It wasn’t surprising, but Golf Town athlete Brooke Henderson was all smiles last week when she was in Aurora as part of the lead up to the 2019 CP Women’s Open, taking place next month.
Henderson is defending the LPGA Tour title she coveted most as a youngster this year as Canada’s lone LPGA Tour stop returns to the Greater Toronto Area for the first time since 2001.
Magna Golf Club in Aurora, Ont. (just minutes from Golf Town’s Aurora store and 35 minutes north of Toronto) will play host this year and Henderson said this week that the golf course is the kind of layout she will be able to take advantage of.
“I’m really excited about this golf course,” she said. “Having good tee shots and being really comfortable with the lines you pick off the tee (will be key). You can take a lot of different options but I think I’ll take the more aggressive of those options.”
Henderson’s aggression off the tee has paid off in spades so far on the LPGA Tour in 2019, as she is in the top-5 in many key statistical categories including Scoring Average, total birdies and eagles made, and more. Magna Golf Club has wide landing areas off the tee, but is truly a second-shot golf course. That said, Henderson’s iron play has been world-class so far this year, too.
With two majors – coming in back-to-back weeks – still left on the LPGA Tour schedule prior to the CP Women’s Open, Henderson knows there is still much golf left to be played before she returns to defend her CP Women’s Open title.
However, “defending a title” is something she’s become quite good at since turning professional.
Of her nine LPGA Tour victories, six of them have come at just three tournaments. She’s defended titles in Portland and Hawaii, and she’s won the Meijer LPGA Classic for Simply Give twice – including earlier this year.
That victory at the Meijer LPGA Classic gave her nine for her young career, breaking the Canadian record for wins on either the PGA or LPGA Tours. She admitted with a laugh that she wanted to get that ninth win as quick as possible so as to avoid the constant queries on when that record might fall.
After it did happen – just two months after win no. 8 – she received notes of congratulations from fellow athletes like Wayne Gretzky, and even Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
Congratulations on making history, @BrookeHenderson! We can’t wait to see what’s next for you. 🇨🇦⛳https://t.co/xalwKnhyGQ
— Justin Trudeau (@JustinTrudeau) June 17, 2019
“Sometimes I wonder why they’re reaching out to me. They’re such amazing athletes or people that it’s funny they want to text me and congratulate me,” she said.
Henderson is of course hoping more congratulations will be in order come August, but with another year of experience under her belt, she said there is a fresh level of confidence she can take into the week of the CP Women’s Open.
“When I’m in contention I know I’m a little more confident… I know I get the job done. Every time you’re in those positions you learn a lot more, but I definitely learned a lot that week,” Henderson said, referring to her past CP Women’s Open triumph.
The Brooke Brigade
During her visit, Brooke took time out of her busy schedule to meet the #BrookeBrigade, a group of her biggest fans, at Golf Town Aurora. At the event, fans had the chance to meet and take their photo with Brooke, receive an autographed postcard, and all juniors in attendance walked away with a free Brooke Brigade gift pack, which included a Brooke Brigade t-shirt, PING visor, Skechers bag, and Junior Pass to the 2019 CP Women’s Open.
Want a #BrookeBrigade shirt of your own? They are available now in-stores and online.