When Brooke Henderson tees off in the women's golf competition at the 2024 Paris Olympics, she'll be a favorite to win a medal at the tournament. She'll be looking for a low score when the competition is over, just as she did as a hockey goalie growing up.
Henderson has won 13 times on the LPGA tour thus far in her career, including a Canadian Open and two majors, including the Women's PGA Championship.
She also won as a netminder.
“My favourite hockey memory is probably when we won provincials,” Henderson told Hockey Canada about winning an Ontario title with the Smiths Falls Cubs. “It wasn’t A level, but it was B and the next year we won bronze in BB. I come from a very small town of 9,000 people, so for us to do that together and go through that long journey [was special]. That one season we won every single game and won six tournaments. It was a lot of fun and it taught me how fun winning was.”
At many times in her career, Henderson has discussed the lessons she learned playing hockey, and bringing those to the golf course.
"Being a goalie there’s a lot of pressure, and I was able to handle that pretty well,” she said. “Now playing golf for a living, having that pressure as a goalie has really prepared me for every single week out on tour."
Strangely enough this season, a Brooke Henderson did declare for the PWHL Draft, although it was another athlete of the same name who played for the University of PEI.
Being a goaltender runs in Henderson's blood as her father Dave Henderson played university hockey for the University of Toronto.
From a team sport to being alone on the course, Henderson has become one of the best in the world. She's currently ranked 16th on the planet, and despite the fact she traded ice for the greens, Henderson has always spoken fondly of her time playing hockey.
"“I loved playing hockey,” Henderson told USA Today in 2016 . “It was a pretty tough decision to stop playing. But I saw a longer future in golf for me. I was going to be too busy playing both.”
“Hockey helped make me who I am,” she said. “You remember getting hit in the face, you remember the ones that got by you. As a goalie, you are there for your team, and that’s a lot of pressure. Just like in golf, bad things happen and you just have to keep fighting and fighting...It made me physically stronger and mentally stronger.”
Luckily for Canadian fans, Henderson will keep fighting and fighting in pursuit of a gold medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
She's already captured the Bobbie Rosenfeld Award as Canada's top women's athlete three times, but now Henderson will look to take on the world.
Most Popular
Comments / 0