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TSN Senior Reporter

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The real Brooke Henderson showed up on Saturday at the ANA Inspiration and now heads to Sunday with a chance for her second major title.

After two tournaments in her return from the pandemic pause where she uncharacteristically struggled, Henderson has put together three solid rounds to sit tied for the lead heading to the final round of the year’s second major championship.

The best of those came on Saturday where she glided to a seven-under 65 that she made look as easy as if she was playing a pitch-and-putt. The Smiths Falls, Ont., product used just 26 putts and hit approach after approach to short range, allowing her putter to do the rest.

Henderson started her day by missing a short birdie putt on the first hole but made up for that by hitting a three-wood to 15 feet on the par-5 second that she converted for an eagle. She added four more birdies on the front to make the turn in 30 and was one under over her final nine holes.

“It was definitely a solid start to my day and after that, made a bunch of birdies,” said Henderson. “Nice to make the turn that many under par. I would have liked to get a few more on the back nine but maybe tomorrow.”

Getting her 10th LPGA win and second major won’t be an easy task. Nelly Korda, the third-ranked player in the Rolex Rankings, shares top spot with Henderson. And long-hitting Lexi Thompson, who won this tournament in 2014, sits a shot back along with Katherine Kirk of Australia and Mirim Lee of South Korea.

But Henderson does have a respectable record as a closer. The last eight times she has led or co-led after 54 holes, she’s gone on to win six titles, including the last three.

The key for Henderson will be to dial in the intense focus she can bring to a tournament. In past victories, she has appeared almost in a trance, shutting out anything but the next shot at hand and the advice of her sister and caddie Brittany. She’ll need to do that without being upset at mistakes that will likely happen in the final round of a major. That was a trait she exhibited early in her career.

“It's definitely a journey,” she said of finding the perfect balance. “I think it's a little bit back and forth every single week. Definitely trying to be a little bit more patient out on the course. Maybe not be quite as hard on myself. But definitely try and to always push forward and try to be a little bit better and make birdies.”

The intensity that comes from a major will also be a factor. With such a tight leaderboard and the challenge of the Dinah Short Tournament Course in Rancho Mirage, Calif., there will be plenty of ups and downs – not to mention searing temperatures that are expected to hit 40 degrees -- before the final putt drops.

“Being a major championship, you've really got to stay patient and know bogeys are going to happen,” said Henderson, who won the 2017 KPMG Women’s PGA Championship. “The rough out there is very thick and you're just praying it's sitting up if you hit it in there. You just have to go with what the course gives you and just expect bogeys and try to make a lot of birdies to counter them.”

The atmosphere may be one thing that helps Henderson with that task. No fans might mean a quieter tournament but it’s still a major.

“It's definitely really noticeable,” Henderson said of the absence of galleries. “But the thing about this place is there's so much tradition and history here, it's really special. Even without the fans that we miss a lot, it's still a great place to be.”

One of the great traditions of the ANA Inspiration is for the winner to jump into Poppie’s Pond, a water hazard-swimming pool by the 18th green. Henderson would dearly love a chance to end Sunday with a splash.