Evian Championship: Brooke Henderson wins second career major after last achievement


The 24-year-old recovered from two bogeys and a double bogey to birdie on three of the last five holes and secured a one-shot win over American Sophia Schubert at 17-under.

A yardie putt last time out crowned Henderson as the first Canadian golfer, male or female, to win multiple titles, adding to the first major she won as an 18-year-old at the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship in 2016.

Her 12th win on the LPGA Tour extends her lead as Canada’s top female golfer by wins.

On a pivotal day, when just two shots separated Henderson from the five players 15-under in third place, her even par-71 marked her highest score after carding 64, 64, 68 over the first three days would have.

“It was definitely an interesting day…not the start I wanted,” Henderson said. “I stayed pretty patient, as patient as I could under the circumstances.

“The saying goes that ‘majors are won on the back nine on Sunday,’ so I just tried to keep that attitude and knew if I could have a solid back I’d still be in it.”

The world No. 10 had carried a two-stroke advantage into Sunday but a slow start opened the door for a number of players to get into the competition.

Schubert pushed forward on the 12th hole, but Henderson fought back to level the American before the last hole.

Disaster struck when her tee shot went wrong into the trees as Schubert hit the green for a birdie, but the Canadian again recovered superbly to avoid trouble. And when Schubert’s putt rolled agonizingly around the cup, Henderson was left with an 8-foot birdie chance to avoid a playoff.

Henderson made no mistake and rolled home to claim the win before being showered with champagne and water by her fellow contestants and her sister Brittany, who is her caddies.

“To be sitting here at a two-time major championship is just an unreal feeling,” she told reporters.

“Winning my first major in 2016 changed my life. My world rankings have gone up and I just got a lot more attention from fans and media. It also made me feel like I really belong out here and that I could compete for big majors, championships and compete against the best in the world, which is a great feeling.

“It’s been a long time and I got off to a fast start earlier this week. It just felt great to be at the top of the leaderboard at a Major. I was just trying to push that excitement as far as possible.”

Her winning payout of $1 million takes her career earnings to $10,237,150, making her the 24th player in LPGA Tour history to break the $10 million mark, according to the LPGA.

“I want to cry tears of happiness”

After taking a brief hiatus from playing in May and not playing any LPGA events, the Canadian has since won two events in four games after winning the ShopRite LPGA Classic in June.

“I worked a lot with my sister and also with my father, who is my coach,” Henderson said.

“And being home with my mom really helped me get some perspective and put my head in the right place so I could get back on the road and compete.

“I’m really excited to see what the rest of the season brings,” she added.

For Schubert, the 2017 women’s US amateur champion, it was an excruciating end to a hugely impressive performance in her second major as a pro.

The $586,262 prize pool the 26-year-old takes home for her second place finish is just over seven times the $82,796 she has collected from her 11 previous LPGA events this season , according to the LPGA website.
Schubert plays a shot from the bunker on hole fifteen.

“I want to cry. I want to cry tears of joy,” Schubert told reporters.

“I’m proud of myself, proud of everyone who helped me get to this point. It was short but I know I will come back so I’m really happy.

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“It was something I always wanted. I knew I could do it. There was a bit of doubt, but I couldn’t be in better company.”