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Amateur Brooke Henderson

Inaugural World Junior Girls Championship set for Angus Glen Golf Club

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Brooke Henderson (Golf Canada/ Chuck Russell)

Markham, Ont. (Golf Canada) – The world’s best female junior golfers are set to compete in a showcase international competition as the inaugural World Junior Girls Golf Championship will run September 26th to October 1st at Angus Glen Golf Club in Markham, Ontario Canada.

An elite field of female junior golfers will compete at the inaugural World Junior Girls Golf Championship which will be conducted by Golf Canada in partnership with the Golf Association of Ontario.

In all, 48 of the world’s top female junior golfers representing 15 different countries worldwide will compete in both a team and individual competition on the South Course at Angus Glen.

The championship features three-player teams of athletes under the age of 19. As host country, Canada will field two teams in the competition.

In addition to a 72-hole competition, the World Junior Girls Golf Championship will include an international golf coaches’ summit, golf clinics and a fundraising golf tournament conducted by the Golf Canada Foundation in partnership with TORONTO 2015. The World Junior Girls Golf Championship will also include the sixth annual CN Future Links Skills Challenge National Event.

What you need to know about the World Junior Girls Golf Championship:

The Event: The inaugural World Junior Girls Championship

Where: Angus Glen Golf Club (South Course)
10080 Kennedy Road, Markham, Ont., L6C 1N9
www.angusglen.com

When: Friday, September 26th to Wednesday, October 1st

Admission: Free for spectators all week.

Schedule of Events:

Friday, September 26th   
Golf Canada & TORONTO 2015 Fundraising Golf Event (2:00pm)
Coaching Summit – Canadian Sport Institute Ontario (CSIO)
Skill Development Clinic (3:00pm-5:00pm)

Saturday, September 27th         
Championship Practice Round (7:30am – 9:00am)
CN Future Links National Junior Skills Challenge Final (11:00am)
Official Opening Ceremony (5:30pm)

Sunday, September 28th       
Round 1 / Team & Individual (8:00am – 9:17am off 1st & 10th tee)

Monday, September 29th      
Round 2 / Team & Individual (8:00am – 9:17am off 1st & 10th tee

Tuesday, September 30th     
Round 3 / Team & Individual (8:00am – 9:17am off 1st & 10th tee

Wednesday, October 1st       
Final Round / Team & Individual (8:00am – 9:17am off 1st & 10th tee
Closing Ceremony (immediately following the completion of play –approximately 2:00pm)

Format:
Team Competition: 3 players per country (best 2 out of 3 scores count each day); 72 holes of stroke play; no cut
Individual Competition: 72 holes of stroke play; no cut

Countries represented: 15
(Australia, Belgium, Canada, Czech Republic, Denmark, England, Finland, Ireland, Italy, Mexico, New Zealand, Norway, Spain, Sweden and USA). Click here for a full listing of team rosters.

Notables Players Set to Compete:

Canadians in the Field:

As the host country, Canada will field two team in the competition – one team will featuring Brooke Henderson, Grace St-Germain and Naomi Ko while the second team includes Jaclyn Lee, Selena Costabile and Alisha Lau. Click here for a listing of Team Canada player bios.

The Canadian teams will be coached by Team Canada Development Squad Women’s Coach Ann Carroll, alongside Reggie Millage, the provincial Head Coach for the Golf Association of Ontario.

Supporting Partners:
A special thank you to our partners who have aligned their brand with the World Junior Girls Golf Championship including the International Golf Federation; the R&A; Sport Canada; the Ontario Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Sport; Central Counties; TORONTO 2015; the PGA of Canada and the Golf Canada Foundation.

Conducted by:
Golf Canada in partnership with the Golf Association of Ontario

URL: www.worldjuniorgirls.com

Amateur Brooke Henderson Team Canada

Canadian teams announced for inaugural World Junior Girls Golf Championship

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Naomi Ko (Golf Canada/ Graig Abel)

MARKHAM, Ont. (Golf Canada) – Golf Canada in partnership with the Golf Association of Ontario is pleased to announce the six players who will represent Team Canada’s two squads at the inaugural World Junior Girls Golf Championship September 26th to October 1st at Angus Glen Golf Club in Markham, Ont.

