There’s no question 2017 demonstrated that Golf Town athlete Brooke Henderson just keeps getting better and better. From delighting a hometown crowd with a record-setting round at the CP Women’s Open in Ottawa this summer, to winning the Meijer LPGA Classic a month earlier, Henderson made it clear she’s on the short list of LPGA Tour golfers who move the needle. She concluded the year with some incredible golf, including a win in New Zealand and a string of successes that finished at the CME Globe.

We caught up with Brooke to talk about her highlights from 2017, what she’s looking forward to heading into the new year, and the possibility of updating her equipment for the 2018 LPGA Tour season. 

What’s your favourite golf memory from 2017? 

Playing the CP Women’s Open in my hometown of Ottawa at one of my home courses at the Ottawa Hunt. That whole week was so incredibly special. The fairways were lined with fans wearing their “Brooke Brigade” t-shirts cheering me on. I’ve never seen crowds like that on the LPGA! I definitely put some added pressure on myself, but I felt like the crowd helped give me that boost I needed on Friday to make the cut on the number. Saturday was one of my favourite rounds of golf ever, and I’m glad I was able to put on a show for everyone who came out, shooting the course record and jumping up the leaderboard into contention. It was a memory I’ll always cherish and it was just so special to be able to share it with my family, friends and supporters from my hometown.

Will you head back to Canada during the holidays at all? Stay in Florida? 

I’ll be home for about ten days around Christmas, which is always a special time to be with my family and friends. I’m sure I’ll try to get to an Ottawa Senators game or two, but just want to celebrate the holidays with my family and enjoy being back home and putting the golf clubs down for a little bit. I’m excited for it.

Aside from the CP Women’s Open, what is your favourite tour stop of the year?

They’re all so unique, but this year my most enjoyable trip was probably the inaugural event in New Zealand. Not only was I able to go and win the event, but my sister Brittany and I stayed for a week after and did a bunch of sightseeing around the country from Auckland to Queenstown. It was so beautiful!

 What about your favourite course on tour?

My favourite course we play every year is Mission Hills Country Club for the ANA Inspiration. I love the history that the LPGA has there—you can remember famous shots and moments in history there, especially all of the drama that happens there every year on the 18^th hole. Palm Springs is such an amazing landscape for it as well, with the desert surrounded by snow-capped mountains. I hope I can jump in Poppie’s Pond there on the 18^th at some point in my career!

 What did winning last year teach you that helped you in your wins this year? 

I’ve learned the importance of getting out to a fast start and what that does to my game. 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. I’ve made a strong effort to try and put my foot on the gas pedal early and attempt 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. 

You set a course record at the Canadian Women’s Open. How important is winning the CP for you? What did you take away from the Canadian Open? 

I think that is the goal of every young Canadian golfer growing up and trying to make it out here on either the LPGA or PGA Tour—to win our national championship. We know the history and how long it’s been since that has happened, and it’s obviously a huge dream of mine to hoist that trophy at home in Canada. I’ve learned a lot these last few years and one of the most important lessons I’ve taken away is just trying to manage my time that week, which I took some positive steps towards this year. There are many demands that week on my time—from practice, hosting the pro-am on Monday, media and sponsor commitments, time with my family, and engaging with fans and so on. My goal is just to make it as close to normal as possible so I can be in the right mindset to try and compete to win the golf tournament that weekend. I always want to make everyone happy and make sure I don’t let anyone down, but I also need to keep the end goal in mind. At the end of the day, if I win on Sunday, everyone will be happy.

You’re set to start testing new Ping gear this month. What are you looking to get out of new equipment? Do you change often or easily?  

I’m actually going to work with PING to test out the new G400 driver, which is like an early Christmas present for me. 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. There have been a few times where it’s gone right in the bag after the first session, but there are other times, particularly with my putter, where I need to break it in and get a feel for it.

Statistically you’ve had a great year. Anything you’ll work on during the off-season? 

If you look at my stats for the year, a few numbers that I was proud of were my Top 10 in scoring average, being second on tour in birdies for the year, and staying pretty consistent with my driving and greens in regulation numbers. I know that my short game— inside 125 yards, chipping and putting—is where I will be spending a lot of my time this offseason dialing in on. All in all, 2017 was a better year statistically for me than 2016, even though I didn’t have quite as many Top 10s. I’m excited to focus in the off-season on some areas of improvement and come back ready to go in 2018!