CHONBURI, Thailand – Lexi Thompson shot an 8-under 64 Saturday in the third round of the LPGA Thailand to establish a four-stroke lead over Korean In Gee Chun at Siam Country Club.

The fourth-ranked American fired nine birdies – against a lone bogey on the 16th – for an overall 16-under 200.

“I missed a putt on the first hole which got me down a little bit, but I tried to stay positive going into the next hole and fire at pins like I did the first day,” said Thompson, who is chasing her seventh LPGA Tour career victory.

Thompson has won four out of the six times she has led after the third round.

Chun carded three birdies on both the front and back nine for a 6-under 66.

Overnight leader and defending champion Amy Yang (70) had five birdies and three bogeys. The South Korean is five shots off the lead.

SAO PAULO – The Olympic golf course that welcomes the sport back to the Games in Rio de Janeiro will have a test event for nine Brazilians in an exhibition that will be closed to the public.

Rio 2016 organizers confirmed that the March 8 event will have no more than nine players – five men and four women – in a stroke-play format.

Brazil has little tradition in golf, a sport that has not been part of the Olympic program since 1904. The top-ranked player among those invited is Alexandre Rocha, who is No. 588. Two other Brazilians ahead of him in the world rankings play on the European Tour (Adilson da Silva) and the PGA Tour (Lucas Lee).

The best Brazilian female is Miriam Nagl at No. 482.

The PGA Tour had tried to arrange for some of the world’s best to play in the exhibition and could not find anyone to go to Rio because of the schedule. A World Golf Championship in Miami ends on March 6, and the LPGA Tour event concludes that day in Singapore.

Jordan Spieth, the No. 1 player in the world, is defending his title at the Valspar Championship in Palm Harbor, Florida, that week.

Rio’s Olympic golf course was handed to organizers in November after a series of delays involving environmental lawsuits and land ownership disputes.

The course, designed by American golf architect Gil Hanse, covers 970,000 square meters and will have room for 15,000 fans. A delegation from the International Golf Federation (IGF) will be present to observe, Rio 2016 said in a statement.

There will be 104 volunteers in the test event and players will be in groups of three. Claudia Guedes, the Rio 2016 sport manager for golf, said that the main tests are for the course itself and the results system.

“It’s a tough course, there is quite a lot of wind, so it will bring the best out of the players,” Guedes said.

RIONEGRO, Colombia – Ken Looper of Mandeville, La., carded a 12-under 60, the lowest round in five seasons of PGA TOUR Latinoamérica, to claim the 36-hole lead at the 69th Avianca Colombia Open presented by BBVA. His impressive charge to the top featured ten birdies, a hole-in-one and no bogeys at Club Campestre de Medellin Llano Grande.

“A fairy tale round,” he went on to say about his “lowest career everything.”

Coming off an opening 67 on Thursday afternoon, the 27-year-old broke the course record only a day after Canada’s Corey Conners set it at 63. His 12-under 60 was also the lowest score in relation to par ever recorded on PGA TOUR Latinoamérica.

Leading the championship at 17-under par 127, Looper also claimed the lowest score for the first 36 holes of a PGA TOUR Latinoamérica tournament. Only Fabián Gómez, a two-time PGA TOUR champion, had gone this low in any 36-hole stretch ever before on this Tour.

Looper will enter the weekend holding a two-shot lead over Justin Hueber of Fort Wayne, Ind. Solo second after rounds of 65-64 to stand at 15-under, a number that matches the second lowest first 36 on Tour, Hueber is one of two players who remain bogey-free this week. The other is Medellin’s own Oscar Álvarez, currently tied for the 13th spot.

Holding the overnight lead by two after his opening 63, Corey Conners carded a 69 to drop to third, where he now trails Looper by five at 12-under. Two strokes behind, the leading Colombian Omar Beltrán ranks solo fourth thanks to a couple of 67s.

PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla. -Rickie Fowler kept bogeys off his card for the second straight round Friday for a 4-under 66 and the early lead in the Honda Classic.

In some respects, it was identical to Fowler’s opening round – no bogeys, another 66 in windy conditions and a big par save on his 10th hole. Having started on the back nine, Fowler worked himself out of his toughest spot well right of the fairway and managed to get up-and-down for par to keep some momentum.

