TAIPEI, Taiwan – Hee Young Park and Ha Na Jang fought through gusty wind and early rain Friday to share the second-round lead in the LPGA Taiwan Championship, while Canada’s Brooke Henderson was a stroke back.

The South Korean players each shot their second straight 3-under 69 at Miramar.

They also each had only one bogey, Jang on the par-4 15th when she got a chip only halfway to the hole and missed a 20-footer, and Park on the par-4 16th when she drove into a bunker and came up well short of the green in two.

“This week is more like just be patient is very important, because weather is so bad and the golf condition so bad, too,” the 24-year-old Jang said. “That’s why I’m just hitting fairway, the green. Very important this week. Yep, this weather, this score.”

Smiths Falls, Ont., native Henderson (71) was a stroke back along with China’s Shanshan Feng (69), South Korea’s So Yeon Ryu (68) and South Africa’s Lee-Anne Pace (70). Defending champion Lydia Ko was tied for 18th at 1 under after a 73. The top-ranked New Zealander won by nine strokes last year, and has four LPGA Tour victories this year.

Park prepared for the conditions heading into the Asian Swing.

“I expect a lot of rain, so I had practice,” the 29-year-old Park said, “It’s about just one week, but I had a lot of practice with the trajectory. Different kind of shot from the range, which is a lot of help this week also. So, that’s why I hit it a lot close today even with the wind and the rain.”

Ryu also came prepared.

“I’ve been working on having a low ball shape” Ryu said. “I’ve been practicing like low ball and high ball, so I had no problem to control the low one. Luckily, all shots worked pretty well, so I didn’t have any like major miss shots. … Only one bogey with this weather is pretty positive.”

Park and Jang each have two LPGA Tour victories. Jang won early this season Florida and Singapore, and Park won events in 2011 and 2013.

Park played the first seven holes in 4 under in the worst conditions of the round. She set up birdies with irons to 4 feet on No. 1, a foot on No. 4, and 4 feet on No. 6, ran in an 18-footer on No. 7, and saved par on No. 8 with a 20-foot putt.

“Always difficult with wind,” Park said. “I have to play every single shot really careful and more think about. Makes more tired. So hard to focusing end of the hole. That’s why I tried to.”

Jang also played well in the bad early conditions, hitting to 3 feet on the par-3 third and making another birdie on the par-5 sixth. She made an 18-footer on 10, and chipped to a foot on the par-5 12th.

“Just say, ‘Trust yourself. You great player. Just be patient. Middle of the green is fine. Two-putt is pretty good. Par score is pretty good,”’ Jang said.

The 19-year-old Henderson has two victories this year, winning the major KPMG Women’s PGA in June. She plans to play all six week on the Asian Swing, a journey that started in China with a fourth-place tie, and will take her to South Korea, back to China, and then to Malaysia and Japan.

Japan’s Sakura Yokomine , the first-round leader after a 67, had a 75 to drop into a tie for 10th at 2 under. American Paula Creamer, a stroke back entering the day, also was 2 under after a 75.

Home favourite Yani Tseng was tied for 65th at 8 over, following an opening 79 with a 73. She won the inaugural event in 2011 at Sunrise, and took the last of her 15 LPGA Tour titles in March 2012.

BEIJING – In-Kyung Kim won the Reignwood LPGA Classic on Sunday for her first LPGA Tour victory in six years, making an eagle and a birdie on the two late par 5s to lead a South Korean sweep of the top three places.

The 28-year-old Kim shot a 7-under 66 at Reignwood Pine Valley, holing a 25-foot eagle putt on the 16th and a 12-footer for birdie on the 18th for her fourth tour title and first since the 2010 Lorena Ochoa Invitational in Mexico. She also won a Ladies European Tour event last month in Germany.

Kim finished at 24-under 268, a stroke ahead of third-round leader Mi Jung Hur and 2014 winner Mirim Lee in the Asian Swing opener. Playing a group behind Kim in the final threesome, Hur missed a chance to force a playoff when her eagle chip from the back fringe went a foot right.

