HUMBLE, Texas – Sung Kang shot a 1-under 71 to hold a three-shot lead over Rickie Fowler after the third round of the Houston Open on Saturday.

After shooting a tournament course record 9-under 63 on Friday, Kang took a commanding six-shot lead with a 36-hole tournament record of 129 through two rounds.

However, on Saturday, it was Fowler’s day to chase history, shooting a 5-under 67 to trim Kang’s lead as they head into the final round.

After Thursday’s 8-under 64, Fowler held a one-shot lead over Kang after the first round, but slipped to fourth on Friday with a 71. He returned to form on Saturday and has a PGA Tour career-best 22 birdies through three rounds.

Behind Kang and Fowler at 17-under 199 and 14-under 202 through three rounds, respectively, Russell Henley is 13-under 203 and Luke List is 12-under 204. No one else is within eight shots of Kang.

Kang, the 29-year-old South Korean who entered the week ranked No. 202 in the world, could earn an invitation to next week’s Masters with a win on Sunday.

Playing one hole behind Fowler throughout the day, Kang played in the shadows of Fowler’s stardom and the roar of the crowd rooting for a big comeback.

Kang gave up the lead briefly after a putt lipped out of the hole on 16 by taking a full circle around the cup before sneaking out.

On the final two holes of the day, however, it was Fowler who had his share of misfortunes on his putts. He bogeyed on 17 and double-bogeyed on the 18th hole to give Kang a little more breathing room heading into the final round.

Nick Taylor of Abbotsford, B.C., was tied for 32nd place after shooting a 74. Dundas, Ont., native Mackenzie Hughes was in a tie for 39th with a 73.

Sunday’s tee times have been moved up to 7:15 a.m. to 9:15 a.m. Central with threesomes off split tees to try to avoid heavy thunderstorms and rainfall expected in the late morning to early afternoon.

Heavy winds approaching 25-30 mph at times and cloudy skies resulted in much higher scores on Saturday than were seen on Friday, with the average score around 1 over par.

Kang will be grouped with Fowler, something both players said they look forward to as they enter the final round. Kang has never led a tournament on the PGA Tour after three rounds. He said he was well aware of Fowler’s pursuit on Saturday, thanks to the crowd.

“I heard a lot of noise in front of us so I was like, ‘Oh, I know something big is going on up there,”’ Kang said.

Fowler said he’s ready to shake off his struggles on the last two holes.

“I drove it well, hit a lot of fairways, hit a lot of greens and made some good putts,” Fowler said. “I’m not looking at the last two holes. It was a great day of golf, and I put myself in a position to win a golf tournament tomorrow.”

Fowler said he likes the challenge of playing from behind and hopes to put some pressure on Kang.

Kang said he’ll be playing conservatively and defensively, especially with the strong possibility of inclement weather on the way.

For the third straight day, however, Kang insisted that he doesn’t have his sights set on earning a last-minute invitation to the Masters.

“Even if I think about it, it’s going to happen or not,” Kang said with a grin. “Why do I want to think about that? I’m so tired right now. I have no power to think about anything.”

MESA, ARIZONA, April 1, 2017 – Liv Cheng (Auckland, New Zealand) made a par on the second playoff hole to win her first career Symetra Tour event on Saturday at the Gateway Classic at Longbow Golf Club. Cheng posted a 2-under, 70 to come from two shots back heading into the day to get into the playoff. Anne-Catherine Tanguay (Quebec, Canada) finished third at 6-under, 210 while Kyung Kim (Chandler, Arizona) finished fourth at 5-under, 211. 

Cheng earns the first place check of $15,000 and moves to fourth on the Volvik Race for the Card money list after three events. She was 72nd entering the week. 

“It feels amazing and I still can’t believe it,” said Cheng. “I’m over the moon excited.”

Cheng made a 17-foot par putt on the 17th hole and a par on 18 to get into the clubhouse with the lead at 7-under, just ahead of Tanguay, who closed at 6-under. With the finish, Tanguay posts her third consecutive top-10 Symetra Tour finish. 

Mina Harigae (Monterey, California), who was the co-leader entering the day, made a 10-foot par putt on the 18th to force the playoff.

“I was out of position with my driver, but I stuck to it and scrambled,” explained Cheng, who hit some tricky shots on the final two holes and in the playoff. “I never gave up and trusted myself and the putts rolled in. I think I had 11 putts on the back nine and that really helped with scoring.”

