Canada’s Adam Hadwin will tee off in Thursday’s first round of the Masters alongside Patrick Reed and Charley Hoffman at 11:15 a.m.

Mike Weir, the 2003 champion, will tee off at 8:52 a.m.

Tiger Woods will tee off at 10:42 a.m. with Marc Leishman and Tommy Fleetwood.

Defending champion Sergio Garcia, Justin Thomas and amateur Doc Redman will be in the group behind Woods. Bubba Watson, Henrik Stenson and Jason Day will tee off behind them, creating a star-studded stretch of golf at the year’s first major.

Phil Mickelson, Rickie Fowler and Matt Kuchar will tee off in the afternoon, at 1:27 p.m.

Rory McIlroy, who is going for the career Grand Slam, tees off at 1:38 p.m., followed by 2015 Masters champion Jordan Spieth. World No. 1 Dustin Johnson is in the final group, which tees off at 2 p.m. Johnson had to drop out of the tournament last year after injuring himself in a fall.

The tournament will begin at 8:15 a.m. with ceremonial tee shots from Jack Nicklaus and Gary Player.

Click here for full pairings.

Brooke Henderson had just finished up the final round of the first major of the LPGA Tour season when she returned to her hotel room in California to watch the finale of the Drive, Chip, and Putt competition.

What she saw was, perhaps, the second coming of herself.

Vanessa Borovilos, an 11-year-old from Toronto, captured the title for girls ages 10 and 11 at the annual junior golf competition’s championship final at Augusta National, the host club of the Masters.

Borovilos came to the event with a wealth of experience, both international and abroad. 2018 marks her third appearance at Drive, Chip & Putt, in addition to finishing 2nd  in 2017 at the Canadian equivalent—the Future Links, driven by Acura Junior Skills Challenge. Borovilos gave Henderson cause to get excited at the future of Canadian female golf.

“I was able to see Vanessa win the Drive, Chip, and Putt last night and was so proud of her,” said Henderson on Monday.

Borovilos said Henderson is one of her favourite golfers. She loves the way Henderson stays focused on the course and tries to bring some of that to her own preparation.

“I know every shot counts but for those shots that really counts, (Henderson) really focuses, and she plays really good,” said Borovilos by phone from Augusta, Ga.

Henderson said it was an honour to hear that Borovilos looks up to her.

“She had a great quote after the victory about how important practice is in order to succeed in competition. If she sticks to that advice, she’ll be able to follow her dreams on the golf course,” said Henderson. “Who knows, maybe I will see her out here on the LPGA one day.”

Borovilos, who was one of three Canadians to make the finals of the Drive, Chip, and Putt competition, attends Hollycrest Middle School in Toronto, where she is part of an elite athlete program that allows her to finish school each day before noon.

Canada’s Borovilos joins great company ???? #DriveChipPutt

A post shared by Golf Canada (@thegolfcanada) on Apr 1, 2018 at 2:15pm PDT

She spends most afternoons at Peak Performance Golf – an indoor practice facility in Vaughn, Ont. – or at Mississauga’s Credit Valley Golf and Country Club, where she works under PGA of Canada professional Doug Lawrie.

Lawrie, who has coached Borovilos for the last five years, was in church Sunday during the finals of the Drive, Chip, and Putt and had his phone turned off. He returned home to watch the recorded coverage and then turned his phone on to a flurry of messages.

He said he is impressed by Borovilos’s work ethic, and that her game continues to get better. She weighs just 77 pounds, for example, and she swings her driver at 80 miles per hour.

“All of a sudden? boom. This young lady is thrust into the limelight of some pretty amazing stuff. It doesn’t hurt that she’s got the game to back it up, because it’s not like just she’s a Drive, Chip, and Putt person that’s been able to get through the qualifier and win,” said Lawrie. “She has the ability to take (golf) to wherever she wants.”

Borovilos’s father, Dino, was on hand at Augusta National. He said his daughter is committed to succeeding in the classroom as well and is a straight-A student.

