ROGERS, Ark. – Stacy Lewis has worked tirelessly over her career to embrace the overwhelming support in her adopted state of Arkansas.

The recovering introvert finally found a way to do so while overcoming her self-imposed pressure Sunday – shooting a 6-under 65 and rallying for a much-sought after official win in the NW Arkansas Championship.

Lewis earned an unofficial rain-shortened win at the tournament as an amateur in 2007, but she had struggled to match that effort since as her popularity – and ranking – soared.

She earned $300,000 for her third LPGA Tour victory of the year, but more importantly the 11-time winner earned a welcomed sigh of relief in front of a college-like atmosphere full of fans cheering for the former four-time All-American at Arkansas.

“When I first came here to school, I was extremely shy, and I think I’ve definitely grown out of that over the years,” Lewis said. “… I’ve just found that the more I interact with fans, it makes me more relaxed, and enjoying it more is what I’m trying to do.”

The top-ranked and native Texan secured the one-stroke win with a 7-foot birdie putt on the final hole at Pinnacle Country Club. The putt capped a stretch of three birdies over her final four holes, helping the two-time major winner finish at 12-under 201 – one shot ahead of 17-year-old Lydia Ko, Cristie Kerr and Angela Stanford.

Kerr had a chance to match Lewis at 12 under with a 30-foot birdie putt on the 18th. However, her putt came up short.

Then, after So Yeon Ryu failed to make an eagle on the final hole, Lewis’ win was secured. Ryu ended up fifth at 10 under after a 69.

Lewis’ final putt resulted in a huge ovation from the pro-Arkansas gallery as well as a fist pump and sigh of relief from the local favorite. Her after-party inside Pinnacle Country Club included a hug from Arkansas women’s golf coach Shauna Estes-Taylor, among others, and chants of “Stacy’s No. 1.”

“This place just means so much to me,” Lewis said. “So, to win here, it’s just crazy how far I’ve come … It’s just really, really special to win here.”

Michelle Wie began the final round with a two-shot lead after back-to-back 5-under 66s, but she missed short birdie putts on the first two holes and struggled to a 1-over front nine – capped by a three-putt bogey on the ninth.

She finished with a 73 on Sunday to tie for eighth at 8 under.

The whirlwind media tour following last week’s win at the U.S. Women’s Open appeared to finally catch up with Wie, who followed her bogey on No. 9 with bogeys on Nos. 10 and 11 to effectively end her contention. She finished with 35 putts after needing 28 the first round and 29 in the second.

With Wie coming back to the field, several players climbed up the leaderboard and into contention on the back nine – with Lewis, Ko, Kerr and Stanford part of a four-way tie atop the leaderboard at one point.

Kerr was a group behind Lewis and had chances to take the lead, but she left birdie putts short on the par-3 17th and final hole. She and Stanford finished with final-round 67s, while Ko shot 65 to be a part of the threesome that earned $141,128 for second place.

“It didn’t go wrong, it just didn’t go right enough,” Kerr said.

Lewis won the Shoprite Classic this month as well as the North Texas Shootout in May.

Lewis was tied for the lead entering the final round last year before finishing in a tie for fourth, but her final birdie spree finally secured her sought-after win Sunday.

“(Lewis) is playing some awesome golf,” Ko said. “…She’s having consistent top 10s like Michelle, and I think it’s great that we’re playing in her hometown, and the best thing is she’s world No. 1 and they’re proud to say it.”

Lewis began the tournament 2 over after her first four holes Friday, but she closed by shooting 14 under over her final 68 holes.

She took advantage of the opening with Wie’s stumble and vaulted into the solo lead at 11 under with a birdie on the par-4 16th.

Ko and Kerr answered with birdies to climb back to part of a three-way tie at 11 under, but Lewis had the last answer – a 7-foot left-to-right birdie putt on No. 18. It was one of only 25 putts on Sunday for Lewis, who needed only 24 in the second round.

It was just the start of the celebration for Lewis and her legion of Arkansas fans.

“That’s why I play,” Lewis said.

Opening-round leader Alena Sharp of Hamilton, Ont. finished tied for 31st at 4-under 209.

ROGERS, Ark. – Michelle Wie shot her second straight 5-under 66 on Saturday to take a two-shot lead in the suspended second round of the NW Arkansas Championship.

Coming off a victory Sunday in the U.S. Women’s Open at Pinehurst, Wie had six birdies and a bogey in her morning round at Pinnacle Country Club.

So Yeon Ryu, paired with Wie, was second after her second straight 67.

