Brooke Henderson is used to making headlines for winning, but this year has been a struggle. With the season’s last major coming up, many are wondering—can she bounce back and find her game at the AIG Women’s Open?
Earlier in the season, her outlook was still hopeful. Ahead of the 2025 Chevron Championship, the season’s first major, LPGA pro Brooke Henderson said, “I feel like we’re pretty close. We’ve been working on a lot of things and just trying to get things trending in the right direction. This would be a great week to start that.”
Henderson is no stranger to golf’s biggest stages, having captured two major titles: the 2016 Women’s PGA Championship and the 2022 Evian Championship. Ahead of the 2025 AIG Women’s Open, the Canadian pro sat down for an interview with Sportsnet and shared her thoughts on her recent form: “It’s been really strange. But golf, and life, has a lot of ups and downs. I feel closer now than I have in a long time.” Indeed, that is true. However, despite this acknowledgement, it is undeniable that her recent form has affected her greatly.
Adding to her struggles, Brooke Henderson has missed the cut in her last two starts at the AIG Women’s Open. Now, she says ahead of the event this week, “Your confidence can dwindle pretty easily when you’re not feeling as confident over a shot as you’re used to. Ball striking is physical, obviously, but it creeps into your mental game.” And her thoughts are compounded by some telling statistics. While she shows flashes of brilliance with her driving accuracy, ranking 10th on the Tour, her struggles with strokes gained are a major concern.
Part of Henderson’s 2025 struggles may be traced to a period of adjustment after making tweaks to her swing under a new coach earlier this year. While aiming for long-term improvement, the short-term results have been inconsistent.
On the other hand, Brooke Henderson’s current season has been a far cry from her impressive 2024 campaign. As Canada’s top-ranked golfer, the 46th spot in the world rankings is a sobering reality check – her lowest ranking since turning pro in 2015. The stats tell a concerning story: just one top 10 finish in 15 starts this season, a stark contrast to the five top 10s she notched up in 2024 ahead of the AIG Women’s Open. So, her frustration with her current slump makes sense.
“Golf, and life, has a lot of ups and downs. I feel closer now than I have in a long time.”
Exclusive: Spoke with Brooke Henderson Monday before the final @LPGA major of the year. She knows 2025 has been “weird,” but has a few reasons to be optimistic.https://t.co/U79oe0RdrP
— Adam Stanley (@adam_stanley) July 29, 2025
In fact, that’s something that even veteran LPGA pro Danielle Kang can agree with. In 2018, Kang shared her issues with her gameplay, stating, “I actually can’t pull the trigger I had the swing yips, the putting yips, everything possibly you could think of. If I had a short putt, I just kept doubting myself. I couldn’t putt freely.“
Despite sharing similar frustration, however, the once-bespectacled pro is hopeful and said, “It’s all connected, but it’s been a focus point, especially the last few months and I’m making a lot of progress.” It’ll be exciting to see if Henderson’s experience and stats help her play better at the 2025 AIG Women’s Open, especially now that she knows what she needs to work on.
Brooke Henderson Faces a Crucial Short Game Test at Royal Porthcawl
At Royal Porthcawl, the course is no walk in the park. The rolling hills and hidden dips challenge every golfer, making accuracy and smart decisions more important than ever. Brooke Henderson knows what she’s up against, so she’s been spending extra time practicing, especially around the greens. She isn’t the only one, either. “You wouldn’t believe” how many players are working on their short game nearby, she noted, showing just how seriously everyone is taking the conditions.
When asked about dealing with the pressure, Henderson told Sportsnet, “Everybody knows you’re going to have to depend on the short game this week.” She’s right. On a course like this, success often comes down to those tricky chips and putts, and Henderson is hoping her hard work will pay off when it matters m
Royal Porthcawl’s classic links-style pot bunkers will test golfers’ patience and strategy, as even slight miscalculations can lead to wayward shots being swallowed up by these deep traps. The course layout for the AIG Women’s Open adds an extra layer of challenge, with the opening holes running along the boardwalk and beach, where a prevailing westerly wind will leave little room for error.
Despite her history with the event, Henderson admits that “I just have to keep going. I just have to try to piece it all together with that good four-days-in-a-row. And just building confidence.” In conclusion, all eyes will be on Brooke Henderson this week, with fans hoping she’ll bounce back from recent disappointments with a strong performance.
The post Career Ups and Downs Hurting Brooke Henderson’s ‘Confidence’, Admits Ahead of AIG Women’s Open appeared first on EssentiallySports.
