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TSN Senior Reporter

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I’m not sure what’s bigger news – that Brooke Henderson notched here 15th top-10 finish of the year last week or that she plans on taking a week off. 

Henderson ended up eighth at the Blue Bay LPGA tournament on Hainan Island, China, for her 15th top-10 finish. She collected just over $52,000 (USD) for that performance, pushing her total for the year to $1.69 million, third on the LPGA. 

It was also the Smiths Falls, Ont., product’s 28th tournament start, tying her for top spot in that category. And she’s played 109 rounds, also the most on the tour, 12 ahead of the second spot. Neither stat includes her trip to Rio for the Olympics.

Rarely a week goes by that Henderson isn’t in the field. But that will change after this week’s event in Kuala Lumpur. After five weeks playing Asia, she’ll come home, missing the stop in Japan. That’s right - Henderson will take a week off. 

Many observers have suggested that the relentless schedule the 19-year-old has played this season has caught up to her at certain times, causing a drop in play. Last week in South Korea, for example, Henderson posted a third-round 78, her worst round of the year.

However several times this year, she dismissed the notion that she’s running out of gas, saying that if she was at home, she’d probably be playing golf anyway. 

But there’s little doubt that after five weeks on the road, a break can’t hurt. She’ll return to action at the Lorena Ochoa tournament in Mexico and then the CME Group Tour Championship in Naples, Fla. 

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It’s been eight years since Padraig Harrington last won on the European Tour and you could be forgiven if you figured he might not win again. But, after 115 starts, the three-time major champion grabbed the Portugal Masters on Sunday, capping things in dramatic fashion. 

Harrington got up and down from long rough behind the green to save par and win by one over Andy Sullivan. And that part of his game was the key to his win. The Dubliner made three up-and-downs on the last three holes and four the tournament, averaged just 25 putts a round for the four days. 

Harrington also said a refreshed mental approach helped his game too. 

“I was in a nice place mentally,” he told reporters after his win. “I've been reading Dave Alred's Pressure Principle and it gave me a few pointers that maybe I'd been missing out on and I stuck to those all week. It was a big plus for me.”

Harrington has won elsewhere in the world since his last victory in Europe. He’s won twice in Asia and captured the 2015 Honda Classic on the PGA Tour.

The latest win comes just three weeks after Harrington served as a vice-captain for the losing European Ryder Cup team. Not long after that defeat, he said his goal was to be a part of the 2018 team, but this time as a player. This victory shows the 45-year-old may be able to back up those words.