All 72 players in the afternoon session were unable to finish because of thunderstorms. Included in those players was opening-round leader Alena Sharp. The Hamilton, Ont. native was 2-over Saturday before rain was delayed, which saw her slip into a tied for 15th with three holes remaining.

Suzann Pettersen, Chella Choi and Line Vedel were three strokes back, and top-ranked and local favorite Stacy Lewis was four shots behind at 6 under.

Pettersen had a 67, Choi shot 65, and Vedel had five holes left.

Lewis birdied four of her first eight holes and finished with a 12-foot birdie putt on No. 9 for a 67. First-round leader Alena Sharp was 4 under overall after 15 holes.

Lewis made the early charge Saturday to close within a shot of Sharp, much to the delight of the pro-Arkansas crowd – where Lewis played collegiately.

For the second straight day, however, Wie saved her best for the back.

She jumped into contention with a 4-under 31 on the back nine on Friday. After teeing off on the back nine Saturday, she once again closed with a flurry – birdieing four of her final seven holes to shoot a 4-under 32 and surge into the lead.

Wie put the finishing touch on her round – and quest for a second straight tournament victory – with a 3-foot birdie putt on No. 9.

Wie held off Lewis by a shot to win her first major title in the U.S Women’s Open. Playing a group behind Lewis on Saturday, Wie bogeyed her second hole, No. 11, and recovered with a birdie on the par-5 14th.

She followed that with a second straight birdie on a par 5, getting up and down off the fringe on No. 18 to reach 6 under. Her birdie spree followed on the front nine, with large galleries following both Lewis and Wie.

Lewis followed a sluggish first round in which she putted 31 times by needing only 24 putts on Saturday. She stumbled with a bogey out of the greenside bunker on the par-3 fourth hole before recovering with birdies on No. 5 and 9.

The players are expected to finish the second round early Sunday before the final round begins later in the morning.

ROGERS, Ark. – Michelle Wie didn’t let a little thing like a hectic national media tour slow the momentum following her U.S. Women’s Open victory last week at Pinehurst.

The former prodigy continued her resurgence on the LPGA Tour on Friday, shooting a 5-under 66 to finish a stroke behind leader Alena Sharp after the first round of the NW Arkansas Championship.

Wie spent much of her week leading into the tournament busy on the national morning television circuit, only arriving at Pinnacle Country Club on Thursday.

Following a practice round and 12 hours of much-needed sleep, the most recognizable name on the LPGA Tour shot a bogey-free 66 on the 6,375 yard layout – closing with a birdie on the par-5 18th and upstaging local favorite Stacy Lewis.

“Definitely running on fumes right now,” Wie said. “… I think it definitely struck me on the back nine, a little bit tired, but I just was really excited to get out here and start playing again. New York was fun, but it’s just fun to get back to playing golf.”

Sharp, the Canadian ranked 234th in the world, had only 27 putts in her opening 65, while Mexico’s Alejandra Llaneza matched Wie with a bogey-free 66.

The top-ranked Stacy Lewis, who played at the nearby University of Arkansas, was 2 over after four holes before recovering to finish with a 70.

Ten players, including major champions So Yeon Ryu and Shanshan Feng, shot 67.

Sharp entered this week having missed the cut in six of her 11 LPGA Tour events this year, though she did win the Symetra Tour’s season-opening event in Arizona in February.

The Canadian entered the week 137th on the LPGA Tour with an average of 31.34 putts per round, but she credited a recently putting lesson for Friday’s improvement.

“I’m trusting it more and just trying to relax,” Sharp said. “It’s been a part of my game that hasn’t been the greatest this year. I’ve hit a lot of greens and not making a lot of birdies, so today was definitely a step in the right direction.”

While Sharp controlled the leaderboard following the morning group, Wie overcame windy conditions to post the best round of the afternoon – closing with a 4-under 31 on the back nine.

She closed with a birdie on the par-5 18th and needed only 28 putts in her first round since earning her first major championship at Pinehurst.

Wie, who was 64th on the LPGA Tour money list in 2012 and 41st last year, has yet to miss a cut this year and leads the money list with nearly $1.6 million.

“I just feel comfortable out there, and I’m trying to keep improving a little bit every day and still working on a lot of things,” Wie said.

Lewis earned an unofficial win in the rain-shortened event as an amateur in 2007, but the Texas native, who finished second to Wie in the Women’s Open, struggled early on Friday – much to the dismay of her large pro-Razorbacks gallery.