Otherwise, this was a clean day. His longest par putt was 12 feet on the fourth hole after driving into the bunker, and he ended his round with a 25-foot birdie putt on the ninth hole to reach 8-under 132.

Jimmy Walker finished birdie-eagle, holing a 40-foot putt on the 18th hole for a 66 and was one shot behind. Sergio Garcia had a 69 and was another stroke back.

Fowler is the first person to go bogey-free over the opening 36 holes at the Honda Classic since it moved to PGA National in 2007.

“I’m definitely pleased about that,” Fowler said. “Got a nice break on 1 to kind of continue that. But yeah, I kept myself in it with some up-and-downs, made some good putts, and then continued to move forward. Made a couple birdies coming in, so it was a little bit of a bonus there at the last.”

Rory McIlroy was hopeful of a bonus to keep playing.

He headed home after a 72 and it was uncertain if he would be back this week. McIlroy took a triple bogey on the par-5 fifth – his 14th hole of the round – and a birdie on the final hole put him at 4-over 144. He would not speak to reporters as he left the course.

It would be the second straight year for McIlroy to miss the cut.

Fowler has bounced back nicely from giving up a two-shot lead with two holes to play in his last tournament at the Phoenix Open. And he put in some good practice last week after returning home to Florida.

The scores didn’t count, but they were impressive.

Fowler set the course record at The Medalist with a 66 (he broke his own record), and the next day went up to The Floridian and shot 60 to break the course record that had been held by Justin Thomas.

“Pretty good accomplishment,” he said.

The first two days of the Honda Classic haven’t been too shabby, either. Even though he lost the late lead in Phoenix and missed the cut at Torrey Pines, Fowler has been quietly moving into the conversation of the elite players this year. He finished fifth at Kapalua to start 2016, won against a strong field in Abu Dhabi that included Jordan Spieth and McIlroy, and now is the player to catch at PGA National.

Walker missed the cut at Riviera last week, though he has been steady since a tweak to his swing in the offseason. Except for Riviera, he has not finished lower than a tie for 13th since October.

So far, the 18th hole has been kind to him. On Thursday, Walker went into the water and made a 12-foot putt to escape with par. On Friday, he was trying to lag his long eagle attempt and “luckily, the hole got in the way.”

Garcia held his own for a big part of the round until he three-putted for bogey on his 10th hole (No. 1) and Fowler built his lead by making birdies.

“Tomorrow is going to be an important day,” Garcia said. “Rickie is playing really, really well, so I’m going to have to play extremely well to keep up with him. We’ll see. Hopefully we have a good chance on Sunday. See what we can do.”

Graham DeLaet had a 70 and was 2-over and will be the lone Canadian to play the weekend.

Adam Hadwin had a 77 that included four double-bogeys, he was 5-over.

Mike Weir and David Hearn both finished at 8-over.

GOLD COAST, Australia – Nicole Broch Larsen of Denmark and Sweden’s Camilla Lennarth took a two-stroke, second-round lead Friday at the Australian Ladies Masters.

Lennarth shot her second consecutive 5-under 68 while Broch Larsen, thanks to a chip-in eagle on the final hole, carded a 69 for two-round totals of 10-under 136 at Royal Pines.

Lennarth, starting on the 10th hole, had four birdies on her final nine, including the eighth and ninth.

Broch Larsen said she was confident of making eagle or birdie at 18 but her five-iron approach on the 423-meter, par-5 hole missed the green to the right, finishing in a deep swale.

“It was probably the worst place you could be,” she said. “But I struck the chip nicely and it hit the pin and dropped.”

Brooke Henderson of Canada, who led with Larsen after the first round with 67s, was tied for third after a 71 with South Korean Jiyai Shin (70).

So Young Lee of South Korea and England’s Holly Clyburn, who each shots 69s, were tied for fifth.

Lennarth said she sang Justin Bieber songs to help get her through her five-hour round.

“You do notice it was really slow but you try to adjust and just focus on your shots,” she said. “I’m a bit of a Justin Bieber fan so was singing away for quite a few holes.”

Lennarth, 27, finished third behind Cheyenne Woods in 2014 at Royal Pines and was tied for sixth last year behind champion Su Oh.

“I feel comfortable on the course and also the Gold Coast,” she said. “I play my shots with a little draw and that suits quite a few of the holes here at Royal Pines.”