Borovilos needed to roll her final putt closer than 2.1 inches in order to win the title, and the putt ended up two inches away from the hole, giving her the victory by the slimmest of margins.

“It was an emotional roller coaster all day,” Dino Borovilos said. “But it was literally the happiest win I’ve seen her have.”

The accolades and trophy took the backseat to a bigger victory came Monday, when she got Tiger Woods’ autograph after watching a Masters practice round at Augusta.

“I had to wait a long time,” she said with a laugh. “But it was worth it once I got it.”

With a whirlwind year behind him, Adam Hadwin feels better positioned to take a second shot at the Masters.

The 30-year-old from Abbotsford, B.C., made his first appearance at Augsta National last year fresh off his first PGA Tour victory in early March – and just before a flurry of events in his personal life that included his wedding.

He ended up finishing tied for 36th, but he believes a more low-key schedule in advance of this week’s tournament will help him to put in a bigger performance.

“The year has flown by,” he said over the phone prior to travelling to Augusta, Ga. “Things have settled down since last March. We’re taking it a bit easier with not as many things going on off the golf course. Things are easier to control and handle but life’s good.”

Thanks to three top-10 finishes, Hadwin has already earned more than US$1.1 million this season. His best result was a tie for third at the CareerBuilder Challenge in January. Hadwin also finished in the Top 30 of the FedEx Cup standings last season.

Although Hadwin didn’t fly to Georgia for a practice round before this week, he said he is playing better overall than at the same point last year and this should help at Augusta National, where golfers need to have all facets of their game in top form.

“You need to hit some good shots, you need to get up and down and you probably need to make some tough five- or 10-foot putts to keep rounds going,” he said. “It’s definitely a plus going in (to the Masters) playing a little better.”

A year ago, he recognized he was struggling with his iron game, but he has tightened that up this year.

“Consistent ball-striking has taken the pressure off some other areas in my game,” he said. “It’s allowed me to stay patient and if I don’t make a few putts here and there, I’ll just keep hitting it well and giving myself chances.”

Mike Weir, who is celebrating the 15th anniversary of his 2003 Masters victory this year, makes up the other half of this week’s Canadian contingent.

Hadwin said he and Weir will play an 18-hole practice round together and will be paired in the Par-3 Contest. The 30-year-old plans to lean on his veteran compatriot for expertise around the Augusta National’s greens, which are notorious for being some of the most difficult on Tour.

Weir, from Bright’s Grove, Ont., was an assistant captain at last September’s Presidents Cup, where Hadwin was a member of the International team. Weir told The Canadian Press in January that he was impressed with Hadwin’s attention to detail, work ethic and “inner fire.”

“He wants to be great,” said Weir at the time.

Ultimately, Hadwin is looking forward to continuing his run of good play and to follow in Weir’s footsteps by becoming the second Canadian to capture an elusive green jacket.

“(My) game is in a really good spot right now,” he said. “I feel like I’m a better player this year than last year, and certainly there are no personal distractions this year heading in. I’ll be more rested and ready to play.”

AUGUSTA, Ga. — The mantra of practice makes perfect was the storyline for Toronto’s Vanessa Borovilos on Sunday at the Drive, Chip & Putt finals at Augusta National.

Borovilos, playing in her third championship, won the Girls 10-11 age division by the slightest of margins with a one-point victory in the 10-player field.

“You have to practice a lot to win or to do well here,” said Borovilos in a greenside interview with Golf Channel.

Practice makes perfect – what a champion! RT to congratulate Vanessa ???pic.twitter.com/AkYXIdgThq

— Golf Canada (@TheGolfCanada) April 1, 2018

Borovilos finished 5th in 2016 and 4th in 2015. She plays out of Credit Valley Golf & Country Club and credits Brooke Henderson and Jordan Spieth as her favourite athletes.

With the win, Borovilos becomes the second Canadian to win a division at the Drive Chip & Putt finals—Savannah Grewal captured the 2017 Girls 14-15 division.

