Hendersons turn golf into a team game like hockey

SHE won’t hit 400-yard drives, putt horrendously and have fistfights with 80-year-old pro-am partners.

But, yes, just like Happy Gilmore, Brooke Henderson is a hockey player turned golfer. She wasn’t born until a year after the Adam Sandler comedy’s release in 1996, but Henderson has seen the movie.

“Parts of it were pretty funny,” she said, a few minutes after another red-number day for the LPGA Tour’s rising star from Canada. She shot a 2-under 70 on Thursday to go with her 3-under effort Wednesday in the first round of the Lotte Championship at Ko Olina Golf Club.

Other players took more advantage of less-windy conditions in the second round, leaving Henderson tied for fifth, five strokes behind leader Minjee Lee.

“It was a lot calmer today, especially on my back nine, which was kind of nice,” she said. “Walking down, I guess, No. 15 felt like there wasn’t wind at all, which was kind of crazy compared to the last 27 holes.”

ALMOST AS crazy as Henderson’s meteoric rise that has her at No. 7 in the world rankings, just eight months after earning her tour card. That was via a spot promotion by LPGA commissioner Michael Whan for winning last year’s Cambia Portland Classic. She joined Lydia Ko and Lexi Thompson as the only players to win prior to turning 18.

Not bad for a kid from The Great White North — Ottawa to be exact, where it averages around 160 days of rain or snow per year.

“You get six or seven months where you can be outside playing golf,” Henderson said. “The other months you’re kind of inside hitting into domes or into nets, simulators, that kind of stuff.”

That’s when she wasn’t playing hockey.

“I was a goalie, so a lot of the mental things from goaltending have really helped me, especially being new to the tour and just trying to prove myself out here,” she said. “In golf you’re by yourself.”

SHE’S NOT completely alone, though. Henderson has her sister, Brittany, with her every step of the way on the course.

Brittany, 24, is Brooke’s caddie. She’s returning the favor, as Brooke looped for her six times last year on the Symetra Tour.

“I love having her here,” said Brooke, who considers Brittany her idol. “She kind of put her game off to the side and is doing this for a year and just seeing how it goes. I love having here here and she seems to enjoy it, too.”

Brooke is more aggressive as a player and Brittany can rein her in … sometimes.

“She’s fearless and wants to always go for the pin,” Brittany said. “That’s good, but sometimes you have to just take what the course will give you. Overall this works out really well because we were both coached by our dad, so we usually see things the same way.”

Henderson birdied all three of the par-5s Wednesday. She was at 6 under for the tournament before three-putting on No. 16. She managed par on 17 despite having to take a drop near the green because her ball was next to a sprinkler, and then did it again with perfect execution of a sand save on the dangerous 18th green to finish on a good note.

For her to get back in the hunt, the players in front of her will have to cool off in today’s third round.

But don’t count out Henderson yet.

Make that the Hendersons, plural.

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Reach Dave Reardon at dreardon@staradvertiser.com or 529-4783. His blog is at Hawaiiwarriorworld.com/quick-reads.

Reach Dave Reardon at dreardon@staradvertiser.com or 529-4783. His blog is at Hawaiiwarriorworld.com/quick-reads.