Representing the first of two Canadian squads competing are Brooke Henderson, 17, of Smiths Falls, Ont., Grace St-Germain, 16, of Ottawa, Ont. and Naomi Ko, 17, of Victoria, B.C. Canada’s second team in the event will include Jaclyn Lee of Calgary, Selena Costabile of Thornhill, Ont. and Alisha Lau of Richmond, B.C.

The Canadian contingent will be coached by Team Canada Development Squad Women’s Coach Ann Carroll, alongside Reggie Millage the provincial Head Coach for the Golf Association of Ontario.

The inaugural international junior girls championship – which will be contested on the South Course at Angus Glen Golf Club – will be conducted by Golf Canada in partnership with the Golf Association of Ontario.

The championship features three-player teams of athletes under the age of 19 representing 15 countries. As host country, Canada will field two teams in the competition. A full listing of rosters for each country can be found here and full bios for the Canadians selected can be found below.

The 16-team field will compete over 72 holes for both individual and team honours. Qualifying countries for the inaugural championship were invited based on their performances at the 2012 World Amateur in Turkey.

The 2014 World Junior Girls Golf Championship will mark the first official playing of a female junior championship of its kind – the Toyota Junior Golf World Cup is a boys’ only event that has been contested for almost 20 years.

The event – which is supported by the International Golf Federation, received grant funding by the Ontario Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Sport. Other funding partners include the Golf Canada Foundation (Women’s Fund) and the R&A as well as Central Counties.  Funding was also provided from the Federal and Provincial governments in preparation for the TORONTO 2015 Pan Am/Parapan Am Games.

In addition to a 72-hole competition, the championship will include skills competitions, an international golf coaches’ summit and golf clinics outside of tournament play in the spirit of establishing an interactive junior golf festival around the championship.

The Angus Glen Golf Club will also play host to the debut of golf at the TORONTO 2015 Pan Am Games from July 16-19, 2015. The World Junior Girls Golf Championship will provide training opportunities for officials and volunteers registered for the historic event that is set for the south course at Angus Glen.

The event gets underway with Opening Ceremonies at Angus Glen beginning at 5:30pm on Saturday, September 27th.

Admission to the World Junior Girls Golf Championship is free for all spectators for the duration of the championship. For more information visit www.worldjuniorgirls.com.

TEAM CANADA PLAYERS BIOS

Squad # 1

Brooke Henderson
As the No. 1 ranked amateur in the World Amateur Golf Rankings, the Smiths Falls, Ont. native has captured seven amateur titles this season and two professional titles (Canadian Women’s Tour Ontario and PGA Women’s Championship of Canada). A member of Team Canada’s National Amateur Squad, Henderson recently won the individual medal at the World Amateur Championship. Additionally, she finished runner-up at the 2014 U.S. Women’s Amateur Championship and also finished T10 at the U.S. Women’s Open. She also earned Low Canadian and Low Amateur honours at the Canadian Pacific Women’s Open where she finished T46 and while also finishing T45 at the Manulife Financial LPGA Classic.

Grace St-Germain
A native of Ottawa, Ont., St-Germain captured the 2014 Canadian Junior Girls Championship by seven strokes. The 16-year-old was also victorious at the Quebec Women’s Amateur Championship and earned medalist honours at the GAO’s Junior Girls’ Match Play Championship. Recently she added another win to her season at the Graham Cooke Junior Invitational.

Naomi Ko
A member of Team Canada’s National Development Squad, Ko is the reigning 2014 B.C. Junior Girls champion. Additionally, the 17-year-old Victoria, B.C. native won the CN Future Links Ontario title and finished fourth at the Canadian Junior Girls Championship.

Squad # 2

Jaclyn Lee
Lee is a three-time winner this season after victories at the CN Future Links Prairie Championship, Alberta Women’s Amateur Championship and Alberta Junior Girls Championship. The Calgary native is also a member of Team Canada’s National Development Squad.

Selena Costabile
A native of Thornhill, Ont., Costabile captured the 2014 GAO Junior Spring Classic and the CJGA World Junior Challenge. The 16-year-old also finished runner-up at the CN Future Links Ontario Championship and notched a pair of third place finishes at the Canadian Junior Girls Championship and the AJGA/CJGA’s Junior Championship.

Alisha Lau
A native of Richmond, B.C., Lau was victorious at the CJGA’s Nike Golf Junior Series at Hazelmere, finished second at the CN Future Links Prairie Championship and fourth at the CN Future Links Pacific Championship. Additionally, the 15-year-old posted a third place finish at the B.C. Women’s Amateur Championship.

