CPKC WOMEN'S OPEN

August 18, 2026

Brooke Henderson

Royal Mayfair Golf Club

Press Conference

THE MODERATOR: All right, joining us ahead of the 2026 CPKC Women's Open is our defending champion, Brooke Henderson. Brooke, last year you became a two-time winner of this event. Can you just reflect a little bit on the win last year?

BROOKE HENDERSON: Yeah, it was so special to win last year again. Winning in 2018 was a huge career highlight, dream come true, and to be able to relive that again last year was so special.

The last victory that my sister was also on the bag for since she's been at home with her new daughter, so it's just been so much meaning to it. And having my family and friends run out onto the green after the victory was so cool.

It had been a little while since I had won on Tour, so I feel like doing it at home in front of all the crowds and fans that supported me all week was really awesome.

Q. We talked a little bit about this when you were here in July. Why do you think you don't feel sort of the weight of the spotlight in this tournament? You seem to just thrive on it, but that's not easy to do.

BROOKE HENDERSON: No, I think this week is very demanding and it's a very special week. I look forward it to every year in terms of it's a week that I would love to peak for, just like the other majors out on Tour.

And I think for the most part I've been able to really use the energy and the atmosphere of all the fans that come out to support me. There is so much love and so much just positive energy from them. I feel like I've been able to use that to my advantage a lot of years, which is really exciting.

I'm just trying to go out and play my best and trying to make it exciting for them, especially if I can get some good rounds together.

Last year coming down the stretch I felt like I was in a really great place and I had the support behind me. I knew Minjee was not going to go away. She's a really tough competitor. It's just -- that's kind of what you dream of, kind of being in those situations and in those moments.

To be able to come out on top last year was really cool.

Q. How do you feel about your game heading into this week?

BROOKE HENDERSON: The summer has been great. Having two back-to-back really top major finishes in the middle of the summer felt really like my game was back to kind of how it used to be couple years ago.

That kind of has given me a lot of confidence and a lot of momentum for the rest of this year. I'm hoping to continue to use that this week.

Q. Squeeze in one more. Is it really buggy out there?

BROOKE HENDERSON: Yeah. Everyone is finding it very buggy. So far I haven't been finding it too bad. Maybe I'm more used to it. Yeah, that will definitely be a factor this week.

Q. You've obviously been off for a couple weeks. We talked about this earlier, this stretch of big, big tournaments. Of course the last three events majors, we count this one and then I think it's five of the last six have been major championships for the most part. Big, big tournaments. How have you managed or how do you manage to stay mentally and physically just dialed in, especially for a big week like this?

BROOKE HENDERSON: It's been a great major season for me this year. It feels really nice, especially the last couple years majors haven't really been my strong suit. So to come in this year and finish really highly in a lot of majors and make every cut, it felt really great.

It has just been really nice that they kind of all have been back to back because my game found a good spot. I was like, okay, this is really exciting. I have major after major. I always consider this the sixth major on Tour. I am hoping that streak continues of good play.

I think it's -- just was really good timing so far to be able to be in a really good spot and put myself in contention.

Q. A lot of obviously personal happiness this summer with the success on the golf course. One of the parallel paths was also Ryan on the bag. When you and Brittany worked together there was a lot of stuff unsaid because it didn't need to be said. Are you the same with Ryan or how has the relationship evolved over the last couple weeks?

BROOKE HENDERSON: Yeah, for sure. I'm really happy that it was able to work out and he's been able to be on my bag for the last few months and for the great stretch of play during the middle of the summer. He's a great friend and cousin and family member.

We have a lot of history growing up playing golf together, and I think that's really helped in our relationship on course now as player and caddie.

He's continuing to learn and I am continuing to learn, but I feel like it's been a great relationship and I'm looking forward to it continuing to grow.

Q. Lat one. It is no secret there is obviously another young generation of Canadian stars coming up in the LPGA Tour and soon to be on the LPGA tour. Anna Huang won twice, Aphrodite of course had a really nice run last year. When you look at that generation, how does that make you feel? What do you think about the next generation of Canadian stars?

