SAMMAMISH, Wash. — If you walk down the 18th fairway at Sahalee Country Club, you’ll see a small brown and gold plaque with Brooke Henderson’s name on it.
It was put there this week on Tuesday afternoon to commemorate the Canadian’s 2016 KPMG Women’s PGA Championship victory, marking the spot from which she hit a 155-yard 7-iron to three feet en route to a playoff birdie that helped her defeat Lydia Ko and capture her first major title. In addition to the plaque, Henderson was also awarded honorary membership at Sahalee, a gesture that meant a lot to the course’s adopted daughter at a place that quite literally changed her life.
“To come back here and to be given honorary membership, and to have a plaque on the 18th hole with my name on it forever is extremely special and meaningful,” said Henderson. “This place will always hold a very special place in my heart. I think back to eight years ago and a lot of those moments, I think they'll live in my mind forever.”
At the time of her KPMG win, it was only the second LPGA Tour victory that Henderson had captured, but it was a great indicator of what was to come for young talent. Now, eight years on from that historic moment, Henderson has become one of the most recognizable and beloved athletes on Tour and has captured 11 more victories since her triumph in Washington, making her the winningest Canadian professional golfer in history, male or female.
One of those wins came at the 2022 Amundi Evian Championship, where Henderson defeated Sophia Schubert by just one shot to claim her second major title in France. Henderson has also gotten to participate in two Olympic Games over the last eight years, representing Canada at both the 2016 Rio Olympics and 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
It’s a mind-boggling upward trajectory, one that even blows Henderson away when she thinks about her career every once in a while, and if you had asked her when she was just starting out on the LPGA Tour in 2015 if she’d accomplish this much as a professional golfer, Henderson isn’t too sure she could have predicted what has ultimately unfolded.
“Sometimes I still have to pinch myself that I get to live this dream out here on Tour,” said Henderson. “Growing up as a little girl, I wanted to get my LPGA Tour card and compete against the best in the world every single week. To have the ability to do that, and then in addition to that, win two majors, go to the Olympics, and win 13 times, it's been a dream career so far.”
Returning to Sahalee for her 10th start in the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship, Henderson has to be a name on everyone’s lips this week. Statistically and historically, this venue seems to suit her game well, and while a few tweaks have been made to Sahalee since her victory, Henderson knows where to put the ball on this tight, narrow, Northwest layout, critical knowledge on which she will be working to capitalize.
Plus, she’s been in stellar form so far this season on the LPGA Tour, earning five top-10 results in 13 total starts, three of which were T3s or better and the most impressive of which was her T3 showing at The Chevron Championship in April. Henderson hasn’t won on Tour since the 2023 Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions, and for a player who likes to win at least once a season, the Canadian is as hungry as ever to change her luck at this year’s KPMG Women’s PGA Championship.
“I feel like my game has been trending in the right direction for a long time now,” Henderson said. “Start the season was pretty hot. I was getting a lot of good finishes, seeing some great results. That was really exciting. Kind of cooled off for a couple of months, but I feel like I'm heading back in the right direction now.
“It's a great stretch of golf to be picking up speed. Excited for this week and Dow next week with Lexi and the Canadian Open in a few weeks, the Olympics. A lot of great things happening. It's a good time to be trending in the right direction. Hopefully, that just continues, and we'll see a win here hopefully soon.”
Considering her history at this venue and her recent form, the odds just might be leaning in Henderson’s favor to pick up that elusive 14th LPGA Tour victory this week at Sahalee.
Who knows. Sahalee Country Club just might need to make another plaque.