China’s Shanshan Feng, the 2013 winner in the event that wasn’t played last year, shot a 69 to tie for fourth with Canada’s Brooke Henderson (71) at 21 under.

The 19-year-old Henderson, from Smith Falls, Ont., a two-time winner this year, plans to play all six weeks in Asia, a journey that will take her to Taiwan and South Korea the next two weeks, back to China for the Blue Bay LPGA at Hainan Island, and then to Malaysia and Japan.

Maude-Aimee Leblanc of Sherbrooke, Que., was even-par in the final round to finish tied for 42nd at 5-under. Hamilton’s Alena Sharp’s final round of 3-under left her 2-under for the tournament and tied for 51st.

Kim made up for a bogey on par-5 ninth – she went for the green in two and ended up short in the water – by playing the other four par 5s in 5 under. She made the eagle on 16 and birdied Nos. 6, 12 and 18. She also birdied the par-4 15th in her late run.

“Fifteen was really big, too,” Kim noted when asked about the eagle on 16.

The 5-foot-3 player was aggressive on 16 after considering laying up.

“I wasn’t sure go for it or not go for it,” Kim said. “I felt like today I really played with everything I got. I didn’t really pull back. Even No. 9, I felt was the right club. I think I managed. I played aggressively, which I had to on this golf course. And especially back nine, I knew that everybody was going to score, so I wanted to do the same thing.”

Hur birdied five of the last six for a 70 in the round delayed 1 1/2 hours at the start because of rain and lightning. She opened bogey-bogey-birdie-bogey and parred the next eight.

Lee had a 68. She had a double bogey on No. 9, then played the back nine in 6-under 31 with an eagle on the 12th and five birdies.

Second-ranked Ariya Jutanugarn shot a 65 to tie for sixth at 18 under and take the lead from the idle Lydia Ko in the player of the year points race. The tour leader with five victories, Jutanugarn had a double bogey on the par-5 sixth, then birdied eight of the last 12 holes – with birdies on the final four par 5s. The Thai player also had a double bogey on a par 5 in a second-round 75 that took her out of contention.

Kim is the sixth South Korean winner this season and the third-oldest winner behind Anna Nordqvist (29) and Brittany Lang (30). Kim earned $310,000 to push her season total to $573,534 and is projected to jump from 42nd to 29th in the world ranking.

BEIJING – Mi Jung Hur birdied the par-5 18th hole for a 6-under 67 and a one-stroke lead over Canadian Brooke Henderson on Saturday in the Reignwood LPGA Classic.

Hur was 5 under on the back nine at Reignwood Pine Valley to take a 20-under 199 total into the final round of the Asian Swing opener. The 26-year-old South Korean player had a bogey-free round after shooting a tournament-record 63 on Friday for a share of the second-round lead with Henderson.

“On the back nine, just everything works really well,” said Hur, a two-time winner on the LPGA Tour. “Front nine, I think it’s all about the putter. Didn’t work on the front nine, but works on the back nine.”

The fourth-ranked Henderson shot a 68, saving par on 18 for a bogey-free day.

“I think the winner tomorrow is going to shoot a really low score,” the 19-year-old from Smith Falls, Ont., said. “I don’t think anybody is going to run away with it, necessarily. I think it’ll be really tight right down until the end. So making lots of birdies and playing smart all the way around.”

Planning to play all six weeks in Asia, she has two victories this year, winning the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship in June for her first major and successfully defending her Cambia Portland Classic title in July.

“Five under is a solid round for me and I’m happy with that,” Henderson said. “I would’ve liked to have finished with a few more birdies. Left one on 17 and kind of gave 18 away.”

She lipped out a birdie try on 17 and hit into a bunker on 18.

“Definitely not the finish I was looking for,” Henderson said. “Kind of let them both slip away. I guess that’s what tomorrow is for. Hopefully, get a couple quick birdies and get back in.”

