With fresh mentality and new wedges, Brooke Henderson tries to end victory drought in Canada

USA Today

2 days ago

At this time last year, Brooke Henderson had lost count of how many different putters she'd had in the bag.
The number is down this year, though there have been changes of late. She put in a new putter two weeks ago, and noted during her pre-tournament press conference on Tuesday that she'd be changing again later that afternoon. Still a TaylorMade Spider X but with a different grip and weight.
Also on Tuesday morning, she put brand new TaylorMade wedges in the bag and said they perform better than her old ones in wet conditions.
Anything that can get her closer to victory, something she hasn't tasted in two and half years.
"I feel like I've been saying it for a really long time," Henderson told the media at the CPKC Women's Open at Mississaugua Golf and Country Club in Ontario, Canada. "You're probably getting annoyed with it a little bit, but I am definitely trending in the right direction and it is super close to being really good again, which is really exciting."
To help, Henderson dug up old clips of when she was 14 years old, playing in her first Canadian Open. She won the event in 2018, which felt like major. Even making the cut as a youngster in her home Open felt "super cool."
"Yeah, just trying to like think back like what was going through my mind when I was answering those questions back then or out there playing," said Henderson. "It's been cool. I just did that yesterday afternoon. Maybe it was the red eye or the jet lag talking, but I really enjoyed it."
She played more freely as a youngster, as do most, and had a hunger to learn. She's still that way, realizing that sometimes less is more. There was a time when she played in as many as 30 events a year. She's cut back now to around 25.
Canada's most decorated golfer with 13 LPGA titles, Henderson has sprinkled in top-15 finishes throughout 2025 but has yet to truly contend. The two-time major winner ranks 53rd on the CME points list and is 58th in the Rolex Rankings.
"For a while, the ball-striking was a bit of an issue," said Henderson, who works with her father Dave. "I feel like we worked diligently on that, and it's back to a better spot.
"So just piecing everything together. Golf is hard, and I found that out more recently than I ever have. Just trying to take it day by day, figuring it out. I think mentality for me is the No. 1 thing, trying to get back to the mental strength I had previous years."