It’s not like Brooke Henderson, a 20-year-old native of Smiths Falls, Ontario hasn’t won before on the professional women’s golf tour.
Going into this weekend’s Canadian Championship, known officially as the CP Women’s Open, in Regina, Henderson had six pro-tour victories, including a major, the Women’s PGA Championship two years ago.
Heck, she won her first tournament, the Cambia Portland Classic in Oregon, in 2015 at the age of 17.
As a 14-year-old, she won a Canadian Women’s Tour event against top Canadian golfers and a few LPGA veterans.
But this weekend was something different.
Brooke Henderson celebrates with her father, Dave, her mother, Darlene, and her sister, Brittany, after winning the CP Women’s Open in Regina on Sunday. THE CANADIAN PRESS Jonathan Hayward
All week long people kept reminding Henderson that no Canadian woman since Jocelyne Bourassa in 1973 had won Canada’s championship. (The drought is even longer for men: no Canadian has won since Pat Fletcher 1954).
All the talk came as she continued to process and mourn the deaths of her two grandfathers, both of who passed away within weeks of each other this summer.
But guess what.
Brooke Henderson was sensational, shooting a 7-under 65 final round in route to a four-round total fo 267 (21-under par) to finish four strokes ahead of American Angel Lin.
By the time she and her sister, Brittany who was serving as her caddie, emerged in the drizzle-dampened on the 18th green–following four birdies on her final nine–the crowd was singing O Canada.
Henderson, mobbed by friends and family–including her father, Dave, unable to resist dousing his daughter in champagne–allowed herself to raise her arms in victory.
Brooke Henderson left, and her sister, Brittany, who caddied for her Brooke, hoist the trophy after winning the CP Women’s Open in Regina. THE CANADIAN PRESS Jonathan Hayward
Henderson earned $337,500 for the victory, her second of the season and seventh in her career, putting her one behind Sandra Post‘s record for all-time victories by a Canadian.
How Canadian was it, aside from the location and weather and title of the the tournament?
Here’s what Lorie Kane, winner of four LPGA titles told Henderson on Saturday: “I said to Brooke yesterday, I said ‘Show me those goalie eyes.’
“I think as Canadians we know what that means. She stood up to the challenge and here we are.”
“I always dreamt of this,” Henderson said. “But I didn’t know if it would ever happen.”
For some perspective on it all, I spoke by phone with author, journalist, broadcaster and host of the Not the Public Broadcaster website Bruce Dowbiggin at his home in Calgary on Monday.
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