She was 2 over after four holes, thanks to a missed 4-foot par putt on No. 2 and a bogey from the greenside bunker on No. 4.

Lewis recovered with three birdies to finish 1 under, but she needed 31 putts on her way to settling for a tie for 43rd.

“It’s always hard playing here,” Lewis said. “People, I don’t think they realize how hard it is. There’s a lot of pressure, and it’s hard to not put too much pressure on yourself.”

European Solheim Cup star Caroline Hedwall also was in the group at 67 along with Jennifer Rosales, Moriya Jutanugarn, Emma Jandel, Gerina Piller, Ji Young Oh, Pornanong Phatlum and Paz Echeverria.

Sue Kim of Langley, B.C. opened with a 1-under 70, while Toronto’s Rebecca Lee Bentham finished at 1-over. Jennifer Kirby of Paris, Ont. shot 73 and Lorie Kane posted a 75.

VANCOUVER, B.C. (Golf Canada) – Canadian Pacific (CP) and Golf Canada are pleased to announce The Vancouver Golf Club has been selected as the host venue for the 2015 Canadian Pacific Women’s Open.

The 2015 Canadian Pacific Women’s Open will be contested August 17-23, 2015 with a prize purse of $2.25 million USD.

In 2012, Lydia Ko, the two-time reigning Canadian Women’s Open champion, captured her first LPGA Tour victory at The Vancouver Golf Club. The championship’s return marks the fourth time that the club will host the LPGA Tour including the (former) du Maurier Ltd Classic in 1988 and 1991.

“In partnership with CP, we are proud to announce that The Vancouver Golf Club has been selected to host the 2015 Canadian Pacific Women’s Open,” said Scott Simmons, Golf Canada’s Executive Director and CEO.  “Vancouver is a world class city with passionate and knowledgeable golf fans which made for a hugely successful event when the club played host to our National Women’s Open Championship in 2012.”

The Vancouver Golf Club has a history of hosting premier provincial and national golf championships.  Located in Coquitlam, B.C., 30 minutes from downtown Vancouver, the club is widely recognized as one of the finest venues in the Pacific Northwest and one of the most respected and historic private clubs in North America.

“Our membership it extremely excited and honoured to once again host the LPGA Tour’s finest players at the Canadian Pacific Women’s Open,” said Paul Batchelor, Host Club Volunteer Chair with The Vancouver Golf Club.  “Our Club truly enjoyed hosting the 2012 Canadian Women’s Open, and we are thrilled to once again showcase our club and our classic golf course to the LPGA players and Canadian golf fans.”

As part of the announcement, Golf Canada and The Vancouver Golf Club announced a recruitment push to fill approximately 1,200 volunteer positions. Interested individuals can find out more by clicking here.

The 2014 Canadian Pacific Women’s Open will be August 18 – 24, 2014 at the London Hunt & Country Club in London, Ont.

The 18th green at The Vancouver Golf Club. (Bob Huxtable)

PINEHURST, N.C. – Michelle Wie put her table-top putting stance to good use in the late hours after she became a U.S. Women’s Open champion.

In a photo she posted to Instagram, Wie is bent over so sharply that her back is parallel to the ground. Only instead of a hitting a putt – like the 25-footer for birdie on the 17th hole at Pinehurst No. 2 that clinched her first major – her head is buried in the Women’s Open trophy.

A text message to Meg Mallon would seem to confirm what she was doing.

“She said, `It takes 21 1/2 beers to fill up the U.S. Open trophy,” Mallon said Monday.

The maturation of the 24-year-old from Hawaii has been fascinating to watch.

She was a 12-year-old with chubby cheeks and braces who stood behind the 18th green at the Sony Open and talked about her dream of playing the Masters.

Wie played in the final group of an LPGA major when she was in the eighth grade. She had a chance to win three majors when she was 16. She shot a 68 on the PGA Tour to miss the cut by one shot at age 14, which inspired her to compete against the men and invited sharp criticism when she couldn’t even beat the women.

No one moved the needle like Wie in women’s golf.

And perhaps no other female athlete, especially one so young, endured so much condemnation. To her credit – and her parents deserve credit for this, too – she never lashed back at those who questioned the path she chose.

Wie reached the ultimate destination Sunday, even if she never could have imagined how she would get there. Stardom included a detour to two stages of Q-school, just so she could become a part-time player while attending – and eventually graduating – from Stanford.

“This is exactly where I wanted to be,” Wie said on the eve of the final round at Pinehurst. “When I was 15 and 16, I think the troubles that I came into when I was younger is that I tried to plan my life, and a lot of times things don’t happen the way they should – or the way they should in my mind.”

