Bob Shanks has been around the game of golf since he was a young boy. He was taught to play by his pop. And having five brothers who play has given him lots of opportunity to get out on the driving range or the putting green.
Watching the pros on TV gets him excited to get out there and play. For his 10th article on his blog, he’s gonna write about one of those pros – LPGA and Canadian golfer Brooke Henderson.
Just 23 years old, Henderson is arguably Canada’s brightest start in the game. Growing up in Smiths Falls, Ontario, she learned the game at an early age. Brooke’s parents were both long time players and her Uncle Tom played amateur golf at the top level.
Henderson’s older sister Brittany was also college golfer & top junior player. Today, Brittany serves as Brooke’s caddy, providing valuable and familiar support from tee to green. “I don’t think I’d be as successful out on tour if I didn’t have somebody to talk to at the end of the day,” said Brooke. “Just knowing I can depend on her is really important. Being able to share it with someone really important in my life and really special makes everything a lot more fun and a lot more enjoyable.”
With her sister by her side, Henderson broke onto the scene in 2013. She won three times on the Canadian Women’s Amateur Tour and was the runner up at the U.S. Women’s Amateur at age 15. She quickly became the top ranked female amateur in the world and earned scholarship offers from colleges across the States.
Rather than turning to college golf, she decided to turn pro in December 2014. She won her first LPGA Tour event two years later at the age of 18. In November 2019, Brooke was named the winner of the Founders Award voted on by her fellow golfers on the LPGA Tour. This award is given out to someone whose behaviour and deeds best exemplify the spirit, ideals and values of the LPGA Tour. Back home, Henderson has inspired countless Canadian golfers and has received a number of significant distinctions at the national level. In 2015, 2017 & 2018, she was awarded the Canadian Press Female Athlete of the Year.
Representing your country is always super special and Brooke had the opportunity of a lifetime when she represented Canada at the 2016 Summer Games in Rio de Janeiro. She finished in 7th place.
With her victory as the defending champion at the Cambia Classic in June 2016, Brooke Henderson joined Sandra Post and Lorie Kane as the only Canadians to win multiple events in the same season. She also became the first Canadian in 45 years (following Jocelyne Bourassa in 1973) to win the Canadian Women’s Open on home soil at the Wascanna Golf & Country Club in Regina, Saskatchewan. In 2019, Henderson won the Meijer LPGA Classic earlier this year. She finished with a final scorecard of -21, shooting -2 in the final round to win by a single stroke. The win was her ninth career victory on the LPGA Tour, making her the winningest Canadian in pro golf history among both men and women! A well-deserved and incredible achievement.
With this monumental milestone, Henderson has eclipsed fellow Canadian legends George Knudson, Sandra Post & Mike Weir, all of whom had eight PGA or LPGA wins.
“Congrats Brooke Henderson,” Weir said after the accomplishment. “9th win at such a young age is just awesome! Keep it rolling!!” To conclude this article on Brooke Henderson, Bob Shanks would like to emphasize what an exciting player she is to watch. What an awesome athlete to write about for his 10th article on his blog. She’s the best Canadian of all time and she’s only 23! I think writing about a sport that you absolutely love to watch and play is pretty cool. Looking forward to watching Canadian golfers like Brooke Henderson in many more tournaments to come! -Bob Shanks
1 Comment
Harold
3/25/2021 09:29:13 am
Had no idea Canada had a golfing superstar! Good stuff bob.
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About Bob Shanks
I am the Canucks Autism Network's Top Fundraiser, having raised over $200,000 since I began in 2012. |