China’s Shanshan Feng, the bronze medallist in the Rio Olympics, had a 69 to drop three strokes back along with South Koreans Mirim Lee and In-Kyung Kim. Feng won the inaugural Reignwood LPGA in 2013 at 26 under for the second of her four tour titles. In 2012, she won the LPGA Championship to become China’s first major champion.

Lee got the spot with Hur and Henderson in the final group Sunday, shooting a 66 to match the best score of the day. Lee is the defending champion after winning the 2014 edition of the event that was not played last year.

Kim had a 68 with seven birdies and three bogeys.

“I think I manage the round pretty well,” Kim said. “It was a little bit troubling getting the target with the tee shot. Maybe they moved the tee box a little bit here and there.”

It was another five strokes back to China’s Simin Feng (67) and South Korea’s Amy Yang (70) at 12 under.

Second-ranked Ariya Jutanugarn was tied for ninth at 10 under after a 69. The 20-year-old Thai player has a tour-high five victories and would take the player of the year points lead from idle Lydia Ko with a ninth-place finish or better.

Older sister Moriya Jutanugarn, winless on the tour, also was 10 under after a 69.

Taiwan’s Yani Tseng had her best round of the year, birdieing the final three holes for a 66 to get to 9 under. She won the last of her 15 tour titles in 2012.

Hur won LPGA Tour events in 2009 in Oregon and 2014 in Alabama, finishing at a personal-best 21 under in the second victory.

“I just want to break that record,” Hur said. “If I set my goal and focus more about that it will help me to focus. … I just want to focus on my every shot. That’s the most important thing. Like crowd here is a little bit noisy, but they’re really fine.”

Noisy?

“Like they take a photo,” Hur said. “No. No. It’s fine. You get used to it, so I don’t care.”

BEIJING – Mi Jung Hur eagled two of the last three holes Friday for a 10-under 63 and a share of the second-round lead with Canada’s Brooke Henderson in the Reignwood LPGA Classic.

Hur chipped in from 45 feet for eagle on the par-5 16th, lipped out a birdie try on the par-3 17th, and hit a 3-wood to set up a tap-in eagle on the par-5 18th. The 26-year-old South Korean player broke the tournament record of 64 in the event being played for the third time. She has two career LPGA Tour victories.

Henderson, of Smiths Falls, Ont., shot a second straight 66, saving par on 18 with a 6-footer to match Hur at 14-under 132 at Reignwood Pine Valley in the Asian Swing opener. The 19-year-old Canadian star, planning to play all six weeks in Asia, birdied five of the first six holes after birdieing three of the final four Thursday.

“It was an awesome day today. I felt like my start was awesome. Birdied the first 5 through 6 and felt like things were going to be a good day,” Henderson said following her round.

She made her lone bogey in two days on the par-3 seventh, and added birdies on 12, 15 and 16.

“One bogey, which kind of set me back a little bit, but then some more birdies on the back nine to get to 7-under, and 14-under par, which is really nice, especially only two days into the championship and I know I have two more days left,” added Henderson.

“I felt like today could be a good day, which is always a good feeling to have.”

Ranked fourth in the world, Henderson has two victories this year, winning the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship in June for her first major and successfully defending her Portland, Oregon, title in July.

Maude-Aimee Leblanc of Sherbrooke, Que., was 8-under par after a round of 66 and Hamilton’s Alena Sharp fired even-par 73 to sit at 1-over for the tournament.

China’s Shanshan Feng was a stroke back after a 65. The bronze medallist in the Rio Olympics, Feng won the inaugural Reignwood LPGA in 2013 for the second of her four tour titles. In 2012, she won the LPGA Championship to become China’s first major champion.

In-Kyung Kim was 12 under after a 64, followed by fellow South Korean players Mirim Lee (67) at 10 under and Amy Yang (67) at 9 under.

Second-ranked Ariya Jutanugarn, the first-round leader after a 65, had a 75 to drop into a tie for 10th at 6 under. The 20-year-old Thai player, in position to take the player of the year lead from Lydia Ko with a ninth-place finish or better, played the five par 5s in 3 over with a double bogey on No. 9 and a bogey on 12.

