First, Brad Fritsch made news by winning the Web.com Tour Q-School by seven shots. Now, 17-year-old amateur Brooke Henderson from Smiths Falls, Ontario has turned professional. And as with Fritsch, the NHL's Ottawa Senators are involved:
Bouncing a golf ball on a sand wedge is challenging enough while on
terra firma. But to do it on skates... with a full set of goalie equipment on? Take THAT, Tiger!
This represents a change in plans; Henderson had originally committed to the University of Florida for next autumn. However, Henderson had a strong 2014 season: She made the cut in all four LPGA events she entered, and finished 10th at the U.S. Women's Open at
Pinehurst #2. Not surprisingly, she became the number-one-ranked female amateur golfer in the world, following in the proverbial footsteps of New Zealand's Lydia Ko and Australia's Minjee Lee.
Perhaps what stands out most is she won the PGA Women's Championship of Canada, where she torched
FireRock Golf Club for an eagle and 14 birdies. It was possibly because of this that the Canadian women's amateur international team left Henderson off their 2015 roster when it was unveiled last month.
However, the LPGA denied Henderson's request to participate in Q-School, which was held earlier this month at
LPGA International in Daytona Beach.
In all likelihood, Henderson will continue to play women's professional events in Canada and find her way onto the Symetra Tour. And without a doubt, LPGA tournament sponsors are likely to give her the maximum number of exemptions into their tournaments. This will almost certainly include the 2015 Canadian Women's Open, which will be played at
Vancouver Golf Club in British Columbia.
Henderson is sticking with the sticks that have gotten her this far, too:
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