Amateur Brooke Henderson Team Canada

Brooke Henderson on top of the world

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(USGA/ Steve Gibbons)

PERTH, Australia – Minjee Lee turned professional Sunday, a day after leading Australia to a comeback victory in Japan in the Women’s World Amateur Team Championship.

The 18-year-old Lee, No. 1 in the world amateur golf ranking and 82nd overall, made the announcement in a light-hearted video with Matthew Pavlich, captain of the Fremantle Australian Rules football team.

Lee will make her first appearance as a professional next week in the Evian Championship in France.

Born in Perth and a member of the Royal Fremantle Golf Club, Lee won the 2012 U.S. Junior Girls’, the 2013 and 2004 Australian Women’s Amateur titles and the 2014 Victorian Open.

She was low amateur at the Kraft Nabisco Championship in California in April in her first start in a major championship, and received the Mark H. McCormack Medal as the No. 1 women’s amateur this year.

Team Canada’s Brooke Henderson of Smiths Falls, Ont. will jump from second to first in the amateur ranking. The 16-year-old won the individual title in Japan Saturday, beating second-place Lee by three strokes, and leading Canada to a second-place finish.

 

Amateur Brooke Henderson Team Canada

Canada holds two-stroke lead at Women’s World Amateur

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Brooke Henderson (USGA/ Steve Gibbons)

KARUIZAWA, Japan – Canada’s trio combined for a 5-under 139 to retain their two-stroke lead following Thursday’s second round of stroke play at the Iriyama course at Karuizawa 72 Golf East.

Brooke Henderson, a 16-year-old Smiths Falls, Ont. native, led the team for a second straight day with a 3-under 69. The National Amateur Squad member struggled out of the gate with a bogey on the par-4 3rd, but countered with four birdies in her next eight holes.

Henderson, this year’s U.S. Amateur runner-up, was pleased with being able to fight back after struggling out of the gate.

“It was a slow start, the first few holes I was 1-over but I was able to get my game back a little bit,” said the world’s no. 2 ranked female amateur. “The birdie at the last really saved my round and got it into the 60s – any day in the 60s is a good day.”

Brittany Marchand, an Orangeville, Ont. native, posted a 2-under 70 as the team’s second lowest score on the day. The 22-year-old National Team member carded a crucial birdie on 17 to help maintain the two-stroke lead.

“I had quite a lot of opportunities coming up the last stretch and I was just missing them, lipping out, just missing the edge, so to make one on 17 was really good for my own confidence going into tomorrow,” said the 5th year N.C. State student.

Augusta James, 21, struggled with a 4-over 76 after carding a 69 in the opening round. The Bath, Ont. native remains optimistic with the team format after her score was discounted as the highest of the three.

“We talked a lot this week about taking care of ourselves individually and focusing on each shot of our own game, which in the end will help the team,” said the 2014 Canadian Women’s Amateur champion. “I will continue to focus on that for the next two days.”

Team captain, Liz Hoffman, acknowledged the team’s slow start but credited the overall determination of the girls to get back to where they want to be.

“What I saw today in Brooke, Augusta and Brittany was just tremendous determination, they really worked hard at focusing and playing every shot to the best of their ability – I’m very proud of the team today,” said Hoffman.

She also credited the team’s success to their preparation, and direction from National Team Head Coach, Tristan Mullally.

“We do a lot of learning and work in prepping for each round,” she said. “We watch very carefully what each player is doing, how the ball is reacting, and we try to gain some advantage from that.”

Canada holds a two-stroke lead over Japan at 12-under par, who are closely followed by defending champion Korea at 11-under par.

The Canadian contingent is back on the Oshitate course tomorrow, scheduled for the late tee-off times, beginning at 11:05 a.m. (JST). They will be grouped with Japan and Korea.

Click here for team scoring.

Click here for individual scoring.

Amateur Brooke Henderson Team Canada

Canada jumps to early lead at Women’s World Amateur

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Team Canada (USGA)

KARUIZAWA, Japan – Canada sits alone atop the leaderboard after Wednesday’s record-setting opening round of 9-under par at Karuizawa 72 Golf East. They hold a two stroke advantage over defending champion Korea in the quest for the Espirito Santo trophy.

Canada’s combined score of 135 is the lowest first-round score in Women’s World Amateur Team Championship history. The record was previously held by USA, who recorded a 136 at the 2010 playing in Argentina.

