WATCH: Canadian Golf phenom Brooke Henderson makes the decision to turn pro. Rob Leth reports
Brooke Henderson, without question the hottest amateur golfer Canada has seen in recent memory, is turning pro, inking a deal with sponsors like the Ottawa Senators and golf equipment maker Ping and trying to become a regular on the LPGA.
Henderson, who narrowly lost the U.S. Women’s Amateur in the summer, and finished in the Top 10 at the U.S. Women’s Open, has inked a deal with sports agency IMG, and will play at least six events on the LPGA in 2015. All of this at the age of 17.
Henderson, from Smiths Falls, Ont., was ranked as the No. 1 amateur in the world, and was expected to turn pro when she failed to commit to going to college in the U.S. She becomes Canada’s top-ranked pro at 223 in the world.
“This is a real exciting day for me … starting to live the dream I’ve lived my whole life to do,” Henderson said on a teleconference. “I know it is a long road ahead of me, but I’m excited for it and I’m going to work really hard.”
While her run at pro golf won’t begin until next year, some things have immediately changed for Henderson. The teen had never been part of social media, unusual for a Canadian teen. But upon turning pro she suddenly had accounts on Twitter and Instagram.
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Henderson, who is finishing Grade 12, says she could still attend college if she chooses. In the meantime Henderson will face some of the struggles that other teen golfers on the LPGA have to deal with, including being too young to rent a car, meaning her parents, agent or friends will have to accompany her to tournaments. Henderson said her older sister, Brittany, who failed in an attempt to crack the LPGA through qualifying school, could also travel and act as her caddie.
“I’m ready to turn pro,” Henderson said. “It is my dream to compete against the best in the world. It is the right decision.”
Henderson’s family applied to the LPGA Tour for a special exemption earlier this year, but was turned down by the organization that runs women’s professional golf. Players under the age of 18 must receive a special exemption to play more than six events. In the past two-time CP Women’s Open winner Lydia Ko and star Lexi Thompson have received exemptions, but the LPGA turned Henderson down without explanation.
Henderson said it is too early to tell when she’d play, but she can also gain access to other tournaments through the USGA (she’s exempt into the U.S. Women’s Open) and the British Open, as well as other majors. She can also try to play into other tournaments through Monday qualifying.
One thing is clear—there are no guarantees that Henderson will successfully transition to become a star on the LPGA, at least not right away. In the past Canadians like Bright’s Grove, Ont.’s Matt Hill and Abbotsford, BC’s Nick Taylor were ranked as the top amateurs in golf. Hill has struggled to take his success, which included eight wins in a single college year, to the pros, while Taylor finally broke through this year with a win at the Sanderson Farms Championship on the PGA Tour.
Henderson recognizes she could face a bumpy road.
“There are going to be times where it will be a struggle but I love the game of golf and I will remember the passion that I have,” she said.
Canada has produced numerous top female amateurs who have played their way onto the LPGA Tour, but hasn’t had a winner since Lorie Kane won a decade ago.
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