It hasn’t been her sole focus, but for much of the past two years Brooke Henderson has been dialed in on one competition, one event and the possibility of one moment.

That moment could come Saturday in Rio when they hand out the women’s golf medals at the Rio Olympics.

“To be an Olympian was always a dream since I was a little girl,” said Henderson. “I didn't know what sport or how I was going to do it, but I loved watching the athletes and I loved the desire, the determination, the focus, that they had in their eyes and I wanted to be an Olympian.”

It’s been a long road for Henderson to make it to Rio, an even longer one for golf.

The sport has only been contested twice at the Olympics – in 1900 and 1904. Women’s golf was played just once, in 1900. That was also the first time women were allowed to compete at the Games in any sport.

Most of the events that year were held in Paris, but golf was played at Golf de Compiegne, about 48 kilometres north of city.

The event was far different than what will transpire in Rio starting on Wednesday. It was just nine holes and only four countries were represented. Margaret Abbott of Chicago shot 47 to win, earning the distinction of being the first American woman to win a gold medal.

Unfortunately, Abbott and most of the other golfers weren’t aware what they were playing in was an Olympic event. Although she won the gold, she never received it. Instead, her prize was a silver bowl. Sadly, she went to her grave never knowing she was an Olympic champion.

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Henderson’s journey began in Smiths Falls, Ont., about an hour southwest of the nation’s capital. It’s a quiet town; population in the last census was 8,978. As with some small towns in Canada, it’s been through a rough stretch the last decade or so.

In 2008, a large group home for the mentally disabled, the Rideau Regional Centre, shut down at a cost of 800 jobs. That was shortly after 175 people suddenly became unemployed when a Stanley Tools plant closed.

But the real kick in the stomach came in 2009, when the Hershey’s plant that had been the economic motor for the surrounding area for 45 years closed, taking with it 600 jobs. The loss was heartbreaking not only in terms of the lost jobs but also the hit to the town’s identity.

For as long as anyone could remember, the water tower in Smiths Falls was painted to proclaim it as the Chocolate Capital of Ontario.

But no longer. The town council, despite being short on funds, allocated enough money to have the slogan painted over.

Clearly, this was a town looking for a saviour.

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Henderson first ventured on to the golf course in Smiths Falls to follow her sister and father on their weekend rounds. She was about three years old, and spent time swinging a branch to replicate what she saw. She moved from twigs to clubs and was constantly trying to be like Brittany, the sibling six years her senior, whom Brooke calls her role model.

“She would run down the fairway, hitting shot after shot,” recalled her father, Dave. “Brittany and I would laugh. We had no idea what she was doing but then she would say to us ‘I beat you’ and be all smiles. She thought whoever got the ball in the hole first was the winner.”

“I was like, ‘Wow, they’re totally going to lose this one. What are they doing back there?’ ” laughed Brooke at the memory. “But I soon learned that the 500 strokes it took me in five seconds wasn’t good enough.”

By the time she turned 13, Henderson was taking a lot fewer strokes, winning events all over Canada. At 14, she pulled off an astounding achievement by capturing a tournament on the Canadian Women’s Tour, becoming the youngest golfer ever to win a professional event.

Just two years later she tied for 10th at the U.S. Open, arguably the toughest tournament in women’s golf.

In December 2014, after reaching top spot on the World Amateur Golf Rankings, and despite pledging to head to the University of Florida, she jumped into the professional ranks.

There were many who were shocked by the move. She had no status on any tour and limited entries. Henderson would be a golfing nomad, looking for a place to play.

But she quickly proved the doubters wrong, winning her first tournament as a pro and collecting $2,200 for a Suncoast Tour victory. A few weeks later, she won on the Symetra Tour, the LPGA’s developmental circuit.

In August, just a few weeks after turning 18, she Monday qualified for the Cambia Portland Classic and won the tournament by eight shots. Commissioner Mike Whan quickly granted Henderson full status.

This year has been a continuation of her impressive career. She rolled off eight consecutive top-10 finishes and then captured the KPMG LPGA Championship in June in a playoff over Lydia Ko. She became just the third Canadian golfer to win a major and the youngest to capture the LPGA Championship.

A few weeks later, she defended her title at the Cambia Portland Classic. As she prepares for her Olympic start, she’s ranked third in the world and has earned $1.3 million this season. She’s no longer a rising star – she’s risen. Sports Illustrated picked her to win the gold in Rio.

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What makes Henderson so talented is hard to sift down to one single thing. Physically, she is exceptionally strong, especially in her lower body – legs, hips, glutes, core – the engine of the golf swing.

“She measures off the charts in lower-body strength,” said Tristan Mullally, the national team coach for Golf Canada’s women’s program and Henderson’s coach. “For someone her age, it’s really exceptional. That’s where her power comes from.”

Henderson thinks she may have got that from her years as a hockey goalie, where she was required to squat for extended periods of time wearing all her equipment.

Wherever it came from, it’s allowed her to become one of the longest drivers on the LPGA Tour. Jerry Foltz, a broadcaster with Golf Channel who covers the women’s circuit on a regular basis, called her the best driver in women’s golf.

She is also fearless with the big stick in her hand, hitting it far more often than most players who will opt for a three-wood or five-wood, giving up length for accuracy.

Last year, American standout Stacy Lewis said that Henderson would likely have to learn to dial back her style of play if she wanted to win. It’s a common transition that many young players have to learn.

When told of the comment, however, Henderson was emphatic: “The day I stop playing aggressively is the day I stop playing.”

Her iron play is also strong, averaging over 72 per cent in hitting greens in regulation, 13th best on the LPGA Tour.