BROOKE HENDERSON: I think it's really exciting. The game in Canada is really growing and to see success from those ladies coming up is really cool. I feel like it's been a long time since that's been the case, or maybe ever, to have this many players playing this well, so I think the future is really bright and I think exciting this week.

I think there are 15 Canadians in the field, and I think for Canadian fans that's very exciting. Everyone will enjoy seeing all the maple leafs around the course.

Q. Just we did talk about the bugs, but this course received a ton of rain in the last couple months. Like an unprecedented amount of rain. How do you find the course conditions out there right now? And it looks like it's going to be pretty dry maybe for the next three days. How do you expect that to go?

BROOKE HENDERSON: Yeah, I heard that there is not rain forecasted for the next few days, which is really exciting as players. The course is playing well. The rough is very long, probably due to all the rain. So that will definitely be a challenge this week.

But greens are rolling really nice. They're quick and very slopey. So I think just as the week goes on and continues to be no rain it will continue to get faster and drier.

But overall, I feel like they've been able to put in course in great condition, especially with very challenging weather conditions that they've faced.

Q. Brooke, you mentioned Anna Huang, she is a teenager like you were once upon a time. She's won four times on the European Tour. Do you think she should have an LPGA card winning four times on the European Tour?

BROOKE HENDERSON: Interesting. I haven't thought that much about it, but she has been playing great and she's been in the field in a lot of LPGA tournaments this year, which has been really cool to see. She's just become a familiar face that I'm used to seeing week to week.

Yeah, I'm not really sure what the process on that should be. I know that they always are trying figure out better ways it kind of make the path to the LPGA Tour. I think they're making a lot of progress in that. I'm excited she's in the field this week.

Q. Do you look back to when you were a teenager -- she's 17 -- do you look back to those days and how difficult it was or how excited you were when you started winning as a teenager?

BROOKE HENDERSON: Yeah, for sure. It's very exciting to even be in the field of an LPGA Tour event, and when you finish well, it's just beyond anything you could have dreamt of.

I think for all the young girls in the field this week it's just a special opportunity, and I hope they can really learn a lot from it, the whole experience, and use it for when they're out here in the future.

Q. It's been a really exciting summer for you getting engaged and becoming an aunt. Talk about how those personal highlights are contributing to your mindset on the golf course.

BROOKE HENDERSON: Yeah, it's been a very exciting year for my whole family. My niece being born, and she's so cute and beautiful and I get pictures of her every day, which is really exciting. I've been able to visit her quite a bit too, which is awesome.

Then getting engaged to the love of my life was really special. He's just an incredible man and I feel like all these amazing things off the course have really helped on the course just being a little bit more relaxed and finding that freedom that all golfers kind of strive for.

So it's been a good combo this year.

Q. Just wanted to ask you about your mental approach to the game and how it's changed over the years.

BROOKE HENDERSON: Yeah, I mean, sometimes I look back to the 17 year old self and I think she had to figured out pretty well. Sometimes I kind of think back to the mindset that I approached the tournaments with when I was that age and when I was her. I try it use it now because I feel like there wasn't a lot of fear. There was just a lot of determination and I guess trying to prove myself in way and just trying object to the best I could and not really worried about too much outside noise.

So I can really appreciate that, and I definitely think back on it. In other ways I think in patience on the course I've definitely grown a lot and just being able to handle poor rounds better.

So I feel like it's been a bit of a mix of learning from the past and then also just like leaning into what worked really well in the past as well.

Q. Who do you like to watch in golf when you watch golfers?

BROOKE HENDERSON: I mean, I like to watch people that are playing really well. So any time you tune in when you're not playing, I love to see how the leaders are playing the course and what I could have done differently or if I was there would I have approached it the same way. So kind of looking at different strategies and seeing how the best players in the world are doing it.

Q. What would you say to the average amateur to practice more? What would you suggest?

BROOKE HENDERSON: Definitely short game. Probably inside 100 yards. It's usually where you can lose or gain a lot of strokes, especially around putting green, too. I'm still working on both those things, too.

THE MODERATOR: All right, perfect, thank you. Brooke.

BROOKE HENDERSON: Thank you.