PORTLAND, Ore. – I.K. Kim increased her lead to three strokes Friday in the LPGA Tour’s Portland Classic, shooting a 5-under 67 to reach 12 under.

The South Korean player had seven birdies and two bogeys in her morning round in cloudy, calm conditions at Columbia Edgewater. She won the last of her three LPGA Tour titles in 2010, and had a victory this summer in a Ladies European Tour event in England.

“I’m really pleased how I played the last two days,” Kim said. “There is a lot of scores out there, so I think it will be a good week for all of us.”

Kim’s best LPGA Tour finish this year is a tie for 13th in the Swinging Skirts LPGA Classic in April in California.

“I’m glad that I’ve been kind of going through all these things, and you know, it’s nice to win one,” Kim said.

Spain’s Carlota Ciganda and South Korea’s Mi Jung Hur shot 65 to join Laura Diaz at 9 under. Diaz had a 68.

Ciganda’s long-time coach, Rogelio Echeverria, died three weeks after a brief bout with stomach cancer.

“Like a month ago I was practicing with him. I can’t speak. He’s the one who taught me everything. I’m here because of him. He means everything to me,” Ciganda said. “I’m just going to play for him, and I would love to win just for him.”

South Korea’s So Yeon Ryu, the Canadian Pacific Women’s Open winner Sunday in London, Ont., was 8 under along with Mina Harigae, China’s Xi Yu Lin and South Africa’s Paula Reto. The fifth-ranked Ryu had a 66, Lin carded a 68, and Harigae and Reto shot 69.

Defending champion Suzann Pettersen was 6 under after a 67. She played her fnal nine hoiles in 5-under 41.

“I haven’t played my best the last two days. Really happy to be able to shoot 5 under on the back nine,” Pettersen said. “I don’t know if it’s just the fourth (consecutive) week that I’m tired, but grinding it out. I’m finding solutions out there.”

The fourth-ranked Norwegian player, also the 2011 winner, is trying to tie Nancy Lopez’s event record of three victories.

Juli Inkster and Sweden’s Anna Nordqvist also were in the group at 6 under. The 54-year-old Inkster, making her 28th appearance in the event, followed her opening 68 with a 70. Nordqvist, a two-time winner this year, also shot 70.

South Korea’s Jeong Jang was 3 under after a 71. The 34-year-old Jang, the 2005 Women’s British Open champion, announced her retirement this week and said the event will be her last.

Hee-Won Han, also playing her final event, had a 71 to make the cut on the number at 1 over. The 34-year-old South Korean player won the 2004 event and has six LPGA Tour victories.

Han and Jang are considered to be pioneers of the South Korean LPGA movement.

“My kids are growing up, and I thought it was perfect timing for retire. Be a mom,” Han said.

Gigi Stoll, a senior at Beaverton High School who won the Portland Classic Amateur Open last week to earn a spot in the field, had a 74 to make the cut at 1 over.

Charley Hull, the 18-year-old English player who got into the event on a sponsor exemption, missed the cut by a stroke with rounds of 70 and 76.

Paris, Ont,’s Jennifer Kirby leads the Canadians into the weekend. She’s sitting at 2-under 142 and is tied for 39th heading into weekend action.

Top-ranked Stacy Lewis, No. 2 Inbee Park and No. 3 Lydia Ko are skipping the tournament, giving them a two-week break before the Evian Championship in France.

RANCHO MIRAGE, Calif. – The fourth and final round of LPGA stage I qualifying ended Friday with seven Canadians landing inside the cut to advance to the next round.

The following Canadians were among the 102 players that finished inside the cut of 298 (+10) at the Mission Hills Country Club:

SooBin Kim (Coquitlam, B.C.) – 284 (71-70-66-77)

Augusta James (Bath, Ont.) – 287 (74-71-72-70)

Anne-Catherine Tanguay (Quebec City, Que.) – 288 (75-70-71-72)

Nicole Zhang (Calgary) – 290 (71-73-72-74)

Angela Buzminski (Oshawa, Ont.) – 292 (80-73-71-68)

Kirby Dreher (Fort St. John, B.C.) – 293 (73-72-74-74)

Brittany Henderson (Smiths Falls, Ont.) – 296 (74-76-70-76)

Augusta James, Team Canada member and reigning Canadian Women’s Amateur champion, was pleased with her play during the first four rounds of qualifying.