Local qualifying began in May, June and July, held at more than 260 sites throughout the United States. The top-three scorers per venue, in each of the four age categories in separate boys and girls divisions, advanced to 50 subregional qualifiers in July and August. Two juniors in each age and gender division then competed at the regional level in September and October, held at some of the top courses in the country, including several U.S. Open and PGA Championship venues.

The top finisher from each regional site’s age/gender divisions – a total of 80 finalists – earned a place in the National Finals.

The Canadian equivalent—Future Links, driven by Acura Junior Skills Challenge National Event— will be contested on July 21 at Glen Abbey Golf Club in Oakville, Ont. Borovilos finished 2nd in the 2017 Future Links Junior Skills Challenge National Event at Glen Abbey Golf Club.

Learn more here.

AUGUSTA, Ga. — A look at some of the anniversaries this year at the Masters:

75 years ago (1943)

Bobby Jones and Clifford Roberts decided after the 1942 Masters to stop the tournament for the rest of World War II. According to the Augusta Chronicle, the club’s greenskeeper raised turkey and cattle on the grounds while the club was closed. Roberts said in his autobiography that the cattle destroyed several azalea and camellia bushes and ate the bark of several young trees. There were plenty of WWII connections to the Masters. Jones was commissioned as a captain in the Army Air Corps, and his unit landed at Normandy a day after the D-Day invasion. Leading the Normandy invasion was Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower, who later became a member at Augusta National during his two terms as U.S. president.

50 years ago (1968)

The 1968 Masters is best remembered for five words: “What a stupid I am.” Roberto de Vicenzo birdied the 17th hole in the final round to take a one-shot lead over Bob Goalby, only to bogey the last hole. The Argentine was so angry at his bogey that he didn’t properly check his card, which was kept by Tommy Aaron, and he signed for a 4 on the 17th instead of a 3. Under the rules, he had to accept the higher score, giving him a 66 instead of a 65. And instead of an 18-hole playoff the next day, Goalby was the winner by one shot. Goalby closed with a 66 to finish at 11-under 277. De Vicenzo had won the British Open a year earlier, but this scorecard blunder remained his most famous moment until his death last year.

25 years ago (1993)

Bernhard Langer won the 1993 Masters for his second green jacket, closing with a 2-under 70 for a four-shot victory over Chip Beck. His first Masters victory in 1985 was remembered for Curtis Strange twice going for the green when he had the lead and finding water. The 1993 Masters featured Beck choosing to lay up when he was trailing. Langer had a three-shot lead when Beck laid up on the par-5 15th from 236 yards away. He made par, while Langer followed with a birdie to stretch the lead. There was one other similarity to Langer’s victories. He was harshly criticized in 1985 for saying “Jesus Christ” in the Butler Cabin interview while expressing surprise at Strange’s lead. The controversy led to Langer becoming a Christian, and when he won in 1993, he said it again because it was Easter. “I sometimes joke that I’m the only one to mention ‘Jesus Christ’ in Butler Cabin twice,” he said.

20 years ago (1998)

Mark O’Meara became the first player since Arnold Palmer in 1960 to birdie the last two holes for a one-shot victory in the 1998 Masters, which also was the last year the Augusta National gallery witnessed a Jack Nicklaus charge. O’Meara holed a 20-foot birdie putt on the last hole for a 67 to beat Fred Couples and David Duval, and at 41 he became the oldest first-time winner of the Masters. Couples had a wild back nine with a double bogey on No. 13 and an eagle on the 15th. Duval missed birdie chances on the 17th and 18th for a 67. He was in Jones Cabin watching O’Meara when Augusta National chairman Jack Stephens told him: “Don’t worry, David. Nobody ever makes that putt.” O’Meara made the putt. Nicklaus, 58, birdied four of his first seven holes and pulled within three shots of the lead, causing so many roars that even Tiger Woods in the group ahead backed off putts. But he had to settle for a 68 and tied for sixth.

15 years ago (2003)

“The Green Jacket is going north of the border!”

