CHIP SHOT On 12th Momentum Changer SAYS LA OPEN WINNER Brooke Henderson
Brooke Henderson KPMG WOMEN's PGA ChampionSHip (2016) Her First Major Championship
Courtesy of RoleX Copyright Rolex/PGA of America
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A crucial chip shot at the 12th hole proved pivotal in her victory during the final round of the Hugel-Air Premia LA Open tournament Brooke Henderson told reporters Saturday.
Henderson was able to land the difficult shot despite being disappointed by her failure to reach the green. The lie wasn’t great and she was just trying to make solid contact with the ball when the ball sailed through the air landed on the green and rolled into the hole she told reporters afteward. “To have it go in was definitely a bonus,” she admitted. From there Henderson didn’t look back until the 18th when she hit another clutch chip shot from a shallow gully landing on the green. Her chip shot was then followed by a short putt to seal her victory by one stroke over Jessica Korda. “18 was definitely clutch. That was not where I wanted the tee shot to be,” she said. Henderson’s victory at the LA Open is her first since winning the Meijer LPGA Classic in June of 2019. For most of the tournament in LA Henderson was behind on the scorecard. By the end of the first round she was tied for 31st place at two under par. From there however Henderson began to claw her way up the leader board. By the end of the second round she was in fourth. By the end of the third she was behind only Korda and Jin Young Ko. In addition to her two remarkable shots on the 12th and 18th Henderson also showed off her putter throughout the contest. Henderson said she felt that she hit the putts where she wanted to and that the extra time and focus she has been putting into practicing her putting has begun to pay off. |
Henderson has been spending a lot of time recently practicing different grips and reading techniques with her sister and caddy Brittany.
Henderson also said she was also able to get a number of good reads on her putts by watching her opponents putt first. Henderson’s victory in LA – her tenth on the LPGA Tour – was much appreciated by the young star. “I feel like I’ve been playing really solid golf and just haven’t had the victory in what feels like a really long time,” she said. Henderson has had some remarkable wins since joining the LPGA Tour as a member in 2015 - including her first major championship the following year at the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship in a playoff against Lydia Ko (pictured above). Being once again in the winner’s circle seemed “unreal” Henderson said in LA after her most recent victory. “To get the tenth win on the LPGA Tour is really incredible,” she reflected afterward. After four rounds of golf Henderson finished in LA 16 under par. She will collect a $225,000 purse. Henderson will now have three weeks off since she will not be traveling to Singapore for the HSBC Women’s Championship. She said she will be spending that time off in Florida with her sister and brother-in-law and expects to practice and get ready for the rest of her season. -By Shawn R. Dagle Women's Pro Golf Editor/Staff Reporter |