“I played pretty well,” said James, who is entering her senior year at N.C. State. “I felt like I left a few shots out there which is good because it gives me some things to work on before World Am next week, my college tournaments and then Stage II.”

James, who was recently selected as one of three women to represent Canada at the World Amateur, gives the National Team program credit for helping her succeed.

“It’s been a phenomenal experience,” James said of her time with Team Canada. “I’ve been with the program for four years and the financial support and extensive coaching, IST staff and everything it’s been an incredible experience and I couldn’t be where I am today without it. They take you to so many events that you gain so much knowledge and experience from that it’s priceless.”

Medalist honours were awarded to Burbank Calif. native, Emily Tubert, who finished with a five stroke lead at 12-under par.

The second stage of the LPGA Qualifying Tournament will commence at Plantation Golf and Country Club in Venice, Fla., from Sept. 30 – Oct. 4. A minimum of the top 80 and ties from Stage II will advance into the Final Qualifying Tournament.

Stage III of LPGA Q-School will be contested over 90 holes Dec. 3-7, at the LPGA International in Daytona Beach, Fla. Top finishers in the final stage will earn 2015 LPGA membership.

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PORTLAND, Ore. – I.K. Kim birdied the first four holes on the back nine Thursday and finished with a 7-under 65 to take the first-round lead in the Portland Classic.

The South Korean player birdied seven of the first 13 holes and closed her afternoon round with five straight pars. She won the last of her three LPGA Tour titles in 2010.

Amelia Lewis and Jennifer Song were a shot back in ideal conditions at Columbia Edgewater.

Anna Nordqvist, a two-time winner this year, was another stroke back at 67 along with Mina Harigae, Julieta Granada, Laura Diaz, Alison Walshe, Emma Jandel and Paula Reto.

Juli Inkster, making her 28th appearance in the event at age 54, was in the group at 68. She won the 1999 tournament to wrap up a Hall of Fame spot. Also in that group at 68 is Jennifer Kirby of Paris, Ont.

So Yeon Ryu, coming off a victory Sunday in the Canadian Pacific Women’s Open, was in a group at 70 that included Na Yeon Choi, 18-year-old English player Charley Hull and Yani Tseng. Hull, playing on a sponsor exemption, won a Ladies European Tour event in Morocco in March.

Defending champion Suzann Pettersen shot 71. She also won the 2011 event.

Gigi Stoll, a senior at Beaverton High School, won the Portland Classic Amateur Open last week to earn a spot in the field, also had a 71.

Top-ranked Stacy Lewis, No. 2 Inbee Park and No. 3 Lydia Ko are skipping the tournament, giving them a two-week break before the Evian Championship in France.

Kim nearly won the 2012 Kraft Nabisco Championship for her first major title, but missed a 14-inch putt on the final hole of regulation and lost to Sun Young Yoo in a playoff.

LONDON, Ont. – It took until the 70th hole of the week for So Yeon Ryu to finally feel some nerves.

Ryu set the course record in her first round, held a four-stroke advantage going into Sunday and led by six going into the back nine. A bogey on No. 15 and Na Yeon Choi’s birdie shrunk the lead to one.

“I thought, ‘Everybody’s nervous and Na Yeon’s nervous, definitely,’ so I just accepted my nervousness so I just tried to enjoy it,” Ryu said. “And I hit a great shot.”

Ryu’s birdie on the 16th hole Sunday restored her lead to two as she wrapped up her first victory in more than two years by capturing the US$2.25-million Canadian Pacific Women’s Open with a 23-under 265.

The 24-year-old South Korean bested the tournament record of 18 under but couldn’t break Annika Sorenstam’s LPGA Tour record of 27 under.

“I’m a bit disappointed I couldn’t reach Annika’s record, but it still feels good,” Ryu said minutes after getting soaked in champagne by friends Inbee Park and I.K. Kim. “I’ve been waiting so much (for) the champagne. I was ready to get champagne. I smell like champagne right now, but I’m still so happy.”

