TORONTO — Brooke Henderson, the No. 1 ranked female amateur golfer in the world, has turned professional and signed with IMG for worldwide management and marketing representation.
A native of Smiths Falls, Ontario, Canada, Henderson was assisted by her hometown Ottawa Senators hockey team in making today’s announcement.
Henderson has signed with PING and will continue to be supported by Golf Canada’s Young Pro program.
“I am really excited to begin my professional career in 2015 and proud to represent Canada along the way,” said Henderson. “I realize what a big step it is to play professionally and I think IMG and their partners at WME give me a competitive advantage on a global level.”
The 17-year-old was an integral member of Team Canada’s National Amateur Squad for the past three years. She won the individual title at the 2014 Women’s World Amateur Team Championship and led Canada to a silver medal. As a 16-year-old, she was runner-up at the 2014 U.S. Women’s Amateur and tied for 10th at the 2014 U.S. Women’s Open at Pinehurst No. 2.
She boasts more than 50 victories as an amateur and has also won three professional tournaments including two Canadian Women’s Tour events and the 2014 PGA of Canada Women’s Championship. Henderson’s Canadian Women’s Tour victory in 2012 at the age of 14 years, 9 months and 3 days made her the youngest player (male or female) ever to win a professional golf event.
Guy Kinnings, Global Head of Golf at IMG, commented, “Brooke’s tremendous talent on the golf course is exceeded only by her positive and engaging personality. We are delighted to help Brooke make the transition into professional golf and very much look forward to helping her achieve all of her goals both inside and outside the ropes.”
Henderson joins former No. 1 amateurs Lydia Ko and Minjee Lee as recent IMG signees. Ko most recently earned 2014 LPGA Rolex Rookie of the Year honors, while Lee was co-medalist at the LPGA Final Qualifying Tournament earlier this month.
“Through outstanding competitive results and a commitment to excellence, Brooke has proven herself to be a special talent, demonstrating all of the necessary characteristics to make a successful transition to the professional golfing ranks,” said Jeff Thompson, Golf Canada’s Chief Sport Officer. “She has been a huge part of the Team Canada program which is designed to challenge our top athletes through exposure to the highest levels of training and competition. We are proud to have played a role in her development and will continue to support her in this next exciting stage of her career.”
Following today’s announcement, Henderson is now the top-ranked Canadian professional.