She had a road map at 15?

“Oh, yeah,” she replied, smiling at a room full of reporters. “Don’t you all?”

It would be easy to suggest that Wie arrived as the player everyone thought she could be when the final putt fell for a two-shot victory, just moment before the church bells began ringing at Pinehurst.

She arrived much earlier. She won in Hawaii earlier this year. She was in the last group at a major. She was a contender just about every week.

“This was just the exclamation point,” Mallon said.

Mallon won her fourth major 10 years ago at the U.S. Women’s Open, the same year she first got to know a 6-foot teen from Hawaii who could hit the ball a mile. She saw a prodigy. She also saw a girl.

“I adore the kid,” Mallon said. “We were paired in a pro-am when she was 14 and we had a blast. We were challenging each other with short-game shots and we made a bet. She said, `If I win, I get to put streaks in my hair.’ I went over to Bo (Wie’s mother) and asked if that was OK. She won and put streaks in her hair that afternoon.”

Wie’s game recently was questioned last August when she was a captain’s pick for the Solheim Cup – by Mallon – over a player who had won that year and was ahead of Wie in the standings. Mallon called it a “no-brainer” because she needed someone who could handle the big stage. Few knew it better.

“I was looking at picks about three weeks out and Michelle came up and said, `Gosh, Meg, I know I’m six months away from where I want to be. I am so close.’ And you kind of look now at where she is,” Mallon said.

Wie is leading the LPGA Tour money list, approaching $1.6 million. She had never earned over $1 million in a season. She is No. 7 in the women’s world ranking.

And she figured this out all on her own.

She always had the swing and the power to win a major. Her putting for years was the weakest part of her game. And yet she won the Open by going an entire week without a three-putt, by making a tricky 5-foot putt to salvage double bogey on the 16th hole and keep the lead, and by making one of the hardest putts at Pinehurst at the 17th. It was fast and broke in two directions, and this one slammed into the back of the cup nearly as hard as she slammed her fist when it fell.

Wie created this unique “table-top” style all by herself. She followed Mallon’s advice in the offseason by putting away the video and bringing more feel into her game.

There was no better feeling than holding the trophy – or drinking out of it.

She no longer tries to map out her life as much as she once did, though Wie allowed herself such a moment a week ago Sunday when she walked up the 18th fairway with Martin Kaymer when he won the men’s U.S. Open.

“I thought to myself, `I want to be here on Sunday. I want to feel this exact thing,'” she said. “It’s a dream come true that it actually happened.”

PINEHURST, N.C. – There’s no doubting Team Canada’s Brooke Henderson knows how to rise to the occasion.

She’s won major amateur events like the Porter Cup and the Spirit Invitational. She’s the youngest golfer ever to win a professional golf title. And now, in perhaps her biggest feat to date, the 16-year-old Smiths Falls, Ont. native captured low amateur honours at the 2014 U.S. Women’s Open at Pinehurst No. 2 – where she finished tied for 10th at 5-over 285 on the devious track.

“There’s a lot of great amateurs here that qualified this week,” said Henderson following her round Sunday in North Carolina. “It’s very exciting, that’s for sure. The best players in the world are here and to know that I’m right up there, it’s really awesome. I still have a long way to go to where I want to be in the next couple years, but it’s really exciting to know that I have the potential and it was a great finish here this week.”

Henderson, who had her sister Brittany as her caddie this week, improved on the tie for 59th she recorded in her first Women’s U.S. Open last year at Southampton, N.Y. She credited her ball striking in the final round for part of the improvement.

“Ball striking was really big for me today,” she added. “I made two mistakes off the tee which cost me a double and a bogey, but other than that, I was hitting it really well and had a couple tap-in birdies, which is really nice.”

She had five birdies, two bogeys and a double on Sunday to be exact for a 69, her lowest round of the week. A round she likely didn’t see coming a week ago.

“When I first got here I was like, wow, this is an extremely tough course and it’s going to take four really solid rounds to even make the cut and then to climb up the leaderboard like I did,” Henderson admitted. “But I was almost intimidated the first couple days and then as I got playing and I started to hit the ball really well, I knew where to hit it on the fairways and where to hit it on the greens and I became much more confident. And today, right now, I sort of wish there was another round to go back out there, but I’ll have to wait until next year.”

Thanks to her finish at Pinehurst, Henderson automatically qualifies for the 2015 U.S Women’s Open being contested at Lancaster Country Club in Lancaster, Pa.

