Brooke Henderson pulled away Saturday at gusty Ko Olina Golf Club to win the Lotte Championship for her sixth LPGA Tour victory. The 20-year-old Canadian closed with a 3-under 69 for a four-stroke victory. She moved within two victories tying Sandra Post’s LPGA Tour record for Canadians. A stroke ahead entering the round after late putting trouble in a third-round 73, Henderson finished at 12-under 276. Spain’s Azahara Munoz had a 67, the low round of the day, to finish second.
For the final two days of the Lotte Championship, it was pretty clear that the only player who could beat Brooke Henderson was Brooke Henderson.
She wasn’t about to let it happen Saturday at windy Ko Olina Golf Club, where she won by four shots. The Canadian was too talented, and she had some very important people to play for, dedicating her victory to the people involved in the Humboldt Broncos junior hockey team bus crash in Saskatchewan.
“It’s extremely sad, a terrible tragedy what happened up there,” Henderson said. “I know it kind of affected my whole country. Everybody really took it kind of personally.
“For all the survivors that are still fighting through it and all the ones that have passed away, I want to show them that we’re here for them and we’re supporting them. They’re always going to be in our thoughts and prayers.”
Henderson, who won’t be 21 until September, won her sixth LPGA Tour title, leaving her just two short of Sandra Post for most wins by a Canadian player.
She collected $300,000, giving her nearly $500,000 this year and $4 million in her three-year career. Her final-round 3-under 69 left her at 12 under, four ahead of Azahara Munoz, whose 67 was the low round on a very difficult scoring day.
It was Munoz’s best finish in more than four years. Henderson and sixth-ranked Ariya Jutanugarn (69) were the only other golfers to break 70 on a day that featured rain squalls and winds gusting to 30 mph.
Excerpts from Associated Press
You must be logged in to post a comment.