MISSISSAUGA, Ont. — Brooke Henderson didn’t cry.
It was kind of a strange feeling, she admitted, because of how much support she’s had this week. For her whole career. And this year, even though it’s been one of her worst since turning professional.
But everything turned in her favour this week, and good golf was rewarded mightily. Henderson has called 2025 “weird” on a few occasions, given statistically how poor she’s been. Still a little weird, then, that her breakthrough victory — and her first top-10 finish at a stroke-play event, even — came on home soil, where all the pressure is on her.
Henderson won the CPKC Women’s Open on Sunday by one over Minjee Lee, becoming the first Canadian golfer to win their national open more than once since 1914. Her 14th LPGA Tour title came in beautiful fashion.
“This week was beyond special. To be able to finish it off and hoist the trophy again is extremely cool. It feels super surreal still. When I won in 2018, I woke up Monday morning thinking I still had to play the final round, so I’m wondering if that nightmare will happen again tomorrow,” Henderson said with a smile.
“I feel like Canada needed a win this year, so I’m really happy to bring them one.”
Henderson and Lee, who started three shots ahead of the chasing pack Sunday at Mississauga Golf and Country Club, pulled ahead even further with matching birdies on the par-4 2nd. They both bogeyed the par-4 4th before Henderson added another birdie on No. 5, the lone par 5 on the front nine.
Lee added her own birdie on No. 8 and saved par from the thick rough behind the green on No. 9 — after Henderson got a bit of a lucky break. She tried to take a little too much off with her approach shot on the par four and ended up hitting an overhanging tree branch. But she knocked her third shot to about 15 feet and rolled in the putt.
“I think beginning of the day we were three ahead … so this golf course is quite demanding. I didn’t think there was anyone who was going to really jump super ahead (unless) they teed off maybe an hour or two before and just posted a score,” Lee said. “I felt like it would probably most likely be that, that me and Brooke would be head-to-head. After nine it seemed like that’s what kind of happened.”
Lee made birdies on both of the par fives on the back, Nos. 12 and 13, whereas Henderson could only make a par on 12 after chunking her approach from the fairway.
Henderson added another birdie on the par-3 14th from mid-range, which was the turning point of the day, as Lee hit a poor tee ball that barely crossed the hazard. Henderson then rolled in a tidy birdie on the penultimate hole on top of Lee’s effort from further away to stay one shot ahead.
Lee hit a pedestrian approach on No. 18 and couldn’t convert the birdie try. In the meantime, Henderson had nestled her first putt on the final hole to just a foot, and it was a foregone conclusion that she would tilt the trophy one more time.
The win comes at a great time in the 2025 season for Henderson as well, who had struggled, results-wise, to this point. She was also sitting at an unfathomable 112th on the tour in strokes gained: approach. This week, however, Henderson hit 75 per cent of her greens in regulation and was as dialled in as any event through 2025. She also averaged just 27 putts per round — her best of any event of the season.
Henderson switched putters earlier this week — Wednesday, in fact — to a similar model that she used last week, but one that was lighter in weight and with a more traditional weight.
“Last week I feel like I putted pretty well, but I wanted to be able to swing my hands a little bit more. So, making those changes made that so much easier. The putter actually felt good, so that’s a really good feeling for me. It’s not always the case,” Henderson said.
With the win, Henderson confirmed her spot in the CME Group Tour Championship at the end of the year (only the top 60 in the season-long points race earn their way in, and coming into the week, she was No. 53) and also the Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions in January — she had not earned a spot in that tournament since her winless drought prior to this week was since January in 2023.
Henderson also became the 23rd winner on the LPGA Tour this year (there have been no repeat winners so far), and fellow Canadian national open winner Nick Taylor quickly noticed her victory.
“Congratulations to Brooke and her team on another impressive victory! It’s incredible winning your national championship in front of Canadian golf fans,” Nick Taylor told Sportsnet via text message. “She played well all week and battled hard until the end to get it done. Amazing stuff!”
Ironically, Henderson won the 2018 CPKC Women’s Open in Regina in the first year that former tournament director Ryan Paul was at the helm of the event. This year just so happened to be the first spin in the big chair for Claire Welsch, who was hired by Golf Canada earlier in 2025. There was also, just like in 2018, a toonie inside the cup on the 18th hole. And despite the fact that Henderson hit three trees in her final round alone, sometimes in order to win, you need to have luck — and fate — on your side.
Maybe some tears to come later — but only of joy.
“Honestly, I’m surprised I’m not crying right now because it just means so much. It’s just like a little bit surreal I think,” Henderson admitted. “Everything was just meant to be this week.”
