Henderson seeks third Portland win as LPGA eyes France, Asia

Los Angeles (AFP) – Canada’s Brooke Henderson, fresh off a historic Canadian Open triumph, seeks her third Portland Classic title in four seasons when the 47th edition of the LPGA event tees off Thursday.

Henderson, the 2015 and 2016 Portland winner, became the first Canadian since 1973 to win her homeland event in taking her seventh career LPGA triumph, one shy of matching Sandra Post’s record for crowns by a Canadian.

“It’s pretty amazing. It was a dream come true last week. Everything seemed to go perfectly for me,” Henderson said. “I just felt like it was meant to be, so to hoist that trophy was amazing.”

Now she returns to the event where she won her first LPGA trophy just three years ago.

“I’m really excited to be back here in Portland where really my career got started in 2015,” she said. “I have a lot of amazing memories here so looking forward to teeing it up.”

The matchup at 6,476-yards Columbia Edgewater Country Club is the LPGA’s last US tournament until the season-ending Tour Championship in November.

After the year’s final major in two weeks at the Evian Championship in France, the LPGA swings through Asia, starting with the International Crown team event October 4-7 in South Korea.

LPGA tournaments follow in South Korea, Shanghai, Taiwan, Japan and China before the campaign concludes November 15-18 at Naples, Florida.

Despite a nightmare Sunday night where she dreamed she had lost in Canada, Henderson finds herself more relaxed having ended the Canadian Open drought as she prepares for the year’s final major in France.

“I feel like a lot of pressure is off me now and I can kind of just go out and have fun,” Henderson said. Looking forward to this week and Evian in a couple weeks and then going over to Asia.”

She could join Nancy Lopez as the all-time wins leader in Portland. The American took titles in 1985, 1987 and 1992.

“I definitely would love to have a great finish,” Henderson said. “I would love to just get off to a fast start tomorrow and try to put myself in good position for the weekend. Top 10 I would be very happy with. Playing with Nancy Lopez last year in the pro-am was really a highlight of my career as well.”

The longest-running non-major on the LPGA Tour lacks its defending champion with American Stacy Lewis on a maternity break.