After two pars on the first playoff hole, Harigae’s second shot went into the hazard on the second playoff hole and that opened the door for Cheng, who was able to drop an 8-footer for par to claim the victory. 

“I feel like we kept going in the bunker together,” said Cheng about the bunker shots both had to pull off in the playoff. “I once again got out of position with my driver, but I scrambled to make the par which was great.”

Cheng attempted just 24 putts on the day.

“My putter feels really good right now, definitely the best club in my bag right now,” said Cheng. 

Cheng had just one top 10 finish over her first two years on Tour. The win certainly puts her in a great spot early in the season.

“I feel really good about my game,” said Cheng. “This is my third year playing on the Symetra Tour and I feel like this year I have the tools in my game to play better and get myself on the LPGA Tour.”

Cheng finished 63rd on the money list in 2016 and 108th as a rookie in 2015. 

“The win this week makes me really happy that the hard work is starting to pay off,” said Cheng. “I’m definitely starting to see results.”

Cheng was a four-time WCC First-Team performer while in college at Pepperdine. 

“After college, I decided that I wanted to play professional golf and pursue a career,” said Cheng. “I’ve seen some of my friends do well on the LPGA and that is where I want to be.”

Cheng grew up playing junior golf with and against world No. 1 Lydia Ko. 

She if the first player from New Zealand to win on the Symetra Tour since 2011 when Cathryn Bristow won. Bristow and Cheng are the only two from New Zealand to win in Tour history. 

Olivia Jordan-Higgins, who has WD’d from the last two events, remains in the top spot on the Volvik Race for the Card money list while Tanguay, who has finished inside the top 10 in all three events, moves from third to second. 

The Tour heads to Northern California next week for the inaugural POC MED Golf Classic at Windsor Golf Club from April 7-9. 

A trio of Canadian girls are gearing up to compete in the 2017 Drive, Chip & Putt Championship at Augusta National Golf Club on Sunday, prior to the start of the Masters Tournament week.

Canadians Carlee Meilleur, Mia Wong and Savannah Grewal will be among the 80 qualifiers (40 male, 40 female) vying to be crowned champions of their respective age divisions at the fourth annual national championship.

Carlee Meilleur, from Landsdowne, Ont., will compete in the 7-9 age group. The aspiring LPGA professional won the regional qualifier at the Country Club in Brookline, Mass. She credits Brooke Henderson as her hero, and her family’s home on the water made for a compelling story in her feature video.

Markham, Ont. native Mia Wong of the 10-11 age group qualified at the regional qualifier hosted at Baltusrol Golf Club in Springfield, N.J., and plays to a 13 Handicap.

Savannah Grewal of Mississauga, Ont., plays out of Piper’s Heath Golf Club and also punched her ticket to the championship alongside Wong at Baltusrol.

Amongst tens of thousands of entrants in 250 qualifying events, all three girls secured top-three spots at their respective local qualifiers, top-two finishes at their sub-regionals, followed by wins at their regional events.

A joint initiative by the United States Golf Association (USGA), the Masters and the PGA of America, the Drive, Chip & Putt Championship is a free nationwide youth golf development program open to girls and boys aged 7-15 – competing in separate divisions in four age categories – focusing on the three fundamental skills employed in golf and tapping the creativity and enthusiasm of young golfers.

Coverage of the Drive, Chip & Putt Championship will be broadcast live on the Golf Channel on April 2.

The Canadian equivalent—Future Links, driven by Acura Junior Skills Challenge National Event— will be contested on July 22 at Glen Abbey Golf Club in Oakville, Ont., the Sunday prior to the 2017 RBC Canadian Open. Learn more here.

RANCHO MIRAGE, Calif. – While the entire field at the ANA Inspiration spent the whole day playing catch-up, Norway’s Suzann Pettersen and the Korda sisters managed to get ahead.

Pettersen finished her wind-delayed first round with a 4-under 68 and added a second-round 69 Friday, taking a one-shot lead over rookie Nelly Korda and five other players after two shortened days at the LPGA Tour’s first major of the year.

After an early end to Thursday’s play and a late start on Friday for cleanup from the windstorm, play was halted by darkness with 56 players still on the course. They will complete their second rounds Saturday morning.

