Brooke Henderson and Gianna Clemente Talk ShopRite LPGA Classic a Decade Apart

By Alex Sumas

 

GALLOWAY, N.J. - When Brooke Henderson and Gianna Clemente sat down Wednesday afternoon before the ShopRite LPGA Classic Presented by Acer, it was as if Henderson was talking with her younger self.

 

In 2015, Henderson kicked off her LPGA career at this event on a sponsor exemption at age 17. And this week, 16-year-old Clemente will play as an amateur on a sponsor exemption in her fifth LPGA tournament.

 

“It's super exciting [for Gianna] to be able to get the sponsors' invite this week. She's an amazing player, and I know she's going to play great the next three days,” said Henderson, who won the ShopRite LPGA Classic in 2022. The event, hosted at Seaview’s Bay Course, has a history of launching players' careers – Henderson, Paula Creamer, and Lexi Thompson all made their first LPGA starts here.

 

"It's just a great opportunity to learn as much as you can. This event has been here forever, so hopefully, it'll be here forever in the future, too, so you'll be able to learn the course and take good notes,” Henderson said to Clemente.

 

This moment isn’t lost on the amateur. “I remember going out with my dad to our local Ohio LPGA events, and I would watch Brooke the entire 18 holes and we would stay out there all day and come all four days,” Clemente said. “To be able to play alongside [the pros] after watching them from behind the ropes is really special.”

 

At the ShopRite LPGA Classic, fans are known for adopting former champions as their own. For Henderson, this week is a homecoming.

 

“I feel like that support and love has only grown, which is really cool. But it's a really fun atmosphere. A lot of holes are pretty close together, so the crowds, galleries, they really grow, and it's easy to move from one hole to the other to catch a lot of good golf,” said the 26-year-old Canadian.

 

Coming into the week, the two carry with them contrasting experiences at their last tournaments.

 

On May 19, Clemente won the modified Stableford AJGA competition with a total of 149 points. The competition was part of the Mizuho Americas Open at Liberty National Golf Club in Jersey City, NJ.

 

“It was a huge confidence boost. It's been a while since I won. I've had a lot of really good finishes, but it feels really good to finally have a win again,” she said.

 

Henderson joins the event coming off last week's U.S. Women's Open at Lancaster Country Club in PA. She closed out Thursday +10 and Friday +2, ending +12 and missing the cut.

 

“When you don't go in and do exactly what you want, you do learn a lot. The last few days I've been really trying to take the things that I needed to perform better at and try to practice those and get a little bit better physically and mentally,” she said.

 

“Last week was a tough week. This week [there are] just so many great memories here. I love this event and coming back. I love that it's three days. It makes it really fun and you know you have to go out and make birdies and climb the leaderboard as much as you can really quickly,” said Henderson.

 

As Clemente comes into the ShopRite LPGA Classic, she balances the pressure she puts on herself with her love of the game.

 

“I don't think I've set a specific expectation on myself. It's more about enjoying the week and gaining experience. Obviously, making the cut — I would say — is a good base goal. But just to play the best golf I can,” said Clemente.

 

“I feel like Gianna has had an amazing attitude just listening to her talk the last few minutes. She really has things under control,” said Henderson.

 

A decade into her career, that same love for golf is still echoed just as brightly in Henderson.

 

“Sometimes I still have to pinch myself that I get to live this dream out here on tour. Growing up as a little girl, I just wanted to get my LPGA Tour card and compete against the best in the world every single week.”