Past Champ Henderson Headlines Canadian Trio Teeing It Up At The KPMG Women’s PGA Championship
Brooke Henderson, Savannah Grewal and Alena Sharp are ready to tackle the challenge of Sahalee Country Club.
The third major of the LPGA season is here. The KPMG Women’s PGA Championship will take place this week at Sahalee Country Club in Sammamish, Wash. Defending champion Ruoning Yin will look to repeat as she tries to best a field featuring Nelly Korda, Lilia Vu and other major stars of the women’s game.
Three Canadians will tee it up in the tournament, playing for more than major championship glory. This is the last week to earn points for Olympic qualification. At the end of the week, the top two ranking Canadian players will be named to Team Canada for the Paris Olympics. Brooke Henderson and Alena Sharp occupy the top two spots. The two players presented Canada at the 2016 and 2020 Olympic Games.
Brooke Henderson
Last five LPGA finishes: T34, T27, CUT, T56, T35
The 26-year-old returns to the friendly confines of Sahalee Country Club, the site of her first major victory. Henderson took home the title at this event in 2016 at the age of 18, becoming the youngest champion in the tournament’s history. She did so in thrilling fashion, taking down then World No. 1 Lydia Ko in a playoff thanks to a pair of brilliant and aggressive shots on the narrow 18th hole. Since her win eight years ago, Henderson has historically played well at this event, finishing in the top 10 in three of the past seven years.
It has been a good, not great, campaign thus far for the two-time major champion. She has recorded five top 10s, which includes a hat-trick of third-place finishes, but she does not have a win this year and has struggled in her last five starts. The Smith Falls, Ont., native ranks third on tour in greens in regulation and second in total birdies, so she has not had a problem scoring. She won here with a found-round score of 6 under par, so it may be more important for her to avoid big numbers this week than to rack up birdies.
Savannah Grewal
Last five LPGA finishes: CUT, CUT, CUT, CUT, CUT
It has been a tough rookie campaign for Grewal. She has made the cut in only two of her nine starts, her best finish being a T4 at the Blue Bay LPGA back in March. However, her debut season is all about gaining experience and the 22-year-old will get another chance to learn as she makes her second career start in a major championship.
Grewal ranks outside the top 100 in most stat categories, save putting average and driving distance, where she sits 58th and 76th, respectively. The Mississauga, Ont., product will be looking to break her missed-cut streak, which currently sits at six, and play the weekend at a major championship for the first time.
Alena Sharp
Last five LPGA finishes: T80, T52, T35, CUT
The 43-year-old has conditional status on the LPGA Tour this year but has done well in her few starts. She’s made the cut in three of four events, the last coming at the Meijer LPGA Classic last week. Sharp has also made four starts on the Epson Tour in 2024, posting three top 20s, including a third-place result at the Copper Rock Championship a month ago.
Sharp has the inside track to secure the second spot on the Olympic team with Brooke Henderson. She is well ahead of Grewal in the standings, sitting in second place while the tour rookie is fifth. The Canadian players ranked third and fourth in the country are Maddie Szeryk and Maude Aimee-Leblanc, who are not in the field (Leblanc is currently the second alternate). Sharp last dawned the red and white at the 2023 Pan Am Games in Santiago, Chile, winning the bronze medal in the women’s golf competition.