Mike Weir of Sarnia, Ont., captivated an entire country, becoming the first Canadian and left-handed golfer to win The Masters tournament. The Canadian Golf Hall-of-Famer missed the cut a week prior to The Masters, which eventually helped him get back to his fundamentals.. Playing over a condensed three days due to rain, Weir leaned on his accuracy and short game to put himself in position to win. Weir forced a playoff with Len Mattiace, a then two-time TOUR winner, back at the 10th hole. With Mattiace struggling, Weir had a safe two putts to win, becoming the 2003 Masters champion.

Weir captured the ’03 CareerBuilder Challenge as part of a three-win season — including the Masters — en route to being named the Lou Marsh Award winner as Canada’s athlete of the year. He’s the last golfer to win the honour.

10 years ago (2008)

Four months after Trevor Immelman had a tumor removed from his diaphragm, the South African won the 2008 Masters by three shots over Tiger Woods. And it wasn’t even that close. Immelman had a five-shot lead with three holes to play until hitting into the water for double bogey at No. 16. He closed with a 75 and joined Arnold Palmer in the record book with the highest closing round by a Masters champion. Only four players broke par in the final round. For Woods, it was his second straight year finishing as the runner-up at Augusta National in his bid for a fifth green jacket. Among those who had a chance were Brandt Snedeker, who briefly tied for the lead with an eagle on No. 2, and Steve Flesch, whose hopes ended with a tee shot into Rae’s Creek at No. 12.

5 years ago (2013)

Adam Scott won the 2013 Masters in a playoff over Angel Cabrera, and Australia had a Masters champion after more than a half-century of trying. Scott thought he had it won with a 20-foot birdie putt on the 18th hole, only for Cabrera to stuff his shot into 3 feet for birdie as Scott was signing his card. They both made par on the first extra hole, and Scott ended it with a 12-foot birdie putt at No. 10 on the second playoff hole. Greg Norman, who knew nothing but hard luck at Augusta National, was watching from Florida and said when it was over, “I’m over the moon.” It was a wild week for Tiger Woods, who was on the verge of taking the lead on Friday when his wedge into the 15th hole hit the pin and went back into the water. Woods took his penalty drop in the wrong place, which was pointed out by a rules expert watching on TV. The rules committee at the Masters failed to act on the information, and when it was clear a penalty was involved, the committee gave Woods a two-shot penalty and allowed him to stay in the tournament despite having signed for an incorrect score. Woods finished four shots behind.

RANCHO MIRAGE, Calif. – Pernilla Lindberg glanced at Poppie’s Pond walking off the 18th green Saturday at the ANA Inspiration, knowing she put herself in perfect position to celebrate her first professional title with the traditional victory plunge.

“I’ve played a lot of golf in my life and I just feel like the pieces are kind of falling together,” Lindberg said. “I’m just letting it happen.”

The 31-year-old Swede shot a 2-under 70 on another hot and mostly calm day at Mission Hills, pulling away when playing partner Sung Hyun Park collapsed on the back nine.

“I felt calm out there. I had fun,” Lindberg said. “I went out there today and said, ‘How often do you get this chance? So I’m just going to enjoy it.’ And that’s what I did.”

Amy Olson was second after a 68. The 25-year-old former North Dakota State star – and the LPGA Tour’s only certified public accountant – also is seeking her first victory as a pro.

Lindberg was two strokes behind Park after the fourth-ranked South Korean player made her third straight birdie on the par-5 11th. They were then put on the clock for slow play, and Park dropped five strokes in the next five holes.

“It was a rough day,” Park said.

The U.S. Women’s Open champion bogeyed Nos. 12 and 13, had a double bogey on the par-4 14th after taking two shots to get out of the back bunker, and bogeyed the 16th.

“There were a bunch of fairways that I (missed), so that was something that I am disappointed in my shots,” Park said. “But I had a lot of great play, a lot of good aspects in my game.”