Ryu’s last win came at the Jamie Farr Toledo Classic in 2012. Since then, she put up 27 top-10 finishes and conceded blowing more than a few chances.

“One of my friends asked me, ‘So Yeon, do you want to finish top 10 every tournament or you just want to win one tournament and miss the cut every tournament?”’ Ryu said. “I said it’s a really hard question, but at this stage I really need to win.”

In earning the winner’s share – $337,500 – of the purse at London Hunt and Country Club, Ryu became the tournament’s first wire-to-wire champion since Michelle Wie in 2010. Ryu set a course record with a 9-under 63 Thursday and never fell from the top of the leaderboard.

Along the way, Ryu was remarkably consistent, finishing with 26 birdies and just three bogeys. Two of them, though, almost ruined her week.

With a six-stroke lead after nine holes, Ryu felt confident she could win, but a bogey on No. 10 and a birdie by Choi on 11 got her thinking. Another two-stroke swing on No. 15 gave Choi hope.

“When she misses that putt, I thought, ‘Maybe I could have a chance, too,”’ Choi said.

Choi, who shot a bogey-free 67 to get to a career-best 21 under, went into the bunker on No. 16. Ryu watched with relief as her friend missed a putt before she sank a birdie and went on to win by two strokes.

Park, like Ryu and Choi part of South Korea’s International Crown team, finished third at 18 under after winning last week’s LPGA Championship. Spain’s Azahara Munoz, who tied Ryu’s course record Saturday, was fourth at 17 under.

Brooke Henderson of Smith Falls, Ont., shot a 74 Sunday to finish as the low Canadian and low amateur at 2-under 286, two strokes better than Calgary’s Jennifer Ha. Jennifer Kirby of Paris, Ont., shot a 76 to drop to 3 over, and Sue Kim of Langley, B.C., shot a 78 to drop to 7 over.

Henderson, who received medals to commemorate being the low Canadian and low amateur, said of Ryu’s prize: “I look forward to being able to hold up this trophy some day.”

It was Ryu’s to enjoy Sunday night after holding off Choi, who herself hasn’t won since the 2012 U.S. Women’s Open. But the 26-year-old couldn’t feel bad about her performance given Ryu’s.

“Sometimes I finish runner-up and sometimes I have a lot of regrets, but this week not really,” Choi said. “She’s playing well, so I can’t control her score.”

Ryu set a goal of seven birdies so she could at least tie Sorenstam’s record. She wanted eight so that she could break it.

When that was out of reach, she was more than happy to have a long-awaited victory to fall back on.

“I had quite a lot of experience, especially failed experience,” Ryu said. “I think that experience helped me a lot. … I’ve been waiting so much. I really want to hug myself.”

LONDON, Ont. – It took until the 70th hole of the week for So Yeon Ryu to finally feel some nerves.

Ryu set the course record in her first round, held a four-stroke advantage going into Sunday and led by six going into the back nine. A bogey on No. 15 and Na Yeon Choi’s birdie shrunk the lead to one.

“I thought, ‘Everybody’s nervous and Na Yeon’s nervous, definitely,’ so I just accepted my nervousness so I just tried to enjoy it,” Ryu said. “And I hit a great shot.”

Ryu’s birdie on the 16th hole Sunday restored her lead to two as she wrapped up her first victory in more than two years by capturing the US$2.25-million Canadian Pacific Women’s Open with a 23-under 265.

The 24-year-old South Korean bested the tournament record of 18 under but couldn’t break Annika Sorenstam’s LPGA Tour record of 27 under.

“I’m a bit disappointed I couldn’t reach Annika’s record, but it still feels good,” Ryu said minutes after getting soaked in champagne by friends Inbee Park and I.K. Kim. “I’ve been waiting so much (for) the champagne. I was ready to get champagne. I smell like champagne right now, but I’m still so happy.”

Ryu’s last win came at the Jamie Farr Toledo Classic in 2012. Since then, she put up 27 top-10 finishes and conceded blowing more than a few chances.

