'Hopefully I inspired somebody': Brooke Henderson putting positive spin on seventh-place showing in Olympic golf
In the end, she came up just short, tied for seventh after Saturday's final round at the Olympic Golf Course
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RIO DE JANEIRO — The hopes of a nation weighed heavily on Brooke Henderson’s 18-year-old shoulders.
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Inbee Park made sure the women’s golf tournament at the Olympics was nowhere near as dramatic as the men’s.
The 28-year-old Korean fired a 5-under 66 on Sunday to finish the four-day tournament at 16-under to win the gold medal by five strokes.
In the men’s tournament, Justin Rose of England and Henrik Stenson of Sweden battled for the entire final round, with Rose winning it with a great chip and putt on the last hole.
Park, ranked fifth in the world, shot 5-under three times in four days to easily outdistance silver medallist Lydia Ko of New Zealand and bronze-medal winner Shanshan Feng of China.
“I feel extremely honoured and proud that I get to win a gold medal in the Olympic Games,” Park said. “It feels truly unreal. I am just so happy to be standing on the highest spot on the podium. I have won many tournaments, but I have never felt this before.”
Perhaps the biggest winner here was women’s golf, which received some tremendous international television exposure and proved to be a popular attraction in its Olympic debut.
“Before coming here we had some negative press, but I think we have all proved what an amazing week it was for golf, for the women’s game,” said Ko, the world’s top-ranked player. “I have learned so much from this experience.”
Ted Wyman
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She entered the women’s golf tournament at the Olympic Games ranked third in the world and the Smiths Falls, Ont., teenager was a serious medal threat. She wanted the medal badly — for herself, for her country — and, for most of the tournament, she played well enough to earn it.
In the end, she came up just short, tied for seventh after Saturday’s final round at the Olympic Golf Course, just two strokes out of a bronze medal. In the big picture, it’s a remarkable accomplishment for someone so young, but that didn’t make her feel any better as the medals were handed out. Still, she put on a brave face after it was all over.
“I’ve learned a lot about myself, on and off the course this week, which I think is always a good thing,” she said, the emotion evident in her voice as she tried to put a positive spin on the situation. “A lot of them are personal things, but just handling situations. I’ve had some rough weeks, so coming here and trying to improve was a big goal for me and I think I did that.”
A difficult stretch at the end of Friday’s third round — she was 4-over on the final six holes — and some struggles with the putter in key situations Saturday combined to keep her off the podium. She was really just a missed putt here, missed putt there from getting into a playoff for the bronze medal.
“She’ll have felt that she left a few putts out there over the course of the four days,” Canadian coach Tristan Mullally said. “She certainly created enough chances to warrant a chance at some medals.”
Despite not being at her best, Henderson was within striking distance of the podium throughout the final round.
A missed birdie attempt from four feet on the 17th hole meant she needed an eagle on the 18th to have any kind of chance at the podium. She went for the green in two, but wound up making a birdie to finish at 4-under for the day and 8-under for the tournament.
Inbee Park of Korea finished at 16-under to win gold. New Zealand’s Lydia Ko was second, at 11-under, while Shanshan Feng of China was a shot back in third. Canada’s other entrant, Alena Sharp, was 1-over for the tournament.
As Henderson walked off the course, a fan in the crowd shouted “Canada is proud of you, Brooke,” which certainly caught her attention. She turned and waved and talked about the “amazing support” she received during the week.
“Hopefully I inspired somebody,” she said.
There’s no doubt she did. Just a few weeks away from her 19th birthday, she is already a major winner on the LPGA Tour and one of the sport’s rising stars.
“If she can score and have a chance to win an Olympic medal in a field as strong as this, when she hasn’t brought her absolute best game, it stands to how good she is,” Mullally said.
“When she walks away and looks back, I think she’ll be proud of how she played. One of the things she’s getting better at is playing and scoring well even when she’s not feeling like she’s playing awesome.”
Henderson will return to Canada to compete in the Canadian Pacific Women’s Open in Calgary, where she’ll try to build on what already has been a tremendous season on the LPGA Tour.
Unlike most of the athletes who compete here for Canada — who might not receive any time on the big stage in front of national TV cameras for another four years — players like Henderson have big events almost every week.
“She’s having that experience that other athletes have,” Mullally said. “She’s played well enough to medal and hasn’t. She’s disappointed that she hasn’t. We’re lucky in golf that we have so many championships between those (Olympic) years.”
As for Henderson, so poised and focused in her demeanour on the course, so sure of her swing and shots with all the clubs in her bag, it’s easy to forget she’s barely an adult.
Inbee Park is 10 years older than Henderson.
By the time Henderson reaches 28, she might have played in three Olympics.
She’ll be a good bet to have a medal around her neck by then.