Brooke Henderson has admitted to 2025 being a “weird” year. Although she’s had a number of solid finishes, the Canadian hasn’t really been near the lead at the end of any tournaments. She’s slipped to 53rd on the CME points list and 58th in the Rolex Rankings.
And in the opening round of her home game, the CPKC Women’s Open at Mississauga Golf and Country Club in Ontario, Canada, she posted a lackluster 71 that had her well behind the leaders.
But on Friday, the 13-time LPGA title winner got her mojo back, posting birdies on four of her last seven holes to go from worrying about the weekend to thinking about winning a trophy on home soil. Her 65 put her at 5 under for the tournament, just four shots behind leader Akie Iwai.
“I definitely wanted to get off to a hot start, get away from the cut line as fast as I could,” Henderson said. “2-under through nine holes I was really happy with. To finish the day 5-under, it was a really good day and I’m just really excited to be teeing it up the next two days and look forward to the amazing crowds out here.”
Henderson has wondered aloud if her mental approach has been working in recent months, and she’s looking for any competitive advantage at this point. Still the face of this tournament, Henderson has missed the cut in a dozen of her 17 starts and she’s hoping to regain the edge that saw her peak at No. 6 in the Rolex Rankings.
“Today it was pretty good. There is definitely room for improvement, but I definitely feel like I am trending in the right direction and that’s very exciting. Lots of positives to take away from the week so far,” she said. “Yeah, feel like I grinded it out when I needed to, got up and down a few times today that were really clutch, and able to roll in some nice birdies, too.”
Brooke Henderson admits LPGA travel can be hard
Henderson has cut her schedule a bit, and she admits that the LPGA grind can become tiresome, but she’s always eager to come back to her native Canada to be surrounded by adoring fans and old friends.
“It can be tiring. We travel a lot. I like to play quite a few events. Haven’t played as many the last five, six years. I think I’m maybe lined up to play 25 this year, which is definitely a cutback from when I first started,” she said prior to the event. “It’s definitely very tiring, but what an incredible job. I love going to different places and experiencing it and I love coming back home to Canada.
“It’s a really exciting week for me here and I love being surrounded by Canadians and their love and support; just being close to things that I’m used to. … Anywhere where we go in the world I feel like you get some positive energy and adrenaline rush. That can add up and be tiring at the end of the day but you can get short bursts of energy.
“As long as you’re time managing and being aware how your body and mind and soul are feeling, you can take the appropriate time to rest and practice. That’s another thing I learned, especially at this event over the years, just making sure I have the right amount of time in the right areas to make sure I can perform on the weekend.”
Read the full article here