“One of my friends asked me, ‘So Yeon, do you want to finish top 10 every tournament or you just want to win one tournament and miss the cut every tournament?”’ Ryu said. “I said it’s a really hard question, but at this stage I really need to win.”

In earning the winner’s share – $337,500 – of the purse at London Hunt and Country Club, Ryu became the tournament’s first wire-to-wire champion since Michelle Wie in 2010. Ryu set a course record with a 9-under 63 Thursday and never fell from the top of the leaderboard.

Along the way, Ryu was remarkably consistent, finishing with 26 birdies and just three bogeys. Two of them, though, almost ruined her week.

With a six-stroke lead after nine holes, Ryu felt confident she could win, but a bogey on No. 10 and a birdie by Choi on 11 got her thinking. Another two-stroke swing on No. 15 gave Choi hope.

“When she misses that putt, I thought, ‘Maybe I could have a chance, too,”’ Choi said.

Choi, who shot a bogey-free 67 to get to a career-best 21 under, went into the bunker on No. 16. Ryu watched with relief as her friend missed a putt before she sank a birdie and went on to win by two strokes.

Park, like Ryu and Choi part of South Korea’s International Crown team, finished third at 18 under after winning last week’s LPGA Championship. Spain’s Azahara Munoz, who tied Ryu’s course record Saturday, was fourth at 17 under.

Brooke Henderson of Smith Falls, Ont., shot a 74 Sunday to finish as the low Canadian and low amateur at 2-under 286, two strokes better than Calgary’s Jennifer Ha. Jennifer Kirby of Paris, Ont., shot a 76 to drop to 3 over, and Sue Kim of Langley, B.C., shot a 78 to drop to 7 over.

Henderson, who received medals to commemorate being the low Canadian and low amateur, said of Ryu’s prize: “I look forward to being able to hold up this trophy some day.”

It was Ryu’s to enjoy Sunday night after holding off Choi, who herself hasn’t won since the 2012 U.S. Women’s Open. But the 26-year-old couldn’t feel bad about her performance given Ryu’s.

“Sometimes I finish runner-up and sometimes I have a lot of regrets, but this week not really,” Choi said. “She’s playing well, so I can’t control her score.”

Ryu set a goal of seven birdies so she could at least tie Sorenstam’s record. She wanted eight so that she could break it.

When that was out of reach, she was more than happy to have a long-awaited victory to fall back on.

“I had quite a lot of experience, especially failed experience,” Ryu said. “I think that experience helped me a lot. … I’ve been waiting so much. I really want to hug myself.”

LONDON, Ont. – Brooke Henderson earned herself more than just a couple of commemorative coins as the low amateur and the low Canadian.

By making the cut at the Canadian Pacific Women’s Open, the 16-year-old phenom got to play with two LPGA major winners: teenage idol Lexi Thompson and legend Laura Davies. Finishing 2 under for the tournament was gravy compared to how Henderson believes she benefited from the weekend.

“You learn so much more being able to play the weekend because it is different than the first two days,” Henderson said Sunday. “You get to play with the best players. It’s a great experience and I’m very grateful to have been in the position.”

After missing the cut in this event the past two years, Henderson made it 4-for-4 getting to the weekend on the LPGA Tour in 2014. The Smiths Falls, Ont., native tied for 10th at the U.S. Women’s Open, 26th at the Kraft Nabisco Championship and 45th at the Manulife Financial LPGA Championship.

“I’ve played more LPGA Tour events over the last couple of years and I’m getting more comfortable,” Henderson said. “The more weekends I can play, the more experience I really do gain. I get to know the pros a little bit better and get to play with some new ones and really learn from them.”

With a 2-under 286, Henderson put up the best score by a Canadian at this tournament since Lorie Kane’s 5-under 283 in 2010. Though Kane missed the cut this time, the 49-year-old stuck around as part of her work with the title sponsor, Canadian Pacific, and followed Henderson for her final five holes Saturday.

“That support from such a veteran on the tour and such a role model of mine is amazing,” Henderson said.

Henderson finished two strokes ahead of fellow amateur Jennifer Ha of Calgary, who shot a 74 Sunday to finish at even par. Jennifer Kirby of Paris, Ont., who had the best round of any Canadian with a 67 Thursday, finished with a 76 to drop to 3 over, while Sue Kim of Langley, B.C. shot a 78 and finished at 7 over.

