Henderson in contention at CPKC Women's Open after even opening round
Canadian Brooke Henderson finished her opening round of the CPKC Women's Open at 72-even from Earl Grey Golf Club in Calgary.
The two-time major winner started her day with a bogey, before rattling off ten straight pars. The Smiths Falls, Ont., native would get back to even early on in the second half of her round, birdying the par-5 fourth hole. She would then trade a bogey and a birdie across the next two, before carding four consecutive pars to close out her opening round.
Conditions for the opening round featured cool temperatures and high winds. Henderson said it was a "big adjustment" compared to the conditions of the practice rounds.
"Showing up at the course, I said 'I don't even have a sweater.' So I was wearing my raincoat there for a while just trying to keep warm, but it was very different than the practice round days," Henderson told TSN's Bob Weeks following her round. "Much cooler, very windy, which this course can play pretty difficult when it is this windy."
Henderson hit 10/14 fairways, 11/18 greens in regulation, while putting 29 times in the round. She is four strokes behind leader Lauren Coughlin.
“Not really the hot start I wanted to get off to but felt like we fought pretty hard," Henderson said. "We were in some tough spots on some holes, so it was nice to battle it out, get (to) even par.
"It’d be nice to get a couple birdies early (Friday) and really climb up."
Henderson won the event in 2018 at the Wascana Country Club in Regina, becoming the first homegrown winner of the CPKC Women's Open since Jocelyne Bourassa in 1973.
Other top Canadians included Maude-Aimée LeBlanc and Savannah Grewal, who both shot 1-under on Thursday.
Here is a hole-by-hole look at Henderson's opening round:
Leaders: Lauren Coughlin, -4
Henderson's Round 1 score: E, T22
Hole 11 (Par 4): Bogey (+1)
Hole 12 (Par 4): Par (+1)
Hole 13 (Par 4): Par (+1)
Hole 14 (Par 5): Par (+1)
Hole 15 (Par 5): Par (+1)
Hole 16 (Par 4): Par (+1)
Hole 17 (Par 3): Par (+1)
Hole 18 (Par 4): Par (+1)
Hole 1 (Par 5): Par (+1)
Hole 2 (Par 4): Par (+1)
Hole 3 (Par 3): Par (+1)
Hole 4 (Par 5): Birdie (E)
Hole 5 (Par 3): Bogey (+1)
Hole 6 (Par 4): Birdie (E)
Hole 7 (Par 4): Par (E)
Hole 8 (Par 4): Par (E)
Hole 9 (Par 3): Par (E)
Hole 10 (Par 4): Par (E)