KPMG WOMEN'S PGA CHAMPIONSHIP

October 10, 2020

Brooke Henderson

Aronimink Golf Club

Quick Quotes

THE MODERATOR: Here with Brooke Henderson. You had a really nice moving day, five birdies for a bogey-free 65. You've got to be pretty happy with yourself right now.

BROOKE HENDERSON: Yeah, I'm really happy with how today went. Was able to make some birdies early, and that was a really nice feeling making the turn at 4-under, and nice to climb up the leaderboard as much as I did, and I'm excited for the opportunity tomorrow.

THE MODERATOR: Could you tell us about those birdies? You had them on 2, 4, 6, then 9 and 12. What happened there?

BROOKE HENDERSON: A couple were actually pretty close, tap-ins, and the other ones were, I guess, 15 feet or so. So I was making it a little bit easy on myself, I guess, giving myself a lot of good looks. I made a couple clutch par saves, too, on the front nine that really kept my round going, and then on the back nine I felt like I gave myself a lot of good looks, didn't capitalize as much as I would have liked, but overall can't complain and happy moving into tomorrow.

THE MODERATOR: Was the setup something that just seemed to suit you today or were you maybe kind of locked in?

BROOKE HENDERSON: I feel like just a little bit more familiar with the course. I feel like our strategy that Brit and I came up with has been working pretty well so far, and hopefully we can just continue that into tomorrow. Hopefully we can continue to judge the wind and the weather conditions, as well.

Q. You got a really nice run in this championship and obviously you're at different places every year. Is there a common thread in the setup that you really seem to enjoy?

BROOKE HENDERSON: I just love this tournament. Coming back, I just have so many great memories of playing in this event, and just every year I feel like I love the golf courses. They're just beautiful, and I feel like maybe they suit my eye every year, which is a great feeling. And yeah, I'm just happy to be more on track than I was last year at this time.

Q. What was your best par save on the front?

BROOKE HENDERSON: Actually on No. 1. I missed the fairway in the rough, hit my second shot short of the green and then got up-and-down, up and over a couple ridges. It was a nice way to start.

Q. How long was the putt?

BROOKE HENDERSON: Probably about seven feet.

Q. What do you like most about Aronimink and where does it rank on the courses you've played in the KPMG Women's PGA?

BROOKE HENDERSON: It is so beautiful here. I was in awe the first couple days that I was here. It's just a great golf course. It's really difficult, as well. I think the greens are probably the biggest challenge, just trying to hit smart shots into them, and then even though you're in the middle of the green it's not an easy two-putt. You've really got to think your way around this course.

Q. How were the greens rolling today?

BROOKE HENDERSON: Yeah, really well.

Q. Yesterday you talked about -- well, you joked that you were hoping you got all the bogeys out of the way yesterday, and you managed to accomplish that today. How good did making that par on 18 feel?

BROOKE HENDERSON: Yeah, that was a really clutch save, especially because the first two days I feel like I gave away the last hole with bogeys and then a par in the first round on an easy par-5. So it was nice to get the par save and really finish off a round that I feel like -- not deserved to be -5 but it would have felt really terrible to fall back to -4. So definitely happy with no bogeys, and hopefully that continues tomorrow.

Q. Speaking of tomorrow, given how much more comfortable you are now having played three rounds at Aronimink, do you feel like you can attack a little bit more tomorrow if the setup allows you to do just that?

BROOKE HENDERSON: Yeah, I definitely think you just have to be really smart. Some holes I don't think you can ever really attack. Other ones given the opportunity then I might try to do that. Just also depends on how everybody is playing, what the weather is like and how the course is set up. I think our strategy so far has worked really well, and hopefully I can just continue to capitalize when I do give myself good looks and otherwise just play smart.

Q. Today you hit 17 of 18 greens in regulation; would you say that that was the particular aspect of your game that went best for you today?

BROOKE HENDERSON: Usually my long game is my strength, so I feel like anytime I'm up around hitting that many greens, I feel like I generally have a pretty good day. It definitely makes it a lot easier, especially around here you don't really want to miss too many greens. Yeah, it was a nice feeling to give myself a lot of birdie opportunities, a lot of good looks, and nice to capitalize on the five that I did.

Q. You're a past champion at this event. How important would it be for you to win this one again?

BROOKE HENDERSON: Yeah, anytime you're in the hunt at a major championship, it's an amazing feeling. It was disappointing a couple weeks ago at ANA so hopefully I can be close to the top of the leaderboard going into tomorrow. There's still a lot of golf to be played, but hopefully close to the top and give it a good run.

Q. It looks like you're going to be at this point in time in the last group. Do you approach the final round differently if you are in the last group as opposed to say in the penultimate group or the group before that?

BROOKE HENDERSON: I don't really think so. I feel like it's everybody's goal starting Thursday to be in that final group on Sunday, so it's definitely an exciting feeling. Maybe a bit of an adrenaline rush, which is great. Yeah, just continue with our strategy, our plan, play smart and just kind of see what happens.

Q. Monday is Thanksgiving, so I don't know if we'll see you, so happy Thanksgiving to both you and Brittany.

BROOKE HENDERSON: Yeah, thanks, happy Thanksgiving.

Q. What did winning this championship so young do to get you off to such a great start out here?

BROOKE HENDERSON: Yeah, it definitely changed my life. 18 years old and it was only my second win on Tour, so it was really a huge highlight for me and still is. Just sometimes it's hard to believe that I'm a major champion, but definitely in times like this it gives me a little bit of confidence, and I'm excited to try to do it again tomorrow.

Q. Was there a tangible or different feeling as a major champion teeing it up after that?

BROOKE HENDERSON: I think it actually takes a lot of pressure off, which is nice, and you can kind of just go out and play and chase after more wins after that.