Ha, who goes “back to reality” by returning to school at Kent State University in Ohio on Monday, was glad just to be one of four Canadians to play the weekend.

“I mean, who can’t be happy with a made cut at a professional event in my home country?” Ha said. “I’ve never played an event like this and made the cut, so it was crazy.”

Ha said she felt the love from Canadian fans, but the biggest gallery all four days belonged to Henderson. She never wilted in the spotlight, which will likely only get brighter as her national and international profile increases.

Beginning Monday, Henderson will step out of that spotlight and to the side and bag of her sister, Brittany, who will be at qualifying school to try to get onto the LPGA Tour. Brooke Henderson flies to California on Monday to begin her caddying duties at Q-school.

“I love caddying for my sister, and she caddies for me a lot, so it’s nice to return the favour,” Henderson said. “It will be nice to go out and scout out the course for Q-school because hopefully I’ll be there in the next year or two.”

After that, Henderson will go to Japan to represent Canada along with Augusta James (Bath, Ont.) and Brittany Marchand (Orangeville, Ont.) at the World Amateur Team Championships. When she’s done there it’s back to school and a 17th birthday in September.

“It’ll be cool, nice to see my friends again and to get back to Smiths Falls will be nice,” Henderson said.

Brooke Henderson and Marlene Stewart Streit (Golf Canada/ Bernard Brault)

London, Ont. (Golf Canada) – The Canadian Pacific Women’s Open ended today, and kids living with heart disease had something more to celebrate than just So Yeon Ryu’s big win. Canadian Pacific (CP) announced they will be making a cash donation of $1, 100,045 to the Children’s Health Foundation to support continued world class research and treatment for children’s cardiac care at Children’s Hospital, London Health Sciences Centre (LHSC).

“We’re so happy that our CP has Heart program gift will positively impact the lives of children with heart disease in London and throughout Southwestern Ontario,” said Canadian Pacific CEO E. Hunter Harrison. “Through the Canadian Pacific Women’s Open we’re helping to ensure that the leading edge paediatric cardiology program at Children’s Hospital continues to advance children’s cardiac research and care for years to come.”

To celebrate this significant milestone, the paediatric cardiac program at Children’s Hospital will be renamed the Canadian Pacific Centre for Paediatric Cardiac Care. CP’s gift will be put towards expanding the program’s capabilities through the purchase of paediatric-specific stress testing equipment, which will help with research and improve the quality of life of patients as they mature into adulthood.

“On behalf of the London Health Sciences Centre, I want to thank CP for this incredibly generous – and incredibly important – donation,” said Laurie Gould, Chief Clinical Officer, London Health Sciences Centre. “Today 90% of infants born with complex heart defects reach adulthood as compared to just 20%, sixty years ago. With CP’s help, we’re looking forward to further improving that figure through innovative research into the prevention of congenital heart disease.”

A second component of CP’s gift will be put towards establishing a cardiology research fund, called the Canadian Pacific Research Fund for Paediatric Cardiac Care. The fund will support research to advance knowledge in the prevention, treatment and rehabilitation of children with cardiac-related health issues.

“We are so grateful to receive this generous donation from CP through their program CP Has Heart,” said Susan Crowley, President and CEO of Children’s Health Foundation. “CP and Children’s Health Foundation clearly make excellent partners, with a mutual passion for improving the health and well-being of children and supporting their families through the delivery of exceptional care and leading edge research.”

The newly named Canadian Pacific Centre for Paediatric Cardiac Care at Children’s Hospital in London is a world-class facility with cardiologists that are on-call 24/7 for patient families to call with questions or concerns. The paediatric cardiology service sees over 3,500 patients each year – patients like nine year old Rachael Wright.

Within hours of her birth, Rachael was fighting for her life. Diagnosed with pulmonary heart dysfunction and congenital heart defects, Rachael has been under the care of the cardiology team at Children’s Hospital her entire life and today enjoys being active in gymnastics and dance.

