LPGA player’s ace wins a car for her caddie

Brooke Henderson made good on a deal she made with her sister earlier this season by giving the car she won with a hole-in-one on Thursday to her lucky sib.

Henderson, with sister Brittany on the bag this week, hit a 7-iron from 152 yards to ace the par-3 13th hole (her fourth of the day) during the opening round of the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship.

“I donate it to my sister,” the world No. 4 said after a 4-under 67 gave her a two-shot lead over Christina Kim in the women’s second major of the season. “All year this year I have walked up on the practice rounds and said, see that car, if I get it, it’s yours. I didn’t say it this week, but she ends up getting it.”

Brittany, a decent player in her own right as a fully exempt member of the Symetra Tour, was taking a wait-and-see attitude but said she would hold her sister to her word.

“I’m waiting until I actually have the keys,” Brittany told reporters about the 2016 Kia K900 that was perched above the 13th tee. “I told her ‘no take backs.’”

Brooke’s hole-in-one was not the only drama on Thursday at Sahalee Country Club outside Seattle. After completing her first round of the tournament, Inbee Park became the youngest player ever to qualify for the LPGA Hall of Fame.

Her 10th start of the 2016 season gave Park the 10-year LPGA membership requirement for HoF eligibility. She earned the 27-points needed to enter the Hall when she won her second Vare Trophy for lowest scoring average last year.

“I didn’t really think about the Hall of Fame until maybe a couple of years ago because I thought the criteria to get in the Hall of Fame was such a hard thing and I thought that I had a long ways to go,” said the 27-year-old Park, who carded a 72 to sit in a tie for 20th heading into Friday’s second round. “So I thought it was a long dream. But it definitely came quicker than I thought. And it obviously wasn’t easy to get there. There were some very hard moments and very successful moments altogether and made me who I am right now.”

Park, the 24th player to qualify for the LPGA Hall of Fame, has 17 tour wins that include seven major titles. Her 2015 Women’s British Open victory completed the career grand slam for Park, who was the 2013 Player of the Year and was the top-ranked golfer for a total of 92 weeks.

Park, who has battled a lingering thumb injury, entered the week seeking to join Walter Hagen as the only golfer on any tour since 1900 to win a single major four consecutive times.

Another player in the field hoping to continue a winning streak is current world No. 1 Lydia Ko. The 19-year-old seeking her third straight major championship was at even-par and in a 10-way tie for 10th after 18 holes.