Dec 11, 2020
Frustrated Henderson struggles down the stretch
For the second straight day, Brooke Henderson’s short game let her down at the U.S. Women’s Open in Houston as the Canadian’s two-round total left her just inside the cutline and 10 shots off the lead, Bob Weeks writes.
By Bob Weeks
Sometimes golf can be cruel.
What could have been a decent day for Brooke Henderson was snuffed out as the Canadian came unravelled down the stretch Friday in the second round of the U.S. Women’s Open.
After playing the front nine in one-under par and then adding a birdie on the par-5 15th to get into red figures for the tournament, the wheels fell off as she bogeyed four of her last five holes to shoot a 2-over 73.
The two-round total at Champions Golf Club in Houston left her just inside the cutline and 10 shots off the lead.
The frustration showed for the 23-year-old who slammed her iron into the ground after a mediocre approach shot to the 18th green. Perhaps wisely, she took a pass on speaking to the media after her round.
For the second straight day, it was Henderson’s short game that let her down, especially on the greens. As she did on Thursday, she drove the ball well and was 20th in the field in driving accuracy, hitting 21 of 28 fairways.
Into the greens she was also solid, landing on 29 of 36, second best in the tournament. Her proximity to the hole was also excellent as she averaged 26 feet, nine inches away from the cup, 17th best.
But it was her scrambling and putting that failed to complete what could have been a pretty picture.
For the second straight day, she needed 34 putts and she ranked 150th in putts per hole. She made no long putts, not holing anything from outside 20 feet. She made just three of 16 attempts from 10-to-20 feet and only four of 10 from five to 10 feet.
On the rare occasion that she missed the green, her scrambling was also weak, getting up and down just twice in seven tries.
It doesn’t take a psychologist to understand that failing to convert hole after hole builds up and, for Henderson, it came apart down the last five holes.
The fact that she slammed a club and bypassed the media could be interpreted as anger. The other way to interpret it is that she cares about her profession. She expects to perform well on any stage at any time and when she doesn’t it bubbles to the top.
That’s the sign of a competitor, of someone who isn’t satisfied with mediocre play when better is expected. It’s why Henderson is so good.
It’s what’s made her the focus of so much attention in Canada. Golf fans were livid when Thursday’s broadcast didn’t show a single shot from the Smiths Falls, Ont., golfer, expressing their disappointment – bordering on anger – on social media.
For the next two days, Henderson will be able to free-wheel it, which is saying a lot for a golfer who has no low gear. She might startle us with a dramatic move up the leaderboard, but more than likely she’ll find her groove for a decent finish, which she can take into next week at the CME Group Tour Championship. That will mark the end of an abbreviated and unusual season.
Henderson can then ride into Christmas and be thankful for another solid season and re-set for 2021 when she’ll once again delight Canadian golf fans and see if she can figure out the mysteries of the putter.