THE AMUNDI EVIAN CHAMPIONSHIP

July 10, 2024

Brooke Henderson

Evian Resort Golf Club

Press Conference

THE MODERATOR: All right, welcome back inside the media center at the Amundi Evian Championship. I am pleased to be joined by none other than Brooke Henderson. Brooke, I know how much this place means to you. Not only were you able to win in 2022, but you put up quite the title defense with the runner-up finish last year.

When you come back to a place like this where you feel so comfortable, what is it about this place that brings out some of the best in your game?

BROOKE HENDERSON: I love it here. It's so beautiful. My sister and I, we look forward to coming back every year. Our hotel is gorgeous and has and an amazing view. It's very peaceful and calming and I enjoy that.

Then coming to this golf course we have so many great memories and feel like we know it pretty well, which is another good thing. Feel like we have a decent strategy that's worked really well, especially the last two years. Looking forward to trying to put it in play hopefully have another top finish.

Q. I will say, when you've been coming here for quite sometime there is some favorites people have. When you come here maybe off the golf course or maybe a hole on the golf course, what excites you most about returning here? Are there little things you look forward to every year?

BROOKE HENDERSON: Just the overall beauty. I think we just really try to enjoy the surroundings because it's truly special to be here. Also there is this little restaurant or cafe downtown that has amazing crepes. I go there pretty much every night every time I'm here. And gluten free, too which is amazing.

Really special place. So may great memories. Winning here in 2022 really gave my career a boost. It's a huge highlight.

Then last year Celine played amazing and I was happy to be runner-up and to give it a good fight. Definitely meant to be hers.

Q. Leading up though this event, we saw a video from Wimbledon that you were able to meet Carlos Alcaraz. What was that experience like when you were able to experience that before a major championship?

BROOKE HENDERSON: Absolutely. Rolex has been amazing. They hosted us on Sunday. It was just an incredible weekend, amazing experience overall watching world class athletes compete, and just the power and precision that they had.

Watching Carlos and being able to meet him and hit a few putts with him after he played and after he won was truly special.

It was just a really fun weekend and just great memories to think back on.

Q. What did he ask you about golf?

BROOKE HENDERSON: It was pretty quick. We talked about putting, and I was fortunate, I had three other pros with me, so together we just tried to give a couple hints, tips. He's the only one that made it, so really maybe he should have been giving us tips.

It was just so cool to have that opportunity to spend some time among greatness, and I wish him well the rest of the week at Wimbledon.

Q. So we were talking about the strategy of the course, kind of experience with this course, too. When you talk with caddies, players, there is a lot of no-go zones here. Kind of the golf course gets reduced to half in a way, no? Is that kind of part of the strategy here?

BROOKE HENDERSON: For sure. There is definitely places where you want to be and definitely places that you don't, so I think it's really important to have a solid strategy, solid game plan.

And also being able to adjust when you are in bad position to get yourself back in position and try to make pars on the tough holes and try to capitalize with birdies when you can. I think that's really the big key.

But I feel like the last two years we've had a really solid game plan and hoping we are able to repeat it this year.

Q. And my last things is about expectations, and not your expectations, but the outside expectations. Like when you come to a place like this, everybody expects you to lead or win. In other majors, too. How does it compare to your own expectations and how you deal with that in a way?

BROOKE HENDERSON: Yeah, for sure. I think it's very similar to having pressure. I have big goals and big dreams and I'm putting a lot pressure on myself, so outward pressure doesn't affect too much because I'm trying to be the best I can. There are things I want to accomplish, so just trying to stick to yourself and not really allowing outside factors to affect you too much.

It's an honor that they expect me to play well here. That's really cool. Hopefully I can live up it what they believe of me.

Q. You said at the start that you and your sister have a strategy around here that you stick to. I think this is one of the golf courses the better you know it the easier it kind of becomes. Can you expand a little bit on your strategy is without giving away all your secrets?

BROOKE HENDERSON: Yeah, definitely want to keep some secrets to myself. But I think as well as your strategy is or as good as your strategy is you still have to execute the shots. Ball striking and short game really has to be almost perfect to play really well here; that's number one.

But also having strategy, and being able to have played here almost ever year since 2015, you collect notes and different breaks around the greens and different sides of the fairways to be on, et cetera, that can definitely help, especially when the pressure is on and you're coming down the stretch.

