THE MODERATOR: All right, hello everybody and welcome to the media center at the 2025 FM Championship. Pleased to be joined by the 2025 CPKC Women's Open champion Brooke Henderson. You had a pretty unbelievable week last week. Have you had the chance to kind of reflect or has it settled in at all?
BROOKE HENDERSON: I think being back to work and being here this week has definitely brought things back down to reality a little bit for me. It was just like such a dream come true last week. Everything went so well. After the first nine holes on Thursday everything just seemed to be going my way and was meant to be.
The crowds and the fans were so phenomenal. The Brooke's Brigade were out in full force, and so much fun to give them lots to cheer about, and to hoist the trophy again just meant so much to me.
Q. And now that you have another win under your belt does that reframe the rest of your season?
BROOKE HENDERSON: For sure. Even before last week I was really excited for the rest of the season, competing in International Crown for the World Team. That will be a huge highlight of the season. I was looking forward to hopefully playing well enough to get into Asia and CME at the end of the year, and after the win last week I'm in a good spot now, so that's definitely a huge relief for me.
I feel like I can play a little bit more, not carefree, but a little bit more free and maybe light which is always ideal when you're playing golf. You don't want to be too stressed. I'm super excited for what the rest of the year holds and excited to be invited back to the Tournament of Champions in January.
Q. Tournament of Champions, that was your last win on the LPGA before CPKC Women's Open. Put into perspective the last couple years. I know it's probably not been the most fun for you, but how much did it mean to get that 14th win and get that monkey off your back?
BROOKE HENDERSON: Yeah, for sure. I'm really proud of being able to win again and come back strong after two or a couple years where it wasn't my strongest play out there; I just didn't feel quite like myself.
I mean, it was tough at times for sure. I just had such a great support team around me, family, sister, great team, and we just kept trying to work hard and kept going. I'm grateful that I was given the strength and the courage to be back in the strengths and contention. I thank God. I'm thankful he was with me the last couple years especially just helping me pull through.
To get that win finally felt so amazing, and I'm just like I said, excited for what the rest of the season holds and future years.
Q. What's been clicking for you recently? What's been working that you have seen the light at the end of the tunnel as we say?
BROOKE HENDERSON: I think the big thing for me was my mindset and just mentally being in a good frame of mind. I feel like I've been working diligently on that, so to see it all work out last week was great in the heat of the moment and under pressure in contention.
Yeah, that was huge for me. All parts of my game was I was just trying to improve and be a little bit more consistent and get back to where it needed to be to be at the top of the leaderboard.
So, yeah, last week like I said, it was a dream, it was perfect. So I'm excited to be here this week in Boston and hopefully keep the momentum going.
Q. Tournament debut; obviously couldn't play here last year at the Olympics. What have you thought of TPC Boston so far and the FM Championship?
BROOKE HENDERSON: Yeah, I'm excited to be here. It's a beautiful golf course, and being able to see the holes and trying decide how we're going to play it, because I feel like you could play it different styles. So it's been really interesting. It's going to be fun to kind of go through some strategy with my sister and my dad later today.
But it's pretty cool because I used to play junior golf tournament here way back in the day, and after we finished playing we would come out and watch the men play. So the last like four holes I remember seeing when I was pretty young, so it's just really cool to kind of be like full circle and being now able to compete here on the LPGA Tour.
Q. Strategy off the tee here will be so critical to success. For somebody that's really aggressive off the tee, what are you and Brit looking at to make sure you set yourself up for success with your tee shots?
BROOKE HENDERSON: Yeah, for sure. There is definitely a couple different routes you can go with it, pretty conservative or aggressive. Kind of depends on each hole here. Some holes you can be pretty aggressive and other holes, well, maybe par is good. So just being methodical and strategic about where you're placing the ball and hopefully you're able to execute the shots.
Q. You mentioned your mindset. Now coming off this momentum, how does that affect your mindset? Do you find it shift, and what changes given how well you played coming off a win?