The Canadian trio was led by teen sensation Brooke Henderson of Smiths Falls, Ont. The 16-year-old Team Canada member fired a bogey-free 6-under 66 to record the day’s lowest score. Henderson is very pleased with her start, but is looking forward to the next three rounds.

“Yeah, it was a great day today, I hit the ball really well and had a lot of opportunities to make birdies and I capitalized on a lot of them,” said Henderson, the world’s no. 2 ranked female amateur. “It’s good to get a run on the first day and I’m really excited to play the next couple days and hopefully continue at the top of the leaderboard.”

Augusta James, the reigning Canadian Women’s Amateur Champion, posted a 3-under 69 – recorded as the team’s second lowest score for the day. The Bath, Ont. native was happy with her ability to stay calm and bounce back after bogeying the 10th and 12th holes.

“I had a bit of a hiccup in the middle with a couple bogeys, but I was happy to come back and finish strong,” said the N.C. State senior. “I felt like I could get to three or more under, so I was happy that I did that.”

Brittany Marchand, also a member of Team Canada’s National Squad, posted a 1-under 71 which was discounted as the team’s highest score for the day. Having an under-par score discounted is always a promising sign for any team moving forward.

“It’s always good to have a throwaway score be under par – it’s awesome that my teammates helped me out today,” said the Orangeville, Ont. native. “I made a lot of up-and-downs to save par and I missed quite a few opportunities for birdies, but I’m hoping those are going to drop the rest of the week.”

Although very pleased with the team’s performance in the opening round, captain Liz Hoffman is determined to keep the team focused on the remaining three rounds.

“I’d say we played the easier of the two courses and we saw some wonderful scores out there so we know we’ve got a lot of work to do,” said Hoffman. “We have three more rounds to play – we’ll take it one shot at a time, one day at a time.”

The Canadian contingent tees-off Thursday morning starting at 9:15 a.m. (JST) on the Iriyama Course.

Click here for scoring.

2014 Espirito Santo Trophy

Brooke Henderson & Augusta James (USGA)

Amateur Brooke Henderson Team Canada

Women’s World Amateur kicks off Wednesday in Japan

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Brooke Henderson (USGA/ Steve Gibbons)

KARUIZAWA, Japan – The Women’s World Amateur Team Championship begins Wednesday, bringing the top amateur golfers from 52 countries around the world to 72 Golf East in Japan.

The Canadian squad is set to tee-off first thing in the morning at the Oshitate Course. Augusta James, a Bath, Ont. native and reining Canadian Women’s Amateur Champion, tees off at 6:45 a.m (JST). Brooke Henderson, a native of Smiths Falls, Ont. and world no.2 ranked amateur, will follow at 6:55 a.m. Brittany Marchand, an Orangeville, Ont. native and first-time selection, will close out the group at 7:05 a.m.

The Canadian contingent will be grouped with Hong Kong and Sweden in their quest to capture the Espirito Santo Trophy from defending champion Korea. The scoring format is four rounds of stroke play, with the best two scores from each day being counted towards the team total.

The men’s competition gets underway on Sept. 10 following the women’s competition.

The Team Canada women got a pleasant surprise when they arrived in Japan earlier this week – decorated rooms and letters from children.

Click here for live scoring.

Amateur Brooke Henderson Team Canada

Golf’s gender gap favours young women more than men for variety of reasons

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Brooke Henderson (Golf Canada/ Bernard Brault)

LONDON, Ont. – For every Tiger Woods, there’s a Michelle Wie, a Lexi Thompson and a Lydia Ko. Much-hyped teenage stars are all over women’s golf.

Thompson won a major championship at the age of 19, and Ko was 15 and 16 when she won the Canadian Pacific Women’s Open in 2012 and 2013. Canada has a phenom of its own in Brooke Henderson, the 16-year-old from Smiths Falls, Ont., who recently finished second at the U.S. Amateur Championship.

Explaining why women find the spotlight in golf so much younger than men has a lot do with body mechanics and a little to do with advances in teaching and technology that have been refined over time.

“The simple fact is that girls develop earlier than boys,” Golf Canada’s women’s amateur coach Tristan Mullally said. “They reach their peak height faster, they develop in terms of their end body type faster.

“By the time they’re 15, 16, 17, they’re not going to change as much as a boy will, so they have an opportunity to be a little bit more consistent and to maybe reach some of those things earlier.”

Mullally added that a lot of teenage boys can’t keep up with full-grown men on the PGA Tour because it’s hard to drive the ball 300-plus yards consistently. Canadians Mike Weir, Graham DeLaet and David Hearn are in the majority of men who have taken longer to find their games.

Weir won the 2003 Masters at 32, while the 32-year-old DeLaet is only now enjoying his prime. Hearn took until just before his 34th birthday before he made the cut at a major tournament.

Younger women can match older peers easier, in part because they play on shorter courses.

“If you can hit out there 240, 250 (yards), you can really compete at a young age,” Mullally said.

But the physics of women developing earlier than men is no new phenomenon. What’s different is how girls with any golfing potential get extra attention to help refine those skills.

“They’re more prepared to play professional golf than I was when I came out,” said 36-year-old Cristie Kerr, who has two majors among her 16 career LPGA Tour victories. “I just had my dad. They have their swing coaches, their mental coaches, their trainers, everything. They have sponsorships when they come out and we didn’t. It’s a lot different world for them.”

As a member of Golf Canada’s national team, Henderson has two coaches in Mullally and Ann Carroll, a fitness trainer, a physiotherapist, a nutritionist and a psychologist.

“It’s an amazing support system,” Henderson said. “I think the stronger your support system, you don’t have to focus on things outside of golf. You can just focus on your golf game itself.”

When Karrie Webb was getting into golf, her first clubs were an adult set cut down to fit in her hands. Webb, 39, went on to win seven majors on the LPGA Tour.

The first of those didn’t come until the age of 24, and Webb sees the future faces of the sport and knows they’re much more ready to compete at 16 or 17 than she was.

The average age of 2014 major champions on the LPGA Tour is 25, compared to 28.5 on the PGA Tour. Beyond just those winners, the average LPGA rookie age is 23.6 and the average PGA rookie is 28.8.

“I always joke around like, ‘Is it 12?’ Because I’m way past 12,” said American Danielle Kang, who at 21 wasn’t close to being one of the oldest players at last week’s Canadian Pacific Women’s Open.

“I think the guys our age are still very, very talented, it’s just there’s more competition that are in their 30s to 40s for men,” Kang said. “I mean, they’re still shooting 10-under par. But I think this game is growing, so there are much younger players that are coming up faster.”

Wie had a big role in sparking this trend, qualifying for the U.S. Amateur at the age of 10 and becoming the youngest player to make an LPGA cut at 13. She validated a lot of the hype by winning the U.S. Open this year at 24 and is currently ranked fifth in the world.

Even if Wie took some time to go from prodigy to major champion, her success story is an attractive one for young female golfers.

“You can see it on TV, it’s become almost a celebrity to be an athlete now, where maybe in the past it wasn’t like that,” Mullally said. “There’s definitely a bigger interest in the amount of players who see that as being a goal for their career has definitely increased.”

While LPGA purses are well below those on the men’s tour, there’s still plenty of money to be won. So Yeon Ryu earned more than US$300,000 for winning the Canadian Pacific Women’s Open on Sunday, and 20-year-old rookie Jaye Marie Green – 100th on the LPGA Tour money list – has made $62,346 so far this year.

Before making a living on tour, most women have successful amateur careers. Five-time major winner Inbee Park said the expansion of quality junior and amateur tournaments has helped speed up the learning curve.

Of course not every teenage golf star finds success like Wie, Thompson and Ko. Park, who was on the LPGA Tour at the age of 18, said the key is for young players not to lose interest in what they’re doing.

Four-time LPGA Tour winner Lorie Kane is trying to help the next generation of Canadian golfers not just keep interest but blossom into stars. The Charlottetown native’s advice to Henderson – “Don’t read your own press” – goes for others, as well.

“I think it’s just stay out of their own way, and that comes from encouragement from the adults in their lives and not to make a big deal out of what they’re doing,” Kane said.

Brooke Henderson LPGA Tour Team Canada

Brooke Henderson benefits from playing weekend at Canadian Pacific Women’s Open

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Brooke Henderson (Golf Canada/ Bernard Brault)

LONDON, Ont. – Brooke Henderson earned herself more than just a couple of commemorative coins as the low amateur and the low Canadian.

By making the cut at the Canadian Pacific Women’s Open, the 16-year-old phenom got to play with two LPGA major winners: teenage idol Lexi Thompson and legend Laura Davies. Finishing 2 under for the tournament was gravy compared to how Henderson believes she benefited from the weekend.

“You learn so much more being able to play the weekend because it is different than the first two days,” Henderson said Sunday. “You get to play with the best players. It’s a great experience and I’m very grateful to have been in the position.”

After missing the cut in this event the past two years, Henderson made it 4-for-4 getting to the weekend on the LPGA Tour in 2014. The Smiths Falls, Ont., native tied for 10th at the U.S. Women’s Open, 26th at the Kraft Nabisco Championship and 45th at the Manulife Financial LPGA Championship.

“I’ve played more LPGA Tour events over the last couple of years and I’m getting more comfortable,” Henderson said. “The more weekends I can play, the more experience I really do gain. I get to know the pros a little bit better and get to play with some new ones and really learn from them.”

With a 2-under 286, Henderson put up the best score by a Canadian at this tournament since Lorie Kane’s 5-under 283 in 2010. Though Kane missed the cut this time, the 49-year-old stuck around as part of her work with the title sponsor, Canadian Pacific, and followed Henderson for her final five holes Saturday.

“That support from such a veteran on the tour and such a role model of mine is amazing,” Henderson said.

Henderson finished two strokes ahead of fellow amateur Jennifer Ha of Calgary, who shot a 74 Sunday to finish at even par. Jennifer Kirby of Paris, Ont., who had the best round of any Canadian with a 67 Thursday, finished with a 76 to drop to 3 over, while Sue Kim of Langley, B.C. shot a 78 and finished at 7 over.

Ha, who goes “back to reality” by returning to school at Kent State University in Ohio on Monday, was glad just to be one of four Canadians to play the weekend.

“I mean, who can’t be happy with a made cut at a professional event in my home country?” Ha said. “I’ve never played an event like this and made the cut, so it was crazy.”

Ha said she felt the love from Canadian fans, but the biggest gallery all four days belonged to Henderson. She never wilted in the spotlight, which will likely only get brighter as her national and international profile increases.

Beginning Monday, Henderson will step out of that spotlight and to the side and bag of her sister, Brittany, who will be at qualifying school to try to get onto the LPGA Tour. Brooke Henderson flies to California on Monday to begin her caddying duties at Q-school.

“I love caddying for my sister, and she caddies for me a lot, so it’s nice to return the favour,” Henderson said. “It will be nice to go out and scout out the course for Q-school because hopefully I’ll be there in the next year or two.”

After that, Henderson will go to Japan to represent Canada along with Augusta James (Bath, Ont.) and Brittany Marchand (Orangeville, Ont.) at the World Amateur Team Championships. When she’s done there it’s back to school and a 17th birthday in September.

“It’ll be cool, nice to see my friends again and to get back to Smiths Falls will be nice,” Henderson said.

CP CANADIAN OPEN LPGA

Brooke Henderson and Marlene Stewart Streit (Golf Canada/ Bernard Brault)

Brooke Henderson LPGA Tour Team Canada

Henderson and Ha in race to be low Canadian at London Hunt

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Jennifer Ha (Golf Canada/ Bernard Brault)

LONDON, Ont. – The role models Canadian golfers need are all around them at the Canadian Pacific Women’s Open.

For 20-year-old Jennifer Ha of Calgary, one of them is 16-year-old star Brooke Henderson. Ha and Henderson are roommates this week and were the only two amateurs to make the cut.

After three rounds, Ha is still chasing Henderson to be the low Canadian and the low amateur after shooting a 1-over 72 Saturday to drop to 2 under for the tournament. Henderson, from Smiths Falls, Ont., shot a 71 to get to 4 under.

“Brooke’s unreal and she’s No. 2 in the world (among amateurs), so it’d be great if I got a chance to catch up her,” Ha said.

Henderson got to play with one of her role models in 19-year-old Lexi Thompson, who was a teenage golfing phenom at the age of 12. Unprompted, Henderson glowed about playing with Thompson.

“It was a lot of fun being able to play with Lexi today,” Henderson said. “Lexi I’ve always looked up to. She’s definitely a big person in the women’s game and someone that you can look up to and I definitely have.”

Henderson, who again attracted the biggest fan support at London Hunt and Country Club as the most prominent Canadian name in the field, called Thompson one of her idols.

“Just being able to watch her and learn a little bit from her, it was fun,” Henderson said. “I talked to her a little bit today. I asked her a few questions and got a few things answered that I wanted to know.”

Henderson also noticed Lorie Kane following her for the final five holes of her round. The 49-year-old Kane has offered plenty of advice to Henderson during her blossoming stardom.

“She is a huge role model for me,” Henderson said of Kane. “A lot of the women out here are like that. They are really nice and they support young people.”

Four Canadians made the cut, though Henderson was the only one to shoot under par Saturday. Jennifer Kirby (Paris, Ont.) shot a 76 to drop to 1 under for the tournament, and Sue Kim (Langley, B.C.) shot a 74 to move to 1 over.

Ha would have been even par had it not been for a bogey on the 18th hole. But she was happy to be able to get her game together after being 3 over through six.

The Kent State University student returns to school in Ohio next week but is spending this weekend honouring football player Jason Bitsko, who was found dead in his off-campus apartment Wednesday. Ha has 54 – Bitsko’s number – written on each of her golf balls.

Coming into the tournament, Ha’s goal was simply to make the cut. Now that she has, she can set her sights on competing with Henderson and remembering Bitsko, the Golden Flashes’ starting centre who the school said died of an undetermined medical issue at the age of 21.

“I think my main goal right now is just to have the time of my life, Ha said. ”It would be unreal to finish as the low amateur, but I’m out here to have fun for this week and to honour Jason.“

Henderson also pegged making the cut as a pre-tournament expectation and now wants to “climb the leaderboard.”

“Today, 1 under, I didn’t back up, but I don’t think I moved forward too much,” Henderson said. “So tomorrow’s going to be a big day.”

Brooke Henderson LPGA Tour Team Canada

Teenage star Henderson one of 4 Canadians to make cut at Canadian Pacific Women’s Open

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So Yeon Ryu (Golf Canada/ Bernard Brault)

LONDON, Ont. – Safely in position to make the cut after her second round at the Canadian Pacific Women’s Open, amateur Brooke Henderson still talked like playing on the weekend was in doubt.

“I left a lot of opportunities out there and missed a lot of birdies, but that’s OK,” she said. “If I play the weekend, we’ll get them.”

Saying “if” wasn’t necessary. After shooting a 1-under-par 71 to get to 3 under for the tournament, the 16-year-old will get those opportunities Saturday and Sunday.

Henderson was one of four Canadians to make the cut, along with Jennifer Kirby, amateur Jennifer Ha and Sue Kim. Henderson will move on after not making it past the second round in this event the past two years.

“I’m a lot more comfortable on the big stage,” Henderson said. “It’s awesome, because when I was out here at 14, I was pretty nervous and didn’t really know anybody. Now, I know quite a few of the pros and they know me. I’m more comfortable in the big setting with all the fans and all the cameras.”

Henderson has to be with all the attention on her this week at London Hunt and Country Club. Playing in a group with Kirby of Paris, Ont., and Rebecca Lee-Bentham of Toronto, Henderson was still the main draw.

Following a second-place finish at the U.S. Amateur and a tie for 10th at the U.S. Women’s Open, Henderson has high expectations on her as the future face of Canadian golf. She doesn’t know what her secret is, but the soon-to-be 17-year-old doesn’t flinch at the exposure she’s getting.

“It’s a challenge to be able to play well for (fans), and I love it,” the Smiths Falls, Ont., native said. “I know they’re all cheering for me, so really it’s positive energy.”

Kirby used some of that positive energy to remain as the low Canadian at 5 under with an even-par 72 Friday. That had her 10 strokes off the lead, held by South Korea’s So Yeon Ryu.

“I didn’t make a lot of birdie putts, but I made a lot of par saves,” Kirby said. “Hopefully I can go a little lower on the weekend.”

Ha, who’s from Calgary, had the best morning round of any Canadian with a 3-under 69 to get her to 3 under for the tournament. Kim of Langley, B.C., just made it a 1 under.

Lee-Bentham, Sara-Maude Juneau of Fossambault, Que., Natalie Gleadall of Stratford, Ont., and Elizabeth Tong of Thornhill, Ont., missed by a stroke at even par.

Lorie Kane (Charlottetown), Alena Sharp (Hamilton) and Jessica Wallace (Langley) were 1 over, Maude-Aimee LeBlanc (Sherbrooke, Que.) was 2 over, Samantha Richdale (Kelowna, B.C.) was 3 over, Erica Rivard (Tecumseh, Ont.) was 4 over and Nicole Vandermade (Brantford, Ont.) was 5 over.