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Henderson set for links challenge at Open Championship

Brooke Henderson Brooke Henderson - The Canadian Press
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Two weeks ago, Brooke Henderson won her second major title. This week, she has her eyes on a third as she competes at the AIG Women’s British Open.

To add to her totals, she’ll have to figure out how to play links golf, something that’s eluded her up to this point in her career.

“It's super exciting to come into this week with as much momentum as I have and have my game in such a good place the last couple months,” said Henderson. “Links golf is very different, and definitely a big challenge for me coming from courses that were nothing like this growing up.”

The Women’s Open is the only major in which the Smiths Falls, Ont. product has failed to register a top-10 finish. Last year, at Carnoustie, she ended up tied for 13th, while two years ago, in the middle of the pandemic, she missed the cut.

After winning the Amundi Evian Championship in France, Henderson elected to take a pass on the Women’s Scottish Open last week, preferring to rest up for the final major of the season. She spent her time playing tourist, visiting Scottish castles and playing at least one round of golf with a return visit to Carnoustie.

But the vacation is over and she is focused on the week ahead, one that can be considered impactful for women’s golf.

This year’s event is being held at Muirfield, which has hosted the men’s Open 16 times, the most recent coming in 2013 when Phil Mickelson raised the Claret Jug. However up until 2017, the club did not admit women as members. That led the R&A to drop it from the Open Championship rotation. Facing immense pressure, the membership later voted to change its policy and welcome women to the club. Holding the Women’s Open here is a massive step forward, one that is being welcomed by the top players and stakeholders in the game. Next year, the event goes to Walton Heath in Surrey, England, and in 2024, it will be contested at the Old Course in St Andrews, Scotland.

“It's a great time to be a part of women's golf and to be here, a major championship on this incredible golf course that we've never been able to play before; only the men,” said Henderson. “That really means a lot, and I'm just excited for the opportunity.”

The courses being played is not the only progress being made in women’s golf. The purse for this year’s Open is up $1 million to $6.8 million. That’s still a ways behind the men’s Open, which offered up $14 million this year, but the women’s purse has increased considerably, doubling in value from 2018.

“It's just proof that the women's game is continuing to grow,” Henderson stated. “The purse sizes are increasing, and we're on network TV more and we're playing these better venues. Like I said, it's just a really fun time to be a part of women's golf because it is growing so much and we feel like we're making a difference for future generations.”

This week, the 24-year-old would like to make a difference with her Open performances. After playing practice rounds on Sunday and Monday, Henderson proclaimed Muirfield her favourite of the links courses she’s played.

“It's definitely going to be a great test, very challenging especially if it's as windy as it is right now,” stated Henderson. “I think it's beautiful views walking around, and it's a beautiful golf course, so I'm really excited to tee it up on Thursday.”

Henderson’s game has been impressive of late. She’s won two of her last four starts and has seven top-10 finishes on the season. She sits second in the standings for the CME Globe, the lucrative season-ending championship, and her bank account is richer by just over $2 million.

Much of the reason for her success can be found in the stats. Her putting, usually the weak link in her arsenal, has improved greatly. She sits 20th in putts per greens in regulation, up 40 spots from last year, and she’s ranked 45th in putting average, up from 111th. She is also third in scoring average with a mark of 69.43.

“I'd definitely love to win another major championship, maybe end of this week,” said Henderson, the fifth-ranked player in the world. “But I think, you know, I'm just trying to get better all the time. It's so fun to be able to compete against the best in the world and be in contention in those final groups on the weekend, I love that. Seeing your name at the top of the leaderboard, and just when the pressure is on, being able to hit golf shots and being able to climb the leaderboard, that makes me really excited.”

Henderson gets started Thursday at 2:47 a.m. ET playing alongside Lexi Thompson and Atthaya Thitikul.