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VOLUNTEERS OF AMERICA NORTH TEXAS SHOOTOUT PRESENTED BY JTBCApril 28, 2015Brooke HendersonIRVING, TEXAS THE MODERATOR: I'd like to welcome Brooke Henderson to the media center, finished solo third last week. She's 17 years old, made the qualifier today in a four‑way playoff for one spot. Tell me about that qualifier today. What happened on the second playoff hole? BROOKE HENDERSON: Well, starting out yesterday I was only ‑1 through 13, and leaving the course yesterday after a rain delay, I was like, oh, man, that's probably not going to be good enough, I'm probably going to have to shoot a couple under par tomorrow and birdie I was thinking probably two or three of my last five holes. I played this morning and it was real tough conditions, a little bit of mist, and it was a little bit of wind, but it was cold outside today. So I finished all pars last five holes and then was lucky enough to get into a playoff. First hole, I had a 15‑foot birdie putt straight up the hill and just missed on the high side, and then my second playoff hole I was almost in the exact same spot, I was just a foot to the left, and I knew the break and was able to roll it in and get my spot here this week. Q. You were a little bummed with only 1‑under yesterday. I think you said when you got off and you came in and you were only 1‑under, you thought you were toast, right? BROOKE HENDERSON: Yeah, exactly, so I was really happy when I found out that I was in a playoff and I had a chance to be able to stay here all week. Q.  Run me through the last kind of 48 hours. I know you were in San Francisco, you had a putt for birdie to get into the playoff, and then you took off straight to Dallas but you didn't have a flight and you were trying to get here. Run me through that. BROOKE HENDERSON: Yeah, it was kind of crazy. I had a putt on the 72nd hole to get into a playoff and compete for my first LPGA title, and it was an amazing experience. The whole atmosphere last weekend was incredible. It's such a great learning experience for me playing in two final groups, both on Saturday and Sunday and playing against Morgan Pressel and playing with her, who was a role model for me since I was like eight years old, and it was just incredible, and I've learned so much, and I think it's really helped me even the last few days when I've been playing. It's definitely been a huge confidence boost. On Sunday night right after I got off the 18th green, I did some media, I had some experiences there, and then headed straight to the airport and didn't have a flight, but I was trying to play a Monday qualifier here yesterday in Dallas, so we were sort of running around, and it turns out there was a flight at 1:00 a.m. to get here, so it was like, perfect. And then it was delayed until 4:00 a.m., so I didn't get on a plane until 4:00 a.m., so the spent the majority of my time in the airport at San Francisco, arrived here at just after 9:00 a.m. yesterday morning and was teeing off at 2:00, and I had never seen this golf course before. So it was a little bit of a race and a little bit of unsureness, but it all worked out. Q.  What does that tell you about your game and where you're at, the fact that Morgan Pressel, who you grew up idolizing, and then Lydia Ko, who's No.1 in the world and just a year older than you, what does that tell you about your game, that you were one shot off of them, and a field like that with the best in the world? BROOKE HENDERSON: Yeah, it's really exciting, and like I mentioned before, it's definitely a confidence boost moving forward the rest of the season and the next couple seasons. It is right there. I'm very close. Just a few shots on Sunday, a few different mental attitudes towards a couple shots, and a couple different things, and it could have been a different story on Sunday. But I'm really happy for Lydia Ko, and it was a great playoff between her and Morgan. Q.  You decided to turn pro in December. Run me through that thought process and what that year has been like so far? BROOKE HENDERSON: I'm really excited that I turned pro in December. I definitely got a lot of questions, why didn't you stay amateur, but I've just enjoyed it so much, and my sister, she's really starting her pro career this year, too. She's 24 and playing on the Symetra Tour this year for the first time, and it's just so fun to be able to practice and play and live every day and follow in the same shoes as her. We're both trying to become better people and better golfers, and we're working really hard. Q.  I know there's been so much interest in you from Canada. What's it like to have that background ofso much fan support there? I know you said it was some pressure but alsovery exciting? BROOKE HENDERSON: Yeah, it is, for sure. Canadians, they love golf, and I think the game is definitely growing over the last couple years. Last summer both Corey Conners and I, both Canadians, were finalists in the U.S. Am, and it just shows how strong our amateurs are coming up in the pro ranks because he just recently turned pro, too, and it's been a long time since Canada has seen wins on either the LPGA or the PGA with‑‑ I guess Nick Taylor won last fall, but there really hasn't been a whole lot, and I think that's really going to change over the next year or two. Q.   Last LPGA winner from Canada was 2001, Lorie Kane. You've gotten to know her a little bit. What has she meant to you, and how important is it for you to be the next one and kind of fuel that next class of Canadian golfers? BROOKE HENDERSON: Lorie is great, and she was here just yesterday and today, and I got to talk to her a little bit. She is very supportive of what I'm doing, and she gives me advice and gives me tips and lets me know what she's thinking, which I appreciate. She is another role model that I've had over the last couple years. I met her for the first time at the Canadian Open when I was 14, and I was so nervous when I was talking to her, I don't remember what I said. I don't think it made much sense. But she's great, and definitely a good friend. Q.   One thing I've noticed with you is you seem to spend a lot of time with young girls. I know you talked about when you were the eight‑year‑old girl and you came out here and Morgan was so nice to you and spent that extra time with you. Is that something you think about, and what does that have an impact on you, that interaction with Morgan when you were young? BROOKE HENDERSON: Yeah, it meant a lot to me, and if I can help young girls achieve or chase after their dreams, then I'm really happy to do that. On my Twitter just this morning I saw a little girl, she posted like congrats Brooke, role model, I'm chasing after my dreams thanks to you or something, and I met her just in December, like not even too long ago. It just made me feel really good. Q. (No microphone.) BROOKE HENDERSON: Yeah, she texted me right away and said, obviously not what you had hoped for going in today, but great job. She was super proud of me, and she sent me long text messages and then sent me a funny video to help cheer me up a little bit, and then this morning one of the first texts I got after I qualified was, like, go, with my nickname. I was really happy to receive that. Q.  What's the nickname? BROOKE HENDERSON: I'd rather not say. Q.  It's that embarrassing? BROOKE HENDERSON: Yeah. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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