Canada's Henderson falls in playoff to Korea's Ryu at Evian Championship

In the end, Brooke Henderson fell painfully short of winning another major championship. 

The Canadian, a champion already at the Amundi Evian Championship in 2022, lost to Haeran Ryu in a playoff Sunday as the Korean captured her second major in the last 13 days. Henderson staged a furious comeback in the final round, starting the day seven shots back before making an eagle early, on the par-5 7th, ahead of an ace on the very next hole. 

She went out in 5-under 30 and the chase was on, as Ryu — who shot an 11-under 60 on Saturday, the lowest round in major-championship history — was stuck in neutral. Henderson’s hole-in-one, combined with a Ryu bogey, saw a three-shot swing on the leaderboard. 

But Henderson had a costly three-putt on No. 11, leading to her first bogey of the day, with the par attempt a shockingly short miss. 

She rallied again late, making birdies on Nos. 15 and 16 after a lengthy par-saver on No. 14. Henderson was tied with her playing partners on Sunday, Ryu and Aki Iwai, as they headed into the final two holes of the championship. 

Henderson will rue the par-4 17th, as she missed yet another short putt and put a bogey on the card heading into the short par-5 finisher. With Ryu and Iwai in trouble off the tee, the Smiths Falls, Ont., native roasted her tee shot in the middle of the fairway and left herself about 15 feet for an eagle. 

Henderson rolled it in to finish at 19 under — becoming the first player to make six or more eagles in any single LPGA tournament since 1992 — and she and Ryu headed to a playoff. 

The roles were reversed in the extra frame, however, with Ryu finding the fairway and Henderson in trouble off the tee. The Canadian couldn’t get up and down from the fairway after laying up, and Ryu rolled in her birdie for the win.

With Nelly Korda winning the first two majors of the year, it marked the first time in LPGA history two players have won multiple majors in the same season. 

The valiant effort by Henderson was just not quite enough in the end. 

“Played awesome today, which is really exciting. To finish second in a major and third couple week ago, definitely game is in a really good spot,” Henderson said. “Obviously very exciting to get into the playoff. Wish I had played a little bit better, but Haeran has been playing great. Congrats to her. I am happy how I played.” 

Much has already been made of Henderson playing freer — and happier — since she became an aunt two weeks ago. She’ll return to Florida for another visit with her niece next week before heading to Edmonton for an early look at Royal Mayfair Golf Club and participating in media day for the CPKC Women’s Open, where she will be the defending champion come August. 

This little stretch for Henderson has come at a great time. 

With her runner-up result Sunday, she has now gone T3-solo second in her last two majors. The last time she had two major top-10s in the same season? Four years ago, in 2022. 

“Any time you can shoot minus-seven in a final round and chase down a leader like that it’s a huge confidence boost,” Henderson told Golf Channel after her round. “I felt like I hit the ball really well today and gave myself a lot of good opportunities. The putter was working sometimes and other times I could have depended on it a little more.” 

There’s one major left on the LPGA Tour schedule this year, the AIG Women’s Open at the end of July. That’s been the toughest one for Henderson of late, as she’s not found the weekend there for the last three years in a row. 

But she also hasn’t come into the Women's Open on such a fine run of golf. 

“I feel like (my game is) in a really good spot, which is really exciting and something to look forward to,” Henderson said. “Coming into AIG I haven't played that well there in the past, so hopefully this year will be a different story.”