Henderson outlasted the world’s top women’s amateur golfer in Australia’s Minjee Lee, who finished 3-shots back of Henderson at 8-over 288, to claim the low amateur title.

“Well, Minjee is an amazing player,” explained Henderson. “She’s ranked No. 1 in the world as amateurs and she’s been at a lot of pro events and she always plays really well. Coming in that (winning low amateur) wasn’t necessarily my goal, but it’s nice that it happened.”

Brooke and Brittany will have little time to relish in the moment. The pair headed north Sunday evening as they will face off against each other, and others, at the Canadian Women’s Tour event at Legends on the Niagara’s Battlefield Course in Niagara Falls, Ont. which gets underway Tuesday. For more details on that event – which offers an exemption into the 2014 Canadian Pacific Women’s Open – and the Canadian Women’s Tour, click here.

And, click here to watch an interview with Brooke following her final round at the 2014 U.S. Women’s Open.

PINEHURST, N.C.– Michelle Wie finally delivered a performance worthy of the hype that has been heaped on her since she was a teenager.

Wie bounced back from a late mistake at Pinehurst No. 2 to bury a 25-foot birdie putt on the 17th hole, sending the 24-year-old from Hawaii to her first major championship Sunday, a two-shot victory over Stacy Lewis in the U.S. Women’s Open.

Wie closed with an even-par 70 and covered her mouth with her hand before thrusting both arms in the air.

Lewis, the No. 1 player in women’s golf, made her work for it. She made eight birdies to match the best score of the tournament with a 66, and then was on the practice range preparing for a playoff when her caddie told her Wie had made the sharp-breaking birdie putt on the 17th.

Lewis returned to the 18th green to hug the winner after other players doused Wie with champagne.

What a journey for Wie, who now has four career victories – all in North America, the first on the U.S. mainland – and moved to the top of the LPGA money list after winning the biggest event in women’s golf.

She has been one of the biggest stars in women’s golf since she was 13 and played in the final group of a major. Her popular soared along with criticism when she competed against the men on the PGA Tour while still in high school and talked about wanting to play in the Masters.

That seems like a lifetime ago. The 6-foot Wie is all grown up, a Stanford graduate, popular among pros of both genders and now a major champion.

“Oh my God, I can’t believe this is happening,” Wie said.

It almost didn’t. Just like her so much of her life, the path included a sharp twist no one saw coming. Wie started the final round tied with Amy Yang, took the lead when Yang made double bogey on No. 2 and didn’t let anyone catch her the rest of the day.

In trouble on the tough fourth hole, she got up-and-down from 135 yards with a shot into 3 feet. Right when Lewis was making a big run, Wie answered by ripping a drive on the shortened par-5 10th and hitting a cut 8-iron into 10 feet for eagle and a four-shot lead.

She had not made a bogey since the first hole – and then it all nearly unraveled.

From a fairway bunker on the 16th, holding a three-shot lead, she stayed aggressive and hit hybrid from the sand. After a three-minute search, the ball was found in a wiregrass bush that caused her to take a penalty drop behind her in the fairway. She chipped on to about 35 feet and rapped her bogey putt 5 feet past the hole.

Miss it and she would be tied.

Bent over in that table-top putting stance, she poured it in to avoid her first three-putt of the week. Smiling as she left the green, even though her lead was down to one, Wie hit 8-iron safely on the 17th green and holed the tough birdie putt. She pumped her fist, then slammed it twice in succession, a determination rarely seen when she was contending for majors nearly a decade ago as a teen prodigy.

“Obviously, there are moments of doubt in there,” Wie said. “But obviously, I had so many people surrounding me. They never lost faith in me. That’s pushed me forward.”

Wie finished at 2-under 278, the only player to beat par in the second week of championship golf at Pinehurst. Martin Kaymer won by eight shots last week at 9-under 271, the second-lowest score in U.S. Open history.

Lewis got within one shot of the lead with a birdie on No. 13, and after two bogeys, kept her hopes alive by finishing with back-to-back birdies.

“I knew I needed to get out early and post some numbers and make Michelle Wie earn it,” Lewis said.

Stephanie Meadow of Northern Ireland made her pro debut by closing with a 69 to finish alone in third, earning $271,373. That should be enough to secure her LPGA Tour card for next season. Yang never recovered from her bad start and closed with a 74 to finish fourth.

Juli Inkster never got going, either. The 53-year-old Hall of Famer, playing in her 35th and final U.S. Women’s Open, started four shots out of the lead and didn’t make a birdie until the eighth hole. She closed with a 75 and tied for 15th.

