Brooke Henderson signs with TaylorMade after lost distance due to rule

ORLANDO — Brooke Henderson and Nelly Korda warmed up side-by-side on the range Tuesday afternoon at the Hilton Grand Vacation Tournament of Champions sporting their new, red TaylorMade bags. Korda’s official announcement dropped on Monday, and Henderson’s followed on Wednesday. Canada’s all-time winningest player became the first to elevate from a TaylorMade ball deal to a full bag.

“I switched to the ball last year and really saw a big improvement in my game,” said Henderson. “Just with further testing, I really loved their clubs, and I’m really excited to make the switch this week.”

Henderson, formerly a longtime Ping player who won twice last season, including her second major, said that she gained 5 yards with her driver using the TP5x golf ball last year.

“With the driver change last year from 48 to 46, I lost a lot of distance with my driver,” she continued, “so I was trying to find some different things that could bring that back. So this driver I’ve been able to get a little bit of distance back too, which is good.”

She’s not quite to where she was distance-wise with the 48-inch driver, but gaining on it with the Stealth 2 Plus 9-degree driver.

Last spring, the LPGA instituted the Model Local Rule, which gives tours the option to limit the maximum length of a driver to 46 inches. The new local rule was put forth in October 2021 by the U.S. Golf Association and R&A.

Henderson, a 12-time winner on the LPGA had used a 48-inch driver for her entire career on tour. Known for her aggressive style, power and the way she chokes down on her clubs, Henderson finished ninth on tour in driving distance in 2021 with an average of 274 yards. Last year she dropped to 25th on the list, averaging 267 yards.

The rest of Henderson’s bag includes