Brooke Henderson leads Canadian trio into 1st LPGA major of season

The Chevron Championship has left the California desert for the woods of suburban Houston, and that means top-ranked Lydia Ko has dealt with some new challenges while preparing for the LPGA's first major of the year.

"I was sneezing so much. I told that to my husband. 'I was like, I broke the course record in sneezing,"' Ko said. "But he only heard the course record, and he was like, 'You must have played great.' And I was like, 'No, I meant in sneezing,' because there's a lot of pine trees here and I have allergies."

Ko picked up some allergy medication after her practice round in hopes it'll keep the sneezing at bay when the tournament begins Thursday. The 132-player field features nine past champions, including Jennifer Kupcho, last year's winner.

The event will be held at The Club at Carlton Woods for the first time after its long run at Mission Hills Country Club in Rancho Mirage, Calif., since 1972 — and as a major since 1983. Known informally as the Dinah Shore after its actress founder, Chevron took over the tournament sponsorship and moved it to the Houston area, where Chevron has a huge presence downtown with some 8,000 employees.

Canada's Brooke Henderson, ranked seventh in the world, will tee it up looking for her third career major victory.

The 25-year-old said that she tries to stick to her usual preparation routines while being mindful of playing on some of the biggest stages in women's golf.

"Everyone has these weeks circled on their calendar and they're trying to peak for these events, but at the same time, you can't go too far outside of what you're comfortable with and what you're used to," said Henderson, while seeking shelter from the rain at The Club at Carlton Woods. "We play almost every week out