“Towards the end of my second round, I was getting a little tired,” said world No. 1 Lydia Ko, who sat three shots off the lead at 4-under 140 after playing 31 holes Friday. “I played 31 holes in Thailand a few weeks ago, so compared to that, this is nothing. That week was a lot of undulation plus a lot of heat. … But it’s been such a long day, and I’m craving some sleep.”

Korda, Inbee Park, Michelle Wie, Cristie Kerr, France’s Karine Icher and Minjee Lee were all one stroke behind Pettersen when play was halted, but Wie and Icher hadn’t completed their second round.

Nelly Korda shot a pair of 69s to climb onto the leaderboard in her first major as a professional. The 18-year-old’s big sister, 24-year-old Jessica, also is in the hunt at 3-under 141.

Pettersen, a two-time major champion, capped her impressive day with a long putt for birdie on her final hole. She is feasting on the Mission Hills Country Club’s par-5s, getting three birdies on the course’s three longest holes in each of her rounds.

“I played fantastic golf all day,” Pettersen said. “You’ve got to be in the mood to fight if you’re a little bit out of position, so I did.”

The first round on Thursday was halted several hours early by 40-mph winds that whipped across the Coachella Valley until midnight. Bulldozers and trucks hit the Dinah Shore Course at dawn, removing a fallen tree and countless branches and leaves from the desert course.

Workers were quick, but the cleanup forced a 90-minute delay to the planned start of Friday’s play. At least the wind largely calmed down and left cooler temperatures at a tournament frequently played in a stifling dry heat.

Jessica and Nelly Korda are the daughters of former Czech tennis stars Petr Korda and Regina Rajchrtova. Their younger brother, 16-year-old Sebastian, is a promising teenage tennis player who just reached the semifinals of the Easter Bowl USTA Junior National Spring Championship just down the road at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden.

The Florida-based family is living in a house in the Palm Springs area for the week, relishing a rare chance for togetherness. While their parents drive between the tennis court and the golf course, the sisters have spent their down time playing with the family’s new Pomeranian – a future gift for their grandparents – and rooting loudly for their favourite players while they watch the Miami Open tennis on television.

“It’s really relaxing, to be completely honest,” Nelly Korda said. “Just chilling and hanging in my room, talking about our tournaments and catching up.”

Jessica Korda is extraordinarily proud of her kid sister’s strong start, but she’s also worried about their season-long bet: Whoever finishes lower on the money list this year has to buy an expensive purse for the other.

“I’m like, ‘Man, one day, I wish I was as good as her,”’ Jessica Korda said with a laugh.

Ko and world No. 2 Ariya Jutanugarn are both at 4 under, along with Lexi Thompson and Paula Creamer.

Hamilton’s Alena Sharp was the only Canadian to complete 36 holes. She shot a 4-over 76 and is 6 over. Maude-Aimee Leblanc of Sherbrooke, Que., is 8 over and Brooke Henderson of Smiths Falls, Ont., is 3 over, but both golfers have to finish their second round.

Icher left the course Thursday with the first-round lead, but when first-round play finished near lunchtime Friday, she had been joined by Kerr and Germany’s Caroline Masson at 5 under.

Park charged into the lead with two birdies and an eagle on the first six holes of her second round. The seven-time major champion and 2013 winner of this event finished with a pair of 69s.

Park took six months off from golf after winning a gold medal at the Rio de Janeiro Olympics last summer, healing her injured thumb. While some wondered whether her career was over, she has returned in outstanding form, winning the HSBC Women’s Champions in Singapore four weeks ago.

“Just looking at the scores, everybody can think it was a good round, but actually (it was) really a nightmare for me on the greens,” Park said. “I struck the ball great. I’m really happy the way I’m hitting the ball, but just putting was very disappointing.”

MESA, ARIZONA, March 30, 2017 – Mina Harigae (Monterey, Calif.), the 2009 Symetra Tour Player of the Year, carded a 4-under, 68 to move into a share of the 36-hole lead at 7-under, 137. Late in the day, Stephanie Kono (Honolulu, Hawaii) made birdie on her last hole to get to 7-under as well. Harigae, who lives ten minutes from Longbow Golf Club, will go for her fourth career win on Saturday in the final round while Kono aims for her first. 

A total of 63 players made the cut, which fell at 3-over 147. 

