Is Brooke Overbooked? (CP Women’s Open Day One Takeaways)
TheOcho.ca’s Austin Evans is on the scene at Ottawa Hunt and Golf Club for the CP Women’s Open.
Brooke Henderson struggled her way to a 3-over 74 on Thursday morning, but that did not stop the massive crowds from cheering on her with every shot. She will need their help even more tomorrow, as she will need a round in the mid to low 60’s to get herself back in contention. Unfortunately, this has been an especially busy week for Brooke, who’s hectic schedule has made it nearly impossible to focus on the tournament itself.
Between hosting the Brooke and Friends Pro Am on Monday, media availability Tuesday, the regular Pro Am on Wednesday, along with numerous sponsorship obligations, Henderson can’t have found it easy to maintain her usual routine during tournament week. That doesn’t even factor in the pressure of being the face of a nation’s golf program or the expectations of playing well at a course where she is a member. This week is anything but normal for Brooke.
That being said, she is not out of this golf tournament by any means. The lead is currently at 5-under par, and given her familiarity with the course, making up eight shots over the next three days is far from impossible. The bigger challenge for Henderson will be passing over 100 other players who are currently at 3 over or better, all while navigating the slick greens of Ottawa Hunt and Golf Club. That said, if Brooke can reign in her approach shots to give herself more realistic birdie opportunities, she has all the tools required to stage a comeback.
Random thoughts from Day One
-Cristie Kerr, who played alongside Brooke, showed her veteran savvy by shooting 2-under and hitting a number of fabulous flighted wedge shots. That’s why she’ll be in the HOF.
-Michelle Wie can still flat out hit quality golf shots, proving that talent doesn’t go away easily. Still, key errors kept her talent from translating to scoring on Thursday.
-Stacy Lewis overcame a poor start and is in good position going into Friday at 2-under. Look for her to be in contention come Sunday afternoon for her first win since 2014.
We’ll have more coverage from the CP Women’s Open tomorrow.
Austin is TheOcho.ca’s golf contributor. He also writes about basketball and hosts The Ocho Top Ten podcast with TheOcho.ca EIC Riley Evans. Follow Austin on Twitter at @austevans24.
