Golf Town Athlete Brooke Henderson is hopeful that in her second go-around at The Club at Carlton Woods she’ll have better weekend luck than in 2023.
Brooke finished tied for 23rd at the Chevron Championship, the first major of the year on the LPGA Tour. She was firmly in the mix after Friday and says having one year of experience under her belt at the course is going to be a big positive for 2024!
“I always look forward to the Chevron,” Brooke said. “Last year it took quite a bit of extra prep to get to know the course the first few days, but this year, going in having seen it and played it all four rounds, I feel like we’re a lot more comfortable and a bit more confident.”
Last year was the first time the Texas course hosted the Chevron Championship after 51 years in California. Brooke was tied for fourth through 36 holes a year ago but was 6 over on the weekend. Still, she notched her fifth straight top-25 finish at the first major of the year.
“Being the first (major) of the year there’s always an extra little bit of energy and it’s always a great atmosphere,” she said.
Lilia Vu won her first of two major championships last year at the Chevron. She fired a 4-under 68 in the final round – tied for the round of the day – and topped Angel Yin in a playoff.
Vu said she was able to get over some mental hurdles to capture her first major, and her second win of 2023.
“Didn’t feel like myself, just internally. Golf game, that’s whatever. I just felt like I was getting angry over every single little thing, and that’s usually not how I roll, so I was upset about how I portrayed myself and how I handled myself,” Vu said after the final round last year. “It was just… I couldn’t believe that that happened, that we won a major.”
Vu, who ended up doing the traditional pond ‘leap’ made famous by winners of the Chevron when it was at Mission Hills Country Club into water near the 18th green at Carlton Woods, would go on to win twice more en route to capturing Player of the Year honours.
Nelly Korda finished third, one shot back. Korda has won four times already in 2024 and will head into the first major of the season ranked No. 1 in the world. Korda has finished no worse than third in her last three Chevron appearances.
There was a five-way tie for fourth at 8 under, while a pair of CPKC Women’s Open winners in Jin Young Ko and Megan Khang rounded out the top 10 in Texas a year ago.
Brooke, meanwhile, has had a solid start to her 2024 campaign.
She’s made every cut so far and has three top-10 finishes already in just three months (matching her total from the entire 2023 season). With one spin around Carlton Woods under her belt, she’s eager to get her major-championship season started with a bang.
“I was able to get some solid rounds in the first two days and was actually in contention going into the Saturday last year,” Brooke said, “so it would be nice to be in that position again but finish the week a little bit better!”
The Chevron Championship goes April 18-21 and will be broadcast on Golf Channel and, on the weekend, NBC.