Superstar golfer Brooke Henderson to tune up for Olympics in Calgary: ‘I would take either one’

Brooke Henderson will be shooting for a victory on the tree-lined fairways at Earl Grey Golf Club, hoping that proves to be perfect prep for a golden go at the Paris Olympics. Henderson will be the headliner next month when the LPGA Tour stars hit Calgary for the 2024 CPKC Women’s Open. Two weeks later, she’ll be representing Canada at the Summer Games. “I’d like to (win) both,” Henderson beamed at Monday’s media day at Earl Grey. “Both events are very special to me. Honestly, I would take either one.”

Certainly, the long-bombing superstar from Smiths Falls, Ont., will be among the favorites in both fields. At 26, Henderson already has collected 13 trophies on the LPGA Tour, the most victories for any Canadian golfer on any of the major pro circuits. She described her win at the 2018 CPKC Women’s Open in Regina as “definitely a huge highlight of my career.”

Another home-turf triumph at Earl Grey — or a gold medal — would only add to her superstar status. This will mark her third trip to the Olympics. Alena Sharp of Hamilton just secured her spot as Canada’s other representative in the women’s golf competition in Paris. Henderson joked that, between her stops in the Stampede City and the City of Light, she will need a full wardrobe of red and white. “It’s going to be a very busy summer. Very busy, but very exciting,” said Henderson, who finished T-22 this past week at the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship. “When I set out my schedule for this year, pretty much the rest of the summer is all circled of weeks that I wanted to peak for. I

“feel like my game is trending in the right direction right now. A lot of good things happening. I’m seeing a lot of positives. So hopefully it will all come together in about a month’s time and be able to put on a good show here.” As Henderson chatted Monday with reporters, her older sister and caddie Brittany was already out scouting the 6,800-yard layout at Earl Grey, devising a gameplan for the July 25-28 showdown.

While Brooke undoubtedly will be the marquee attraction that week, there will be plenty of star power on the tee sheet. According to tournament director Ryan Paul, the list of early commitments includes eight of the top 10 in the current world rankings and 83 of the top 100. Among the names announced Monday were Lydia Ko, Lexi Thompson, Lilia Vu and Rose Zhang, while Megan Khang will be trying to defend a title that she won last summer at Shaughnessy in Vancouver. You can bet that organizers are hoping that Nelly Korda, who won five straight events earlier this season, will sign up before the deadline in mid-July.

This historic 50th instalment of the CPKC Women’s Open marks the first LPGA Tour event in Calgary since 2016, when Brooke and her birdie-machine friends paid a visit to Priddis Greens. Local golfs fans are certainly thrilled that they’re back. Tickets sales have left little doubt about that.
“It’s going really well, and that’s not surprising for us,” Paul said. “I think part of the excitement of us being at Earl Grey was its location and proximity. It’s kind of right in the middle of the city, where we can attract more fans and bring as many people to the golf course as possible. And it’s been working. From where we were at this point last year in Vancouver, we’re about 30% ahead in advance tickets sales, which is great. That number has kind of stayed consistent throughout the year, so we’re expecting to have a big showing.

“I think another big thing that should never be overlooked is the volunteers,” he continued. “We need 1,200 volunteers for the tournament to run efficiently and it always seems like a daunting task at the beginning — ‘Where are we going to find all these volunteers?’ “This year, we have 1,300 volunteers registered and we had that number in March and closed down registration on a lot of committees because we were subscribed so fast. To have that sort of excitement, both from a ticket perspective and from a volunteer perspective, I think it just shows what a great golf city Calgary is.” The charitable partner for the 2024 CPKC Women’s Open is the Alberta Children’s Hospital Foundation, with a goal of raising $2.75 million through the CPKC Has Heart campaign.

WHAT ABOUT THE WATER?
Henderson peeked Monday out the clubhouse window and remarked that Earl Grey Golf Club “looks beautiful from here.”

The private course surely will be in pristine condition for the 2024 CPKC Women’s Open and its location on the edge of Glenmore Reservoir should provide for some eye-popping aerial shots on the TV coverage.

What’s important to note, with the current restrictions in Calgary, is that superintendent Terry Shinkewski and his turf-care crew are using only non-potable water to irrigate the fairways and greens as they prepare to host the LPGA Tour stars.

“We’re certainly not asking for any special exemptions because of the event. We’re not putting ourselves above this crisis and what the residents and other businesses in Calgary are going through,” Paul stressed. “While the city has been working hard to repair the damaged pipes and are seeing progress that should have the issue resolved well before the start of the CPKC Women’s Open, it is important to mention both Golf Canada and the Earl Grey Golf Club have and continue to work very closely with the City of Calgary to ensure that we are in compliance with the water usage guidelines.

“And we will continue to work with the city as the guidelines evolve.”