“My driver was good, my irons were good, but mostly my putter has been solid,” said Harigae, who has six

career top 10 finishes on the LPGA Tour. “I’ve played mostly mistake free golf which has really helped me.”

The highlight of her round was the 13th hole, when she chipped in for birdie. 

“I actually didn’t see the golf course at all on that hole,” joked Harigae. “I hit it in the fairway bunker, then I hit it over the green and had an elevated chip and I chipped it in. It was definitely a fun birdie.”

Harigae got into the first LPGA Tour event of the year in the Bahamas to kick off her eighth year on Tour and finished T31, but hasn’t been able to get into events since. Therefore, she decided to play this week in order to keep fresh and because of how close she lives to the course.

“I just wanted to play in a tournament because I’ve been playing well and it has been so much fun playing somewhere so close to my house,” explained Harigae. “This was my home course for the first three years that I lived here so I know it very well.”

Harigae won the Heather Farr at Longbow as a junior.

Kono, who has known Harigae for a long time starting with junior golf, made three birdies and just one bogey to post a 70. She turned in a bogey-free 67 on Thursday.

“I’m playing solid right now and hit a lot of good shots today, but didn’t quite make as many putts as 

yesterday,” said Kono. “I stayed patient today and I am really proud of myself for that.”

Kono has five career top 10 finishes on the Symetra Tour and two of them have come at Longbow Golf Club.

“I feel ready (to win),” said Kono. “It will be fun tomorrow.”

The final group of Harigae, Kono and Emma Talley (Princeton, Ky.) will tee at 8:50 a.m. The Tour has planned a split-tee start in order to allow players ample time to travel to the next event in Northern California at Windsor Golf Club. 

Canadians Anne-Catherine Tanguay (Quebec City) and Samantha Richdale (Kelowna, B.C.) are both at 4-under par and hold shares of seventh place.

GROUP OF THE DAY; TALLEY, LAW, CHENG ALL END T3: Emma Talley (Princeton, Ky.), Bronte Law (Manchester, England) and Liv Cheng (Auckland, New Zealand) played together in rounds one and two and all three stand at 5-under, 139 in a share of third place. 

Talley posted a 4-under, 68 on Friday while Law and Cheng shot 3-under, 69. 

“It’s great to get to play with people you get along with really well,” said Law, who won the ANNIKA Award in 2016. “I’ve been playing with Emma for a long time at college tournaments and national team events and I met Liv this week and have played a few practices rounds with her now and we all get along well.”

Law, who left UCLA with the most wins in school history, is happy with her first two starts on the Symetra Tour.

“I’m really taking it in stride and learning a lot as I go along,” said Law. “It’s my first year out on tour and I’m just trying to make sure I make myself accountable and work really hard because this is a very good tour.”

Talley, who finished T10 at the season opener, closed with four birdies on the back nine. 

“It was a very consistent day, I think I hit 17 greens today,” said Talley, who has four career top 10’s on the Symetra Tour in 16 career starts. “I definitely left some putts out there and I feel confident going into tomorrow.”

Talley finished 26th on the Volvik Race for the Card money list in 2016 in just a half year on Tour.

“It’s a long season and I am enjoying myself and I have a lot of really good friends on Tour,” said Talley. “I played well the first week, I was shaky the second week, but if I stay consistent hopefully I will be there at the end.”

DANIELA IACOBELLI SWITCHES TO LEFT HAND LOW LAST NIGHT: Daniela Iacobelli (Melbourne, Florida) took 33 putting strokes on Thursday and shot a 5-over, 77. She even three-putted from two feet. 

After the round, she went to the practice putting green and decided to switch to a left-hand low putting grip. It seems to have worked as she made birdie on four of her final five holes on Saturday to post a 4-under, 68 in windy and cold morning conditions. 

“I definitely had the rock rolling on the final four or five holes and then I holed out from the bunker on 17,” said Iacobelli. “I left myself a 40-footer on 18 and I was thinking ‘god, just two-putt’ and I did.” 

Iacobelli moved from T115 to T26. 

HUMBLE, Texas – Sung Kang shot a 9-under 63 to take a six-shot lead in a record-breaking second round at the Houston Open on Friday.

After shooting a 65 on Thursday, Kang was at 16-under 128 through two rounds, setting the 36-hole tournament record of 129 by a stroke, set previously by Blaine McCallister in 1993 and Curtis Strange in 1980.

