Canadian golfer Brooke Henderson remained in contention Friday at the CP Women's Open in Aurora, Ont., but the tournament's defending champion didn't gain any ground, either.
Henderson was tied for third after two rounds at 9 under par, three strokes behind surprise front-runner Nicole Broch Larsen of Denmark and two strokes in back of tournament favorite Jin Young Ko of South Korea.
Looking to build off her first-day 6-under-par 66, Henderson began her second round on the 10th hole and recorded two birdies on her front nine to move to 8 under.
Defending Champ @BrookeHenderson makes par on the 18th in front of a home crowd!
— LPGA (@LPGA) August 23, 2019
She makes the turn at 8-under in Canada.#CPWO 🇨🇦 pic.twitter.com/TOv4SFO5Wt
She added only one more birdie the rest of the day — on the seventh hole — but was able to par the other holes. Her 3-under 69 kept her close to the leaders.
Henderson, who began the day one stroke off the lead, is tied with China's Yu Liu, who shot a 5-under 67 on Day 2, and Thailand's Pajaree Anannarukarn, who also carded a 69.
Defending Champ @BrookeHenderson makes par to finish her second round at 9-under par at the @cpwomensopen! pic.twitter.com/tmUkQU680p
— LPGA (@LPGA) August 23, 2019
When Henderson won this tournament last year, she also apparently won a highly contested emoji challenge. Now back in her home country to defend her title, she's answering the tough questions this week with the appropriate emoticons.
► How did it feel to win the 2018 @cpwomensopen?
— LPGA (@LPGA) August 23, 2019
► How does it feel to be the winningest Canadian golfer of all time?@BrookeHenderson answers these questions and more in our latest Emoji Challenge with @TheAmyRogers. 💪 pic.twitter.com/CpH8VE7mOa
Broch Larsen entered the tournament 89th in the LPGA's Race to the CME Globe ranking but has used back-to-back rounds of 6-under-par 66 to stake out the top position.