Lindberg scrambled for pars on the first four holes on the back nine, ran in an 18-foot birdie putt on 14 and made a 25-footer for par on 15 for a two-stroke swing. Lindberg bogeyed the par-3 17th and then hit a wedge to 5 feet to set up a birdie on the par-5 18th. She broke the tournament 54-hole mark at 14-under 202.

Park finished with a 74 to fall into a tie for third at 10 under. She shot a 64 on Friday for a share of the second-round lead with Lindberg.

Inbee Park, the 2013 winner and a seven-time major champion, had a 67 to get into the group at 10 under with Moriya Jutanugarn (66), Jennifer Song (68), Jodi Ewart Shadoff (69) and Charley Hull (69). Inbee Park won the Founders Cup two weeks ago in Phoenix, playing the final 36 holes in 14 under.

“Definitely a much better putting day than the last couple days,” Inbee Park said. “Especially on the back nine, I was able to hit some good bunker shots and make those par saves.”

Lindberg made a 20-foot birdie putt on the first hole, bogeyed the par-3 fifth for her first dropped stroke of the week, and rebounded with a 20-foot par save on the par-4 sixth. The former Oklahoma State player added a 35-footer for birdie on the par-3 eighth.

“My putter obviously saved me a few times,” Lindberg said.

Olson, from Oxbow, North Dakota, had five birdies and a bogey. Ranked 218th in the world, she won an NCAA-record 20 titles for the Bison.

“You have to learn to win on every level,” Olson said. “I’m excited to be in the position that I’m in and just give myself a learning opportunity.”

Ayako Uehara (70) was 9 under, and top-ranked Shanshan Feng (67) and Jessica Korda (73) were another stroke back.

Hamilton’s Alena Sharp (75) was tied for 41st at 2-under par to tie for 41st. Brooke Henderson (70) of Smiths Falls, Ont., sits 1 under to tie for 49th.

Stanford sophomore Albane Valenzuela shot 71 to get to 7 under and top the four amateurs to make the cut. Minjee Lee also was 7 under after a 64, the best round of the day.

“The first two days I was hitting it really well, but I just didn’t make any putts,” Lee said.

Lexi Thompson was tied for 17th at 6 under after a 70. She won in 2015 and lost a playoff to So Yeon Ryu a year ago after being penalized four strokes during the final round for a rules violation the day before.

Michelle Wie was 2 under after a 72. She has fought dizziness caused by a virus.

Dawson Armstrong entered the second Mackenzie Tour – PGA TOUR Canada Qualifying Tournament as an amateur. He still is. But as he said, after a final-round 66 that earned him medalist honors on a cool, drizzly day, “I won’t be one for much longer.” The Lipscomp University senior had a spotless scorecard Friday, with four birdies and an eagle to come from behind on the final day to win the event by a stroke over fellow Americans Justin Doeden and Christopher Hickman. Americans Ian Davis (fourth) and Dalton Ward (fifth) rounded out the top five. Armstrong will be fully exempt on the Tour for the entire 2018 season, while Doeden, Hickman, Davis and Ward earn exemptions into the first eight tournaments on the schedule.

Armstrong began the final round at TPC Sawgrass’ Dye’s Valley Course tied for fifth place, and he began his last 18 holes in style, making birdie at No. 1. He added birdies at No. 5 and No. 9 to move to 3-under for the day and 8-under overall. It was his birdie on the ninth that really gave him momentum. Facing a 40-foot putt for birdie, Armstrong canned it. He made a similar-length putt, on the 17th, when he just missed the green on his second-shot approach into the par-5. From four yards off the green and 35 feet overall, Armstrong elected to putt, making that, as well, which—although he didn’t know it—cemented the victory.

Canadian Max Gilbert finished T15 – good for fully exempt status for the first four tournaments subject to the first reshuffle.

Fellow countrymen Eric Banks and Austin James, both graduates of Team Canada’s Amateur Squad program, earned conditional status by finishing T35 at 1 over par. Canadian Raoul Menard also finished T35, making four Canadians to earn status at this Qualifying event.

