EDMONTON — Brooke Henderson was climbing Friday at the CPKC Women’s Open and was just one shot back of the lead as she made the turn. A couple of late bogeys spoiled the party, but the defending champion remains in the mix heading into the weekend at Royal Mayfair.
Henderson shot a 2-under 68 Friday and sits just four shots back of the lead at the halfway point in Canada. Soo Bin Joo, Yuri Yoshida, and Kiara Romero — who is making her professional debut this week — sit at 9 under after the morning wave.
Henderson, who started on the back nine on Friday, made an early birdie on the par-3 13th and added another on No. 15. She had a great chance for birdie on both Nos. 17 and 18 before finally rolling in another on the par-4 1st after hitting her approach to just a few feet.
The native of Smiths Falls, Ont. added one more circle on her card on No. 4 before giving two shots back on Nos. 6 and 8. Ironically, she said, she had been playing well while she was playing aggressive — and on those two holes she had played more conservative.
She rolled in a testy par-saver on her final hole of the day to keep some momentum going for a weekend charge.
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“Through about 14 holes I was feeling really nice. Unfortunate to drop a couple shots coming in. Happy to save par on nine. I feel like that was really clutch, kind of saving some momentum and things going into tomorrow,” Henderson said. “Playing the weekend, I feel like my game is in a pretty good spot, so maybe try to be a little bit more aggressive and see if we can climb.”
Henderson is no stranger in 2026 to making a late-tournament charge. At the Amundi Evian Championship — where she would go on to fall just short in a playoff — she started the day seven shots back of eventual winner Haeran Ryu but put together an incredible 7-under 64 to end up tied.
“That was really fun a few weeks ago in France. Yeah, definitely it gives me some confidence knowing that I can come back from behind,” Henderson said.
“It's only half over. They played really well the first two rounds, so I just need to play well the next two.”
Henderson has put together a very solid resume at the CPKC Women’s Open over the last decade or so — perhaps more impressive considering the tournament changes venues every year. She has finished outside the top 15 just once since 2016 and is trending towards another top finish in 2026.
That will be much to the delight of the Canadian crowds, who were out in force Friday morning to cheer on their home country’s biggest golf star. It remains something that doesn’t get old for Henderson year after year.
“Just really trying to embrace the opportunity because (it) only really happens once a year, and it's just such a unique thing that not a lot of players get to experience. I'm definitely trying to make the most of it,” Henderson said.
