U.S. Women’s Open Preview: Brooke Henderson hoping to break through

Brooke Henderson knows what it takes to play well not just at a U.S. Women’s Open, but specifically one at Lancaster Country Club.

And now, with almost a decade more professional experience under her belt, she’s hoping to break through for her first win this season – and first major triumph in two years.

“It can be scary coming into this week for sure because it’s such a tough golf course, but I’m just looking forward to the challenge,” Henderson said. “This course, it demands not only strategy but also execution. You have to hit really good shots. I think it’s a great balance between the two.”

Henderson, who finished tied for fifth at the 2015 U.S. Women’s Open at Lancaster, just outside Philadelphia, fired a final-round 66 that year en route to her best-ever result at the U.S. Women’s Open.

This year Henderson returns to the second major of the LPGA Tour season in fine form. She’s 11th in greens in regulation this season – an improvement from 28th a year ago – and is up in both putting average and driving accuracy on the season as compared to 2023.

Brittany Henderson, Brooke’s sister and caddie, said they had a streaky putting run earlier in the season but settled into a nice routine on the greens which led to some nice results.

“At Chevron she found her own rhythm and was able to settle in and be more comfortable with her own timing,” Brittany told Sportsnet.

Brooke Henderson has notched five top-10 finishes so far including a tie for third at the first major of the year, the Chevron Championship. Henderson had only three top-10s the whole of 2023.

Lancaster will be a demanding, ball-striker’s test. Luckily the native of Smiths Falls, Ont. is up to the task.

“You can’t just bomb it around. You’ve really got to think your way around,” Henderson said. “If you go into the week knowing it’s going to be tough, you kind of look forward to those moments when things aren’t going well. You kind of try to rise to the challenge. Just the atmosphere when you walk into a major championship or the U.S. Women’s Open, it’s different than every other week.”

Even with the signs pointing towards another solid result on a demanding course for Henderson (who is set to tee it up with Japan’s Yuka Saso and Australia’s Hannah Green, who has won twice already this season, for the first two rounds) she’ll need to topple the biggest field in the game – led by a player who is having a generational campaign.

Nelly Korda has won six times already this season in just eight tournaments – including five in a row, and the first major of the year.

It’s been an astronomical, mind-bending campaign for the American. She is the first person on the LPGA Tour in more than a decade to win six times (or more) in a season – and it’s only May. She is the first American to win at least six times in a season since 1990.

The gap in the world rankings between world No. 2 Lilia Vu and world No. 1,250 Ji Been Pak is 6.33 points. The gap between Vu and Korda, and No. 1, is wider than that – 6.67 points.

“For Nelly it’s been an amazing run and definitely inspiring and definitely something to look up to and try to learn from as well,” Henderson said.

But all she’s doing, Korda said, is trying to stay in her own bubble. Whatever she’s been working has been working just fine so far.

“It’s my team around me that gets me in my bubble. We all just know that we’re out here doing what we love. We all have the same goals in mind, and we’re trying to accomplish one thing – and that’s to hopefully lift the trophy by the end of the week,” Korda said.

The U.S. Women’s Open boasts the biggest prize fund in women’s golf, with the total purse being a record $12 million (U.S.). That’s up $1 million from last year – and more than double the prize fund from just three years ago.

Allisen Corpuz is set to defend her title after winning last year’s U.S. Women’s Open at Pebble Beach by three shots. In Gee Chun was the last winner at Lancaster nine years ago.

Maude-Aimee Leblanc of Sherbrooke, Que. is the other Canadian in the field.

Lexi Thompson, one of the game’s preeminent stars and who teed it up on the PGA Tour last fall, announced Tuesday she would be retiring from golf at the end of the 2024 season. At just 29, she is competing in her 18th U.S. Women’s Open this week.