The third of five Qualifying Tournaments begins next week in Arizona, from April 3-6, at The Wigwam Golf Resort’s Gold Course in Phoenix.

Click here for full scoring.

RANCHO MIRAGE, Calif. – Alena Sharp made the most of Friday’s opening tee slot, posting a 4-under 68 to climb 25 spots into a tie for 11th at the mid-way point of the ANA Inspiration.

The Hamilton, Ont., native notched five birdies against one bogey on the par-4 12th, bringing her to 5 under par for the tournament — seven strokes back of the leading Pernilla Lindberg and Sung Hyun Park, the 2017 CP Women’s Open champion.

Brooke Henderson of Smiths Falls, Ont., slipped with a 3-over 75 to sit at 1 over par, making the cut on the number.

We see you, @alenasharp07! ?? The Hamilton native posted a 4-under 68 to currently sit T9 at the @ANAinspiration ?

A post shared by Golf Canada (@thegolfcanada) on Mar 30, 2018 at 11:51am PDT

Park and Lindberg shared the lead at a tournament-record 12-under 132, three strokes ahead of Jessica Korda after two rounds in hot and mostly calm conditions at Mission Hills.

Lexi Thompson was 4 under after an even-par 72, undone by a series of short missed putts a year after a rules violation cost her four strokes in regulation in an eventual playoff loss.

“I hit it really well today,” Thompson said. “I just struggled on the greens.”

Fighting dizziness caused by a virus, Wie followed her opening 75 with a bogey-free 67 to get to 2 under.

“Saw one golf ball today, which was good,” Wie said.

With little fanfare five groups in front of the Thompson-Wie morning pairing, the fourth-ranked Park shot a 64 for the best round of the week. The U.S. Women’s Open champion played a nine-hole stretch in 7 under. She holed out for eagle from 100 yards on the par-4 15th to cap the run.

“I was super-focused at the U.S. Open, and felt just as focused today,” the 24-year-old South Korean player said. “I just felt really good about my driver. The shots fell in just as I wanted.”

Lindberg had a 67 in the final group of the morning session. The 31-year-old Swede had the first-round lead at 65, and was the only player without a bogey the first two days.

“Just not put myself in too much trouble and then my short game and putting have been great,” Lindberg said. “I’m just collecting so much experience out here every year, that I’m getting more and more ready just to be in this situation. Every time I’m there, I’m just so much more comfortable.”

She hit inside 2 feet to set up birdies on the par-4 13th and par-4 14th and parred the final four holes. The leaders broke the 36-hole record of 11 under set by Lorena Ochoa in 2006.

Thompson missed five putts inside 4 feet, four of them to the right side. She three-putted the par-3 fifth and par-4 12th, missing from 4 and 3 feet on 12. She also missed a 4-foot par try on 13.

The 2014 champion rebounded to birdie three of the last four , beginning the run with a downhill 12-footer on the par-4 15th. She went right at the back left pin on par-3 17th and got a 4½-footer to fall on the left side, then hit a lob wedge to 4 inches on the par-5 18th.

Wie often sat and rested in the shade in the 90-degree morning heat on the 97-degree day. She walked with a sun umbrella and relied on caddie Matthew Galloway more than usual.

“I just sat down every chance I could,” Wie said. “My caddie helped me a lot out there, just getting all the numbers. I asked him to read every putt for me because I just couldn’t see everything.”

Wie was stricken Thursday afternoon, leading to two double bogeys and a bogey in a four-hole stretch.

“Yesterday I wasn’t prepared for it at all,” said Wie, the winner four weeks ago in Singapore. “I felt good, felt good on the range, and all of a sudden I started seeing multiple golf balls, and that scared me a little bit. But today I woke up feeling dizzy. I knew exactly what I was getting into.”

Korda birdied five of the last 10 holes in a 68 to get to 9 under. She won last month in Thailand in her return from reconstructive jaw surgery.

“It all depends on if these putts are going to drop or not,” Korda said. “That’s the difference out here.”

