Brooke Henderson knew she had one thing when she stepped right into a greenside bunker on the seventeenth gap of Mississaugua Golf and Nation Membership.
Henderson lined up her shot and made the right out, softly bouncing it a couple of ft away from the opening after which watching it roll into the cup for eagle, one other clip for her spotlight reel, and the lead on the CPKC Ladies’s Open.
“Earlier than I bought into the bunker I used to be pondering, ‘I could make this. It’s very makable,’” mentioned Henderson after her spherical. “I used to be actually proud of the place the tee shot ended up and had a very good line within the bunker.
“I knew I needed to hit it delicate as a result of it was actually quick. It was good to land it proper the place I needed to and see it go in.”
Henderson, from Smiths Falls, Ont., and Australia’s Minjee Lee completed Saturday’s third spherical as the brand new co-leaders on the Ladies’s Open, the Canadian ladies’s golf championship. Henderson fired a 6-under 65 and Lee caught as much as her with a 5-under 66 for them to take a seat at 11-under total, three photographs away from the sector.
That creates a top-tier closing pairing on Sunday, with a complete of 24 LPGA Tour titles between Henderson and Lee.
“I really like taking part in with Minjee,” mentioned Henderson. “She has a tremendous presence on the right track, she is like very calm and relaxed and I really feel prefer it’s a fantastic pairing for the ultimate spherical.”
Lee mentioned she was ready for the expertise of taking part in alongside Henderson in Canada, because the winningest professional golfer in Canadian historical past has 1000’s of followers path her across the course.
“Oh, my God, numerous occasions. I’ve performed together with her lots. I do know what to anticipate,” laughed Lee.
Japan’s Akie Iwai led the one LPGA Tour occasion in Canada for 2 rounds however stumbled to a 1-over 72 on Saturday to drop right into a tie for third with world No. 1 Jeeno Thitikul of Thailand. Thitikul had a 2-under 69 day to take a seat at 8-under total.
Henderson has 13 wins on the LPGA Tour, together with the 2018 Ladies’s Open, the place she emerged victorious on the Wascana Nation Membership in Regina. That made her the primary Canadian in 45 years — since Jocelyne Bourassa of Shawinigan, Que., in 1973 — to win the nationwide championship.
“Successful in 2018 was an enormous profession spotlight. It meant a lot to me, it was so particular,” mentioned Henderson. “To be able to presumably have that chance once more is absolutely, actually cool.
“I’m nonetheless a very good distance from that. There are such a lot of high gamers close to the highest of the leaderboard and nonetheless 18 holes to play.”
Fifteen-year-old newbie Aphrodite Deng of Calgary moved as much as the highest 10, taking pictures a 3-under 68 to take a seat in a bunch tied for seventh at 6-under total.
“At present was fairly strong,” mentioned Deng. “Similar to each time I hit it out of place I attempted to get it again into place. My placing was fairly good.”
The CPKC Ladies’s Open — a ladies’s golf main till 2001 — usually attracts among the largest crowds on the LPGA Tour. Though Henderson all the time has the biggest gallery in Canada, the followers additionally respect and help among the greater names within the subject like Lee.
“It’s very nice to see the stunning crowds,” mentioned Lee, noting she drew loud cheers when she made a troublesome par on No. 18. “I feel we all the time get actually nice help from the Canadian folks, they usually simply love the LPGA and like to help Brooke and the ladies’s sport.”
Henderson, nonetheless, hopes to attract power from the spectators as she makes the ultimate push for her 14th title.
“The crowds have been so phenomenal all week, and right now beginning out on the primary tee as a result of I used to be close to the ultimate teams, it was actually thrilling and a variety of power,” mentioned Henderson, who has not gained for the reason that Hilton Grand Holidays Event of Champions in January 2023. “I really feel like I used to be taking part in fairly nicely right now, so the gang continued to develop and develop.
“It was enjoyable to present them some issues to cheer about. That’s all the time one of many objectives.”
