KAPOLEI, Hawaii – For the final two days of the Lotte Championship, it was pretty clear that the only player who could beat Brooke Henderson was Brooke Henderson.

She wasn’t about to let it happen Saturday at windy Ko Olina Golf Club, where she won by four shots. The Smiths Falls, Ont., native was too talented, and she had some very important people to play for, dedicating her victory to the people involved in the Humboldt Broncos junior hockey team bus crash in Saskatchewan.

“It’s extremely sad, a terrible tragedy what happened up there,” Henderson said. “I know it kind of affected my whole country. Everybody really took it kind of personally.

“For all the survivors that are still fighting through it and all the ones that have passed away, I want to show them that we’re here for them and we’re supporting them. They’re always going to be in our thoughts and prayers.”

Canadian golfers and their caddies were wearing green and gold ribbons at the tournament this week to honour the victims of the April 6 crash. Twenty-nine people were on the team bus when it collided with a semi-truck en route to a playoff game in Nipawin, Sask. Sixteen of them have died and 13 were injured.

A champion in every way ??

Post-round interview with @BrookeHenderson: pic.twitter.com/TOL15gY5og

— Golf Canada (@TheGolfCanada) April 15, 2018

Hamilton’s Alena Sharp, who finished in a tie for 44th place at 4 over, had posted a picture on Twitter of one of the ribbons pinned to the side of her hat on Tuesday.

Henderson, who won’t be 21 until September, won her sixth LPGA Tour title, leaving her just two short of Sandra Post for most wins by a Canadian player.

She collected $300,000, giving her nearly $500,000 this year and $4 million in her three-year career. Her final-round 3-under 69 left her at 12 under, four ahead of Azahara Munoz, whose 67 was the low round on a very difficult scoring day. With the win, Henderson jumps to No. 2 on the Race to the CME Globe.

It was Munoz’s best finish in more than four years. Henderson and sixth-ranked Ariya Jutanugarn (69) were the only other golfers to break 70 on a day that featured rain squalls and winds gusting to 30 mph.

“Crazy windy again” said Henderson, who was third in greens in regulation (52 of 72) and sixth in driving distance (288.8) for the week. “Just being able to adjust to it, kind of stay poised in it. Things aren’t going to always go perfectly, but I felt like my ball striking was probably the best it’s ever been.”

6 wins on the @lpga_tour ????

A post shared by Golf Canada (@thegolfcanada) on Apr 14, 2018 at 8:32pm PDT

Jutanugarn tied for third, five back, with top-ranked Shanshan Feng (71) and third-ranked Inbee Park (72), who bogeyed the last two holes.

Henderson came into the week ranked 14th and in a comfort zone. She has never finished worse than 11th at Ko Olina.

At the halfway point, she was 10 under, bogey-free and two shots ahead. That stretched to five at the turn Friday, before putting problems brought the field back into it.

Henderson led by just one heading into the final day. She played the first 11 holes Saturday in 2 under to carve out a three-shot advantage, then faltered again. Her only bogey came on the 12th and she missed a short birdie putt at the next hole.

This time she recovered quickly, hitting driver-driver within 20 yards of the 14th green, then sinking a short birdie putt. She drained a 10-footer for another birdie one the 16th, where she four-putted Friday.

“Mentally I was in a great spot this week,” Henderson said. “I missed a couple putts, which you could argue that mentally I wasn’t there because of a couple mishits, but I think to recover from that and kind of put it in the past and then go out and make some more birdies. And, being the leader since early Thursday, that does add a little of pressure.”

Munoz and Jutanugarn put together the only serious charges of the final round. Both came up a few holes short.

Munoz, who has struggled with illness injury the past few years, climbed 13 places the final day. She was two shots back after her fifth birdie of the day, at the 14th, but parred in.

Jutanugarn, from Thailand, secured her fifth Top 10 this year but couldn’t get the eighth victory of her career. At the turn, the 2016 Player of the Year was 3 under and three back. She parred her final 11 holes.

Hawaii’s Michelle Wie tied for 11th after shooting 71.

Alena Sharp of Hamilton, Ont., finished at 4 over par in a tie for 44th. Fellow Canadians Brittany Marchand (Orangeville, Ont.) and Maude-Aimée LeBlanc (Sherbrooke, Que.) closed with shares of 50th.