Jutanugarn leads the LPGA Tour with five victories. Winless entering the season, she won three straight events in May, took the major Women’s British Open in July and the Canadian Pacific Women’s Open in August.

Fifteen-year-old amateur Yifan Ji (68) and fellow Chinese player Simin Feng (70) also were 6 under.

After stops in Taiwan and South Korea, the tour will return to China for the Blue Bay LPGA at Hainan Island, then visit Malaysia and Japan.

BEIJING – Ariya Jutanugarn birdied the final four holes for an 8-under 65 and a one-stroke lead over Canada’s Brooke Henderson on Thursday in the Reignwood LPGA Classic.

In position to take player of the year lead from idle Lydia Ko with a ninth-place finish or better, Jutanugarn had 10 birdies and two bogeys at Reignwood Pine Valley in the first of six events in the Asian Swing.

“All the players really want to win the award like player of the year,” Jutanugarn said. “I really want to, but right now I think I’m not really worry I’m going to win. I think I just have to be like, ‘Just keep play like this and have fun on the course.”’

The 20-year-old Thai player is No. 2 in the world and leads the LPGA Tour with five victories. Winless entering the season, she won three straight events in May, took the major Women’s British Open in July and the Canadian Pacific Women’s Open in August.

“Feel good, because like this year the only goal I want to do is I want to win my first tournament, so I did,” Jutanugarn said. “So, after I won my first tournament on tour, I really want to win a major, and I did. So, right now just have fun and enjoy on the course.”

She’s making her first appearance in the event that was cancelled last year.

“I really enjoy it,” Jutanugarn said. “I like everything here.”

The fourth-ranked Henderson, of Smiths Falls, Ont., birdied three of the final four holes in a bogey-free round. The 19-year-old won the major KPMG Women’s PGA in June for the first of her two victories this season. She plans to play all six events in Asia.

“I’m looking forward to being really in Asia for the first time,” Henderson said. “I’ve visited a few other times, but this will really be the true taste of a bunch of different countries and language and culture. I am really looking forward to it.”

She travels with sister/caddie Brittany Henderson.

“It’s been an awesome year so far,” Brooke said. “And to have her there caddying for me, travelling together, you know, she’s my best friend and my sister, and I really enjoy it a lot.”

Two other Canadians are in the tournament. Maude-Aimee Leblanc of Sherbrooke, Que., opened with a 1-under 72 and Hamilton’s Alena Sharp fired a 1-over 74.

Americans Lizette Salas and Jennifer Song shot 68.

“I’m very proud of myself,” Salas said. “Even after the bogey on 16, I fought back with back-to-back birdies, I didn’t panic.”

Song worked recently with instructor Robin Symes on her ball flight.

“I felt pretty good about my shot,” Song said. “The last couple weeks I wasn’t happy with my ball trajectory, so before coming here I met my coach and worked on my swing and tried to get the normal trajectory that I want. I think that really helped me out this week.”

Australia’s Sarah Jane Smith and South Koreans Amy Yang, Mi Jung Hur and Ilhee Lee shot 69.

Chinese star Shanshan Feng topped the group at 70, holing out from the fairway with a wedge for eagle on the par-5 16th. The bronze medallist in the Rio Olympics, she won the inaugural Reignwood LPGA in 2013 at 26 under.

South Korea’s Mirim Lee, the 2014 winner, had a 72.

CAMBRIDGE, Ont. – Brooke Henderson is on a mission to grow the sport of golf.

The 18-year-old phenom, ranked third in the world, wants to make the game she loves more popular in Canada, one fan at a time. Just a year into her professional career, it seems like Henderson’s already had an impact in Canada.

“If I can try to help grow the game or inspire someone to pick up this game, this amazing game, it really makes me feel awesome,” said Henderson after her final round of play at the LPGA Manulife Classic. “They were yelling my name between shots and high fives at the end of the holes.

“It’s just really cool to see and a lot of fun. I think if even half of these people start to play the game if they didn’t before, I think that would be just incredible.”

After answering reporters questions Henderson went to meet dozens of fans, signing autographs and taking pictures for nearly half an hour at Whistle Bear Golf Club. Many of the fans waiting for Henderson were girls not much younger than her, who have taken to wearing her signature pink visor and enjoy the nickname “Brookealike.”

There’s tangible evidence that Henderson is making women’s golf more popular too: Attendance at this year’s Manulife Classic was up to 68,000 from 63,000 the year before, with Henderson drawing the biggest crowds.

Other golfers have noticed the uptick too.

“It was great to see a lot of people out here and especially a lot of juniors,” said world No. 1 Lydia Ko, a native of New Zealand. “I think when we come to Canada, I think it’s probably the most juniors we see on any of our tour schedule, so it’s always good to see the future stars.”

Henderson has allies in her mission too. Fellow Canadian Olympian Alena Sharp, from Hamilton, announced after her final round that she wants “more Canadians out here.”

Sharp was the low Canadian at the Manulife Classic, firing a 2-under 70 in the final round to tie for 26th at 9-under par. At the start of the year it was Sharp’s goal was to be ranked in the LPGA’s top 60 by the end of the season. She’s already accomplished that and is No. 34.

“It seems like Canadian women’s golf is heading in the right direction,” said the 35-year-old Sharp. “We have a lot of great young players coming up, and Golf Canada has been working hard getting these players developed, and they have everything – great coaching, great nutritionists, they have great physio and workout, and it’s starting to show, I think.

“I think five years from now we’re going to have a lot of top players in the world.”

Henderson, from Smiths Falls, Ont., was 1-under 71 on Sunday to tie with Maude-Aimee Leblanc of Sherbrooke, Que., who shot a 3-under 69 in the fourth round, to finish 39th. Quebec City’s Anne Catherine Tanguay shot 1-over 73 in the fourth round to tie for 44th at 6 under. All four Canadians said they’d hoped they’d inspired some young golfers with their play this week.

“I think it’s booming, and especially with Brooke, Alena and the Canadian national team has – the program’s been doing so much for women’s golf and young girls, too,” said Tanguay. “So I think it’s getting there, and we’ve seen so many young girls out here this week and throughout this season, too, and it’s so good to see that we can help grow the game.”

CAMBRIDGE, Ont. – Marina Alex eagled her final hole for an 8-under 64 and the second-round lead Friday in the LPGA Manulife Classic.

Alex played the final five holes in 5 under for the lowest score in her LPGA Tour career, setting up the 18-foot eagle putt with a 5-wood approach on the par-5 ninth.

“Super happy,” Alex said. “Just kind of everything fell together, ball-striking, putting. I actually left a couple of putts out there, but I’m not going to complain about the score that I shot.”

The 26-year-old former Vanderbilt player had a 10-under 134 total at Whistle Bear for a one-stroke lead over Thailand’s P.K. Kongkraphan and South Korea’s Hyo Joo Kim.

Second-ranked Ariya Jutanugarn was four strokes back after a 68 in her bid to win three straight events for the second time this season. Using a driver in competition for the second straight day after shelving it for months, the 20-year-old Thai player had an eagle, six birdies, two bogeys and a double bogey.

She began the streak at the Women’s British Open, and rebounded from a knee injury that forced her to withdraw during the Rio Olympics to win the Canadian Pacific Women’s Open on Sunday in Alberta.

Playing in the second group of the day off the 10th tee, Alex took advantage of calmer conditions than she faced Thursday afternoon in a first-round 70.

“I think we were fortunate,” Alex said. “Right now, it’s totally scorable.”

She had eight birdies and two bogeys.

“It actually is a pretty wide-open course, which is sometimes for me a little challenging because it’s hard to pick out targets,” Alex said. “But I’m trying really hard to focus, be as narrow as possible off the tee and into the green and just be very specific with what I’m trying to do.”

Kongkraphan had a bogey-free 66. She recently went through coaching and club changes.

“I have a problem with my iron pretty bad,” Kongkraphan said. “I tried to get better, so I switched the club and changed the coach. … From last week I have so much more confidence.”

Kim closed with a birdie for a 67. She won the season-opening event in the Bahamas.

South Korea’s Mi Hyang Lee was 8 under after a 67. She had a hole-in-one on the fifth hole.

“I think just less wind and the greens more better condition,” Lee said. “So just everything is perfect.”

U.S. Open champion Brittany Lang, second last year at Whistle Bear after winning the inaugural event in 2012 at Grey Silo, was 6 under after a 71.

First-round leader Chella Choi also was 6 under after a 72. The South Korean player three-putted three times. “Hope tomorrow is better,” Choi said.

Defending champion Suzann Pettersen had a 71 to reach 4 under.

Canadian star Brooke Henderson, playing alongside Jutanugarn, shot 71 and sits 3-under alongside Anne Catherine Tanguay of Québec City. Henderson of Smiths Falls, Ont., eagled the par-5 12th and closed with a birdie.

“Not exactly what I was looking for,” Henderson said. “That birdie on my last hole kind of made me feel a lot better about the day, which is always nice, and 3-under par, I can’t complain too much.”

The 18-year-old Henderson beat top-ranked Lydia Ko in a playoff in June in the KPMG Women’s PGA for her first major title, and successfully defended her Portland Classic title in early July.

Ko was 2 under after a 72.

“I putted much better today, so it was good to see some putts go in,” Ko said. “Without the putter, I don’t think I would have been able to shoot even par.”

Alena Sharp was the top Canadian, shooting a 70 to reach 5 under. She tied for fourth last week at Priddis Greens for her best finish on the tour.

“I didn’t make many putts,” Sharp said. “It was tough to get it close to the pins. I thought they were a little trickier today. The greens are definitely firming up, so you got to hit high shots in.”

Fellow Canadian Maude-Aimée Leblanc of Sherbrooke, Que., holds a share of 22nd at 4-under.

Michelle Wie missed the cut by a stroke with her second 72. She has missed 12 of 20 cuts this season and is 112th on the money list with $55,375.

CALGARY – Brooke Henderson is the face of Canadian golf. Lydia Ko is a big hit, too – and every bit as comfortable.

“I feel when I come to Canada, it feels a lot like New Zealand, feels a lot like home,” Ko said Wednesday, a day before the start of play in the CP Women’s Open. “Just even how they say ‘eh’ at the end of sentences. A lot of people back at home say ‘eh,’ too. … Everyone has just been super welcoming, and I think that’s the thing about it. ”

The 18-year-old Henderson had a large crowd for her pro-am round at Priddis Greens.

“Having Canadians and people from all over the world kind of celebrate this national championship is really cool,” Henderson said. “Even this morning, I teed off at 8 in a pro-am, and there were people following me right from the start. My gallery kind of grew throughout the day, and as I finished, that was probably the longest autograph session that I’ve ever had.”

The top-ranked Ko has won the event three of the last four years, the first two as an amateur. The New Zealander won in 2012 at Vancouver Golf Club at 15 years, 4 months to become the LPGA Tour’s youngest winner and fifth amateur champion. She successfully defended her title in 2013, winning by five strokes in Edmonton. Last year back at Vancouver as a pro, she beat Stacy Lewis in a playoff.

The 19-year-old Ko has four LPGA Tour victories this season, winning the ANA Inspiration in April for her second major title.

Lydia Ko's pre-tournament interview at the #CPWO.https://t.co/wCLUf0QMsW

— CP Womens Open (@cpwomensopen) August 25, 2016

“Lydia is truly amazing,” Henderson said. “She’s an inspiration to me and I think everybody that knows her.”

Henderson beat Ko in a playoff in June in the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship for her first major title, and successfully defended her Cambia Portland Classic title in early July.

“She’s not afraid to be out in front,” veteran Canadian player Lorie Kane said. “I truly respect the way she plays in that she’s accepting of what happens and she moves past it. I’ve had enough time to play with her to see she’s got all kinds of game. She swings a very big driver a very long way and I’m extremely proud of her.”

Ko was second last week in the Rio Olympics, five strokes behind winner Inbee Park.

“It’s definitely a quick turnaround, but this is one of our best tournaments on our tour schedule, so even the girls that were in Rio I think we’re all excited to be here,” Ko said. “Last week, the course was a little bit like sand belt with a little bit of British flair. This is a bit more traditional. … It’s firm and fast. Last week, we were wearing shorts. This week, we’re wearing sweaters.”

Henderson tied for seventh in Rio.

“Rio was kind of just a sixth major on the LPGA Tour,” Henderson said. “Of course, there was lots of other things going on. … It was cool, but the end of the day it was just four rounds of golf, regular stroke play individual that we do every single week, playing against the same players we play against every week.”

Brooke Henderson's pre-tournament interview at the #CPWO.https://t.co/3EUb6STfff

— CP Womens Open (@cpwomensopen) August 25, 2016

Ko and Henderson are on opposite sides of the draw. Ko will open play Thursday morning on the 10th tee with Jessica Korda and Sei Young Kim, and Henderson will start on No. 1 in the afternoon with Gerina Piller and Amy Yang.

Kane, at 51, is making her record-tying 26th straight appearance in the event. The four-time LPGA Tour winner is being inducted into the Canadian Golf Hall of Fame.

“I’m proud of myself. I’ve accomplished some things that I never thought would have been possible,” Kane said. “To think in 20 years what I have achieved – the four wins? It took me a long time to win the first one and then the next three came pretty quickly after that.”

Kane will match the tournament record for consecutive starts set by Hollis Stacy.

Suzann Pettersen won the 2009 tournament at Priddis Greens.

The tour will remain in Canada next week for the Manulife LPGA Classic in Cambridge, Ont., with Pettersen the defending champion.

PRIDDIS, Alta. – Canadian golf sensation Brooke Henderson spent well over an hour hammering balls on the driving range at Priddis Greens on Monday as veterans and rookies alike marvelled at her amazing year heading into this week’s CP Women’s Open.

Henderson, just back from the Summer Olympics in Rio, signed a couple of autographs before retiring to the driving range – working out the kinks as rain started to fall and a blustery west wind continued to blow at her back.

Her success and work ethic have not gone unnoticed.

“I think it’s very inspirational to be honest,” said Victoria’s Naomi Ko, a talented amateur who gained an exemption into the CP Women’s Open. “It kind of gives me a way to give myself a chance and know if they can do it I can give myself a chance and hopefully succeed like they do.”

Ko, like Henderson, is 18 and said Henderson’s play isn’t a surprise to anyone who knows her.

“She’s been playing really well but she’s always been a great player,” Ko said. “She’s always been and I think it was just a matter of time for her to get used to it.

“It’s amazing. It’s making Canada proud.”

Stephanie Meadow, an Irish professional golfer who made her debut at the 2014 U.S. Women’s Open, sees a lot of similarities between Henderson and three-time Canadian Open winner Lydia Ko.

“First off they’re both great people,” said Meadow, who represented Britain at the Rio Olympics. “I’ve played a lot with Brooke and a few times with Lydia and I can’t say enough good things about them.

“Golf-wise they’re fantastic players. They’re extremely consistent. Brooke hits it a long way for her size and fights it out. They’re mentally very tough.”

Tournament director Brent McLaughlin said because the CP Women’s Open is a national championship, it’s a major in the eyes of many competitors.

He also couldn’t say enough about the kind of year Henderson is having.

“It truly is a joy to watch someone like that grow up in front of your eyes and be so beyond her years,” he said. “She’s exactly what Canada needed.

“They needed a great hero on the women’s golf side. She is that.”

McLaughlin said Henderson has been embraced by the LPGA Tour much like Canadian Eugenie Bouchard was in the world of tennis.

“All sports need heroes and if you don’t have a young hero in your sport _ it’s tough,” he said. “You need heroes that you root for and Brooke, whether she likes it or not, is that in Canada.

“She means everything to the game.”

The $2.25-million Canadian Open, which begins Tuesday and runs through Sunday, returns to Priddis Greens Golf and Country Club, southwest of Calgary, after a stop there in 2009. The lucrative purse _ which includes $337,500 for the winner _ is expected to lure the game’s stars out of any post-Rio fatigue.

Tour veteran Lorie Kane of Charlottetown will join Henderson in the Canadian contingent after her induction into the Canadian Golf Hall of Fame on Tuesday.

RIO DE JANEIRO — Brooke Henderson signed a few autographs and posed for some pictures after her final round Saturday, the frequent cheers from the grandstands behind her a reminder that others were still playing for the Olympic hardware she coveted.

She knew her 67 wouldn’t be enough to crack the top three at the Rio Games, a respectable 8-under-par 276 eventually leaving her in a tie for seventh place.

The final group came in about an hour after Henderson emerged from the scorer’s tent, a look of disappointment seared on her face.

South Korea’s Inbee Park would run away with the gold medal, a 5-under 66 giving her a 268 and a five-shot win. Lydia Ko of New Zealand birdied the last hole for the silver and China’s Shanshan Feng took the bronze.

Henderson fought hard all day, an aggressive push on the back nine of the Olympic Golf Course nearly paying off.

She birdied the 14th hole, added another birdie on the 16th and just missed a birdie putt on the 17th.

Knowing an eagle on the par-5 18th hole would be needed to have any kind of chance, Henderson crushed both her drive and approach shot. However, a 53-foot putt rolled just past the hole to snuff her faint medal hopes.

“Credit to her, she was 4-under at the start of the day and she pushed for a medal,” said Canadian coach Tristan Mullally. “You can’t ask for any more than that.”

Feng was third at 10-under-par 274 after a 69, leaving American Stacy Lewis (66), Japan’s Harukyo Nomura (65) and Hee Young Yang of South Korea one shot back.

Alena Sharp of Hamilton (69) finished in 30th place at 1-over-par 285.

Henderson did well to contend after a disappointing 75 on Friday. She declined to speak to reporters in the interview area after that round, no doubt still reeling from a rare four-putt on the 16th green.

She started play Saturday in a tie for eighth place, just five shots off the pace for a medal. Henderson recovered after a bogey on the opening hole, scoring birdies on three of her last five holes entering the turn.

Henderson saved pars on the 11th and 12th holes before taking a bogey on No. 13 after missing a nine-foot putt. That forced her to really go for it down the stretch.

“Unfortunately I just missed out but that (bogey) gave me momentum to get my rear in gear and I made birdie on 14 right after,” she said. “After that I was trying to make birdies, I was trying to make an eagle out there on the last (hole) to move my name up a little bit more.

“But at the end of the day I tried my best.”

With two tournament victories — including a major — already under her belt this season, it’s easy to forget that Henderson is only 18 and still in her first full year on the LPGA Tour.

She showed flashes of brilliance this week and also endured some hiccups along the way. It was a learning experience, she said, both on and off the course.

“A lot of them are personal things, but just handling situations,” she said, when asked to expand on what she had learned. “I kind of had some rough weeks so coming here and trying to improve was a big goal for me and I think I did that.”

Henderson, from Smiths Falls, Ont., defended her title in Portland in June but finished well behind at her next three tournaments ahead of Rio.

Cracking the top three in the world rankings and earning over US$1.3 million would be dream accomplishments for many players on the Tour, but the young Canadian is always aiming higher.

“She’s a fighter,” Mullally said. “She grinds hard and gets the most out of her game. I think that’s probably what separates her from a lot of players. Some players have to play well to have a good score. Brooke normally tries to get the best score out of however she’s played.

“That’s unique in terms of her and that’s why she has so many top-10s and why she’s done so well so early (in her career).”

The final leaderboard showed Henderson at 276 with Australia’s Minjee Lee (67) and Britain’s Charley Hull (68).

Finishing in the top 10 — although outside the top three — would normally be a satisfying result.

At the Summer Olympics, it may be a position more painful than any other.