Brooke Henderson Looks to Make More Major Memories at KPMG Women's PGA Championship

Brooke Henderson has long had a special relationship with the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship.

In 2015, Henderson had just turned professional after ascending to No. 1 in the amateur rankings. She was given a special exemption and made her major-championship debut as a pro that year at the KPMG Women's PGA Championship at Westchester Country Club just outside of New York City. She came into that major after tying for 10th at the U.S. Women’s Open the year prior while still an amateur.

So, Henderson had plenty of impressive credentials already and she made the most of that special invite, finishing tied for fifth. Then, of course, Henderson would go on to win the championship the very next year – in an incredible playoff battle against Lydia Ko at Sahalee.

As Henderson’s career has chugged along – December marked her 10th anniversary of turning pro – the KPMG Women’s PGA has always been a constant beacon of success for the Canadian.

She had four straight top-6 finishes to begin her career at this championship and has never missed the cut. In fact, she has only finished outside the top 25 once – despite the fact that, of course, the event moves around to different venues each year.

“I just love this event,” Henderson said in a recent interview with Golf Town, one of Henderson’s partners. “They’ve always treated me super well. I got that sponsor invite in 2015 which was a big moment (and) they are just doing an incredible job of elevating the women’s game.

“I think, coming into that week, it’s always exciting to see your poster and have those great memories. My head is always hung a little higher going into that week and I just try to go off that.”

Henderson finished tied for 22nd last year as the KPMG Women’s PGA returned to Sahalee Country Club, where she triumphed in 2016.

“Just thinking back, I'm proud of the journey that I've been on these last eight years since that win, and I think just continuing to try to grow and get better and push forward,” Henderson said last year.

The Canadian has long been quick to heap praise on the PGA and KPMG for choosing venues that have been played by the men in years’ past and having the opportunity to compete and contend at such iconic places in the game. This year the KPMG Women’s PGA is set to be contested at Fields Ranch East at PGA Frisco. It’s the second major event to take place at the course after the Senior PGA Championship in 2023. The course is also set to host the PGA Championship in 2027 and 2034.

“It’s so exciting to play the courses the men have played – these great championship venues. It just is moving the women’s game in such an incredible direction, and for me it’s fun to be able to play these courses that I’ve seen on TV and seen the men win on,” Henderson said recently.

By her own admission, this calendar year hasn’t been Henderson’s best. She hasn’t notched a top-10 finish in a stroke-play event yet this season and has missed the cut in two of her last three starts. She did, however, show some flashes of past brilliance at the ShopRite LPGA Classic and admitted she’s close with her game as she enters a busy summertime stretch.

“Definitely hasn’t been the year that I’ve been looking for so far, which is disappointing. So, I also feel we are closer than we have been in a little bit. I feel like I’ve said we’re trending in the right direction for a long time, but I really believe that,” Henderson said. “I feel like a lot of things are going really well. Just not everything has clicked together at the same time yet. That's golf. So just trying to figure things out every single day and get a little bit better.”

Given her body-of-work at the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship, there’d be no better place for things to start clicking than at this particular championship. She’s had success in Texas before and has a solid game plan heading to PGA Frisco. But now, 10 years after she made her debut at the KPMG Women’s PGA, wouldn’t it be appropriate if she managed to find the winner’s circle, again?