“Twenty to thirty years ago, Rachael may not have made it,” reflects Rachael’s father Chris Wright. “It’s only thanks to the research and attentive care provided at Children’s Hospital that Rachael is alive today and is a happy and healthy little girl.”

The 2014 Canadian Pacific Women’s Open in London, Ontario is the first of three tournaments that CP will serve as the title sponsor. Every year, CP and Golf Canada will commit to a charitable component linked to the tournament as it moves to communities around the country.

“Golf Canada is thrilled to have been a part of such a big win for children’s heart health at the Canadian Pacific Women’s Open in London this year,” said Scott Simmons, CEO of Golf Canada. “Everyone has rallied around CP’s fundraising, particularly the players who embraced the Birdies for Heart challenge on the 17^th Green. The end result is a memorable experience for everyone involved.”

LONDON, Ont. – Azahara Munoz dunked her ball in the water, but it didn’t sink her round.

Instead, Munoz rebounded to fire a 9-under 63 Saturday to shoot up the leaderboard and vault into contention at the US$2.25-million Canadian Pacific Women’s Open. She’s tied with Na Yeon Choi in second place, four strokes behind So Yeon Ryu, who leads at 20-under par going into the final round.

“The key of my round was on (hole No.) 4, I was going for it in two with a 4-iron and I hit in the water,” Munoz said. “But I kept it calm, I knew I could still make up and down for par, so I did, and after that everything just went my way.”

Except, perhaps, for Ryu, who didn’t drift back to the pack by shooting a 67. She’s looking to become the sixth wire-to-wire winner in this tournament’s history and the first since Michelle Wie in 2010.

Munoz had six birdies on the back nine as part of a bogey-free round, tying the course record at London Hunt and Country Club that Ryu set Thursday. The 26-year-old Spainard felt like she was doing “everything” right.

“I was driving the ball really well, and I was hitting really good iron shots into the greens,” Munoz said. “I had so many chances. And then I made lots of putts, too – I made a couple really long ones and quite a few shorter ones.”

As dazzling as Munoz’s round was, she still has some work to do to catch up to Ryu, who has been remarkably consistent through three rounds with 21 birdies and just one bogey.

Ryu is looking for her first victory since 2012.

“I haven’t won any tournaments the last two years,” the 24-year-old said. “If I’m going to win this tournament, I’m going to break that. I really want to break it, I really want to stop it.”

Ryu is on pace to snap the tournament record of 18 under set by Suzann Petterson in 2009 and is within range of the LPGA Tour record of 27 under, which belongs to the legendary Annika Sorenstam.

“I think my lowest record is 29 under when I was 16 at the Asian Games,” Ryu said. “If I have the chance I want to break my career record, and also if I can I want to break another LPGA record.”

Determined to focus on her own game, the South Korean said she didn’t peek at the leaderboard Saturday. But Ryu already set a goal of sinking seven birdies in the final round.

Ryu, Munoz and Choi, who shot a 6-under 66, tee off as the final group at 11:45 a.m. Sunday. Behind them on the leaderboard are LPGA Championship winner Inbee Park at 14 under, Swede Anna Nordqvist at 13 under and Americans Brittany Lincicome and Danielle Kang at 12 under.

Brooke Henderson of Smiths Falls, Ont., shot a 1-under 71 to get to 4 under as the lowest Canadian left. Fellow amateur Jennifer Ha of Calgary moved to 2 under with a 73, while Jennifer Kirby of Paris, Ont., shot a 76 to drop to 1 under and Sue Kim of Langley, B.C., shot a 74 to drop to 1 over.

Choi set the tone for the low-scoring weekend with an 8-under 64 Thursday morning. After seeing that, Park wondered if it would take 20 under to win the tournament.

Given the way Ryu has been driving, chipping and putting, that turned out to be a conservative estimate.

“It’s going to be over 20, that’s for sure,” Park said. “I don’t know how So Yeon is going to play tomorrow, but if she goes really low tomorrow, 25-under par’s definitely possible.”

Despite being four strokes back of a player she conceded was even more “on fire” than her, Choi was plenty confident about her chances given the course conditions.

“Someone can shoot 9 under, 8 under,” she said. “Even I could shoot like 8, 9 under tomorrow.”