Jodi Ewart Shadoff (67), Charley Hull (68), Amy Olson (68) and Ayako Uehara (66) were 7 under.

Stanford sophomore Albane Valenzuela was 6 under after a 71.

“I had to kind of save my pars today, but still a good round overall,” the Swiss Olympian said. “I put a good fight out there.”

Valenzuela was one of four amateurs to make the cut, with Rose Zhang (70), Atthaya Thitikul (71), Lilia Vu (70) also advancing. Zhang and Thitikul were tied for 34th at 2 under, and Vu was tied for 41st at 1 under. The 14-year-old Zhang, from Irvine, won the ANA Junior Inspiration on Sunday to get into the field.

RANCHO MIRAGE, Calif. – Canadian duo of Brooke Henderson and Alena Sharp began the LPGA’s first major of the season on a high note.

Henderson, a Smiths Falls, Ont., product, led the way with a 2-under 70 boosted by a three-birdie string on the front nine before dropping a stoke on the par-4 15th. The 20-year-old trails the leaders by four strokes heading into Friday’s second round at the Mission Hills Country Club.

“Yeah, I played really well today, so I’m happy—I got off to a really fast start on the front nine, three birdies, 7 through 9, which was exciting to get to 3-under making the turn,” said Henderson. “Unfortunately, on the back, some putts didn’t fall and things didn’t go quite my way. But I’m excited with the 2-under start, and hopefully it will continue on through the weekend.”

Hamilton’s Alena Sharp, Olympian teammate alongside Henderson, kicked off the ANA Inspiration with a 1-under 71 to sit tied for 36th. Sharp will look to improve on her best result in the ANA Inspiration, which came in 2016 with a T56 finish. She’ll tee-it-up in Friday’s opening slot at 7:10 a.m.

.@BrookeHenderson sits -2 after the first round of @ANAinspiration. Trails lead by 4 pic.twitter.com/xETLuTTS58

— CP Women’s Open (@cpwomensopen) March 30, 2018

Lexi Thompson is smiling and having fun again at the ANA Inspiration.

A year after a rules violation cost her four strokes in regulation in an eventual playoff loss, Thompson shot a 4-under 68 on Thursday to finish three strokes behind leader Pernilla Lindberg.

“I don’t know if I would say it’s a relief,” Thompson said. “I was just really looking forward to just playing this week. I love coming here.”

Thompson also again overpowered Michelle Wie on a hot afternoon at Mission Hills, four years after routing her in a final-round showdown for her first major title.

Wie fought dizzy spells on the front nine in a 75 that left her in danger of missing the cut.

“I had the mad spins,” Wie said. “I just got really dizzy. I don’t know why or how. I don’t know.”

Wearing a black dress in the mid-90s heat, she birdied the second hole, then dropped five strokes in four holes with two double bogeys and a bogey.

“I fouled five balls out there on the front nine,” said Wie, the Singapore winner four weeks ago. “One that I whiffed in the rough.”

She felt much better on the back nine, but still couldn’t keep up with Thompson. The distance disparity was particularly pronounced on the par-4 12th when Thompson cracked a 348-yarder 72 yards past Wie.

“Probably my farthest,” Thompson said. “This golf course definitely sets up for my game off the tee. I get to just aim up the right and fire away.”

That got her in trouble on the par-5 ninth – her 18th – when she drove into the left trees and made her lone bogey.

Lindberg birdied her final two holes for a bogey-free 65, playing in the last group to finish the round. The 31-year-old Swede is winless on the LPGA Tour.

“I often get the question, favourite tournament, favourite golf course, and I always say this event and this course,” Lindberg said. “I like this place and I always feel good playing here.”

Beatriz Recari and Ayako Uehara were a stroke back, and Jessica Korda, Ha Na Jang and Stanford sophomore Albane Valenzuela shot 67. In Gee Chun and Cristie Kerr were at 68 with Thompson, Chella Choi, Sung Hyun Park and Brittany Altomare.

Recari had a bogey-free round , saving par on the par-3 17th with a 10-footer. The 30-year-old Spaniard has three LPGA Tour victories.

