NAPLES, Fla. — Brooke Henderson may be the most popular golfer at the CME Group Tour Championship.
And it has a lot more to do with her living part time about 15 miles from the Tiburon Golf Club.
Henderson is a national treasure. And that nation is Canada. So stick Henderson on a golf course in South Florida during the season, and she becomes the darling, the golfer with the one of loudest followings, and that includes the outfits.
Just ask Brent McKean, a snowbird who escapes the Toronto winters for the sunshine of Fort Myers. McKean was one of many with a bright red shirt — the second red wave to occur in our state in the last week — but what makes him stand out is the red and white Loudmouth brand shorts dotted with the country’s national symbol, the maple leaf.
And a very legible Brooke Henderson autograph from this event last year. And don’t worry, the shorts have been “hand-washed” to preserve the signature.
“I have the best fans ever,” Henderson said after shooting a 2-over 74 Friday, putting her at 2-under through two rounds. “It’s just amazing all these people are out supporting. It’s nice when you can get the momentum and the adrenaline rush on the first tee.
“It would have been nice to make a few more birdies and get them on our side.”
Oh, they are on Henderson’s side, no matter how many bogeys on her scorecard, of which there were three Friday. That one birdie, though, on No. 7, prompted loud cheers from the gallery.
Henderson, 25, has little competition as Canada’s greatest, and most popular, golfer of all time. She is a three-time winner of the Canadian Press Female Athlete of the Year (headed for her fourth), she became the first Canadian with two majors after her victory at the 2022 Evian Championship and with 12 LPGA wins she has the most victories of any Canadian golfer on major professional tours.
Henderson, a native of Smiths Falls, Ontario, is fourth among money earners on the LPGA for this season and sixth in the world rankings.
But McKean goes a step further, in fact, he goes into hallowed ground. He says she is as well-known as Wayne Gretzky, who undeniably is the country’s greatest athlete ever.
Henderson just smiled before pumping the brakes.
“Wayne’s the Great One,” she said. “That’s pretty hard to catch up to.”
Henderson could close that gap some with a victory this weekend at the LPGA’s season finale, which comes with a $2 million paycheck. A win along with a few other…
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