Munoz showed that was possible Saturday, even with more difficult pin placements for the 87 players who made the cut. Her only real glance at the leaderboard was Thursday when she saw Choi’s 64 before she even teed off, but that didn’t make her task feel any more daunting.

“It’s actually good because you have that number in mind, you know it’s possible,” Munoz said. “So at least you go out there thinking you can make lots of birdies.”

Birdies are available all over the course, and players are mindful that each one on the 17th hole means a $5,000 donation from title sponsor Canadian Pacific for the London-based Children’s Health Foundation.

But Ryu hasn’t been saving her best for the second-to-last hole, and Park knows that her friend is so locked in that rivals will have to shoot very low to beat her.

Ryu hasn’t won since the 2012 Jamie Farr Toledo Classic but won two of the three previous times she held the 54-hole lead.

“I definitely think she’s due,” Park said. “I think she was due a long time ago, but she probably threw her opportunities away. If I can’t do it this time, hopefully she does it. I’m really rooting for her.”

LONDON, Ont. – The role models Canadian golfers need are all around them at the Canadian Pacific Women’s Open.

For 20-year-old Jennifer Ha of Calgary, one of them is 16-year-old star Brooke Henderson. Ha and Henderson are roommates this week and were the only two amateurs to make the cut.

After three rounds, Ha is still chasing Henderson to be the low Canadian and the low amateur after shooting a 1-over 72 Saturday to drop to 2 under for the tournament. Henderson, from Smiths Falls, Ont., shot a 71 to get to 4 under.

“Brooke’s unreal and she’s No. 2 in the world (among amateurs), so it’d be great if I got a chance to catch up her,” Ha said.

Henderson got to play with one of her role models in 19-year-old Lexi Thompson, who was a teenage golfing phenom at the age of 12. Unprompted, Henderson glowed about playing with Thompson.

“It was a lot of fun being able to play with Lexi today,” Henderson said. “Lexi I’ve always looked up to. She’s definitely a big person in the women’s game and someone that you can look up to and I definitely have.”

Henderson, who again attracted the biggest fan support at London Hunt and Country Club as the most prominent Canadian name in the field, called Thompson one of her idols.

“Just being able to watch her and learn a little bit from her, it was fun,” Henderson said. “I talked to her a little bit today. I asked her a few questions and got a few things answered that I wanted to know.”

Henderson also noticed Lorie Kane following her for the final five holes of her round. The 49-year-old Kane has offered plenty of advice to Henderson during her blossoming stardom.

“She is a huge role model for me,” Henderson said of Kane. “A lot of the women out here are like that. They are really nice and they support young people.”

Four Canadians made the cut, though Henderson was the only one to shoot under par Saturday. Jennifer Kirby (Paris, Ont.) shot a 76 to drop to 1 under for the tournament, and Sue Kim (Langley, B.C.) shot a 74 to move to 1 over.

Ha would have been even par had it not been for a bogey on the 18th hole. But she was happy to be able to get her game together after being 3 over through six.

The Kent State University student returns to school in Ohio next week but is spending this weekend honouring football player Jason Bitsko, who was found dead in his off-campus apartment Wednesday. Ha has 54 – Bitsko’s number – written on each of her golf balls.

Coming into the tournament, Ha’s goal was simply to make the cut. Now that she has, she can set her sights on competing with Henderson and remembering Bitsko, the Golden Flashes’ starting centre who the school said died of an undetermined medical issue at the age of 21.

“I think my main goal right now is just to have the time of my life, Ha said. ”It would be unreal to finish as the low amateur, but I’m out here to have fun for this week and to honour Jason.“

Henderson also pegged making the cut as a pre-tournament expectation and now wants to “climb the leaderboard.”

“Today, 1 under, I didn’t back up, but I don’t think I moved forward too much,” Henderson said. “So tomorrow’s going to be a big day.”

LONDON, Ontario – So Yeon Ryu pulled away from the pack at the Canadian Pacific Women’s Open with a second straight bogey-free round.