The 29-year-old South Korean, who entered the week ranked No. 202 in the world, bested the tournament course record at the Golf Club of Houston by three strokes, topping Johnson Wagner’s 132 in 2008. Strange and Wagner went on to win those respective tournaments, while McCallister settled for a third-place finish.

Kang’s 9-under on Friday matched the 18-hole tournament course record and helped him take the largest 36-hole lead in tournament history, topping the previous record by two strokes.

Hudson Swafford and Russell Henley were at 10-under after both shooting 5-under 67.

Rickie Fowler, the leader after one round, slipped to fourth at 9-under after he followed Thursday’s 8-under 64 with a 71.

Kang found an edge with red-hot putting. He sank six puts of at least 20 feet – a tournament course record since the stat began being recorded in 1983. It was a dramatic turn of events for a golfer who entered the week ranked No. 156 in putting and switched to a new putter earlier this week.

Kang said someone has been urging him to use a certain putter for months, even saying, “If you want to succeed, you use that.” He gave it a spin for the first time on Monday and hasn’t looked back.

“I putted pretty good (Thursday), but putted really good today,” Kang said. “The putter just kept making the putts and happened and happened and happened. It was a fun day.”

Kang used the word “rare” to describe the putting clinic he put on. He said he told his caddie that he wanted to play 10 more holes after he was finished on Friday, not wanting to let his momentum rest. He is among the 115 players who need a victory to qualify for Augusta National, as Jim Herman did by winning in Houston last year. Among the 144 players in the Houston Open field, 29 already have invitations to play.

Kang insisted that playing in the Masters hasn’t crossed his mind.

“It’s not in my head,” Kang said. “Whatever happens, happens.”

Zac Blair and Aaron Baddeley trail Kang by eight strokes at 8-under 136 through two rounds.

The field boasted five of the world’s top 12-ranked golfers, but only one of them – Fowler – made the cut to continue playing on Saturday. No. 5 Henrik Stenson shot a 5-over, No. 6 Jordan Spieth finished 2-over, No. 7 Adam Scott had a 1-over and Patrick Reed shot a 2-over to add two extra days to their Masters preparations.

Nick Taylor of Abbotsford, B.C. and Mackenzie Hughes, from Dundas, Ont., both made the cut. Taylor shot a 71 and is 4 under while Hughes shot a 70 and is 2 under.

Phil Mickelson rallied late to shoot par for a second straight day to make the cut, something he said was important to him ahead of Augusta.

“I fought hard in the end to get to the weekend because I felt, to get sharp for next week, I need to play a better round,” Mickelson said. “I didn’t want to have five days without competitive rounds before we tee off. I also think the course provides a great opportunity to get ready for next week.”

After mid-week rains dampened the course Thursday, warm, sunny weather and a light breeze caused little problems on the fairways on Friday.

Tiger Woods won’t play in the Masters for the third time in the last four years because he says he is not tournament ready.

Woods announced Friday night on his website that he did everything possible to try to play. He says his back rehabilitation simply didn’t allow him enough time.

He said there was no timetable for his return.

Woods withdrew from the Dubai Desert Classic in early February after shooting a 77, claiming back spasms. Since then, he has sat out his own tournament at Riviera, the Honda Classic and the Arnold Palmer Invitational. He even withdrew from a press conference in Los Angeles.

This is the 20-year anniversary of Woods winning his first Masters by a record 12 shots. He last won the Masters in 2005.

MESA, ARIZONA, March 30, 2017 – Anne-Catherine Tanguay (Quebec, Canada) continued her stellar start to the 2017 season with a 6-under, 66 to lead after day one of the Gateway Classic at Longbow Golf Club. Tanguay, a Team Canada Young Pro Squad member, made five birdies and an eagle to shoot her low round of the season. Former UCLA All-American Stephanie Kono (Honolulu, Hawaii) is one back at 5-under, 67. There are five players two off the lead including Chandler, Ariz. native Kyung Kim, who was the 2010 Arizona High School Player of the Year. 

There are ten players within three shots of the lead. 

Tanguay, who ranks third on the Volvik Race for the Card money list with two top 10 finishes to start the season, has posted seven straight under-par rounds. 

“It was a good day, I got the putter rolling,” said Tanguay, who needed just 27 putts. “I had a really good par save on 12 and that really keep me rolling and then the eagle on 15. As the round went on, I kept hitting it closer and closer. Being in good position off the tee gave me good chances from the fairway and I think the pins were pretty accessible today.”

