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OLYMPIC GAMES RIO 2016: GOLFAugust 15, 2016Brooke HendersonRio De Janeiro, Brazil Q. You were excited about the Olympics, how is it now that you're here? BROOKE HENDERSON: Yeah, it's definitely very exciting. We got here Saturday morning, so we've been here for a couple days now. We're just getting to know everything that's going on around us, and it's really been an amazing experience so far. It's nothing too different than what I thought. At the end of the day, it's just four rounds of golf later this week. So definitely in the preparation stage right now, and things are looking pretty good, and hopefully tomorrow I'll finalise a couple things and then tee it up feeling very confident going into Wednesday. Q. Did you watch the Olympics as a younger girl? Did you form an attachment to it? BROOKE HENDERSON: I loved watching the Winter and Summer Games. I loved watching the athletes compete, and just knowing how much hard work they put into it and the passion they had for what they were doing and their sport. It's really amazing. And now, to be an Olympian, be one of those athletes, and then look around me and see how hard and how much all of this means to all of them is really a neat experience. I'm already looking forward to 2020. Q. Are you in the village? BROOKE HENDERSON: I am. Q. So have you seen Usain Bolt yet? BROOKE HENDERSON: I saw Simone, which was pretty cool, and I just watched her on the balance beam there. No, I haven't really seen or talked to too many. Just kind of doing my own thing, but at the same time, taking it all in. Q. Is there an Olympics that really stands out in your mind? BROOKE HENDERSON: I think Vancouver 2010 was really an amazing moment, especially for Canadians, and watching the whole country come together. Watching the men and women's hockey win gold on Canadian soil, those are probably the moments that stand out the most. But any Winter or Summer Games, when you turn on the TV and see it or read newspaper headlines, it always kind of gives you chills. Q. At this age, could you have envisioned yourself being a goalie on the national team? BROOKE HENDERSON: Maybe. I loved playing hockey when I was a little girl. It really helped me with my golf game, as well. But I didn't really know how I was going to become an Olympian or anything. Just was very fortunate that a few years ago, golf was named back into the games, and I'm just excited to be here. Q. Why do you suppose all the top women have shown up for this event, and the men not so much? BROOKE HENDERSON: No comment. Q. But you must recognise what a platform it is for the women's game. You have the stage all to yourself at the biggest sporting event in the world. BROOKE HENDERSON: Yeah, for sure. In terms of golf, it's no different. It's four solid rounds of golf, stroke play, individual, something's different. It's just a different golf course and I different location. But the things that go on around it, all the other sporting events, seeing other athletes, in the Olympic Village, which are not normally how‑‑ our normal accommodations. Seeing other athletes and being so close to them all the time, but it's just something different and very cool. As for the people that didn't come, I totally respect their decisions. It was tough. There was a lot of stuff going down in Rio right now, and a lot of things that my sister and I took into consideration, as well. But we made the decision to come and it looks like a good one now. Q. I had asked the coach this question, and he said he couldn't speak for you, so I'll ask you. At any point in the run up to the Olympics, when you're looking ahead to this, and I know you have your own career to worry about and everything, did you feel fatigued at any point or worried about that you would be fatigued when you finally got here? BROOKE HENDERSON: No, not at all. Especially knowing that I had two weeks before this event, I knew I would have less time to rest if I needed it and less time to practice and work hard again. A lot of people thought I was crazy playing that many weeks in a row, but that's what I like to do. I like to compete and I like to play in tournaments, and if I went home, I was just going to practice anyways, so why not just test myself. Every week, I kind of learned something about myself. You can also play it smart, so on Mondays and Tuesdays, I can kind of take it a little bit easier, because we have lots of downtime in weeks on Tour. So I used it as kind of preparation and kind of steppingstones for the later end of the year and just become a better golfer. I think that's a good decision that we made, that my whole team made. Q. What was the streak? How many in a row? BROOKE HENDERSON: I'm not even sure. I think I played ten straight on the LPGA Tour and then I did another two‑day event in there, as well. Q. Have you seen all 18 holes? BROOKE HENDERSON: Yeah. Q. What do you think? BROOKE HENDERSON: I like it. It's different. Especially when the wind picks up, it's going to play as a very different golf course than even today when it was quite calm. It's interesting, though. You have to hit the ball in good spots and put yourself in good positions. But as you saw with the men, I think if it stays soft, you can probably get some good scores and shoot under par. I think if the wind picks up and maybe weather comes in and the greens firm up, then you might see a little bit higher scores than the men had. But overall, I think it's a good test for the women's game and hopefully I'll play well out there. Q. How is the state of your game? BROOKE HENDERSON: It's pretty good. I had a couple disappointing events on the LPGA Tour coming into this, but the two weeks off, I worked really hard and tried to get my game back to where I know it can be. You know, I'm just excited to be back out here playing against the best in the world, and I know I can compete against them. Q. You may be aware, the Canadian women have done spectacularly well at these Olympics. Do you hope to continue that trend? BROOKE HENDERSON: Yeah, for sure. It seems every time Canada gets a medal, it's very exciting, and like you said, the women have been doing extremely well. I hope to add to that medal count, and I'm sure that Alena does, too, and I hope that both of us are standing on the podium at the end of this. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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