She received a standing ovation walking up the 18th green, a remarkable career that includes three straight U.S. Amateur titles, two majors as a rookie, two daughters, and then seven more majors for the career Grand Slam.

“They were so pulling for me, but it’s really hard to acknowledge them when you’re 5-over par and struggling,” Inkster said. “It was very nice, especially the reception on No. 1 tee and the reception on 18, and all around the golf course. It was great – very, very, very honored.”

And she was thrilled for Wie, who has endured already so much for someone so young. Wie is the same age as Annika Sorenstam when the Swede won her first major.

PINEHURST, N.C. – Michelle Wie steadied herself with pars over the last four holes on a wild Saturday in the U.S. Women’s Open, leaving the former teen prodigy from Hawaii one round away from winning her first major.

Wie made back-to-back birdies to build a four-shot lead, only to give it all back with drives all over Pinehurst No. 2. She salvaged a 2-over 72 for a share of the lead with Amy Yang, who didn’t make a par until the eighth hole in her roller-coaster round of 68.

They were at 2-under 208, the only two players still under par on a Pinehurst No. 2 course that was crispy and brittle. The USGA set the course up relative to what the men faced last Saturday in the U.S. Open – short but tough because of the pin positions.

“It’s tough out there,” Wie said. “My system got a little overheated. You can’t be in the trees here. But I felt like I grinded out there.”

The big surprise was the tournament-best 66 from Juli Inkster, the 53-year-old Hall of Famer who has said this will be her 35th and final U.S. Women’s Open.

Inkster, who hasn’t made the cut in this championship in five years, was tied for third just four shots behind. She will be in the penultimate group, though a long shot to become the oldest LPGA major champion by 10 years.

“You can think and you can dream all you want,” Inkster said. “But the bottom line is you’ve got to come out and make the shots. And if I’m tied for the lead coming up 18, then maybe I’ll think about it. I’ve got a long way to go. I’m just going to enjoy the moment and hit a few balls and see what happens.”

Lexi Thompson, who won the first LPGA major of the year in a final-round duel with Wie, pulled within one shot with a pair of early birdies.

It fell apart on two holes.

Thompson missed the green to the left on No. 8 – the worst spot at Pinehurst – and her first chip fell down the slope, leading to double bogey. On the next hole, she went long over the green and chose to take relief she really didn’t need from a white line marking the TV tower. Thompson went to the drop zone, and her ball rolled back into a divot. Worst yet, she still used her putter, and it hopped high out of the divot and had no chance to reach the green. She made another double bogey, then made three straight bogeys on the back nine.

Thompson (74) was five shots behind, still in the game.

Na Yeon Choi had a 71 and was in the group with Inkster at 2-over 212 along with Stephanie Meadow (69) and 18-year-old amateur Minjee Lee of Australia (72). Another shot back were So Yeon Ryu, who played her final 10 holes in 3 under for a 70, and Karrie Webb, who went the final 12 holes without a bogey for a 70.

“Michelle Wie has put a few of us back into the tournament,” Webb said. “Two hours ago, I didn’t think I had a shot. I’m pretty happy about that.”

About the time Thompson imploded, Wie began to pull away. She made a 5-foot par putt on No. 8, followed that with an 8-iron to 8 feet for birdie on the ninth and then hit a beautiful lag from about 80 feet for a two-putt birdie on the par-5 10th, where the tees were moved so forward that Wie hit 8-iron for his second shot.

One swing changed everything.

The back tee on No. 11 was used for the first time all week, playing at 444 yards.

Lucy Li, the 11-year-old who missed the cut as the Women’s Open’s youngest qualifier in history, walked the final 12 holes with the last group. “Man, that hole is like 10 times harder from there,” she said. “Well, maybe not for them.”

Definitely for them based on their shots.

Wie hit a snap-hook that rambled through the trees and left her no shot but to go sideways and slightly back. She hit her third in a greenside bunker, blasted out about 25 feet long and nearly off the green and made double bogey. Her next tee shot – again with the driver – sailed right through the trees and settled on a sandy path. And while it led to bogey, this was a moment that showed Wie might be ready to win a Women’s Open.

She could have punched a low shot over the bunker, though it likely would have gone over the back of the green, leaving a difficult pitch. Instead, she punched out toward the fairway, hit wedge to about 18 feet and took bogey.

“U.S. Opens are tough,” she said. “I feel like maybe on a different golf course, I would have taken that chance. You just don’t want to be too greedy out here. Even though you make bogey, sometimes you just don’t want to make a double out here. I felt like I made the right decision there.”

