Australian Open Preview
Strategy will play a big part for the winner at this week’s Australian Women’s Open according to Brooke Henderson.
The 20-year-Old from Smith Falls, Ontario, is among eight of the world’s top 20 players contesting the LPGA tournament at Kooyonga Golf Club in the South Australian capital Adelaide from Thursday.
Henderson, currently ranked No.14, finished 9th in the season opening LPGA event in the Bahamas last month and hopes another good week in South Australia will help her climb the rankings.
“It’s really difficult with the amount of amazing players that are out here, the talent out there is really high, but hopefully I’ll win a few more times and get my world ranking back down inside the top 10,” she said.
Despite describing the course as “beautiful” Henderson expects the difficult Kooyonga layout and afternoon winds to challenge the field this week.
“It’s going to be a true test of golf, which I think is the way it really should be,” Henderson said.
“You have to really think your way around the course, be very strategic and hit certain spots on the fairways, hit certain spots on the greens to give yourself the best advantage and the best way to make pars and birdies.
“Hopefully (caddie and sister) Britt and I will be able to do that later this week.
“Just coming here to Australia, it’s so amazing the experience and to be able to have the opportunities, it’s really incredible.”
Canadian players Alena Sharp and Anne-Catherine Tanguay are also in the field.
Sharp, from Hamilton, Ontario, finished in a tie for 18th in the Bahamas last month and recorded a T16 finish at last year’s ISPS Handa Australian Women’s Open at Royal Adelaide.
The 36-year-old said she had been working with her coach on hitting her approach shots closer to create more birdie opportunities after a disappointing 2017 season that has seen her world ranking drop from 74 to 99 in the past 12 months.
Tanguay, 27 from Quebec City, lost her LPGA card after one season in 2016 but won it back after a strong showing on the Symetra tour last year.
It is the third year in a row the event has been held in South Australia following successful events Royal Adelaide and The Grange.
This week’s field will compete for a US$1.3 million purse and 500 points in the Race to the CME Globe.
