Late putting woes cost Brooke Henderson her first LPGA victory of the season

During coverage of Saturday's LPGA Coates Golf Championship final round, the Golf Channel crew spent some time analyzing Brooke Henderson's decision to go with a 48-inch driver this season.

While it has given her an extra 20 yards off the tee, the TV analysts wondered if she wasn't playing with fire.

In the end, though, they might have been more on point had they discussed her putter.

The 18-year-old sensation from Smiths Falls, Ont., headed into the final five holes with a one-stroke lead but had to settle for second place thanks to a pair of three-putt bogeys on a rain-soaked Golden Ocala Golf and Equestrian Club in Ocala, Fla.

Henderson finished at nine-under, two strokes behind Ha Na Jang of South Korea. And it was that pair of three-putts that made the difference.

While Henderson was having trouble on the soggy greens, Jang birdied the 16th to regain the lead and then added another birdie on 18 to put the icing on her first tour victory.

"It's amazing how I feel right now," the 23-year-old Korean told reporters. She finished at 11-under 277 and earned $225,000 U.S.

The day started off so well for Henderson, who is in her first full season as a member of the LPGA Tour.

Finishing up the final four holes on her rain-delayed third round, Henderson birdied the 15th, setting the stage for a dramatic 18th.

She hit a 7-wood on her second shot and landed the ball 20 feet from the pin. She then sunk the putt for an eagle. That helped her erase a three-shot deficity behind Jang and Lydia Ko.

With Ko having a disastrous day and Jang unable to build on her lead, Henderson seemed primed for victory.

But in conditions more suited to Smiths Falls than Florida, she ran into trouble on greens that by late afternoon had standing water on them.

She had hopes of at least birdie on the 18th in the final round, but landed her second shot on the edge of a creek, narrowly avoiding disaster. With an awkward stance and a tough lie, she chunked a wedge to the front of the green 75 feet away from the pin and had to settle for par.

After posting a 9-under 279, she retired to a skybox and watched in hopes of a playoff. But Jang ended those hopes authoritatively with that birdie on the 18th.

While Henderson was disappointed in her finish, it was an improvement over her performance last week in the Bahamas, where she finished in a tie for 21st place. She also has to be happy with the $151,710 she has earned this season -- fourth on the LPGA money list.