Yang didn’t make a par until the eighth hole – she started with three bogeys and four birdies. She had the outright lead until a sloppy bogey on the 18th from the fairway. Even so, it’s another chance for 24-year-old from South Korea. She played in the final group two years ago with Choi and was runner-up.

“I’m much better at controlling my emotion and controlling the nervous feeling,” Yang said. “I think it’s going to be a fun round.”

Canada’s 16 year old amateur Brooke Henderson leads the Canadians after shooting 3 solid rounds, including a 72 today to tie for 18th going into the final day.

Sue Kim carded a 79 Saturday and is tied for 56th.

PINEHURST, N.C. – For all the interest in the men and women playing Pinehurst No. 2 in consecutive weeks, Michelle Wie and Lexi Thompson made the U.S. Women’s Open more closely resemble the first LPGA Tour major of the year.

Wie held it together with two key par putts and finished with back-to-back birdies for a 2-under 68. Thompson powered her way out of the sand and weeds and ran off three straight birdies to match Wie for the lowest score Friday.

They were the only players still under par going into the weekend, perhaps setting up a rematch from the first major of the year. Thompson soundly beat Wie in the final round at the Kraft Nabisco Championship.

“Definitely too early,” Thompson said with a laugh. “Thirty-six holes in a major, that’s a lot of golf to be played, especially at a U.S. Women’s Open.”

For now, Wie had control.

The 24-year-old from Hawaii twice thought her shots were going off the turtleback greens, and twice she relied on her table-top putting stance to make long par saves. She finished with a 6-iron that set up a 12-foot birdie putt, and a 15-foot birdie on the par-5 ninth to reach 4-under 136.

“End of the day yesterday, I was thinking if I just did this again, that would be nice,” Wie said. “Finishing with two birdies is always great. It’s a grind out there. It’s not easy. Really grateful for the par putts that I made and some of the birdie putts that I made. I can’t complain. I’ll take it.”

Just when it looked as if this had the trappings of another runaway – Martin Kaymer led by at least four shots over the final 48 holes to win the U.S. Open – along came Thompson with a shot reminiscent of what Kaymer did last week.

From the sand and bushes left of the fairway on the par-5 fifth hole, Thompson blasted a 5-iron from 195 yards just off the green, setting up two putts for birdie from about 60 feet. Kaymer was in roughly the same spot in the third round when he hit 7-iron from 202 yards to 5 feet, that pin position more toward the front.

That was her third straight birdie, and she closed with four pars to reach 139.

Pinehurst No. 2 wasn’t in much of a giving mood on another warm day in the North Carolina sandhills, with a brief shower in the middle of the afternoon that didn’t do much to soften a dry, crusty golf course.

Stacy Lewis, the No. 1 player in women’s golf who opened with a bogey-free 67, picked up a bogey on her first hole in a wild round of six bogeys, three birdies and a tough 73. A two-time major champion, she saw the big picture.

“I hung around, and that’s what you’ve got to do at this tournament,” said Lewis, at even-par with Amy Yang (69) and Minjee Lee, the 18-year-old amateur from Australia who played bogey-free on the back nine to salvage a 71.

Lucy Li, the precocious 11-year-old and youngest qualifier in the history of the U.S. Women’s Open, isn’t leaving town until Monday. She just won’t be playing any more golf. The sixth-grader from the Bay Area started with a double bogey for the second straight day and shot another 78 to miss the cut.

Well inside that cut line were Canada’s Sue Kim and 16-year-old amateur Brooke Henderson – both members of Team Canada. The pair are 4-over and tied for 14th heading into moving day.

The three other Canadians in the field – Jessica Wallace (+12, 144); Rebecca Lee-Bentham (+15, 155); and amateur Elizabeth Tong (+16, 156) did not slip by the cut at 9-over 149.

No one was conceding anything to Wie or Thompson. What last week showed was a Pinehurst No. 2 that played about the same all four days, instead of some U.S. Opens where scores are thrown in reverse on the weekend. There’s still plenty of time for players to chip away at par, and equal opportunity to lose even more ground.

“When you think seven shots, you think that’s a lot,” Karrie Webb said after battling for a 73, leaving her seven shots behind. “But really at the U.S. Open, I don’t think that’s too far out.”

Na Yeon Choi had a 70 and was at 1-over 141, followed by a Paula Creamer (72) at 2-over 142. The group at 143 included Webb and So Yeon Ryu, who saved her hopes with three straight birdies on the front nine, and narrowly missing a fourth. All of them are former Women’s Open champions.