Marion Ricordeau of France, the other first-round leader, shot 77 to drop eight strokes off the pace in the joint Ladies European Tour and Australian Ladies event. Oh shot 75 and was at even par.

Woods shot 81 Friday after an opening 75 and missed the cut.

HONBURI, Thailand – Defending champion Amy Yang carded a 3-under 69 to lead by one halfway through the LPGA Thailand on Friday.

Yang trailed first-round leader Lexi Thompson by two before teeing off at Siam Country Club, then had consecutive bogeys on Nos. 5 and 6, but rallied with four birdies, including on the par-3 12th.

At 9 under overall, the South Korean was one shot ahead of countrywoman Q Baek (71) and Americans Jessica Korda (66) and Thompson (72).

“I struggled a little bit on the front, two bogeys straight, but I stayed patient, got through it well,” Yang said. “Leading by one shot is not much, and two more rounds is still a lot of golf.”

Korda’s low round of the day, matched by Haru Nomura of Japan, was capped by a 12-foot eagle putt on her last hole.

Xi Yu Lin of China hit a hole in one on the 186-yard, par-3 16th, and earned a Honda Accord.

There are no Canadians in the field.

PERTH, Australia – Overnight leader Peter Uihlein of the United States shot a 4-under 68 and was tied for the second-round lead with Brett Rumford at the Perth International, with former British Open champion Louis Oosthuizen a stroke behind on Friday.

Uihlein, who birdied his final two holes after starting on the back nine, and Rumford, who carded 65, had 36-hole totals of 11-under 133 at Lake Karrinyup Country Club.

Oosthuizen, the 2010 British Open champion playing for the first time in Australia, had a 64 for the low round of the day after an opening 70.

Oosthuizen was on track to join Rumford and Uihlein at the top of the leaderboard, but missed a short birdie putt on the final hole.

“I just over-read it,” Oosthuizen said. “It was the first real putt I had in the shadows today. I took my glasses off, and I misread it a little bit. It’s not going to bother me though.”

European Ryder Cup player Victor Dubuisson of France posted a 1-under 71 but was still 4 over overall and missed the cut in the European Tour and Australasian PGA event.

Australian Marcus Fraser, who won the Maybank Championship in Malaysia last week, was at 2 under with veteran Peter Senior.

Other notables beside Dubuisson to miss the cut included defending champion Thorbjorn Olesen (5 over) and 2013 winner Jin Jeong (4 over).

Dubuisson has missed consecutive cuts since making a recent switch in equipment.

Uihlein was grouped with Dubuisson for the opening two days, but he said the Frenchman kept his emotions in check.

“You can never tell with Victor. He’s like the Mona Lisa, you never really know what’s going on,” Uihlein said, smiling. “He’s a great player. He could win Doral next week by 10, he’s that good.”

Temperatures exceeded 36 degrees Celsius (97 F), and Rumford made sure to keep his fluids up after stomach surgery last year which kept him off the tour for four months.

“This is the hottest conditions no doubt I’ve played in …” Rumford said. “But the body’s great. There’s no signs whatsoever. That’s all history now.”

PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla. – Sergio Garcia made an eagle, avoided an alligator and wound up in a share of the lead Thursday in the Honda Classic.

Garcia holed out with an 8-iron from 142 yards into the wind on the second hole for an eagle, and he narrowly missed an eagle putt on the 18th hole at PGA National. The Spaniard shot 5-under 65 and shared the lead with Michael Thompson, the 2013 Honda Classic winner, who also birdied the last hole.

They were one shot ahead of Rickie Fowler and William McGirt.

Canada’s Adam Hadwin had a 68 and sits tied for 10th.

Graham DeLaet recorded 72 and is tied for 65th place at +2. Mike Weir had a 75 and David Hearn penned a 77 on his card.

The biggest excitement for Garcia was on the par-4 sixth hole, where he made his lone bogey.

His tee shot found the water left of the fairway, shallow enough for him to roll up his pants and try to play it out to the fairway. That part was easy. He looked over his shoulder because of an alligator on the island, making sure it wasn’t going anywhere soon.

“I was more worried about the alligator that was on the other side of the island than getting out of the water,” Garcia said. “The ball, I could see probably half of it, so I knew that I could get it out. Almost made 4, which would have been a great 4. I’m not going to lie, I was happy with a 5.”