And on the greens, her putting, while not spectacular, is far more than adequate. When it’s on, it can be brilliant.

If there is an Achilles’ heel, it is her short game. Everything from bunker play to lob wedge to chipping often holds her back. For someone who hits the ball as long as she does, and gets up close to par 5s in two often, her conversion rate is far below standard.

“When I first started working with her, she really only had one shot,” said Mullally, who said that Henderson is definitely not a technical player. “We’ve worked to give her options depending on the situation.”

Henderson is aware of her shortcoming and has been diligent at trying to improve it. Her stats show she is getting better, bit by bit. But it’s still the one lingering part of her arsenal that limits her.

Perhaps the biggest strength in her game, however, is what goes on between her ears. She could be one of the most mentally tough golfers in the game today.

“She is fearless and really does not overthink anything,” said Alena Sharp, the 10-year Canadian LPGA Tour veteran who is Henderson’s teammate in Rio. “I like how she sticks to what she believes in and just goes with it.”

“Her game is where it is at a really high level but the mental side of it is crazy,” added sister Brittany, a talented golfer in her own right who is now working as Henderson’s caddie. “She just has this ability to focus in on every shot.”

At this year’s tournament in Portland, Brooke’s lead on Sunday was starting to slip away. Other players were making birdies and she was struggling to keep her game afloat. The scoreboards showed her falling from a clear lead into a tie thanks to some poor shot-making. That’s when Brittany stepped in to say a few words to her sister, something she rarely does.

“I said we just have to get it to our number, what we were trying to do for the day,” she said, indicating that was 14 under. “And if we get it there, that’s all we can do. So I just told her to remain patient – I think she already knew that.”

That’s when Brooke seemed to find an extra gear. It was as if she was willing her clubs to perform. Tied after 13 holes, she eventually won by four, simply powering past the rest of the field.

Her winning score was 14 under.

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“You can’t go anywhere in town right now without anyone talking about her,” said Shawn Pankow, the mayor of Smiths Falls. “Pretty much every television set here will be tuned in to watch her.”

These days, Smiths Falls has a new identity. Forget chocolate; it’s now where Brooke Henderson is from. Last year a new sign on the town’s limits was unveiled to welcome visitors to Smiths Falls, home of Brooke and Brittany Henderson.

Although she’s only been there for about two weeks since the start of the year, Smiths Falls is still home, still where she wants to be when she isn’t chasing golf balls around the globe.

The town’s residents love her for the same reason the rest of the golf world has embraced her: she’s a wonderful golfer but an even more remarkable person.

“Brooke’s got good character,” said her father, Dave.  “We believe in hard work, respect and dignity. One of our favourite words is integrity, and for those reasons she’s a strong role model for others.”

Ask around town about Brooke and you’re greeted by smiles. Everyone has a story about her, everyone recalls the time they ran into her or played golf with her or spoke to her.

“Pretty much everyone in town has said they know her or at least have met her,” says Pankow, adding that as far as anyone knows, she’s the first person from Smiths Falls to make it to the Olympics.

“She’s a real rallying point for our town. We’re all very proud of her, not just as a golfer, but as a role model.”

No one knows that more than Neil Doef, an exceptional athlete in his own right. He and Henderson met in Grade 5 and turned their shared love of sports into a special bond.

Doef played hockey well enough to earn a scholarship to Princeton and catch the eye of NHL scouts. But just as his career was destined to take off, his life changed. In December 2014, while playing for Canada East against Switzerland in the World Junior A challenge in Kindersley, Sask., he went heavily into the boards, fracturing his C7 vertebrae and suffering injury to his spinal cord. Lying on the ice, he couldn’t feel his arms or legs.

He made it home to Smiths Falls on Christmas Eve and on Christmas Day, Henderson was there to see him. The next day, she left to begin her professional career, carrying thoughts of Doef with her, realizing just how fragile dreams can be.

The next summer, when she came home and held a fundraising tournament with part of the proceeds going to help Doef offset his medical expenses.

“I thought it was amazing,” he said. “It was just so cool that she was going to do it for me.”

Doef has regained some mobility and is now able to walk slowly with the use of a cane. Most of his days are spent in rehabilitation, working to strengthen his body. He has improved enough to go to two golf tournaments this year – the ANA Inspiration and the U.S. Women’s Open – to watch Henderson, riding in a scooter on the cart paths and then walking to the green to watch her putt. He calls her his best friend and the two text every day. He’s not surprised at all at her success.

“She has the type of personality that she always wants to be the best she can be at whatever she does,” said Doef. “She works hard and isn’t afraid to sacrifice to achieve what she wants.”

And of that effervescent smile that never seems to leave her face? Doef said that’s just pure Brooke through and through.

“She may have off days now and then, but I’ve never seen them.”

Doef is not the only person who has felt inspiration and love from Henderson. She’s done the same thing to all of Smiths Falls, it seems.

“Our town has had some rough times, but she’s a real symbol of optimism,” the mayor stated. “She’s proof that good things can come from small towns.”

Henderson is graceful in all the praise and mindful of those who have helped her along the way. She recognizes her role and understands the expectations put on her.

“I’m trying to get better every day and trying to become a better person and a better golfer,” said Henderson. “If I can please people or people are happy and excited for me then that’s awesome. Playing at home in the Canadian events with all the fans or even in the U.S. or anywhere in the world, I feel a lot of support from home. It helps me play better.”

And now she has the chance to make history, joining Margaret Abbott as an Olympic champion.

“I've had an awesome season so far,” she said, “so I'm hoping to cap it off with a gold medal down in Rio.”