Brooke Henderson was on the brink of tears. 

It had been two-and-a-half years since the two-time major champion had claimed a LPGA Tour win. But the drought ended when she tapped in on the 72nd hole of the CPKC Canadian Open.

And a cherry on top of her triumph was that it came on home turf. 

“Waiting for that 14th [LPGA] win feels like forever,” Henderson said on the 18th green. “To win it here makes just it so special. I had family and friends here and I just thank God for allowing me to be back in this position and allowing me to have the courage and the strength to perform here.”

Behind a spirited home crowd, Henderson fended off a pack of the LPGA’s best. The 27-year-old, at 15 under, finished one stroke ahead of Minjee Lee. Behind Lee on the leaderboard was Mao Saigo, Akie Iwai and Lyida Ko, all of whom have won this season (Lee and Saigo both claimed majors). 

Henderson broke a tie for the lead with a 6-footer for birdie on the par-3 14th, and later on the par-4 17th, dropped a 12-foot birdie to maintain the lead.

Since her last win in January 2023, she had fallen to No. 58 in the world rankings, her lowest mark in years. 

Now, Henderson is the LPGA’s 22nd unique champion this season (there have been no repeat winners) and the first native since 1914 to win Canada’s national championship twice (she won it in 2018). 

“Like I said, it’s so special,” Henderson said. “Yeah, I’m surprised I’m not crying because I definitely thought I was going to during this interview. My family support and everything and Canada has been so supportive of me as well. 

“I feel like Canada needed a win this year, so I’m really happy to bring them one.”


This article was originally published on www.si.com as Brooke Henderson Ends Lengthy Winless Drought on Home Turf at LPGA CPKC Women’s Open.