So just having notes that you can lean back onto and just also having great memories on pretty much every hole. You think oh, yeah, when the pin was there before I was on this side of the fairway and it worked hard out well.

Just leaning back on past experiences and always trying to grow and learn and taking more notes this year.

Q. Obviously liking the town of Evian. When you think back throughout your career, to what extent do you feel there is an importance in feeling comfortable in a venue over and above just playing well on the course?

BROOKE HENDERSON: I think it's really important. Any time that you're excited to return to a venue, you're excited to experience the community, it just adds extra level have positivity to your game. I think it helps you play better overall. Better energy, better vibes.

The weekend here with the crowd and the energy they give off is also very special, especially as you approach 18 and see all the people around the green. It's just a great atmosphere. I think that's what makes this place even more special.

Q. Slightly nerdy point, fellow four eyes. With the introduction of the glasses, what do you do with things like glare? What's been the change and how has it improved you?

BROOKE HENDERSON: Yeah, so it's been almost a year now, which is maybe a little bit longer than I wanted to have them.

But at the same time, I feel like they've definitely improved my game. I wasn't seeing -- I always struggled a little bit with my eyesight since I turned pro and even before that. I was slightly getting worse so felt it was time to make a change.

At the time glasses of the right decision for me. It's been almost a year now. Been working pretty well. No win yet with the glasses, so hopefully that will be fixed soon.

Q. Would it be on the greens that it helps?

BROOKE HENDERSON: I think so. I've always been very much a feel player, and around the greens, especially long chips or long putts, I was very much a feel player, but basing it just on my paces and the way it looked but I wasn't seeing everything I'm seeing now.

Q. Was Wimbledon the first time you've been to a pro tennis event?

BROOKE HENDERSON: Yes.

Q. What stood out the most?

BROOKE HENDERSON: Everything about it was incredible. The hospitality that Rolex showed us was amazing. Just seeing the precision and how powerful the athletes are I think was really cool to see. Hopefully I can add that to my game.

Q. At the last major I think you made a putting change. You changed some things as you got settled into the game. Do you feel like you're more settled coming into the Evian Championship?

BROOKE HENDERSON: Yeah, always trying to improve and make tweaks to be better and more comfortable every single week. This week again I changed putters, so I'm always switching it around and just trying to, as we talked about earlier, finding that good energy and excitement level that helps you make putts.

So for me, it was another putter change and just green reading trying to be comfortable and confident out there.

Q. About to run into a big stretch of majors, including this week. How are you feeling about your game and mentality?

BROOKE HENDERSON: Yeah, so it's definitely a huge stretch, so it would be a great time for the game to really show up and be in a good spot. I feel like it's definitely trending in the right direction. It was a lot of fun playing with Lexi couple weeks ago, and she is playing so well and has a lot of confidence right now. I was trying to feed off that and add some of that to my game as well.

Yeah, very exciting stretch coming up. All very big events, and hopefully I can peak at all of them.

Q. Obviously as you said, peaking at the Olympics. Have you been to Golf National?

BROOKE HENDERSON: I have not. I heard amazing things. I know it's going to be a tough challenge but I'm looking forward to it.

Q. What could you say about the French defender, Celine Boutier?

BROOKE HENDERSON: Yeah, I'm very excited about my pairing tomorrow and Friday being with Minjee and Celine. Just having all the French fans out supporting her I think it's going to be really fun for all of us in to the group just to kind of feed off that and be in a really amazing atmosphere.

The show that she put on last year was incredible. Nobody was going to catch her. I tried, but I couldn't keep up. She's been playing some great golf and as everyone knows she's a great person as well, so I'm looking forward to seeing how she does here this week.

Q. When you think about the French golf courses that you are playing this year, maybe what are some of the differences between how they're laid out in Britain or North America to here in France?

BROOKE HENDERSON: This course being built on a mountain, a slope, it's very challenging. You never have a flat lie. You're always compensating for something and always having to think your way around, which I think is really cool and very unique to this area.

I feel this beauty of this golf course is very hard to replicate anywhere else in the world, so just trying to soak it all in and hopefully it'll be a great week.

Q. What's the new putter you?

BROOKE HENDERSON: The one I won Hilton with in 2023 so hopefully that will give me some good vibes.