Henderson builds profile as female golfer

At the tender age of 16, Brooke Henderson is quickly building a reputation for herself as Canada’s next great female golfer.

“I shot 69 which is pretty good out here in this wind,” said Henderson.

She is tied for the lead at three under par, heading into Wednesday’s final round, but she had plenty of momentum coming into Golf Canada’s Ontario title tournament.

Henderson finished tied for tenth place at the U.S. Women’s Open last week at Pinehurst.

“The last couple weeks have been pretty nice. I shot 62 in the final round of the Porter Cup to win by three going into the U.S. Open. It’s been a great confidence booster the last couple weeks and I’m excited for the rest of the summer. Really excited,” she said.

Hamilton native Ashley Sholer, who plays on the Symetra Tour, has also enjoyed some recent success. The 28-year-old says she’s been changing the mechanics of her swing, and it paid off two weeks ago when she finished tied for third at the Decateur-Forsyth classic.

“It all seemed to click that week. I left a few out there. I feel like I could have won it, but i’m not going to complain about a third place finish. It was a good feeling and hopefully I get to feel it a lot more often,” said Sholer.

Henderson, meanwhile, has yet to turn professional. At this point she’s committed to playing for the University of Florida, after she graduates high school.

“My dream is to play on the LPGA Tour. I’m not sure if that will be this year or next year, but hopefully I’ll be out there someday and have a successful career out there,” she said.