That’s the word out of the Canadian Press, which voted Golf Town  athlete Brooke Henderson, 20, as the Canadian female athlete of the year, winning the Bobbie Rosenfeld Award. Henderson won outright versus some other very strong Canadian performances from swimmer Kylie Masse who finished second, as well as gymnast Ellie Black and soccer player Christine Sinclair, who were tied for third. This is the second time Henderson has been named top female athlete, the first coming just 2 years ago in 2015.

How Brooke Won the Bobbie Rosenfeld Award

After winning her first major in 2016, Henderson, from Smiths Falls, Ont., continued her strong play this year, winning twice – first in Michigan and later in the year in New Zealand. Brooke picked up 35 of the 63 votes in a poll of broadcasters and sport editors across the country – a whopping 56% of the votes!

The stats

Henderson’s stats for 2017 demonstrate the extent of her fine play. Henderson finished 6^th on the LPGA Tour’s money list, shot the course record at the CP Women’s Open in Ottawa and generally continued her strong play. But several stats stand out:

• Second on the LPGA Tour in total birdies with 403
• 5^th in rounds under par with 80
• 5^th in eagles with 10
• 10^th in scoring average
• 10^th in greens in regulation

What she learned from 2017

“I’ve learned the importance of getting out to a fast start and what that does to my game,” Henderson said. “If you look at each one of my five wins, I was either leading or right near the top after the first round of every event, so I’ve made a strong effort to try and put my foot on the gas pedal early and try to post a solid number to get solid momentum going through the weekend. I know that’s not the only way to win, but it certainly helps the cause versus coming from behind.”

What’s next for 2018

Henderson is planning on testing new PING equipment for 2018: “I’m actually going to work with PING in the next few weeks to test out the new driver. I don’t change often or easily, but with the new equipment and technology, you have a good feel and fit for it right away and I know whether or not it’s right for me.”

Back at it

Brooke will play next in the Bahamas at the end of January. For a more in-depth sit down with Brooke, check out the Q&A from earlier this month at http://blog.golftown.com/en/tour-news/qa-golf-town-athlete-brooke-henderson/