HILTON HEAD ISLAND, S.C. – Ian Poulter is ready for a break after a long, eventful stretch on tour. He has one more important goal to accomplish, though, at the RBC Heritage before any time off.

“We’ll see if we have a last bit of plaid to put in the closet,” said a grinning Poulter, referring to the tartan jacket giving the winner at Harbour Town Golf Links.

The resurgent Poulter will have that chance Sunday after shooting a 4-under 67 to take a one-shot lead into the final round of the RBC Heritage, putting him in position for his second victory in three weeks.

Before April, Poulter had not won on tour in more than five years. Now, he’s one more solid round away from adding another title to his dramatic win at the Houston Open on April 1.

No joke, Poulter’s play is for real.

Seven of the Englishman’s last 11 rounds have been in the 60s after having just three such showings in his first 20 rounds this season. His latest left him at 13-under 200, and a stroke ahead of Luke List (67) and Si Woo Kim (68).

“It’s been a long six weeks,” Poulter said.

He was incorrectly told he had qualified for the Masters after a quarterfinal appearance at the WCG Match Play championship. Then down to his final try to reach Augusta National, Poulter needed a birdie on the 72nd hole to force a playoff with Beau Hossler. Poulter prevailed on the first playoff hole.

He’s kept up that stellar play at Harbour Town.

“There’s been quite a bit of lows in the last 18 months, to be honest,” Poulter said. “So if you ride the waves and you trust yourself and you believe in your ability, then hopefully, it’s still in there.”

Poulter let it out once more to move in front.

He made his run in spurts, moving out front with birdies on the fifth and six holes before getting his last two on the 12th and 13th. He saved par out of the bunker on the par-3 17th, rolling in a rock-solid 6-foot putt and making a routine par on the signature lighthouse hole, the 18th, to stay in front.

“It’s just nice to play good golf,” Poulter said.

Kim was in front at 12 under after birdies on the eighth and ninth holes. He fell back with bogey on No. 12 and could not catch Poulter down the stretch. Kim, defending champion at The Players Championship, said he was disappointed in himself for feeling nervous early here. “I think it’s going to motivate me to be more aggressive and play well,” he said.

List took off with three straight birdies on Nos. 14-16. List, who finished second earlier this season at the Honda Classic, is seeking his first PGA Tour win. List has withdrawn, tied for 39th and missed the cut in his three Harbour Town appearances. He had set the week up as a family vacation with a little golf involved. That’s changed. “I never really thought I’d play well here, but it’s kind of all come together,” he said.

Second-round leader Bryson DeChambeau had the confident stride of a pending winner with his first solo 36-hole lead as a pro – at least until the third round got going. After grabbing a two-shot lead with a birdie on No. 1, DeChambeau imploded with a triple-bogey eight on the normally birdie-able par-5 second.

DeChambeau struck his second shot past the green and out of bounds by some condos. He fluffed his fifth shot into a bunker, then missed a 5-foot putt for the dreaded snowman.

Three holes later, DeChambeau botched another par 5, the fifth, by rolling his blast from a bunker off the green and into a sprinkler cover.

“Unbelievable what’s happened on the par fives today,” DeChambeau said as he saw his ball.

DeChambeau had been 6-under par on Harbour Town’s three par 5s the first two rounds. He played them in 3-over Saturday on the way to a 75 to fall seven shots back.

In his only two previous appearances here, world No. 1 Dustin Johnson missed the cut badly – at 16 over in 2008 and 5 over in 2009. This time, he to channel the game that’s made him the world’s top-ranked golfer for more than a year. Instead, Johnson had bogeys on four of his first 11 holes before rallying to finish with a 72 and was 10 shots in back of Poulter.

Again, Johnson pointed to putter problems this week. Johnson missed five birdie putts of 16 feet or less on the front nine. “Around here, you’ve got to hole some putts if you want to compete,” he said.

Poulter and his chasers will have a quick turnaround Sunday with tour officials starting play at 7 a.m. and going off in threesomes on both tees because of expected bad weather in the afternoon.

HILTON HEAD ISLAND, S.C. – Bryson DeChambeau shot a career-best 7-under 64 on Friday to take the lead into the weekend at the RBC Heritage Classic.