“I’ve always felt very comfortable here,” Recari said. “I felt like if I was going to win a major, it was going to be on this course.”

Uehara birdied her final two holes. The Japanese player credited instructor Ted Oh for her strong play. “Now I have confidence,” she said.

Korda birdied the 18th after bogeying 16 and 17. She birdied the first four holes and was 6 under after 11.

“A couple of weird shots there, especially on 17,” she said.

The winner last month in Thailand in her return from reconstructive jaw surgery, Korda reached the par-5 ninth with a driver from the right first cut. She hit driver off the deck twice two weeks in the Founders Cup.

“I actually caught way more air than I expected,” Korda said. “That’s kind of what I’m just trying to do is have fun out there, hit shots that normally I would probably not hit in a tournament.”

She travelling with a mini Goldendoodle puppy named Charlie.

“It’s so nice to have a puppy with you to distract you,” Korda said. “He’s so cute.”

Playing partner Lydia Ko, the 2016 winner, had a 70. She closed with a double bogey after finding the water fronting the green from the fairway bunker.

Jang birdied the final three holes for the last of her nine birdies.

“Any golf course straight ball is very important, but Mission Hills is more important,” she said.

Jang left the LPGA Tour in the middle of last season to return home to spend more time with her mother, left alone when she and her father were away. Her mother is visiting the U.S. for the first time this week.

“I’d like to play the LPGA again, but my mom’s more important than myself,” Jang said.

Valenzuela topped the seven amateurs in the field.

“I love this course,” Valenzuela said. “I feel really comfortable on it.”

Autistic brother Alexis is working as the Swiss Olympian’s caddie.

“I love having him on the bag,” she said.

Stacy Lewis had a 72 in her return from a rib injury sustained practising before the Thailand event. She won in 2011 at Mission Hills and lost a playoff to Brittany Lincicome in 2015.

Defending champion So Yeon Ryu failed to make a birdie in a 75.

RANCHO MIRAGE, Calif. – Major championship golf returns to the California desert this week at the famed Dinah Shore Course at Mission Hills Country Club for the 47th staging of the ANA Inspiration. The 117-player field includes 43 of the top 50 players in the world and all six winners from this season, competing for a $2.8 million purse and the chance to hoist the Dinah Shore Trophy and make the leap into Poppie’s Pond at week’s end. The ANA Inspiration marks the third week in the LPGA’s six-tournament West-Coast swing, which Golf Channel is airing LIVE in primetime.

At the dramatic 2017 ANA Inspiration, Lexi Thompson was leading on the final day before she was assessed a four-stroke penalty for a rules violation. Thompson fought back to force a playoff with So Yeon Ryu, where Ryu came out on top with a birdie on the first playoff hole, the par-5 18th, to win her second major championship and capture her first victory on Tour since 2014.

Smiths Falls, Ont., native Brooke Henderson hopes to use her power off the tee (she ranks 13th on Tour with a driving average of 268.39 yards) as an advantage this week at Mission Hills, a venue that has been historically kind to longer hitters.

“Brittany Lincicome, Lexi (Thompson), they hit it a really long way, and they’ve won here or been close the last ten years very often, so there is something to that,” Henderson said. “I think it’s so they can reach the par 5s a little bit easier. I think if you can birdie all the par 5s every single day, you’re going to put yourself in a good position.”

At age 20, the five-time LPGA champion has already competed in the ANA Inspiration three times in her career, with her best finish coming in 2016 (T10).

“Coming down the stretch in a major championship, whether it’s on Friday trying to make the putt or Sunday on the back nine, that’s really where major championships are won,” added Henderson. “So try to keep the patience. If things aren’t going to go perfect, because at some point during the four days there’s going to be a rough patch, especially in a major championship. So just trying to persevere through that, stay patient, and when good things happen, hopefully take it on the run.”

Henderson will tee-it-up at 8:06 a.m. alongside fellow major winner In-Kyung Kim.

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