Henderson one shot back heading into final round at Women’s PGA

Henderson one – Brooke Henderson sits one shot behind Haeran Ryu heading into Sunday’s final round of the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship after a 3-under 69 at Hazeltine—buoyed by the timing of her niece’s birth and a steady Saturday that was only slightly marred by a handful o

Brooke Henderson didn’t just step onto Hazeltine for the third major of the year with nerves and a plan. She walked in this week with something far more personal.

Her niece was born just prior to Thursday’s opener at the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship. and Henderson said that joy has carried into her golf. After a steady Saturday. she’s heading into Sunday’s finale just one shot back. chasing what could be her best finish of the season—and maybe her third major title.

“It’s been an awesome week. Honestly, I think it’s just all thanks to my niece coming into this world. I’ve just been really happy. I’ve been working really hard on myself and also my game coming into this week. so I feel like it’s nice to see it pay off a bit. ” Henderson said. “Thanks to my niece. I feel like we’re riding good energy and I’m just looking forward to the opportunity tomorrow to hopefully post a good round and just see what happens.”.

Henderson posted a 3-under 69 on Saturday at Hazeltine and trails Haeran Ryu by one shot heading into Sunday. She’ll be part of the final group alongside Ryu and 36-hole leader Ina Yoon. Yoon struggled on Saturday, carding a 3-over 75.

Her round had a few twists. Henderson opened with a birdie on the par-4 2nd, but she gave that momentum back four holes later. Still, she steadied herself as the back nine began, making the turn with birdies on 8 and 9. From there, she held her line and played the kind of controlling golf that keeps pressure on everyone else.

On Saturday, her putter helped separate her from the field. She gained more than two strokes on the field with her putting, but she also knows where the round could have been cleaner. She missed six putts from inside 15 feet, including four from inside 10.

Conditions at Hazeltine have been a major factor this week, and Henderson said Saturday’s wind made everything harder—especially those shorter strokes where precision is supposed to be easier.

“On 16. I thought the wind was going to push it. so I thought the putt was going to be faster. but I ended up coming up short. I feel like it was just hard to judge all day,” Henderson said. “But overall, I feel like (my caddie) Ryan and I, we did a good job. I’m not sure what it’s going to be tomorrow. but I feel like this course kind of showed how tough it was today.”.

Henderson’s experience in this exact kind of spotlight is extensive. She has been in the final group of an LPGA event 20 times in her career and has won 11 of those 20. including her last five—most recently the 2025 CPKC Women’s Open. In major championships, she’s been in the final group of the final round four times, winning once.

So while this season hasn’t stood out for Henderson in purely results terms so far, she’s careful to understand how quickly golf can change. One strong week is sometimes all it takes.

“I think everyone in this field, that’s where they wanted to be starting Sunday was in that final group,” Henderson said. “It was just a lot of fun and good energy, and I’m excited that I was able to put myself back in that position for tomorrow.”

Now the task is simple to explain and hard to execute: turn the energy. the happiness. and the momentum into a final-round move. Henderson will go into Sunday one shot behind. surrounded by the leaders. with a chance to convert what she described this week as “good energy” into a trophy at the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship.

Brooke Henderson KPMG Women’s PGA Championship Hazeltine Women’s PGA LPGA Haeran Ryu Ina Yoon Sunday final round putter birdies majors