dabrowski and Routliffe will face the winner of a match between Katerina Siniakova and Taylor Townsend, and Hao-Ching Chan and Veronika Kudermetova in the final on Saturday.
Dabrowski is aiming to become the first Canadian to win a WTA Finals title.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 8, 2024.
