Canadian Brooke Henderson won the ShopRite Classic for her 11th career victory on the LPGA Tour on Sunday in New Jersey.
She defeated the American Lindsey Weaver-Wright on the first overtime hole with an eagle on a par-5, helped by a particularly exceptional second swing to get very close to the cup.
“You only have one chance in overtime, I tried to put in some solid shots. To see that I managed to get so close for the ultimate shot was a huge relief,” Henderson said. “It was amazing to have it sorted out so quickly. I’m super excited, I’ve been waiting for this moment for a long time after my 10th victory on the circuit. I worked hard and got a lot of support through the good times and the tough times. »
Ninth the day before with a cumulative minus-5, Henderson made up for his slight delay. The Ontarian returned a card of 64 as she had done last year during the final round, the best card of the day thanks in particular to an eagle on the ninth hole.
Win #11 !!! ❤️ @LPGA
May all Honour and Glory be to God! pic.twitter.com/xUMqHI3bga
— Brooke Henderson (@BrookeHenderson) June 12, 2022
She finished her round today with a birdie, her fifth overall, giving her a one-shot lead as a few other golfers were still chasing her not far behind. Now she just had to wait patiently for the day’s other results.
“I started strong and it was good. I tried to bird as much as possible and climb as much as possible,” Henderson said during the wait.
“I’m always told to work on my putts, but I nailed them well today and there’s been steady progress. I felt more comfortable. »
Henderson won the prize pool of US$262,500.
North of the border, Henderson’s victory echoed the PGA Canadian Open, played at St. George’s Golf Club in Toronto.
Ontario’s Corey Conners, who was the top-ranked Canadian, was thrilled to hear the news.
“I am blown away. She is incredibly talented. From all Canadians, congratulations Brooke, that’s really special,” said Conners, who was Henderson’s teammate on the Canadian Olympic team at the 2021 Tokyo Games. of the LPGA, it’s so amazing and I’m sure she’s far from done with it. »
Lindsey Weaver-Wright were among those who coveted the lead until the end and her two successive birdies at the very end of the course were enough to join Henderson in the lead to force overtime.
Ranked 136th in the world, Weaver-Wright has never been titled on the LPGA Tour but she has accumulated five top-10 finishes.
The other Canadians in the running, Alena Sharp (plus-1) and Maddie Szeryk (plus-7), had missed the cut.
England’s Jodi Eward Shadoff concluded her tournament with an eagle and finished alone in third place. The 34-year-old, who has yet to claim a victory on the circuit, found herself one stroke behind the leaders.
The fourth player in the world, New Zealand’s Lydia Ko, took the fourth position, sharing it with Switzerland’s Albane Valenzuela. They each gave cards of 67.