This is a different Wie they are chasing.

She is in contention on the weekend in her second straight major. The last time that happened was when she was 16 and had a chance in three of them. Wie already has won this year in Hawaii, and she has eight top 10s and is No. 2 on the LPGA money list.

Attribute that to a putting stroke that she owns, no matter how peculiar it looks with her back bent severely, almost parallel to the ground. And she has learned to play the shot – she has a full allotment – instead of worrying about her score or her position on the leaderboard.

“I think you look at the way Michelle has played the last six months and you look at her differently,” Lewis said. “I think she’s become one of the best ball-strikers on tour. She hits it really consistent. She knows where the ball’s going. And she’s figuring out how to win. That’s the big thing.”

PINEHURST, N.C. – Just over 1,000 yards shorter didn’t make Pinehurst No. 2 feel any easier in the U.S. Women’s Open on Thursday.

Except for Stacy Lewis.

The top-ranked Lewis took note of how Martin Kaymer won the U.S. Open last week and took a small step in that direction. She had a 3-under 67 in the morning and built a two-shot lead among the early starters on a blistering day in the North Carolina sandhills.

Kaymer also opened with a bogey-free round (65) and went wire-to-wire for an eight-shot victory.

“It was such an easy day,” Lewis said, speaking of the stress-free round more than the golf course. “I played really, really solid, other that I had to make a few par putts. But other than that, I didn’t put myself in too bad of spots and made a few birdies.”

Lucy Li, the 11-year-old who is the youngest qualifier in Women’s Open history, had a triple bogey and two double bogeys that ruined an otherwise solid round. She shot 78 and was 11 shots behind, likely needing a round in the 60s to have any chance of making the cut.

“Getting to play in the U.S. Open was a lot of fun,” Li said. “I learned that you’ve got to be patient. One shot at a time. Try to get rid of the big numbers.”

More than the biggest event in women’s golf, it’s also a grand experiment for the USGA. This is the first time the U.S. Open and U.S. Women’s Open have been played on the same course in back-to-back weeks.

The course measured 6,296 yards – 1,064 yards shorter than the opening round for the men – though there were plenty of indications that it was equally tough. The early part of the first round for the men was played under cloud cover, making Pinehurst feel soft. The sun already was broiling, with more wind, on this day.

Only two other players from the morning group broke par. Former Women’s Open champion So Yeon Ryu and Katherine Kirk each had a 69.

Lewis didn’t come to Pinehurst early to watch the final round of the men’s Open, instead seeing the course for a practice round a few weeks ago.

“It was cool to see the plan I had laid out in my head. He was kind of doing the same thing,” said Lewis, a two-time winner in her last five tour starts. “So it was nice coming into the week knowing that y plan as going to work on this golf course. I thought that somebody, like the guys, can run away with this. If you’re hitting the ball well enough, you can definitely run away with it. At the same time, you have to know par is a good number and keep grinding away.”

Karrie Webb, who won a U.S. Women’s Open at nearby Pine Needles in 2001, had a 70. Juli Inkster, at 53 and playing in the Women’s Open for the 35th and final time, made a late bogey and shot a 71.

Other players were headed in the wrong direction.

Defending champion Inbee Park shot a 76, her highest open-round score in this event since her debut as a 16-year-old in 2004. Jessica Korda, a two-time winner on the LPGA Tour this year, had a 79.

There were 11 rounds in the 80s among the 78 players who went early.

Amateur Brooke Henderson of Smiths Falls, Ont. had the lead early in the day and continues to develop her confidence at LPGA events.

“Yeah, there definitely are some nerves out there, especially on the first tee,” said the 16-year old. “Everybody gets those… But I’ve definitely become a lot more comfortable the last couple of LPGA events that I played in. I’m getting to know the pros a little bit more, getting to know where my game is compared to theirs, which is definitely exciting and hopefully in the future I’ll play against them a little bit more.”

Sitting tied for 11th, it’s fairly safe to expect she’ll three more rounds with the pros this week.

“It was pretty cool being up there, closer to the top of the leaderboard,” she added. “It was definitely fun and hopefully I’ll put a good round together tomorrow and make the cut and then hopefully climb up the leaderboard on the weekend.”

Langley, B.C.’s Sue Kim also opened with a 71. Jessica Wallace, also of Langley, B.C., shot 74.

Amateur Elizabeth Tong of Richmond Hill, Ont. had a 76. while Richmond Hill’s Rebecca Lee-Bentham shot 78.