Brooke Henderson jumped out to a fast start in the opening round of the Amundi Evian Championship, something she hasn’t done much of this year.
The 67 she posted over the Champions Course at the Evian Resort Golf Club in Évian-les-Bains, France, is her lowest opening round of the year and put her in a tie for fourth spot after the morning wave of players finished their rounds. She was four shots back of leader Aki Iwai of Japan.
“It was just like a solid day all around,” stated Henderson. “I bogeyed my third hole today, so I was panicking a little bit, but I just tried to stay patient out there and give myself a lot of opportunities.”
The Canadian excelled on the par 5s during her round, making birdies on the first three and then finishing with an eagle on the par-5 ninth, her final hole of the day. That came after two tremendous shots left her with a tap in.
“I reached the green in two, just tried to put a really good swing on it,” said Henderson. “I ended up putting it to about a foot, foot and a half, so a really nice way to finish the round.”
This is the 11th time she has teed it up in this tournament, having won it in 2022. While she is familiar with the course, her new caddy – and cousin – Ryan Henderson, is working it for the first time. He did his homework on the layout by playing it on a video game over the past week. Together, the two seemed to find a groove on the day with the golfer giving praise to the bag-carrier.
“I feel like we made a good team out there today,” Henderson said.
The solid opening round was not only one of the best of the year but also one of the top in her recent major championship starts. The 67 was her lowest first round in her last 15 majors and equaled her best over the last 21.
“It feels so great to start strong at majors,” Henderson said. “They’re always the weeks you want to play well, so it’s important for me to start strong. It doesn’t always happen, so when it does, you’re grateful.”
While all parts of her game seemed to be firing on Thursday, it was the putter that once again shined. She used it just 28 times on the day, a continuation of what has been her best season with the flat stick.
She has also been carrying a wide smile for the past few weeks, celebrating the arrival of her niece, Sahalee. Her sister – and former caddie – Brittany and husband Zach Sepanik welcomed the addition to the family two weeks ago. Auntie Brooke has been carrying the excitement and positive vibes with her onto the course.
“I feel like my game is in a really good spot, so I’m happy and excited for it,” she said. “The shift in my mindset has really made a huge difference, so I’m just going to keep pushing forward.”
Two other Canadians teed off in the morning wave with Anna Huang, finishing at one-under par, and Aphrodite Deng signing for a one-over par round. The fourth Canadian in the field, Lauren Kim, was scheduled to play in the afternoon.