Tanguay had 225 yards to the pin on the par-5 15th. 

“I just had a downhill lie so I hit a bullet down towards the flag and it was a great shot and it fed to the green,” explained Tanguay. “I drained a 25-footer and just gave myself chances.”

Tanguay felt her putter was a tad light during practice for the IOA Championship last week. So, she found a Golf  Galaxy an hour from Beaumont and drove mid-week to pick up lead tape to add weight to the bottom of her putter.

“My putter is now 10 grams heavier and since then it has been rolling really good.” 

In seven rounds this year on the Symetra Tour, Tanguay is 19-under with no over-par rounds.

“These are the best seven consecutive rounds that I’ve had because of how consistent they are,” explained Tanguay. “I’m just really happy with where my game is at right now.”

The 26-year-old is familiar with Longbow Golf Club. While in college at Oklahoma, she played in the Culver Cup at Longbow Golf Club. 

“It’s great to be back and I really like to play golf courses again to test my game,” said Tanguay. “Arizona golf is great. I had a lot of wedges in and a lot of opportunities. The greens are rolling really, really pure and it was a fun day overall.”

Meanwhile, Kono made three birdies on her front nine and two on the back. She did not have a blemish on her scorecard.

“I hit almost every fairway and I only missed two greens where I had to chip so I gave myself a ton of 

chances,” explained Kono, who made birdies on both nine and 18. “I started off hitting the ball really well. It felt like I could go even lower, but 5-under isn’t too bad.”

Kono has had great success at Longbow Golf Club in the past. She finished third in 2013 and T4 in 2015. 

“I have some good memories here and I like playing desert golf,” said the former UCLA Bruins golfer. “I like seeing the ball go far and the greens are a little easier to read.”

Kono has a unique routine after each round. She purchased a Trackman in the middle of 2016 and uses it before and after each round she plays.

“The Trackman gives me certain numbers and I try to hit them to work out distance control,” explained Kono. “It has really helped my wedge game and keeps me consistent.”

Kono has conditional LPGA Tour status and expects to bounce back-and-forth between the two tours. She made 14 starts on the LPGA in 2016. 

SEPMOREE’S CONFIDENCE GROWING; AIR FORCE CONNECTION: Katelyn Sepmoree (Tyler, Tx.), who celebrated her 26th birthday last week in Beaumont, turned in a 4-under, 68 to start the Gateway Classic at Longbow Golf Club. 

“Even last week when I missed the cut, I was hitting it well but I couldn’t get some putts to fall and today they fell,” explained Sepmoree. “My caddy and I have worked really hard on the greens to get the speed down and get comfortable over it (ball) and it showed up today.”

Sepmoree made eight birdies including a stretch on the back nine when she dropped four in a row between 11 and 14. 

“It’s a mindset that I have to get in to get the ball to the hole,” said Sepmoree, who classified herself as a “die putter” where the ball slowly drops into the hole rather then speeding right in. “I just have to be more aggressive.”

Sepmoree is now in her fourth year on the Symetra Tour and hopes that her comfort leads her to the LPGA.

“It’s all about confidence,” said Sepmoree. “There is nothing that surprises me anymore, I know the ropes. With everything I’ve done in my life, it has taken baby steps and I just need to keep taking them and I’ll get there (LPGA).”

Sepmoree said that while she’d love to be on the LPGA, she’s not surprised by the slow climb. It took her “awhile” in college to settle down and play well.

Sepmoree celebrated her birthday by going on a 14-mile hike in Beaumont on Sunday. With so many hiking trails in greater Phoenix, she is considering going on another this week. 

Off the course, Sepmore is a huge supporter of the military. Her ball marker showcases the group “Hope for the Warriors” and she started doing clinics at Air Force bases last year. Prior to the 2017 season, she helped lead a two-day clinic in Vegas at Nellis Air Force Base. Doug Quirie organizes clinics at Air Force bases around the world and utilizes professional golfers to help lead. 

“I met the coolest people,” said Sepmoree. “I’ve always loved the military and I’ve always said that if I wasn’t playing golf that I’d consider joining myself. If I don’t join the military, I want to give back some way and golf is a great outlet for them. I still have guys I met at Kirtland Air Force Base (New Mexico) that say ‘come back, come back, I want to play with you’ and that makes it totally worth it.”