BROOKE HENDERSON: Yeah, even day to day. Like yesterday I was really confident and feeling good, and today I'm like, okay, I got play again tomorrow. It's back to reality. I have to go out and compete against the best in the world tomorrow.
So I feel like it's really important to take that confidence and the momentum and like the good energy that I had last week and remember all the things I did correctly and be proud of those.
Then also be able to reset and know that this is totally different. Everyone starts at even par tomorrow morning and you got to go out and try to do it again.
Q. How do you rebalance focusing and taking that confidence? Is there something you try and -- I don't know how to ask that question, so I'm sorry. How do you balance those two?
BROOKE HENDERSON: I feel like that's the key. Like every single week, every single player out here is trying to balance like -- I mean, the mental game is so tough. I think that's what makes golf so difficult a lot of time is the mental game, the six inches between the ears.
I think that's the question. Just like always trying to figure out what works for you and how to keep it going once you find it.
Q. A lot has been made of this tournament, purse, amenities, everything that's been done to be here. What do you make of the field and your experience here? Do you view this as a premier tournament?
BROOKE HENDERSON: Yeah, four sure. I've only been here for two days and I've been so impressed with everything FM Global is doing for the players. They're treating us so well. We're on an amazing golf course. Purse is really big, so hopefully I can take part in some of that.
But it's just amazing how they elevated the women's game. I'm excited to see this tournament play out this week and also in future years.
Q. Was this an event that you had circled on your calendar?
BROOKE HENDERSON: Yeah, I love coming to Boston, and it's pretty close to home too which makes it pretty nice. Hearing all the amazing things that FM Global is doing for the players, it was definitely an event that I wanted to be a part of.
Q. I'm curious what the evening was like. What was the celebration like? And you said the last time you won that event you woke up in the morning thinking you still had to play the last round. What was it like the next morning?
BROOKE HENDERSON: It was pretty busy Sunday night but it was cool because I had a lot family and friends that were able to watch the win and able to hang out in the clubhouse and just really have a good time. So it was really cool to share the victory tour with everything.
And then we drove home to close to Ottawa on Sunday night, so it was a super late night. I was very exhausted, but it was just -- it took long time for it to sink in like, oh, we done and we actually did this.
Fortunately I woke up Monday morning and I didn't think I still had to play the final round, and I was so grateful for that because it was terrifying in 2018 when that happened.
Q. Really interesting stat came out after you won thanks to Justin Ray, the stats guru, that since 2015 you're the best closer on Tour. What does that mean to you and what did it feel like making those putts that you needed to make down the stretch?
BROOKE HENDERSON: I mean, that's a really cool stat. I'm proud of that. That's pretty fun. Yeah, I mean, on the back nine on Sunday I did have quite a few putts that were like pretty clutch. Even early in the round when Minjee made birdie on 2 and then I was able to make it on top of her, I felt like that was a really key moment and that was like the second hole. You know, just to keep pace and make sure I hope wasn't getting behind.
On 17, seeing her roll that putt in I like had a feeling. Like I feel like in those moments you have to expect the other person to make it, and then as soon as she did, I was like, okay, I got make this too.
To see that one go in and make a par on 18 after not a great tee shot, I feel like, again, was pretty clutch. I was like really proud of that. I'm just excited that I was able to perform on the back nine as well as I did. It was kind of like my former self and that felt good.
Q. If you go all the way back to your days as a junior golfer, do you have any idea how many tournaments you have won in your lifetime?
BROOKE HENDERSON: Oh, no, sorry I don't know if I would have an accurate number on that. I did win quite a bit as a junior, which was fun. But, no.
Q. Do you have an estimate?
BROOKE HENDERSON: I don't know; 14 out here.
Q. When you think about when you won as a junior, is it a different feeling now as a professional or the same feelings that you had when you would win junior tournaments?
BROOKE HENDERSON: I feel like any win you feel very excited and you kind of that adrenaline rush. You gain a lot of confidence from it. So I don't feel like that changed at all. Even my first win when I was like nine I think to now it's just like, yeah, you feel that rush and you want to be at the top.
Q. Just quickly want to pick up on Beth Ann's question about your ability to close. Do you have theories as to why you always play so well under those pressure situations when you get in the hunt like that?