DeChambeau’s first event as a pro was at Harbour Town Golf Links in 2016. Two years later, he posted his lowest ever on the PGA Tour to get to 10-under 132, one ahead of red-hot Ian Poulter and Si Woo Kim.

Poulter showed he’s not done playing high-level golf with a bogey-free 64. Kim, The Players Championship winner, had a 65 that included a two-shot penalty for touching sand after a bunker shot.

Two shots behind DeChambeau were Chasson Hadley (68), past RBC Heritage winner Brandt Snedeker (64), Luke List (64) and first-round leader Rory Sabbatini (70).

World No. 1 Dustin Johnson shot a second straight 69 and was tied for 26th, six shots off the lead.

Mackenzie Hughes of Dundas, Ont., Corey Conners of Listowel, Ont., Nick Taylor of Abbotsford, B.C., and David Hearn of Brantford, Ont., all missed the cut.

DeChambeau, 24, jump started his round with an eagle on the par-5 and took over the lead with birdies on the 13th, 15th, 16th and 17th holes. He made a knee-knocking, 12-footer for par on the 18th hole after his approach landed in a front-side bunker. DeChambeau pumped his fist when the ball curled in, as pleased with his improved putting as his composure at rallying late to the lead.

“Two years, it’s time,” DeChambeau said.

He won for the first time on tour last summer, shooting a pair of 65s on the way to taking the John Deere Classic. He’s had three top 10s this season, including a second last month at the Arnold Palmer Invitational. DeChambeau’s certain his play at Harbour Town is simply the next step in his progress to the top.

“I’m figuring out a lot of great things that are helping me on the golf course,” he said.

Poulter’s learned plenty the past few weeks. He was the talk of golf two weeks back with his stunning playoff win at Houston Open where he made a 20-foot birdie putt on the 72nd hole to force a playoff, then beat Beau Hossler on the first extra hole to gain entrance to Augusta National.

After an opening 69 at Harbour Town, Poulter put on a dazzling second-round, bogey-free display.

Poulter briefly took the lead alone with a 16-foot birdie on the par-3 seventh. He had a chance to reach 10-under, but lipped out an 8-footer on his final hole, the ninth. Poulter has shot five sub-70 rounds in his last six times around Harbour Town.

Poulter said his Houston victory wiped away any concerns holding him back. “The win helps a lot,” he said. “I can free myself up in my mind. I can start attacking pins and just play free golf. And when you’re in that position, sometimes the game feels easy when sometimes it isn’t.”

Even more remarkable than Poulter’s play may have been Kim’s scoring. He posted nine birdies along with a triple-bogey 6 on the par-3 14th where he was assessed a two-stroke penalty for touching the sand when he scrubbed the fringe of a bunker following a shot.

Kim quickly erased the error from his mind – and the scorecard – with birdies on the next three holes to regain his lost shots.

“This might be the first time that I’ve played so well with a triple bogey,” Kim said. “But I’m having great feel around the greens and I feel really confident.”

Johnson again played simply and steadily in his first Harbour Town appearance in nine years. His game remains good, his confidence high despite so many golfers between him and the lead. “I feel like I’m playing really solid,” he said. “I’m giving myself some chances and looking forward to the weekend.”

Much of the field thrived in mild, sunny conditions where even the course’s typically difficult closing stretch of No. 16, No. 17 and No. 18 along windy Calibogue Sound played much tamer than a typical round. Japan’s Satoshi Kodaira followed his 73 on Thursday with the lowest round of the tournament so, a 63, on Friday. Michael Kim went from an opening 76 to 66 in the second round. Dru Love, the son of five-time RBC Heritage champion Davis Love III, improved 11 strokes from his first round with his 66 on Friday.

In all, there were 53 rounds in the 60s among the 130 players who competed Friday.

Among those missing the cut were Paul Casey, Marc Leishman and Tyrell Hatton, all ranked among the top 20.

KAPOLEI, Hawaii – Canadian Brooke Henderson kept giving herself chances to run away from the field Friday at the Lotte Championship.

Instead, she had to be satisfied with barely hanging onto the lead.

After two nearly flawless, bogey-free days at windy Ko Olina Golf Club, the 20-year-old from Smiths Falls, Ont., looked all too human in a frustrating third round that saw the wind switch directions.

Then again, so did nearly every other player.

Henderson will take a one-stroke advantage over 2014 Women’s British Open champ Mo Martin, whose eagle on the 13th kept her at even-par for the day, into the final round.

The leader was 3 over on the final three holes, four-putting the 16th for double-bogey. Henderson, who has already won five times on the LPGA Tour, finished with a 1-over 73 left her at 9 under.

She led by five early on the back nine, but 35 putts – she needed just 50 the first two days combined – had her trying to focus on the fact she still led at all.

“I’ve been kind of struggling with my putting all year,” Henderson acknowledged. “The first few rounds I had it going and I felt confident with it; then on the back nine I just kept missing. I just felt like that every single putt and kind of got a little bit down. That’s always a terrible way to be, especially when you’re still leading the tournament.”

Highlights from round 3 @LPGALOTTE ?@BrookeHenderson carries a 1-stroke lead into the final round ???? pic.twitter.com/7z6eGVT37N

— Golf Canada (@TheGolfCanada) April 14, 2018

“I would’ve liked it to be a lot more, but one shot is good. I know there are still a ton of really talented players really close behind me, so I’ll have to go out and make a lot of birdies and hopefully it’s my day,” added Henderson.

Japan’s Nasa Hataoka, who is a year younger than Henderson, had a 68 to climb into a tie for third with third-ranked Inbee Park, two shots back.

Hataoka won the 2016 Japan Women’s Open Championship, becoming the first amateur – and youngest – to win a Japan LPGA major. Friday, she was one of the few to go low at Ko Olina, putting for eagle three times.

“The wind was totally the opposite. It was really confusing,” said Park, who shot 71. “Some holes I was going into the wind I couldn’t really judge the distances. I don’t think I ever played this wind before on this course in five, six years.”

Even top-ranked Shanshan Feng struggled. Her 74 was only her second over-par round of the year. She shares fifth with Lizette Salas, three back of Henderson. Salas, who lost a playoff at Lotte in 2013, shot 70 despite breaking her driver on the second hole.

She called it a “big oops” on Friday the 13th.

“I got a little frustrated for missing a short putt, and then I tossed, quote/unquote, my putter at my bag,” Salas said. “I guess the head landed on the shaft and when I took it out at the next hole, it went (bending noise).”

Daniela Iacobelli and Pernilla Lindberg, fresh off a major victory at the ANA Inspiration, share seventh at 5 under. Qualifier Julieta Granada and second-year player Peiyun Chien, from Taiwan, shot 67 – low round of the day – to join a group of six another shot back.

Jeongeun Lee, a Korean LPGA player here on a sponsor exemption, also shot 67 and is at 4 under. That’s one ahead of Hawaii’s Michelle Wie, whose 69 moved her up 13 spots, to 18th.

After Friday’s frantic finish, who knows how many are in contention Saturday?

“I would’ve liked it (her lead) to be a lot more, but one shot is good,” Henderson said. “I know there are still a ton of really talented players really close behind me, so I’ll have to go out and make a lot of birdies and hopefully it’s my day.”

Brittany Marchand of Orangeville, Ont., was 2 over after a 74, Hamilton’s Alena Sharp (73) was 4 over and Maude-Aimee Leblanc (76) of Sherbrooke, Que., was 5 over.

VICTORIA, B.C. – Team Canada’s Development Squad boys and girls teams both finished atop the leaderboards in Thursday’s qualifying event at Bear Mountain Golf Resort & Spa to secure a spot to play in the Toyota Junior Golf World Cup.

In the boys division, Canada traded shots with Mexico through the 54-hole event but found themselves trailing heading into the final stretch. A late push by the four-man Canadian squad saw the contingent force a tie for the lead after going 5 under collectively on the final three holes. The two teams netted out tied at 23 over par, each grabbing one of two qualifying spots available on the boys side.

Canada was led by rookie Johnny Travale of Stoney Creek, Ont., who closed with a 1-under-par 70 to finish in solo second. The 17-year-old’s round was highlighted by an eagle on the par-5 18th, which helped lift Canada into the eventual tie with Mexico.

Medallist honours was won by Mexico’s Mauricio Figueroa, who concluded the event with a three-stroke cushion over the field at 1 over par (77-69-68).

In the girls division, Quebec’s Céleste Dao paced the Canadians to victory with a collective score of 5 over par (73-74-71). The Canadian trio finished nine strokes clear of runner-up Mexico, earning the one available spot in the girls division.

“My putting game was really good this week – I rolled the ball like I wanted to,” said Dao, who was quick to credit the new centralized program at Bear Mountain. “It’s a great program, going to the gym, being with the team and practicing, also learning so much preparing for college – it’s great.”

Not far behind was teammate Monet Chun of Richmond Hill, Ont., who posted a total score of 8 over par (76-72-73) to finish solo second.

Canada will be among 23 other nations to compete in the upcoming Toyota Junior Golf World Cup which takes place June 10-15 at the Chukyo Golf Club in Toyota City, Japan. Canada’s most-recent finish at the event was in 2016 with an 11th place result in the boys division.

Click here for full scoring.

HILTON HEAD ISLAND, S.C. – Rory Sabbatini shot a 7-under 64 for his lowest round ever at Harbour Town Golf Links and a two-stroke lead Thursday in the RBC Heritage, with top-ranked Dustin Johnson five shots behind.

The talk leading up to the tournament was of the return of Johnson, the South Carolina native who grew up about three hours northwest of here yet had not played in the Palmetto State’s lone PGA Tour stop since 2009. But it was Sabbatini who quickly moved to the top in perfect, windless conditions on what’s typically one of the most wind-swept layouts of the year.

Matt Kuchar, Billy Horschel, Chesson Hadley and John Huh shot 66s. Johnson had a run of four straight birdies in the middle of his round, but ended up with a 69. He was tied for 20th.

Sabbatini, starting on No. 10, birdied four holes on his front nine. He made a 52-foot putt on the par-3 14th and put his approach on No. 18 – the Pete Dye course’s signature hole with the lighthouse in the backdrop – to about 7 feet to set up another birdie.

“I think anytime you can birdie 18 on this golf course, it’s key because 18 is not a very forgiving hole,” he said.

Sabbatini, the last of whose six PGA Tour wins came in 2011, kept up the strong play with three more birdies coming in. He closed the round with consecutive birdies on his final two holes, the eighth and the ninth.

“All things considered, the course is probably as easy as I’ve ever seen it play,” Sabbatini said.

Sabbatini wasn’t sure he’d even tee it up after hurting his back Sunday while working on his stance. He received treatment every day since and decided to go as long as he good. Turns out it was all the way to the end. Sabbatini even got a bonus on his final tee box when he finally got his back to pop after stretching on No. 9 to make himself feel better. “And it kind of releases everything for the closure of the last hole,” he said.

Sabbatini surpassed his previous Harbour Town low of 66 in the 2009 final round when he tied for eighth, his best showing in eight previous appearances.

Johnson, ranked No. 1 for more than a year, won at Kapalua and has four other top 10s since January including last week at the Masters where he tied for 10th in the year’s first major. He looked to continue his strong play at Harbour Town where he posted 10 birdies to one bogey during Wednesday’s pro-am.

However, things did not come as easily for Johnson in his first time here since 2009.

Johnson took bogey on his second hole, the 11th. He caught fire in mid-round, starting a run of four straight birdies on the 18th hole. But Johnson missed 8-foot par putts on the fifth and sixth holes and took one more bogey on his closing hole, the ninth.

“I haven’t played here in a while, so it’s definitely a little bit different being here,” Johnson said.

Kuchar, playing with Johnson, took advantage of the mild conditions to get himself in early positon for his second tartan winner’s jacket.

Kuchar, ranked 21st in the world, stood at 1 under after his first 11 holes before birding four of his final seven – all on putts of 15 feet or less – to move into second.

Kuchar said the move from Augusta National’s massive greens to Harbour Town’s tiny greens was a big difference. “Once you get on these greens, you feel like you have a chance to make putts,” he said. “To come from last week where getting on the green doesn’t mean much, you still have a lot of work to go.”

Kuchar tied for 28th at the Masters last week.

KAPOLEI, Hawaii – Canada’s Brooke Henderson remained bogey-free Thursday to take the second-round lead in the Lotte Championship.

Henderson, the 20-year-old from Smiths Falls, Ont., ranked 14th in the world, birdied four of her first six holes to surge into the lead in relatively calm morning conditions. She finished with a 6-under 66 at Ko Olina Golf Club – the day’s low round – to get to 10 under.

No one could catch the five-time LPGA Tour winner as the wind gusted to 20 mph later in the day.

“I think going birdie-birdie to start allowed me to be kind of more aggressive, knowing that I already made up two shots, which is good,” Henderson said. “On my back nine I started to not be as aggressive, kind of laid back a little bit. I kind of got into more trouble, so I went back to my aggressive ways.”

Catching up with 36-hole @LPGALOTTE leader @BrookeHenderson ???? pic.twitter.com/aSI4ifLdLa

— Golf Canada (@TheGolfCanada) April 13, 2018

“I feel like I’m in a great spot obviously at the top,” said Henderson, who has held the 36-hole lead during four of her five career LPGA wins, including at the 2016 KPMG Women’s PGA Championship. “I feel like I’m hitting the ball really well and I can depend on my putting right now, which is a big key for me when I’m playing well.”

Highlights from @BrookeHenderson’s bogey-free, 6-under 66 ? pic.twitter.com/Ps30Ykm9nA

— Golf Canada (@TheGolfCanada) April 13, 2018

Top-ranked Shanshan Feng, the first-round leader, was two strokes back with Mo Martin after a bogey-free 69. Martin, the 2014 Women’s British Open, had a 67.

Pernilla Lindberg and Inbee Park were together again on the leaderboard at 6 under, two weeks after Lindberg beat Park on the eighth extra hole in the major ANA Inspiration. Lindberg shot 68 and Park had a 69. Lindy Duncan also was 6 under after a 68.

Hawaii’s Michelle Wie, who has risen 100 spots to No. 13 since last March, made her 16th straight cut. She was 1 over after a 73. Defending champion Cristie Kerr also shot 73 and was another shot back.

Brittany Marchand of Orangeville, Ont., carded steady rounds of 72 in her first LPGA event of 2018 – the Team Canada Young Pro Squad member sits tied for 24th at even par.

Maude-Aimee Leblanc of Sherbrooke, Que., shot 72 and Hamilton’s Alena Sharp struggled with a 78 to make the cut on the mark at 3 over par.

The $2 million LPGA Tour event ends Saturday.

KAPOLEI, Hawaii – Canadians Brooke Henderson and Alena Sharp battled a windy first round at the Lotte Championship to both sit inside the top five though 18 holes of action.

Henderson, a Smiths Falls, Ont., native, carded a 4-under-par 68 to sit one back of Shanshan Feng, the early leader. Haeji Kang and rookie Martina Edberg are also shot back of in second place .

The 20-year-old Henderson is in search of her sixth victory. She is ranked 14th, while the pair she shares second with are a bit farther back. Henderson finished T11 at this event in 2017 and T10 in 2016.

“The wind was very strong today, quite challenging, especially on the back nine,” said Henderson. “But I was able to make a couple par saves to keep myself in it and make birdie putts when I could. I’m happy, and hopefully I can just do something similar the next few days.”

Fellow Canadians Alena Sharp, Anne-Catherine Tanguay, Brittany Marchand and Maude-Aimee Leblanc joined Henderson in wearing green and gold ribbons in memory of those killed in the Saskatchewan bus crash involving the Humboldt Broncos junior hockey team.

“Yeah, you know, to be able to honour them and to remember those that have passed away and all the survivors that are fighting for their life and overcoming the injuries that they had there,” added Henderson. “It was pretty terrible what happened. They’re in my thoughts and prayers.”

Sharp, a Hamilton, Ont., product, shot a 3-under 69 playing with a heavy heart.

“Yeah, it’s such a tragic thing that happened,” said Sharp after her 3-under 69 on Wednesday in Hawaii. “I played hockey growing up and we were on a lot of bus trips. You just can’t imagine what it’s like. They’re young men and it’s just so sad. I just wanted to show our support any way we could. We’re (LPGA) going to Saskatchewan this summer to the [CP Women’s]Canadian Open and we just wanted to show the community we’re there and supporting them.”

On Wednesday, Sharp tweeted a picture of the yellow and green ribbon she was wearing to honour the victims. Fellow Canadians Anne-Catherine Tanguay, Brittany Marchand and Maude-Aimee LeBlanc joined as well.