RICHDALE CONTINUES HOT PLAY; CLOSING IN ON CAREER MONEY LIST: Samantha Richdale (Kelowna, Canada) turned in one of the better afternoon rounds, a 4-under, 68. Richdale made six birdies on the day. 

Richdale registered her 29th career top 10 finish to open the season at the Florida’s Natural Charity Classic. She ranks 14th on the Volvik Race for the Card money list through two events.

Richdale could become the all-time career money leader in Symetra Tour history this week. She has earned $225,618 over 134 starts, only $504 short of all-time money earner Lori Atsedes. 

KEMPTER POSTS A 68 ON HER 30TH BIRTHDAY: Katie Kempter (Albuquerque, N.M.) got up-and-down from the greenside bunker on the ninth hole for birdie to post a 4-under, 68 late in the day when the wind was really blowing. 

“It was hard in the afternoon, the course got firm and fast,” said Kempter. “The wind made me focus a little more which was good for me. I’ve been struggling with my ball striking so this was really good for me.”

Kempter’s dad was on the bag and her mom is in town for her 30th birthday.

“Since I found out we’d be playing on my birthday, I was joking that I’d shoot a 62 since that would be my personal best,” joked Kempter. “I would have had to stop after the 16th hole today, but it was a good day. I’m not a huge birthday person, but it’s nice to have a good score when everyone is wishing you a happy birthday.”

Kempter said she hasn’t seen her parents on her birthday in 12 years. 

OF NOTE

• A total of 31 players are under-par after day one.

• Former Arizona State star Giulia Molinaro opened with a 2-under, 70.

• Laura Wearn (Charlotte, N.C.), who posted a 2-under, 70, recorded a 334-yard drive on the ninth hole.

• Liz Nagel (DeWitt, Mich.) holed out from 116 yards out on the par-4 13th hole for eagle en route to a 3-under, 69 to stand in a tie for eighth. 

RANCHO MIRAGE, Calif. – Michelle Wie was the teenage prodigy on this same desert course 14 years ago, showing off her precocious skills and a seemingly limitless future.

Now a wizened veteran of the LPGA Tour, the 27-year-old Wie saw reflections of her own journey Thursday while she played alongside 14-year-old Lucy Li, the newest wunderkind with a chance to dazzle the golf world at the ANA Inspiration.

“For sure, very mature for her age,” Wie said. “The way she played out there, her game did not seem 14. I was really impressed with her game and how she handles herself out there. She’s very calm and collected.”

Wie’s young playing partner still has things to learn from the pro, however. While Li opened with a 71, Wie shot a 4-under 68 to move one stroke behind leader Karine Icher of France before 35-mph winds shortened the opening day of competition at the first major of the year.

Four players were one shot behind Icher, including 17-year-old amateur Eun Jeong Seong, who had an early hole-in-one .

Half of the field in the LPGA Tour’s first major of the year was still on the course when play was stopped. The first round will resume Friday morning when the Coachella Valley calms down.

Brooke Henderson of Smiths Falls, Ont., shot a 1-over 73 while Maude-Aimee Leblanc of Sherbrooke, Que., had a 7-over 79. Hamilton’s Alena Sharp was 3 over through 12 holes.

But an early tee time allowed Wie and Li to log their first round together. Li has known about Wie for her whole life, since she grew up in the San Francisco suburbs while Wie was attending Stanford and playing on the tour.

“I was really excited to play with her,” Li said. “She’s super nice, and we just had a lot of fun today. She played really well.”

Wie was only 13 when she debuted at this tournament, then called the Kraft Nabisco Championship, in 2003 as one of the most touted teenagers in golf history. She became the youngest player ever to make an LPGA cut on the Dinah Shore Course, finishing tied for ninth in her first major.

Li was almost six months old at the time.

While Wie has never dominated the tour as some anticipated, she won the U.S. Women’s Open at Pinehurst in 2014. That’s also where Wie met Li, then an 11-year-old who had just become the youngest person to qualify for the Open.

After missing the cut at Pinehurst, Li stayed for the weekend to watch Wie’s victory. Li then cracked the field of her second major last week by winning the ANA Junior Inspiration.