BROOKE HENDERSON: Yeah, I mean, I'm not really -- I'm really proud of that. That's like really cool. I feel like I -- when I have an opportunity I definitely try to capitalize on it. I have been able to do that pretty well.
I mean, other than that I'm not sure. The only thing -- with that said, I was like, maybe I should be putting myself in contention more. (Laughter.) It's only like 12 times or something.
Yeah, I'm grateful every time I've been in that position I've been able to play really well when I needed to and come out on top so many times. I think that's really cool, especially against the best players in the world.
I think that is a lot of mental strength and, you know, I'm grateful that I've been able to perform under that pressure.
Q. Obviously your career has really been built off your ability to drive off the tee, but on Sunday it was really your putting that carried the day. What does that say about your evolution as a golfer?
BROOKE HENDERSON: Yeah, definitely ball striking and off the tee has always been a huge strength of mine. I felt like since the start of my career I have always been working on the short game, especially trying clean it up and be more consistent.
So to see that really come through this past week was really exciting. I feel like it's hard work paying off and finally having things click is really exciting.
It's cool like when you're under stress (zoom froze.)
Q. As a follow up, it would have been understandable if you decided to take this week off given how demanding last week was. What went into your decision to honor this commitment and play here this week?
BROOKE HENDERSON: Yeah, right after I won on Sunday I wasn't sure what I was going to do. It was such a huge week for me. I was very busy and just emotionally took a lot out of me.
So it would've been very understandable I think to take this week off and rest up, but I knew this event was a great event and I was excited to have the opportunity to come play here, so just decided just to try to keep things going. Felt like it would be good for me to get back into, not reality, but get back to work and kind of focus in on the things that I need to focus on.
So we decided to make this choice, and so we took Monday off and drove up yesterday morning. It has been very busy the last two days getting everything done and prepped for tomorrow.
Q. Two quick questions for you: One is where is your energy level at right now?
BROOKE HENDERSON: Yeah, I'm definitely tired, but I'm looking forward to getting some good rest later this afternoon and tonight. It's an early tee time tomorrow, so go bed pretty early and try to recover as much as I can.
I feel like last week was a huge week it just took so much out of my whole team mentally, physically, emotionally, so I think it's really important just to try to recover that going into tomorrow.
I'm also really excited to be here, and so I feel like that's countering some of the fatigue a little bit.
But, yeah, I'm just hoping we can keep this momentum going, hit a lot of fairways, hit a lot of greens and see what we can do this week.
Q. Of course everybody wants to know how many pops did you drink on Sunday?
BROOKE HENDERSON: Just the one, just the one. It was good.
Q. What flavor was it?
BROOKE HENDERSON: It was a Sprite.
Q. Okay.
BROOKE HENDERSON: Yeah, really good.
Q. Just the sprite, no orange Fanta for the second one?
BROOKE HENDERSON: Oh, no. Now I can hear you.
Q. Obviously results-wise it's funny because you had the one top 10 early in the season at the match play event and then essentially second top 10 of the season came to you winning a major championship, the CPKC Women's Open. How are you planning on capitalizing on this momentum and maybe just a having really, really strong end of the season here, including now obviously the guaranteed spot in the CME Group Tour Championship at the end the year as well?
BROOKE HENDERSON: Yeah, I'm super excited for the rest of the season. Hopefully finishing strong, continuing on this momentum this week here. Hopefully getting off to a good start tomorrow, Thursday, and carrying it through the weekend.
I mean, ideally I would be back in contention this weekend, but first things first, trying to get off to a good start tomorrow.
International Crown, I'm really super excited for that. I feel like we have a great team and I feel like we could do really well. I always love playing in the Asian events, so I am looking forward to at least playing the other Korean event and possibly Malaysia, too, two of my favorites and finishing off in Florida later this year.
So feel like there is lots of good things to look forward to and lots of things to try to build the game for, and, yeah, I mean, I'm pretty pumped to put myself back in a position where I'm going to be invited to some of those things.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports