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.

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.

Click here for featured pairings.

SINGAPORE – Canadian Brooke Henderson closed out another strong performance with a bogey-free 67 on Sunday to share 2nd place at the Women’s World Championship.

Sunday marked the second-straight bogey-free round for the Smiths Falls, Ont., product, who notched her third top-10 performance in four events this LPGA season.

Henderson birdied four of her first eight holes to move up the leaderboard but could not get another birdie putt to drop in until the final hole when it was too late for her to catch the champion Michelle Wie.

A bogey-free final round for @BrookeHenderson at @HSBC_Sport!

Watch highlights: pic.twitter.com/EMBhCxYoe0

— LPGA (@LPGA) March 4, 2018

Michelle Wie holed a 36-foot putt from off the green on the final hole to win the championship, her first LPGA tournament since the 2014 U.S. Women’s Open.

With four players in contention to win on the last hole, Wie managed to separate herself from the pack when she drained her lengthy birdie putt on the 72nd hole at the Sentosa Golf Club for a final round of 7-under 65 to finish at 17-under 271.

The 28-year-old Wie, who led the tournament after three rounds a year ago before fading on the last day, leaped into the air and clenched her fist in celebration as the ball disappeared into the bottom of the cup.

But she still faced an anxious wait before being declared the champion.

“Winning is everything. I mean, there is no better feeling than when you think you sink that winning putt. It’s a high, for sure,” Wie said.

“You go out there, and it’s this feeling that gets you going. It’s this feeling that makes you practice. It’s that winning putt that makes you practice for hours and hours and hours, and even the hard times, it gets you going back. You know that good feeling is on the other side.”

Brooke’s T2 finish at #HWWC is her third @lpga_tour top-10 in four events this year ?? • • ? (Getty Images) • • #golf #golfcanada #golflife #golfstagram

A post shared by CP Women's Open (@cpwomensopen) on Mar 4, 2018 at 5:43am PST

Third-round leader Nelly Korda parred her last 8 holes in a row. The 19-year-old, who only joined the LPGA Tour last year, hit a superb approach into the 18th to set up a birdie opportunity that would have forced a playoff but missed her 8-foot putt and settled for a final-round 71.

“I had a bunch of putts that were really close and a lot of them lipped and burned edges. It definitely hurts, but that’s golf,” Korda said.

“There’s going to be another tournament. There’s going to be another feeling like this. Just have to keep going forward”.

Danielle Kang, last year’s Singapore winner, parred her last 14 holes and was unable to drain a longer birdie putt on the last to miss out on a playoff as she closed with a 70. Korda and Kang finished in a four-way tie for second at 16-under, alongside Jenny Shin (65) and Brooke Henderson (67).

“I couldn’t capitalize on those holes, which was kind of disappointing,” Kang said. “But other than that, struck the ball well and I hung in there. So she (Wie) dropped the bomb on the last. I heard it from a hole back.”

Shin held the outright lead when she teed off at the last after reeling off eight birdies between the sixth and 16th holes, but she dropped back to 16-under when she made her only bogey of the day on the final hole.

“The nerves got me, maybe,” Shin said. “Not sure if I would have made that mistake on many other holes. Oh, well.”

Plagued by injuries since capturing her first major at Pinehurst, North Carolina in 2014, Wie started Sunday’s final round five strokes off the pace and needing to shoot low after Sei Young Kim set the bar high, flirting with a 59 before settling for a course record of 10-under 62.

Wie made a strong start with three birdies on the front nine then added three more in her first five holes after the turn before saving her best for last when the pressure was at its most suffocating.

“It’s been a tough journey since 2014. I think it’s been kind of well documented. You know, I’ve had some injuries, had a really bad year, just lost a lot of confidence,” Wie said.

“But I’m just really proud of myself for pulling myself out of it. I felt like I had a good year last year, a year where I built confidence, and I just want to keep building confidence from there.”

Hamilton, Ont., native Alena Sharp carded a final-round 76 to finish the tournament at 8 over par in a tie for 60th.

SINGAPORE – Canadian Brooke Henderson came out of the gate firing in Saturday’s third round and never looked back, carding a bogey-free 65 to surge into a tie for 3rd at the Women’s World Championship.

Henderson, a Smiths Falls, Ont., product, climbed 12 spots on the strength of seven birdies to play her way into Sunday’s final group at the Sentosa Golf Club.

“It was a great day out there, a lot of birdies. I had nine putts on the back nine, which is really awesome, especially for me, so I’m really happy about that,” said Henderson. “Just a great day and got up-and-down when I needed to and climbed the leaderboard as much as I did today, I’m very happy on moving day.”

The 20-year-old trails the 54-hole leader Nelly Korda by four strokes heading into the finale.

“Yeah, I mean, hopefully I’m within striking distance going into tomorrow, and just keep doing what I’ve been doing all week, try it make as many birdies as possible and get off to a fast start,” added Henderson. “There’s a lot of birdie opportunities, especially the first five holes. So just get off to a quick start and see what happens after that.”

.@BrookeHenderson cruises into contention after firing a round of 65 ?

Check out her highlights here: #HWWC pic.twitter.com/UKMfOpZmxS

— LPGA (@LPGA) March 3, 2018

Korda, whose sister Jessica won the LPGA Tour event in Thailand last week, leapfrogged 36-hole leader Danielle Kang on the heels of a 7-under 65. Kang sits one back in solo possession of 2nd place.

Korda will look to become the second sister pairing in history to both win on the LPGA Tour.

“It would definitely be really exciting, but I can’t think about it too much. I’m just going to relax and take it shot by shot.

Henderson, Korda and Kang will tee off on Sunday at 9:30 a.m. local time.

Canadian Alena Sharp of Hamilton, Ont., jumped to a red-hot start with a 6-under front nine, before slipping on the back with four bogeys, leaving her with a 70 on the day (-2). Sharp sits in a tie for 57th at 4 over par.

Click here for full scoring.

SINGAPORE – Jennifer Song shot an opening 7-under 65 to take a two-stroke lead at the Women’s World Championship on Thursday.

The 28-year-old American reeled off seven birdies at the Sentosa Golf Club in a round that was interrupted for two hours by lightning.

Michelle Wie and Ji Eun-Hee (both 67) were tied for second while Brooke Henderson of Smiths Falls, Ont., and eight others finished a further stroke back at 4 under.

Henderson, 20, collected seven birdies against three bogeys to sit tied for 4th.

.@BrookeHenderson shoots a first round of 68 at #HWWC and sits three shots off the lead! Watch highlights from her day: pic.twitter.com/fe1mSuMUEg

— LPGA (@LPGA) March 1, 2018

Top-ranked Shanshan Feng (70) bogeyed the last hole, while No. 2 Lexi Thompson (75) struggled in making five bogeys.

Alena Sharp of Hamilton was in a large group at 3 over par.

Still chasing her first LPGA win eight years after turning professional, Song took the outright lead when she made five birdies in an eight-hole stretch.

“At times it has been a great struggle because I know I can win out here, but I just never have been given that chance yet,” Song said. “But I kept believing that someday it will happen. I think that’s the reason why myself and other golfers are still grinding because we believe that we can win out here.”

Wie has not won since she captured her first major at the 2014 Women’s U.S. Open. She led in Singapore last year after the first and third rounds.

“I made a lot of birdies from the trees today, so that’s a plus,” Wie said.

Wie looked to be in discomfort in her final few holes, shaking her left wrist, which was already heavily bandaged, but said it was nothing unusual for her.

“It looks a lot worse than it actually is. It’s really not that bad,” she said. “My wrist, I just have arthritis and I just try to work through that. You know, it’s been a little bit of a struggle but I’ve got a good game plan going, more preventative more than anything. But it just looked a lot worse than it actually is.”

Ji also bogeyed her last hole but managed to stay clear of a chasing pack of nine players at 68 – Henderson, Ariya Jutanugarn, Danielle Kang, Chun In Gee, Jessica Korda, Madelene Sagstrom, Chella Choi, Su Oh and Park Sung Hyun.

Korda, who won in Thailand last week, spoiled her round with a double-bogey 5 on the seventh while Kang managed to post a bogey-free round despite a freak accident that broke her tooth before she teed off.

“I was stretching out on the floor and next thing I know, I slept 30 minutes,” Kang said. “I broke a tooth. Call the dentist on range. It’s all good.”

CHONBURI, Thailand – Florida’s Jessica Korda set a tournament record to win the LPGA Thailand at the Siam Country Club Pattaya Old Course on Sunday.

Korda held off Lexi Thompson and local hope Moriya Jutanugarn for a four-stroke win after a final-round 67 for an overall total of 25 under 263, smashing the previous mark of 22 under set by Amy Yang of South Korea in 2017.

“It’s an incredible thing to be able to win again. I haven’t won in two years. And who knows? It’s so hard out here. These girls are so good. I mean, look at the scoreboard. I had to shoot 25 under just to win,” said Korda after claiming her fifth LPGA win.

Brooke Henderson of Smiths Falls, Ont., shot a fourth-round 67 to finish the tournament 16 under and tied for seventh. Hamilton’s Alena Sharp (71) was 3 over.

It was Korda’s first trophy since winning in Malaysia in 2015.

Ranked No. 26, Korda had surgery on an overbite in December and was playing in her first tournament since November.

“I just came with no expectations after surgery. It’s really hard for me to move. All this stuff is just still really hard, but I’m really, really happy that I chose to come back in this event exactly where I started my rookie year in 2011. I don’t think I could have asked for a better win,” she said.

Thompson, who won here in 2016, turned in a bogey free round that included eight birdies to sign off with a 64 for a 21 under 267.

“I had to just fire at everything today and make a lot of birdies because Jessica has been playing amazing, along with a lot of other people. So that’s what I did. I just went after it,” said No. 4-ranked Thompson.

Moriya, the 2013 Rookie of the Year, almost caught up with Korda after nine holes when she closed to within two shots, but her challenge faded and she failed to become the first Thai winner of the tournament. Moriya finished with a final-round 67 for an overall 21 under 267.

“I wasn’t sad at all. It was fun playing with Jessica. It’s been a fun week. I already tried my best. Whatever happened this week is cool,” said Moriya, who has yet to win on the LPGA tour.

CHONBURI, Thailand – Jessica Korda kept an eye on her younger sister while firing a 4-under 68 in the third round of the LPGA Thailand on Saturday to lead Moriya Jutanugarn by four strokes.

A day after a course-record 62 at Siam Country Club, Korda fought back from a bogey on the front nine with five birdies to finish on 20-under 196 overall. The American was on the 18th hole when concerns over lightning suspended play for 30 minutes before play resumed.

“(I) was playing really well at the end of the season, but I haven’t been in this (leading) position. Being back, it just takes you a little bit of time,” said the 24-year-old Korda, who won her fifth and last title at the LPGA Malaysia in 2015.

Her 19-year-old sister Nelly Korda (65) is eight shots off the lead.

“I’m definitely a leaderboard watcher. I love seeing her name up there,” said Jessica Korda, who was playing her first tournament since jaw surgery.

Propelled by eight birdies and an eagle on the par-4 No. 14, with three bogeys, Jutanugarn signed off with a 65 and a total of 16-under 200.

“Everybody has the chance to win as all the top players are here this week,” said Jutanugarn, who has a chance to become the first Thai winner in her home tournament.

Australian Minjee Lee (68) is third on 15-under 201, followed by former top-ranked Ariya Jutanugarn (65) on 202. Lexi Thompson (69), the 2016 champion, is a stroke further back. Michelle Wie (69) is tied for sixth.

Brooke Henderson (70) of Smiths Falls, Ont., is tied for ninth at 11 under while Hamilton’s Alena Sharp (72) was 4 over.

Brittany Lincicome was in second place after the second round, four shots behind Jessica Korda, but the American dropped down the board and is tied for ninth after a 73.

CHONBURI, Thailand – Jessica Korda shot a course-record 62 at the LPGA Thailand on Friday to lead by four strokes after the second round.

Playing her first tournament since having jaw surgery, the American fired eight birdies and finished with an eagle to move to 16 under par at the halfway point, a 36-hole record for the event.

“That was a pretty good round, pretty special,” she said. “Just had a lot of fun doing it.”

Korda is the daughter of former tennis player Petr Korda. She leads from another American, Brittany Lincicome, who carded a 65 to go 12 under at the Siam Country Club Pattaya Old Course.

Minjee Lee of Australia is third and a shot behind Linicome on 11 under after a 67. Lexi Thompson of the United States, the 2016 champion, is fourth and another shot behind Lee.

Brooke Henderson (68) of Smiths Falls, Ont., is tied for fifth at 9 under after posting six birdies against two bogeys in Friday’s second round. Hamilton’s Alena Sharp (73) was well back at 4 over.

.@BrookeHenderson sits tied for 5th after the 2nd round of @hondalpgath!

Watch highlights from her day: pic.twitter.com/nAZQiWyt7W

— LPGA (@LPGA) February 23, 2018

Korda is making her season debut in Thailand after the surgery and is playing with 27 screws holding her jaw in place.

She seized the outright lead with a birdie on No. 15, the third of four straight birdies she made on the back nine. Her eagle on the last meant she finished with a 29 on the back nine, putting her in prime position for a first tour win since 2015.

“The best part is I have had no headache for 11 weeks. So that’s the biggest win for me,” she said. “Honestly I was just trying to get on the green, get myself a chance. I birdied four in a row and holed a long one (on 18). I wasn’t expecting it at all. It was pretty cool.”

CHONBURI, Thailand – Brooke Henderson of Smiths Falls, Ont., is one shot back after carding seven birdies, five of which came on her first eight holes. The 20-year-old sits at 5 under for the tournament, in great position a week after missing the cut for just the 5th time in her career.

Henderson is set to give chase to the leaders with an 11:38 a.m. tee time in Friday’s second round.

“Yeah, you know, it was a really great start. Felt good, especially coming out of last week,” said Henderson. “I was happy to get a lot of birdies right out of the gate and feel comfortable again—unfortunately gave two back, but I was able to fight pretty hard on the back nine and finish at 5-under.”

A few months ago, Henderson was shovelling ice back home in Smiths Falls—she hasn’t shown any signs of trouble adjusting to the extreme heat in Thailand.

“Yeah, spending a lot time in Florida I’ve been able to learn all about grain and how to read putts like that. Coming from Canada I didn’t really know much about that, but last few years I’ve definitely learned a lot. This heat is pretty similar to Florida. Actually quite a bit hotter.”

After working out some kinks in Australia, @BrookeHenderson shoots a first round of 67 at #HondaLPGAThailand

Watch: pic.twitter.com/J9PuJxMGtG

— LPGA (@LPGA) February 22, 2018

Hamilton’s Alena Sharp opened with a 3-over 75.

Three-time tour winner Minjee Lee of Australia finished with a superb eagle putt to be among the four leaders after day one of the LPGA Thailand at Siam Country Club on Thursday.

Lee sank a 45-foot putt on the 18th hole to card a 6-under-par 66 for a shot lead with 2016 champion Lexi Thompson, Jessica Korda, and local hope Moriya Jutanugarn.

“I just hit the collar. I didn’t know if I was going to have enough. Such a big break there. I’m glad it caught the hole,” Lee said.

“It’s a second-shot golf course. Your approaches are really important, and obviously being in the right spots with the undulation. And if you have a hot putter that’s going to help.”

Lee won the Vic Open near Melbourne this month and opened her 2018 U.S. LPGA Tour account last week at the Women’s Australian Open, finishing fifth.

Thompson, who won this event in 2016 by six shots with a 20-under total and tied for fourth last year, started her latest round in style with an eagle followed by a birdie only to bogey the third hole. She shot four more birdies.

“It definitely helps to get that kind of start, but I was just trying to keep that momentum and not get ahead of myself,” Thompson said.

Her compatriot Korda had a rollercoaster round which featured eagles on the first and 17th holes, five birdies, a double bogey on the sixth, and two bogeys.

Moriya was the only player among the four to end the day without a bogey.

“I had a good start today, it was better than I expected,” said Moriya, who was seventh here last year.

She’s trying to become the first Thai winner of the tournament.

Two-time champion Amy Yang and world No. 2 Sung Hyun Park were among six players at 5 under.

With 7 birdies in her first round of @hondalpgath, @BrookeHenderson sits one shot off the lead!

Watch highlights: pic.twitter.com/GdmcwBYbha

— LPGA (@LPGA) February 22, 2018

PARADISE ISLAND, Bahamas – Brittany Lincicome beat darkness – with help from floodlights Sunday on the Ocean Club’s 18th green – to win the Pure Silk-Bahamas LPGA Classic for the second straight year.

Lincicome birdied the final two holes and four of the last five for a 7-under 65 and a two-stroke victory over Wei-Ling Hsu in the event cut to 54 holes after wind wiped out play most of Friday.

Lincicome completed a second-round 67 in the morning, playing nine holes in 3 under, to begin the final round two strokes behind top-ranked Shanshan Feng.

The 32-year-old Lincicome won her eighth career title. The Pure Silk ambassador finished at 12-under 207. Last year, she beat Lexi Thompson in a playoff.

Hsu closed with a 68. Feng had a 71 to tie for third with Amy Yang (70) at 9 under. Thompson (71) was 7 under with Danielle Kang (68), Nelly Korda (69) and Bronte Law (69).

Brooke Henderson of Smiths Falls, Ont., the leader Saturday night when play was suspended because of darkness, shot a 72 to finish ninth at 6 under. Hamilton’s Alena Sharp (70) tied for 18th at 3 under and Maude-Aimee Leblanc (79) was 6 over.

Brooke Henderson is one of just three players to post multiple wins in each of the last two seasons (two in 2016, two in 2017), alongside World No. 1 Shanshan Feng (two in 2016, two in 2017) and 2016 Rolex Player of the Year Ariya Jutanugarn (five in 2016, two in 2017).

The earliest Henderson has captured a win in a full season on the LPGA came in her 15th start of the year, in both 2016 (KPMG Women’s PGA Championship) and 2017 (Meijer LPGA Classic for Simply Give).

This birdie putt on 10 puts Brooke Henderson in a tie for the lead with Thompson, Feng, Yang and Hsu @PureSilkLPGA.

Tune in now @GolfChannel for live final round coverage! pic.twitter.com/oCi4DTI8wn

— LPGA (@LPGA) January 28, 2018