AURORA, Ont. — They call No. 11 “Red Bullet,” and on the 414-yard par 4, her second hole of the day, Brooke Henderson took a deep breath and knocked in a six-footer for birdie.
The red and white-clad crowd at Magna Golf Club went bananas, and Henderson plucked her ball out of the hole, then raised it just so as she looked to her fans with an appreciative nod. She didn’t break even a little smile.
The 21-year old defending champion of Canada’s national open was clinical from start to finish on Friday, and though Henderson’s putts didn’t drop as often as she would’ve liked, she finished with a bogey-free three-under 69, leaving her three shots off the lead heading into the weekend.
“No bogeys is always great, so that’s a good feeling. I feel like I played pretty solid,” Henderson said after her round, from beneath the brim of a white Ping hat. “Maybe not quite as easy as yesterday. Not as many birdies, not as many good looks, but I still played pretty simple. I hit a lot of fairways, a lot of greens and made it pretty easy on myself.”
Shortly after she was introduced on Friday — “The defending champion of this event, from Smiths Falls, Ontario, Broooooke HenderSON!” — her following already numbered nearly 1,000 fans, all of them craning for a view to see the long-bomber rip it off the tee. Henderson is among the longest hitters on Tour, averaging 274 yards per drive.
Things you’ll hear from the crowd after Henderson stripes one: “Ye-Ow!” and “Wow!” and “She’s so good!” and even “Holy smokes!”
Canadiana is a big theme here at Magna Golf Club for the CP Women’s Open — you’ll find a poutine truck just off No. 17 that features maple bacon, and the signs asking fans to be quiet include “Eh” and “SVP” (“s’il vous plaît,” aka “please” — very polite).
But Henderson is just as big a presence: A lot of fans were sporting ‘Brooke Brigade’ t-shirts, and many sat in ‘Brooke Brigade’ viewing areas, special for junior members. World No. 1 Jin Young Ko, who’s one stroke off the pace set by Nicole Broch Larsen, even shared her appreciation for the most popular golfer in the field this week: “I like Brooke,” Ko said, after signing for a five-under 67.
Ko isn’t alone. Henderson’s group on Friday was so well-liked, in fact, that it’s the only one here that requires a police presence. There were three in uniform and a couple others in plain clothes. And the mania around the nine-time winner on Tour is only going to grow from here.
Though Henderson’s focus was laser-like, a few times during her round, she high-fived some young fans and grinned and waved at the crowd as they cheered her on while she strode up the fairway. “This has been amazing so far,” she said. “So many people early in the morning, late at night. It’s been awesome. It’s pretty special to have all these people out there following you around and cheering you on.
“Try to be interacting with them a little bit. Also just trying to make sure I get the job done and play well the next two days.”
Henderson’s nicest putt on Day 2 came on the par-4 No. 15, when she dropped in a 12-footer that curled just before it dropped.
On the final hole, her approach shot took a bounce to the left. “It didn’t come out as clean as I would’ve wanted at contact,” she said. “So that was definitely a birdie hole and was kind of looking forward to that one, but that’s alright. I’m still in good position.”
After her final putt of the day, Henderson passed her putter over to her sister and caddy, Brittany, and then walked off No. 9 while the couple of 100 fans who stuck around late in the day cheered her on.
“Tomorrow, hopefully just hit it a little bit cleaner and make a few more birdies,” Henderson said. “I’m happy with where I am, to be close to the lead and know that I could have played a little bit better today.
“Still a solid round. I feel confident going into tomorrow that I could get on a run and make a bunch of birdies, which is always a great feeling.”
And if the birdies do drop for Henderson in Round 3, know that she’ll react with little more than a nod. It’s all business for the defending champion.
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