Brooke Henderson returns to the Women’s PGA at Sahalee, the place that changed her life 8 years ago

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[PHOTO: Otto Greule Jnr]

The shot that changed Brooke Henderson’s career trajectory is now immortalised with a plaque at Sahalee Country Club. In the 2016 KPMG Women’s PGA Championship, Henderson blitzed the back nine in four under for a final-round 65, tying her with world No.1 Lydia Ko and sending her back to the 18th hole for a playoff.

Then 18, Henderson had 140 metres in on the first extra hole and nestled her approach three feet from the cup. She cleaned up the birdie for her first career major title, which gave Henderson a new vision of what her career could become.

“[The win] definitely changed my life back in 2016,” Henderson explained. “I received a lot more attention from the fans and the media, and just what I believed I could do moving forward I think changed.

“[It] felt like anything was possible after this victory.”

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She carried the confidence from her second-career victory into one of the more consistent careers in the modern LPGA. Henderson now has 13 titles, winning at least once in eight of her 10 seasons on the LPGA Tour. Henderson has strung up multiple Canadian accolades, becoming the ‘winningest’ player, male or female, in her country’s professional golf history five years ago at the Meijer LPGA Classic, when she won for the ninth time. The 26-year-old became Canada’s only multiple-time major champion with her victory at the 2022 Evian Championship.

Henderson has also kept her inner circle consistent by keeping it a family affair. Her dad, Dave, is her swing coach, and her sister Brittany has been her caddie since 2015. Brittany still drives the Kia K900 that Henderson won from the 2016 Women’s PGA with her first-round ace on the par-3 13th hole. Henderson remains consistent even with her equipment tinkering. Ahead of her breakthrough major victory, she switched putters on the Tuesday ahead of the championship. On Tuesday this year, she switched flatsticks from a TaylorMade Spider to a TP Reserve M37.

“Hoping to rekindle some magic there,” Henderson explained.

The course, which is just south of the Canadian border, has towering Cedar and Douglas Fir trees, making the narrow Sahalee layout visually intimidating. Henderson felt chills and a smile during her 18-hole pro-am on Tuesday as she recalled the mostly ups and few downs from eight years ago among the majestic Salahee views in Sammamish, Washington.

“This is just such a special place and so beautiful,” Henderson said. “Outside of golf I love spending time in nature, so here is the best of both. You feel like you’re in amongst all the nature in the forest, but you’re actually playing golf so it’s perfect.”

Henderson started the 2024 season with five top 10s in her first eight starts, including a T-3 in the Chevron Championship. She feels like she is trending back to early-season form from her past few events, posting a T-27 in the ShopRite LPGA Classic and a T-34 in last week’s Meijer event. Along with the plaque, Henderson received an honorary membership at Sahalee, making the launchpad of her 13-win career a new home.

“Just thinking back, I’m proud of the journey that I’ve been on these past eight years since that win,” she said, “and I think [I am] just continuing to try to grow and get better and push forward.”