THE MODERATOR: All right, welcome inside the media center here at the Meijer LPGA Classic for Simply Give.
I will just start us off with, Brooke, welcome back to Grand Rapids. I know this place holds a lot of key memories in your heart. What's it like to be back?
BROOKE HENDERSON: Yeah, I'm super excited to be back here at the Meijer. You know, being two-time past champion is really cool. I feel like I've always had great vibes around this golf course, lots of great memories, lots of birdies to look back on, which is always a great feeling.
Now I have lots of family and close friends in the area as well, which makes it really fun. The fans are always amazing here, and having those extra personal connections in the crowds makes it even more exciting.
For Simply Give it's always very meaningful for all of us LPGA Tour players to play in events where they give so much back to the community and you feel like you're making a difference. That's always a big thing for me at this event. Definitely one of my favorite stops on tour.
THE MODERATOR: You come off defending your title from 2022 at the ShopRite LPGA Classic. What did you take away from last week as we head into this week at Meijer?
BROOKE HENDERSON: I feel like I'm really close. I haven't really seen the results that I would like to be seeing yet, but I feel like my game is in a really good spot and it's really close to being back where I want it to be and so seeing those top results.
So just trying to stay patient, stick to the process a little bit, and then it helps coming to great venues like this and next week where I'm also a past champion, to the KPMG Women's PGA Championship. So lots to look forward to and lots to get the game ready for.
Q. Brooke, one, welcome back to Grand Rapids. Happy to have you here. I was curious what's been going on in the world of Brooke Henderson in the last couple weeks, or I guess in the last year since we saw you last? Obviously the golf game and always kinds of -- just, I don't know, what's been going on with you in to the last year?
BROOKE HENDERSON: Yeah, since -- I guess since I left here last I won a major, which is pretty cool, last summer in France.
And then winning the season opener this year down in Orlando, that was very cool to win the Tournament of Champions and a great way to start the season.
It's been a little bit up and down since then, but I feel like I'm on the up. Feel like I'm trending in the right direction, which is always a really good thing.
I was able to go home and spend a lot of time in Canada this spring and a little bit in the winter, too, so that always feels nice to connect with family and friends and just the roots where I'm from.
Q. In coming back here, does it build confidence knowing that you've won here twice, that this can jump start your season if you can get another one here this week?
BROOKE HENDERSON: Yeah, for sure. It is really nice coming back to places where you have felt very confident and you've found success, so that's always a great feeling.
They have changed the golf course since I won both, so it's been a little bit tricky the last couple years trying to figure it out. They made some big changes, especially off the tee, so just trying to pay attention to those and get a strategy that works again.
I think one really cool thing about this place is every year they're making improvements and continue to get better. This year the clubhouse is absolutely beautiful, very grand, and it makes it just another exciting thing about this event.
Q. How is the golf course? I'm sure you've heard from people around here that we haven't had rain in about a month. Sunday and today are about the first substantial rain we've had in the last four, five weeks. How is the course playing? How did it feel? How does it look just overall?
BROOKE HENDERSON: Course is in great condition, especially not having the amount of rain that they should have in the springtime and this time of year.
But, no, the course is in great shape, and I think it'll be a great test of golf over the next four days and looking forward to getting out there.
Q. Wondering if you watched Nick Taylor's win on Sunday, where you were, who you were with, and what your reaction was?
BROOKE HENDERSON: Yeah, we were traveling actually, so I had it up on my phone trying to refresh all the time and I was watching a couple videos of his clutch putt on 18 to, at that time, I guess take the lead in the clubhouse.
And then I was texting a bunch of people trying to stay updated. It was amazing round of golf. Obviously since then I've seen the putt he made in the playoff, which was absolutely incredible.
I'm just so happy for him and all of Canada, because I think having a Canadian win the Canadian Open is such a huge deal for the entire country. Yeah, very exciting, and I'm happy for him.
Q. You won at home five years ago in Regina. How much did that win sort of raise your profile and what effects have you seen in the five years since how that might have trickled down to younger Canadian golfers?
BROOKE HENDERSON: Yeah, that's one of the highlights of my career. Being able to hoist the trophy at home on home soil in front of the hometown crowds was absolutely amazing.
Since I was a young girl that trophy has always meant a lot to me and it was the one I wanted most out here on the LPGA Tour, so to get that victory back in 2018 was really life changing.
Hopefully I'll have another opportunity to lift it again here in the future. But just that walk up 18 on the 72nd hole when I had a three-shot lead and just a short putt, the crowd was singing, O' Canada and my friends and family rushed out on the green and sprayed me with champagne and being able to wrap the Canadian flag around me, just all those great moments will stick with me forever.
Like I said, it was really life changing, and so I'm happy Nick had the opportunity to do the same.
Q. Yeah, your win was a little less stressful than his. You obviously set the standard for individual excellence among Canadian golf. What's next for the sport in this country, the next frontier?
BROOKE HENDERSON: I think all the little girls and boys that watched over the weekend and saw Nick do his thing, and all the other Canadians too. It was a great showing last week at the RBC Canadian Open.
I think out here on the women's tour we're getting stronger all the time and there are more of us out here competing, and I think that's great for the next generations to show them not only in Canada, but all over the world, which is great, but in Canada specifically I feel like golf has just continued to go grow evolve, and it's just going to keep getting better and better.
THE MODERATOR: I have to ask because we're talking about Nick's win. Did you happen to see the video of Adam Hadwin?
BROOKE HENDERSON: Yeah, I'm so grateful he's okay. It is very funny now that he is all right. Yeah, I've been chuckling about it the last few days for sure.
THE MODERATOR: That was just curiosity killed the cat. Wanted to know your reaction to that one.
Coming back here to Meijer, obviously this is a course you talked about that you do have good memories on and since the changes, trying to figure it out. What do you focus on in your game for this week, and do you focus on anything differently knowing you've had the success here and knowing this course has undergone the changes it has?
BROOKE HENDERSON: Yeah, so we have the strategy we had when I first time I came here a long time ago and that I used for the two victories, but with the course changes and the different conditions, we have to evolve and change and grow and change strategy a little bit.
So I'm fortunate that my dad, my coach, is here this week and of course my sister who's my caddie is here, too. Just working together to try to get a solid game plan and hopefully I can go out and execute to the best I can.
But I feel like this golf course, it challenges all parts of your game. You have to hit it really well off the tee, especially with the addition of some new bunkers, and they cut some trees, too. That changes things a little bit.
It's important to get off the tee, and then the greens are pretty big generally, so just hitting it to the right spots to give yourself good birdie looks.
THE MODERATOR: All right, I think that will do it for us here. Thank you, Brooke, for coming in.
BROOKE HENDERSON: Awesome. Thank you.
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