Ryu shot a 6-under 66 Friday at London Hunt and Country Club to get to 15 under, the best two-round start in the tournament’s history and five strokes ahead of fellow South Korean Na Yeon Choi, playing partner Anna Nordqvist and Danielle Kang.

“A lot of birdies is still a good sign, but no bogeys is more (of) a great sign because it means I play really consistent and when I was in trouble I handled it pretty well,” she said. “That’s my goal. I aim for the bogey-free round all four days.”

If Ryu keeps it up over the weekend, she’ll have a good chance at winning her first tournament since the Jamie Farr Toledo Classic in 2012. With eight top-10 finishes this year, including a tie for fifth at the U.S. Women’s Open, she hasn’t been far off.

Even amid her victory drought, Ryu tries not to complain or worry.

“I’m happy to be just travelling all around the world,” she said. “I’m really happy to show my golf swing and my golf game to all golf fans. The thing is to not really think about the result thing. I’m playing golf and I’m happy.”

Ryu “absolutely” is happier when playing the kind of golf she has over the past couple of days. She returned to the same local restaurant, Izakaya Shogun Japanese Sushi & Grill, Thursday night that she had dinner at with South Korean teammates the previous day _ for takeout this time _ and said she’d have to think about it again before her third round.

Whatever Ryu is eating, the rest of the field will have what she’s having.

“So Yeon is probably making everything she looks at,” said Cristie Kerr, the champion the last time this tournament was in London back in 2006, who shot a 4-under 68 Friday to get to 9 under.

American Brittany Lincicome, who was a runner-up to Inbee Park at last week’s LPGA Championship, had the best round of the day with a 65 to move to 8 under. Lincicome said her confidence level was “really high.”

“I felt really confident when I stepped on the first hole,” she said. “It was a very smooth day and it was nice to get some putts to fall.”

Joining Lincicome at 8 under were Lizette Salas, Lindsey Wright, Mi Hyang Lee and Xi Yu Lin.

Four Canadians were among the 87 players who made the cut: Jennifer Kirby of Paris, Ont., at 5 under and amateurs Brooke Henderson of Smiths Falls, Ont., and Jennifer Ha of Calgary at 3 under and Sue Kim of Langley, B.C., at 1 under. The other 11 in the field finished at even or over par to miss.

Henderson had missed the cut in this tournament in her two previous appearances but is now 4 for 4 making the cut in LPGA Tour events this year. But she wasn’t satisfied despite shooting a 71.

“Honestly, today, I could’ve easily been five-under,” Henderson said. “I had so many opportunities for birdie inside 10 feet and just didn’t capitalize on them.”

Nordqvist felt the same way playing with Ryu but struggling with her putter.

“I was trying to keep up with her on the greens,” the Swede said. “I played really well today, too, and I couldn’t seem to make any putts. … It’s a bit frustrating, but she played really well and I try to feed off her.”

One of the last players to tee off Friday, Kang saw Ryu’s 15 under and didn’t let it bother her. Instead, she watched the leaderboard with delight thinking about what she can do on this course.

“That tells me that there are birdies out there,” said Kang, who borrowed defending champion and friend Lydia Ko’s ball marker after forgetting her own. “You just got to go by the scoreboard, the scoreboard tells you everything you need to know.”

Like a lot of players, Choi wasn’t focused on others’ performances before she teed off. The 2012 U.S. Women’s Open champion also took a different approach Thursday night after shooting a 64, going shopping and to the movie theatre to see “Into the Storm.”

“I just tried to relax,” Choi said. “Always when I think about too much golf, even off the golf course, it sometimes gives me a lot of stress.”

Choi stressed about her driver after shooting a 70 Friday to tie Nordqvist for second. It’s her hope that fixing a left hook in her swing can help her stay in the hunt.

Kang, a 21-year-old from San Francisco, is in contention and feeling confident going into the weekend.

“There’s a lot of people contending, and there’s a lot of birdies out there and everyone’s shooting low, so you’ve just got to keep making birdies,” she said.

American Jessica Korda had a hole-in-one on the eight, drilling an 8 iron from 147 yards from the tee. She shot a 70 to get to 4 under through two rounds. … Organizers waived the $10 parking fee for the weekend to encourage more fans to come out to the course.