IRVING, Texas - On Sunday, Brooke Henderson was an 18-inch missed putt away from being in a playoff with world No. 1 Lydia Ko and her long-time role model Morgan Pressel for her first LPGA Tour title at the Swinging Skirts LPGA Classic in San Francisco. Monday, she was back to tournament golf in Dallas, trying to fight her way into the field at a Monday qualifier for the Volunteers of America North Texas Shootout Presented by JTBC.

“It was a little bit crazy. We went straight to the airport Sunday night and we didn’t have a flight when we showed up,” Henderson said. “Then we got one at 1 AM and it was delayed until 4:00 AM, so we spent most of the night in the airport. I was able to get some sleep, though, and then I slept on the plane, also.”

Henderson arrived to Dallas without even a hotel room booked for Monday night. She only decided to play the qualifier after finishing in solo third on Sunday. When she arrived at 10:00 AM for a 2:10 PM tee time, her caddie went and walked the golf course while she took a nap. Lightning and rain delayed the qualifier after she was only through 13 holes, and she had to come back and finish in the AM. When she signed her 1-under 70, she thought she was toast. She thought there was no way among the 46 players that would be in the running for one of the two qualifier spots, but 70 was good enough to get her in a four-way playoff for the last spot. After four pars on the first playoff hole, Henderson hit her third into the par-5 a foot left of where she had hit it the previous trip down the 18th. 15 feet for another opportunity to play in an LPGA event and she nailed it.

“I thought I was out, so I was happy when I found out I had the chance,” Henderson said.

As for the crazy travel schedule, well, she’s realized that’s just part of the game as a 17-year-old pro.

“It’s cool, and it’s all part of it, where I am this year, not really playing the Tour consistently, like a full schedule,” Henderson said. “I’m sort of all over and doing different things. Just the whole part of the experience, and I’m glad I was able to do both things.”

From the travel to the media attention to the shot she had on Sunday, it’s been a whirlwind of a 48 hours for Henderson. But she wouldn’t change a thing.

“It was kind of crazy. I had a putt on the 72nd hole to get into a playoff and compete for my first LPGA title,” Henderson said. “And it was an amazing experience.”

More than anything Sunday was a learning experience. In the final group – joined by Morgan Pressel, who she idolized growing up, Henderson faced the scrutiny of what it’s like to hold the lead on a Sunday. She heard the roars ahead of her, saw the massive crowds surrounding her and had to experience the feeling of watching Pressel jump out in front with the lead she’d owned for two days. Overall, outside of one squirrely tee shot at the first, she felt comfortable in each – more than she even imagined she would. When she first surged into the lead on Friday, she thought that night about what her nerves would be like Saturday afternoon teeing off in the final group of the third round and they weren’t anywhere close to as bad as she imagined. If anything, her comfort in the final group showed her she’s closer than she thought.

“I learned a ton,” Henderson said. “You know, just the whole – like I said, the atmosphere, the experience, and getting to play in the final group with TV cameras and all the people, not really pressure, but just that sense of wanting to play really well. It was a really cool experience.”

The week also served as a proving grounds of sort – a test of her game against the best in the world – and she came out feeling like her game is tracking right along the course she had hoped when she turned professional in December.

“It is right there. I’m very close,” Henderson said. “Just a few shots on Sunday, a few different mental attitudes towards a couple shots, and a couple different things, and it could have been a different story on Sunday.”

When she has that chance to write the story again, she’ll certainly mark her ball. She’s wiped the slate clean of that putt and won’t go into the what-ifs, but she’ll certainly take a lesson away from the 18 inch par putt on No. 12 that could have potentially been the difference.

“After it happened I just forgot about it,” Henderson said. “I wasn’t comfortable over it. I felt I should have waited, just took my time over it, but it was a short putt, and I’ve been putting well all week, so I figured I could just knock it in.”

She surely will next time. Maybe even as soon as this week.

17-Year-Old Brooke Henderson is Ready to Relax After a Crazy 48 Hours

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