Wie hasn’t won an LPGA tournament since that U.S. Women’s Open breakthrough, and she missed the cut in three majors last year. Playing alongside the precocious teen caused Wie to reflect on her own beginnings in surprising ways.

“I feel like no one really called me cute back then,” the 6-foot Wie said with a laugh. “They were just like, ‘Damn, she’s big.’ You know? I was walking behind her today, and I was like, ‘You know, she’s really cute.’ No one really called me that when I was 13. ‘Damn, she’s tall.’ That’s all I got.”

Li is almost a foot shorter than Wie, and she’s already a junior in high school. She’s working on her Algebra II homework this weekend when she isn’t playing, and she recently indulged her interests in politics and history by reading Doris Kearns Goodwin’s “Team of Rivals,” a 944-page examination of Abraham Lincoln and his cabinet.

“I’m probably a little more experienced than the last time (in a major), but it’s still very exciting,” Li said.

Lydia Ko, the defending ANA Inspiration champion and world No. 1, was 2 under through five holes in vicious wind before play was suspended.

Playing in her second major, the 17-year-old Seong aced the par-3 fifth, celebrating in disbelief after she put a 6-iron into the cup for this tournament’s first hole-in-one in five years. Although she plays sparingly on this side of the Pacific, Seong won the U.S. Women’s Amateur and the U.S. Girls’ Junior tournaments last year.

“I couldn’t see the hole, and then I just said, ‘Oh my God!”’ Seong said after the second hole-in-one of her career. “I don’t think about being one of the leaders. I’m just happy that I’m playing.”

Icher had seven birdies in an outstanding opening round.

HUMBLE, Texas – Rickie Fowler shot an 8-under 64 for a one-shot lead over Sung Kang after the first round of the Houston Open on Thursday.

Fowler had his best round in six appearances at the tournament, topping a previous low score of 68. Fowler overcame damp conditions and a chilly, breezy morning to jump to a hot start.

Fowler won last month at the Honda Classic and is trying to keep momentum going into the Masters next week. The Honda Classic win snapped a 13-month, 25-start drought for Fowler.

Fowler held a three-shot lead over Vaughn Taylor and Keegan Bradley when he finished his round in the afternoon, then Kang closed the gap with his 65. The 29-year-old South Korean missed a putt from less than 5 feet to bogey on 18. Still, compared to last year’s final round at the Houston Open when he shot a 6-over 78, he said he was satisfied with the improvement.

Kang is among the 115 players who need a victory to qualify for Augusta National, as Jim Herman did by winning in Houston last year. Among the 144 players in the Houston Open field, 29 already have invitations to play. It would have been 30, expect Dustin Johnson decided to take the week off after winning the Dell Technologies Match Play for his third straight victory.

Behind Fowler and Kang, Stewart Cink, Jhonattan Vegas and Kyle Stanley all shot 6-under 66. Jordan Spieth struggled at times and shot 3-under 69. Herman shot 2-over 74, while 2015 Houston Open winner J.B. Holmes shot 1-over 73.

Nick Taylor of Abbostsford, B.C., shot a 3-under 69 while Mackenzie Hughes of Dundas, Ont., sits even after shooting a 72.

Kang said he doesn’t want to get too ahead of himself by eyeing a last-minute ticket to Augusta after the first round.

“I don’t know anything about the future, and whatever happens, happens,” Kang said. “I’ll just keep doing what I can do the next few days, and I’ll accept the results.”

Heavy rains cancelled the pro-am event at the Golf Club of Houston on Wednesday.

The sun dried out the course later in the day, and the greens began to play faster. Several players commented on the balancing act of avoiding the water hazards but also not overplaying the speedy greens, which are designed to mimic Augusta.

Fowler said he was fortunate to not have been too thrown off by the muddy conditions.

“I felt like I got some good breaks with having mud on the same side as where the trouble was and that I could kind of keep it fairly conservative,” Fowler said. “If the mud was kind of kicking in, it ended up being a good shot.”

On Thursday night, Fowler travelled 20 miles south to downtown Houston to throw out the first pitch at the Astros’ exhibition game against the Cubs. Fowler said he spent a lot of time with the Cardinals during spring training and said he’s a friend of Astros owner Jim Crane, who he has played golf with at the Floridian National Golf Club.

“It’s probably more nervous when you get out there on the mound than we really ever get or maybe close to Ryder Cup nerves,” Fowler said. “You’re just hoping not to screw up.”