Brooke Henderson walked off Hazeltine National on Thursday with a 3-under-par round. But the smile on her face had nothing to do with her performance. Before she teed off at the 2026 KPMG Women’s PGA Championship, Henderson’s sister gave her wonderful news, and the Canadian star spent the day riding the wave of emotion.

“I’m so excited. My niece was born this morning before I teed off,” Henderson said at the press conference. “I’m just so happy for my sister and brother-in-law and the whole family. It’s such an exciting, wonderful time. Honestly, what a way to start the week. A perfect start to get under par; I heard my niece was born and doing very well, the tenth anniversary of when I won at Sahalee in 2016. A great day overall, and hopefully I can carry that through the rest of the weekend.”

This Thursday, Brittany, who is a former touring pro and has caddied for her younger sister since 2016 and for 13 of her 14 LPGA wins, was replaced by the golfer’s cousin. And the reason was understandably sweet.

Shortly before her tee time, her sister, Brittany, called her to inform her that she had given birth to her baby girl at 4:51 a.m. The baby’s name, Sahalee, ties the whole story together. That is the name of the golf course in Sammamish, Washington, where Henderson also won her first major championship at this very event, exactly ten years ago.

In fact, Brittany was on the bag that week, making the shared moment a winner for both sisters. At 18, Henderson became the first woman to win the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship by beating the then world number one, Lydia Ko, in a playoff with a birdie on the 18th hole.

Apart from a shared moment like that, the name “Sahalee” translates to “high heavenly grounds” in the Spokane Native American language, which made the choice all the more meaningful to the family.

On the course on Thursday, Henderson leaned on the morning’s news when things got difficult. She made four birdies over her final 12 holes and finished with a single bogey. She struck the ball cleanly throughout a tough Hazeltine setup. She has credited the emotional boost for keeping her steady through the sticky moments in the round.

Henderson is now a two-time major champion. She also won the 2022 Evian Championship in France. She currently sits at 28th in the Rolex Women’s World Golf Ranking and has made her 11th career start in this championship.

Her first-round performance also came in the 2026 season, where she is searching for consistency. She has made ten starts this season but has two missed cuts, and has largely hovered in the middle of the leaderboards. A third-place finish at the Hilton Grand Vacation tournament in February was her best result so far. She has not won since the 2025 CPKC Women’s Open. A strong week in the Hazeltine course that suits her ball striking could lead her to win this week, and what a moment that would be for the new aunt!