WATCH ABOVE: Seventeen-year-old Canadian teenager Brooke Henderson won the Cambia Portland Classic on Sunday, making her the third-youngest person in LPGA Tour history to do so. Eric Sorensen reports.
It has been a whirlwind year for Canadian teenager Brooke Henderson, who on Sunday became the youngest Canadian to win on either the LPGA Tour or PGA Tour.
“It is pretty cool,” said Henderson, 17, who won the LPGA Tour’s Cambia Portland Classic in record-setting fashion. “Afterwards my phone was blowing up with tweets from many awesome people. I got tons of text messages … and lots of emails from family and friends.”
Among those who offered their congratulations to the teen was Prime Minister Stephen Harper.
“Canada is proud,” Harper tweeted.
The victory isn’t particularly surprising. Henderson already had two near misses earlier in the season and finished tied for 5th in the Women’s PGA Championship. Henderson has made $661, 818 this season through 10 tournaments.
READ MORE: Canadian teenager Brooke Henderson wins LPGA Portland Classic
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Despite a grueling schedule throughout the year, Henderson said she’s enjoyed the chanllenge since turning pro at the end of 2014.
“It has been a lot of fun,” she said. “I’ve been playing great all season and I’ve been in a great spot. I’m still a long way from where I want to be and where I want to go.”
Henderson is currently the 17th ranked female player in the world. However, the tour has an age restriction for members that states they must be 18 to have full status. The LPGA has waived that restriction in the past for Lydia Ko and Lexi Thompson after they won prior to turning 18 and now Henderson is the third player under 18 to have won on the LPGA.
It is also the first win by a Canadian on the LPGA Tour in 14 years. Prince Edward Island’s Lorie Kane was the last Canadian to win in 2001.
It appears that Henderson will return Vancouver this week as a full member of the LPGA as she has been offered an exemption into this week’s CP Women’s Open at Vancouver Golf Club. Previously LPGA Tour Commissioner Mike Whan had denied membership to Henderson.
READ MORE: Teen golf star Brooke Henderson generating buzz for Canadian tournament
Henderson said she is still deciding on how to proceed with the LPGA,
“We are still evaluating the petition options with my family and my team and hopefully come to a decision pretty soon,” she said.
But her father, Dave, has been outspoken about his daughter having status on the tour.
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It is hard to imagine the LPGA Tour won’t give Henderson status given the recent victory.
Henderson has risen quickly since announcing late last year that she’d skip college to turn professional. She was the runner-up in last year’s U.S. Women’s Amateur and finished in the Top 10 at the U.S. Women’s Open last year.
But even with the win, Henderson said she has a long way to go. What’s she working on? Pretty much everything, it turns out.
“All parts of my game—mentally, emotionally and physically,” she said.
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