Here we go round 1 @LPGALOTTE All Canadian players and their caddies are representing Humboldt with these ribbons. Thanks @sarahsherpa for the thoughtful gesture #humboldtstong pic.twitter.com/AEvdF8IwfT

— Alena Sharp (@AlenaSharp) April 11, 2018

Sharp is part of a six-way tie at 69, with third-ranked Inbee Park, qualifier Julieta Granada, Mo Martin, Lizette Salas – who lost a playoff here in 2013 – and 2018 Kia Classic winner Eun-Hee Ji.

Marchand was even, Leblanc was 1 over and Tanguay was 9 over.

Top-ranked Shanshan Feng birdied three of her last five holes Wednesday to take the lead halfway through a windy first round of the Lotte Championship.

The Chinese star finished at 5-under 67 at Ko Olina Golf Club. She is the first golfer from China – female or male – to reach No. 1 in the world rankings. She insists she “gets more excited” in the wind, which should make Ko Olina an ideal site for her this week.

“A lot of people would be like worrying, thinking ‘Oh, my God, it’s so windy,”’ Feng said. “I wake up and I’m like, ‘Yeah, it’s windy.’ That’s why in this kind of situation I still stay patient on the course and still stay with my routine.”

Kang, from South Korea, stands at No. 295. Edberg, from Sweden, is ranked 850th in her first LPGA start. She was a two-time Big West Conference champion during her college career at Cal State Fullerton.

Defending champion Cristie Kerr shot 71 and called the conditions “an average wind for here.” She played with Hawaii’s Michelle Wie, the 2014 Lotte champ. Wie double-bogeyed her 15th hole to finish at even par.

“I feel like back in the day I was really used to the wind here because I played in it every week,” Wie said about one of her home courses growing up. “Now that I’m living on the mainland and come back I get a little surprised by it.”

Pernilla Lindberg shot 70 in her first start since beating Park in an eight-hole playoff in the year’s first major.

The $2 million LPGA tournament ends Saturday.

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla., April 11, 2018 – The LPGA today announced Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina as the presenting sponsor of the brand-new LPGA Q-Series. The LPGA also announced that the first edition of the revamped final stage of the LPGA Qualifying Tournament will take place at Pinehurst Resort in North Carolina from Oct. 22-Nov. 3, 2018.

Blue Cross NC has signed a three-year deal to be the presenting sponsor of the LPGA’s Q-Series.

“Blue Cross NC is proud to have this chance to make a meaningful investment in female leadership and empowerment,” said Reagan Greene Pruitt, Blue Cross NC Vice President of Integrated Marketing and Community Engagement. “We encourage women to find their own ways to Live Fearless, whether that’s through adopting healthy diet and lifestyle choices, making informed health care choices for themselves and their families, or even attempting to qualify for the LPGA Tour. We hope these talented golfers inspire women and girls of all ages to test the limits of their comfort zones as they pursue their Live Fearless dreams.”

At the 2017 CME Group Tour Championship, the LPGA first announced that Q-Series will replace LPGA Qualifying School Final Stage, which was previously held annually in Daytona Beach, Florida.

Instead of 90 holes like the old Final Stage, the new Q-Series will be 144 holes. Players will compete in two, four-day tournaments with cumulative scores over the eight rounds for a $150,000 purse, which will be distributed at the end of the eight rounds.

“We’re very happy that Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina has decided to partner with the LPGA in the launch of the Q-Series,” said LPGA Commissioner Michael Whan. “Together we will identify the next group of LPGA stars through this new and exciting format. Pinehurst Resort will provide a world-class platform for the competitors in their quest to qualify for the LPGA Tour, all in an enhanced format that we’re really excited to showcase in October.”

The LPGA will debut the new Q-Series at the historic Pinehurst Resort in Pinehurst, North Carolina, which has hosted several prestigious tournaments including the 2014 U.S. Women’s Open.

The first week of the LPGA Q-Series presented by Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina will be played on the George and Tom Fazio-designed Pinehurst Course No. 6 from Oct. 24-27, while the Q-Series will conclude on the Rees Jones-designed Pinehurst Course No. 7 from Oct. 31- Nov. 3, 2018.

“Championship women’s golf has a long history at Pinehurst,” Tom Pashley, Pinehurst Resort’s president said. “Pinehurst has hosted the Women’s North & South Amateur since 1903, and past champions include legends such as Louise Suggs, Estelle Lawson Page and Peggy Kirk Bell as well as more recent major champions Yani Tseng, Brittany Lang, Morgan Pressel and Danielle Kang. We’re pleased the LPGA has chosen Pinehurst for the inaugural Q-Series.”