And he was happy with other 60 strokes he took on a typical windy day at PGA National.

Garcia missed the cut last week at Riviera, two days in which he said he did nothing well. Hardly anything went wrong for him in the Honda Classic, and even when it did, he managed to avoid trouble. Garcia had to play a 40-yard hook from the rough left of the 10th fairway to just short of the green for a simple par.

Fowler had the only bogey-free round, which included a chip-in for par on the 10th hole. McGirt was more on the wild side by making seven birdies.

“Anything in the red is good around this place,” McGirt said. “At 4 under, I would say it was bordering on great. This place is never easy, even when it’s calm. You can’t fall asleep on any shot out here.”

For the early starters, it was a rude welcome to the Florida swing – chilly and gusts that approached 30 mph.

Phil Mickelson extended his good play from a runner-up finish at Pebble Beach and shot 69, among 10 players who managed to break par in the morning. The wind eased slightly and the warmth returned briefly in the afternoon, and the crowd had a lot more to cheer.

That included the loudest cheer of the day on the par-3 17th, where Alex Cejka made a hole-in-one.

Rory McIlroy, however, wasn’t in a happy place when he finished. Standing outside the scoring area, he smacked his putter on the concrete before going inside to sign for a 72. It wasn’t an awful score, but the finish led to his angst.

He hit the face of a bunker on the 14th hole and went into another fairway bunker, put his third in more sand left of the green and made double bogey. After a birdie on the 15th, McIlroy came up short into the bunker on the 16th for a bogey, and he finished his round with a three-putt bogey from 10 feet.

Fowler was playing for the first time since he lost a two-shot lead with two holes to play and Hideki Matsuyama beat him in a playoff at Phoenix Open. Fowler said he spent a week with friends and played plenty last week to get ready for a big stretch. He opened with two birdies in three holes and was in position most of the day.

“I think we got a good break playing in the afternoon today,” he said. “I think the wind laid down a little bit for us. I know the guys had a tough time this morning and the course was not easy. Still didn’t play easy out there for us. I felt like I swung it really well tee-to-green. Would have been nice to putt a little better, but still a nice, solid round to start off the week.”

Garcia is playing for only the third time this year. He tied for seventh in Qatar and was never close to making the cut at Riviera.

“I didn’t come in with a lot of confidence,” Garcia said. “For sure, you are wondering a little bit, because usually my long game, it’s up there, and even when I’m not playing great, I still can manage to get around it. But last week, I felt out of sorts. I didn’t know what was going on.”

He took four days off, played 10 holes Wednesday in the pro-am before the rain arrived and it all felt good again.

“It’s only the first round,” Garcia said. “We still have three tough rounds to go on a very difficult golf course. But any good round, it’s always welcome.”

CHONBURI, Thailand – Lexi Thompson had two eagles in an 8-under 64 Thursday to take a one-stroke lead over Q Baek at the LPGA Tour’s Thailand tournament.

Amy Yang, the defending champion, shot 66 and was two strokes behind after the first round. Two golfers were tied for fourth after opening 68s – Azahara Munoz and Jenny Shin.

“Two eagles definitely helps out the scorecard,” Thompson said. “We couldn’t have asked for better conditions, weather-wise and golf course, so just happy to be out here.”

The 20-year-old Baek won her first and only LPGA title on home soil in South Korea in 2014. She had an eagle and five birdies in her round of 65.

Currently ranked No. 4, Thompson could overtake No. 3 Stacy Lewis as the top-ranked American with a win this week in Thailand and become the first American to win the event in its 10-year history.

“I think I was just very confident out there,” Thompson said. “I committed to all my shots, just aiming at pins and focused on doing my routine, staying relaxed, and I think that’s what helped me out the most.”

She got off to a quick start with an eagle at the par-5 first hole, followed by two more birdies and another eagle on the par-5 seventh to make the turn in 30.

Thompson bettered her low round at Siam Country Club’s Old Course by two strokes and finished one stroke away from matching the course record of 63 after missing a birdie putt at the last.

Thompson is playing with a new driver this week, and said she used it on nearly every hole, hitting 11 of 14 fairways.

“I’ve been trying to work into it for probably the last few months, and just trying to find a shaft that works for me, and finally found something I’m very comfortable with,” Thompson said.