Brooke Henderson is certainly starting the 2023 LPGA season off on the right foot. The 25 year old went wire to wire to claim the first victory of the year at the Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions in Orlando, Florida this weekend.
Henderson shot a -2 in her final round to finish at sixteen under par for the tournament, good for a 4 stroke victory over England’s Charley Hull, and Swedish golfer Maja Stark who tied for second.
“It’s so exciting,” Henderson said after her victory. “I always try to win a couple times each year, so to get one right way out of the gate takes a little bit of pressure off.”
The tournament, which is limited to only winners on the LPGA tour over the past two seasons, featured windy conditions over the weekend at Lake Nona Golf & Country Club. However the blustery conditions did little to unnerve the Canadian as she carded 19 birdies over four rounds, and was lights out on the Par 5’s all weekend long.
The Smiths Falls, ON native entered the tournament ranked number 7 in the world, but could be in line for a top 5 or higher ranking which would tie a career best following her win. Back in May of 2021 Henderson clocked in at number 5 on women’s world golf rankings, but has never been ranked higher over the course of her 9 year professional career.
A 13 time winner on the LPGA Tour, Henderson is already the most decorated female golfer in Canada’s history, and at only 25 years of age, the best is likely still to come from the smooth swinging righty.
The LPGA’s next stop is the Siam Country Club – Pattaya Old Course for the Honda LPGA Thailand event Feb 23-26th.