SYLVANIA, Ohio —
This week at Highland Meadows Golf Course for the Marathon Classic, the best golfers from around the world are right here in our own backyard.
Among them, one golfer has already made history and she is only 21 years old. Driving, chipping, and putting at Sylvania’s premiere course for another championship is Brooke Henderson, from Smith Falls, Ontario, Canada.
Earlier this year, Henderson became the all-time winningest Canadian golfer — male or female — after winning the Meijer LPGA Classic in nearby Grand Rapids, Michigan, with a score of 21-under par. That win clinched her second win this year and ninth career victory.
“Growing up, my dream was to play the LPGA Tour and now I’m 21 and I have nine career wins,” Henderson said. “It's pretty awesome and hard to believe, but hopefully I can continue to sharpen my game up, put myself in contention, and see if I can get a few more wins.”
Coincidentally, Henderson made Canadian golf history and later that night, the Toronto Raptors made history as well. Canada’s lone NBA team, the Raptors, defeated the Golden State Warriors in the sixth game of the NBA Finals, recording the country’s first ever NBA championship.
“It's really fun, and it's surreal. You kind of have to pinch yourself sometimes,” she said of the two historic Canadian sports moments. “Watching the Raptors win was really fun and I feel like it built up the whole country. I just ran with that momentum and won my ninth tour event. It's definitely a fun time to be Canadian and hopefully we can keep it rolling.”
Henderson hopes to keep the momentum rolling into this week’s tournament, especially after nearly winning the Marathon last year.
Heading into the back nine of last year’s tournament, Henderson was in contention to raise the trophy. That was until she bogeyed two holes, which led to missing the playoff by just one shot.
“It definitely was a tough finish here, but I definitely have a lot of great memories from the previous days and even earlier in that round,” she said. “I was playing great golf. Sometimes it's just not meant to be."
However, Henderson remains confident ahead of the classic.
“I feel like everyone learns from those experiences and I feel like I definitely have. Hopefully this year I can go out and post some similar scores, and get to the top of the leader board and hopefully stay there.”