Brooke Henderson is on a path to greatness, and it might change how golf is viewed in Canada. (© Angie Westre Wieand - Dreamstime.com)
This past Sunday, Brooke Henderson confirmed what insiders have been saying for a while now. She is going to be the best pro golfer in Canadian history.
Brooke whacks another mighty drive. (Getty Embed)
She's not quite there yet. Her incredible win at the Lotte Championship in Hawaii last week is her eighth tournament victory on the LPGA (Ladies Professional Golf Association) Tour. That ties her with the three other Canucks: Sandra Post, as well as Mike Weir and George Knudson (who won eight times on the PGA Tour, which is the men's organization).
But Post, Weir, and Knudson won their tournaments in careers that lasted 15 years or more. Brooke? This is just her fifth year on the LPGA tour. At her current rate of winning she won't just beat that record of eight — she'll smash it deep into the distance.
Brooke-ing new ground
Players like Brooke give young players a hero to look up to. (Getty Embed)
Certainly there's no jealousy from her fellow Canadian record-holders. After she won, Mike Weir tweeted this note of congratulations to Brooke.
Congrats @BrookeHenderson what a huge accomplishment at such a young age! Hopefully inspiring more women & men to play our great sport! #number8
— Weirsy (@MikeWeir) April 21, 2019
And why wouldn't he? Brooke's success is amazing for the sport. Nothing gets young people more excited about trying a sport than seeing an athlete or a team from their country being awesome at what they do.
For example, a lot of people feel that the reason that Canada has so many great young basketball players like R.J. Barrett is because of what Vince Carter and the Raptors did twenty years ago. And tennis has never been hotter thanks to players like Bianca Andreescu, Felix Auger-Aliassime, and Denis Shapovalov.
Will Brooke make golf cool in Canada?
Family roots
Brooke celebrates her win with her older sister and caddie, Brittany (left). (Getty Embed)
Maybe it's a lot to ask of someone who is still only 21, but Brooke certainly seems capable. It also helps that she is surrounded so closely by her family. Her sister, Brittany, is her caddie — this is the assistant that every pro golfer has. Caddies do everything from carry the clubs to strategize the shots. It's like a helper/coach/cheerleader all wrapped into one! She also has good friends on the tour, including Olympic teammate Alena Sharp, which gives her an added boost.
Brooke always emphasizes how much this support means to her. In fact, here she is doing just that after her big win!
In the end, though, she is the one making all of the shots. And her exceptional ability has placed her at number seven in the world rankings. She was once ranked as high as number two. Could she become the first-ever Canadian golfer to be ranked number one in the world?
We wouldn't bet against it!
🙂 😀 it was amzing.
i think she is the best man!!
I’m Canadian yay go Brooke Henderson