There will be no cut for the LPGA Q-Series field, which will include players who finished 101 to 150 and ties on the current-year LPGA official money list as well as players 11 to 30 and ties from the Symetra Tour official money list. A maximum of 10 spots will go to players in the top 75 of the Rolex Women’s World Golf Rankings while the top five collegiate players in the country (according to Golfweek/Sagarin College Rankings) will also be exempt into Q-Series. The field will be rounded out by top finishers from Stage II of Qualifying School. The number of players who will advance from Stage II to Q-Series will be determined prior to the start of Stage II.

At minimum, the top 45 finishers and ties from Q-Series will receive LPGA membership in category 14 of the LPGA Priority List, with the rest earning Symetra Tour membership. For a comparison, at the 2017 Final Stage 20 players earned their full LPGA cards.

“What I like most about the Q-Series is that it will be a true test for how players will qualify for the LPGA Tour,” Whan said. “The playing status earned by competitors at Q-Series will be a direct reflection of eight rounds of head-to-head competition on a demanding test of golf at Pinehurst Resort.”

As part of the updated Q-Series, the LPGA is also announcing relaxed rules for amateurs. Amateurs will be able to play all stages of the new LPGA Qualifying School, and those who earn LPGA status at Q-Series can defer acceptance of LPGA membership until July 1st the following year but cannot play as an amateur on the LPGA with Q-Series status. As in previous years, players can join and play on the Symetra Tour as an amateur (can turn professional at any time or remain as an amateur).

The revamped LPGA Qualifying School also has new age requirements. Players age 16 can now compete for Symetra Tour membership in only Stage I and Stage II, if they turn 17 by the end of the year. Players can compete in Q-Series at age 17 if they turn 18 by the end of the year, otherwise a petition process applies.

Stage I of Qualifying School will be held from Aug. 20-26, 2018 at Mission Hills Country Club in Rancho Mirage, California, while Stage II will be Oct. 13-18, 2018 in Venice, Florida at the Plantation Golf and Country Club.

If you’re a golfer who has been in the business world for any length of time, then the gist of this blog will be much like, as the old saying goes, preaching to the choir.

You understand the inestimable value of being able to spend a few relatively uninterrupted hours in a scenic setting with valued clients, co-workers or colleagues. For the most part, it’s less about golf than it is about building relationships.

But if you’re new to golf or the business world or both, then it’s well worth your time to read on.

Yes, golf is a sport but it can be as valuable a business tool as your smartphone. Perhaps more so, as it presents the opportunity to foster a personal bond as opposed to a virtual one.

Although it may seem more intimidating than your phone, golf comes with an owner’s manual, too. You just have to know how to find it. Consider this your “Quick Start Guide.”

First, get over the misconception that you have to be a good golfer. Everyone was a beginner at some point. Ask a golfing friend about where to take lessons or contact a local course. After just a few lessons, you’ll be good to go.

You don’t even have to buy your own clubs initially as just about every course has rental sets available. You might want to buy a decent pair of golf shoes and some balls, though. These are questions you can ask the PGA of Canada professional from whom you are taking lessons.

(Before we go any further, let’s be clear that this is intended for both men and women. If you’re a woman and remain unconvinced, then check out Leslie Andrews’ book, Even Par: How Golf Helps Women Gain the Upper Hand in Business or On Course for Business: Women and Golf by Suzanne Woo. There are many women-only golf clinics as well, so check with your local golf clubs or search them out online.)

There is no other activity like golf where you can connect socially to such an extent. This relates not only to the golf you may play with business associates but also to the relationships you will build when you play golf recreationally. If you join a club, you will meet lots of fellow members, some of whom may represent business opportunities.

There’s more to golf than swinging a club. If you’re going to golf for business as well as recreational purposes, you should know the basic lingo, rules and etiquette—Golf Canada’s easy guide is a great start. Another of the best and most reliable online sources for this essential information has been created by Brent Kelley at www.thoughtco.com.

That about wraps up your Quick Start Guide. Follow these few simple steps and, come next spring, you won’t shy away from playing in the company tournament or entertaining clients on the golf course. Who knows? You might even play for fun like the rest of us.