T-MOBILE MATCH PLAY PRESENTED BY MGM REWARDS

April 1, 2025

Brooke Henderson

Shadow Creek

Press Conference

THE MODERATOR: All right, please to be joined now by Brooke Henderson here at the T-Mobile Match Play presented by MGM Rewards. Just your fourth start at this event. What is it with this event, Shadow Creek, what is it about this event that maybe keeps you coming back?

BROOKE HENDERSON: For sure. I love this event and T-Mobile has done an incredible job elevating this event and really supporting women's golf, which is really exciting.

To be back here, the course is really challenging. The wind was really blowing today during the pro-am. It's a lot of fun and I feel like you got to play a lot of strategy around here. Try to talk that over with my sister later today.

But you have to hit quality shots. And anything can really happen out here, so just trying to stay within your own game, even though it is match play.

Yeah, just a different animal this week, but it's a lot of fun.

Q. When you are approaching this, what are those different strategies that you're approaching, especially now that we're reverting back to the original match play format versus stroke play?

BROOKE HENDERSON: For sure. Stroke play it's very you against the golf course. Match play it's one versus one. It is a different mindset for sure.

At the same time this golf course, the way it plays, I think you have to pick the holes that you can be aggressive on and the holes kind of where par is good, stay patient.

So I think that's kind of the strategy that we're going to go over, trying to pick the holes, right hole locations where we can be aggressive.

At the end of the day with match play it all comes down to what the other player is doing as well and just trying to navigate through that.

Q. You mentioned it, but second year with T-Mobile as the presenting sponsor and you being a T-Mobile ambassador. How does it feel it represent an organization and company that has given so much to our game?

BROOKE HENDERSON: Absolutely. I'm so proud and excited to be a part of the T-Mobile family. I love being here this week and seeing all the magenta all around and seeing it on my collar. It's really fun.

Everyone is just so nice and very supportive of me and of the women's game and helping to grow it, which is so important.

Yeah, just a really fun week for me.

Q. Welcome back to Vegas.

BROOKE HENDERSON: Thank you.

Q. You get no favors getting thrown into the fire right way against Leona that first match. Do you think that's a good thing, to be facing someone so tough right off the bat or anyone is capable out here, right?

BROOKE HENDERSON: Yeah, I feel like with match play anything can happen. You just have to have a good plan and just try to execute it the best you can and see what your opponent is doing and be able to adjust on the fly.

Leona played awesome here last year. She's a very talented match play player as well being from Europe and playing on Solheim Cup teams.

It's definitely going to be a challenge right from the start. I'm excited to tee it up tomorrow and see what happens.

Q. With all the years you've been coming to this tournament, what have you learned about Shadow Creek that maybe you didn't know the first year or two playing here?

BROOKE HENDERSON: I think the more you play this golf course the better. You learn where the misses are; you learn are to hit it for certain pin locations.

I think the more often you can come out here and play, it's definitely an advantage, yeah, just getting the strategy, learning the course a little bit more.

I definitely feel more comfortable this year being my fourth year than when I first came out four years ago. That's definitely a good thing, so I'm just looking forward to learning it a little bit better over the next few days.

Q. I asked a couple of the other girls, do you think it's more important to have course knowledge or to come in playing well?

BROOKE HENDERSON: Both would be great. (Smiling) I would love both. I feel like the game has been trending in the right direction for a while now. It's really close to being back to where it should be, so that's good for me.

Having a little bit of course knowledge over the last four years, as I mentioned, is helpful. I think you kind of need both here. As much as you want to have a good strategy, you need to be able to hit quality shots and get up and down sometimes because you're going to be in tough positions.

So I think quality golf will probably triumph, but it is helpful to know the course.

Q. You talked at the beginning of the year about wanting to get off to fast starts. You did exactly that last week. How close does it feel to being able to string together four good rounds?

BROOKE HENDERSON: Yeah, last week was awesome to get off to that fast start. Unfortunately gave a lot of it back Friday afternoon. I feel like the game is right there, and getting that fast start and kind of taking a little bit of pressure off was really nice on Thursday last week.

So I'm just looking forward to just doing more of that, trying to get back in contention, top of the leaderboard a little bit more. So hopefully this week it's a little bit different being match play, but play three solid rounds Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and try to make it to the weekend.

Q. Last one: Obviously with the implementation of the world team for the International Crown is there more emphasis on match play this week?

BROOKE HENDERSON: For sure. Super excited there is a world team. Been trying to push for that for a long time to get some of the players that never had an opportunity before to play. So I'm super excited about that opportunity and hopefully making the team later this year.

I think, yeah, any time you can play match play you learn a lot about yourself and game and how you can handle pressure.

I think the more you can play the better off you are. So it would be a nice week this week to kind of get some few rounds under my belt before the fall.