‘Canada’s Tiger Woods:’ Henderson pulling in huge crowds

It’s pretty easy to spot where Canadian Brooke Henderson is at any given point this weekend.

She’s the one being followed by hundreds of adoring fans at the CP Women’s Open.

It’s been a little bit of an adjustment for the two women she’s golfing with: world number one Sung Hyun Park and 18^th ranked Anna Norqvist but they don’t seem to mind.

“Brooke is almost like Canada’s Tiger Woods,” said Park through a translator. “I was really surprised at how many fans came out to support Brooke today. To witness that was pretty awesome and it helped me enjoy today’s round.”

Norqvist is sitting at 6 under par after a strong start to her round. She said playing with Henderson and the throng of fans does come with a challenge or two but overall it’s a positive experience.

“It’s definitely been a lot of movement inside of the ropes but also it’s fun to see (fans) cheering (her) on. Brooke’s played well and made a lot of putts so you have some very loud roars,” Norqvist said.

“It’s just cool to play out of the crowds and see how many people are out here supporting we don’t really see this any other tournament of the year,” she added.

As for Henderson, she, of course, is loving it.

“It’s a lot of fun, especially when you’re playing well,” Henderson said after finishing her round 6 under par to go 12 under overall.

“You love those cheers and you love when you hit it – you love when you’re walking down the fairway and you hear your name and you know that they’re all there behind you.”

And rest assured – it’s not any extra pressure for the 20-year-old golf phenom.

“Walking up to No. 9 there, my final hole, to see that many people there to watch me finish was incredible,” Henderson said after birdying it.

“Coming here I didn’t really expect this many people to be cheering me on, but I’m pleasantly surprised and hopefully I can just keep playing great golf for them all weekend.”

NOTES

• Henderson finished her round with 10 pars, seven birdies and one bogey to go 6 under. The round left her tied for second place with Angel Yin and 1 stroke behind leader Amy Yang. The afternoon pairings are still out, so placements are subject to change.
• Wind was gusting at the course up to 52 km/h and brought in a lot of haze. Organizers are monitoring the smoke, but Henderson just counts herself lucky to have been in the morning draw so she didn’t have to face the afternoon smoke. “I think this week I definitely got the better half of the draw with this wind coming in, so I’m glad I was able to take advantage of it and post two solid scores.”
• Yin, who also shot 12 under par, said the wind did get to her a bit. “I kind of was a little flustered in the middle when the wind picked up. I didn’t adjust quickly enough and I wasn’t hitting it well.” The result was two bogeys, but she was able to hit par and log a birdie before the end to keep her in the hunt and tied with Henderson.