MOBILE, Ala. – Catriona Matthew took the first-round lead Thursday in the Airbus LPGA Classic, holing a bunker shot for an eagle and finishing with an 8-under 64.

The 44-year-old Scot rebounded from a bogey on the par-4 12th – her third hole in the morning round – with the eagle on the par-5 13th and birdied seven of her final 11 holes.

“That kind of kick-started my round,” Matthew said about the eagle.

She won the last of her four LPGA Tour titles in 2011.

“Obviously, really pleased,” Matthew said. “Just had two weeks at home, so never quite know what you’re going to come out and play like. So, yeah, delighted. Got the putter going and holed some putts.”

Charley Hull had a bogey-free 65 in the afternoon. The 18-year-old English player birdied the final two holes on the Crossings Course at the Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail’s Magnolia Grove complex.

“I putted quite well, hit it quite solid, and hit, I think, every green,” said Hull, playing on a sponsor exemption. “I still left a few shots out there. I missed a 3- or 4-footer, but hey, another day tomorrow and hopefully I can go low.”

Second-ranked Stacy Lewis, No. 4 Suzann Pettersen and South Korea’s Eun-Hee Ji shot 66.

Lewis, the 2012 winner, finished her first nine with birdies on Nos. 15-18. She hit a 7-iron to 15 feet on the par-4 15, got up-and-down from over the back of the green on the par-5 16th, hit a 6-iron to 15 feet on the par-3 17th and hit a 6-iron to 12 feet on the par-4 18th.

“The scores are so low that if you don’t go pretty low the first day, you’re kind of behind the 8-ball,” Lewis said. So, it was really nice to get off to a good start.”

The Texan won the North Texas LPGA Shootout three weeks ago for her ninth tour title. Last week in Virginia, she closed with a 74 to tie for 12th in the Kingsmill Championship.

“Coming off of last week where I didn’t hit the ball well, I was happy with the way I drove it today,” Lewis said. “I hit it solid and made some putts. Figured something little out in my putting and I think that might help the rest of the week.”

Pettersen, playing her fourth event since returning from a back injury, had a bogey-free round.

“I’m feeling pretty good, felt pretty calm,” Pettersen said. “I feel like my game is right there, trying to be patiently aggressive. Playing smart on the hole locations that aren’t quite set up for being aggressive and then trying to take advantage. But the greens are fairly receptive, so it feels like you can kind of fire at the pin and not have to worry about too much spin, which makes this course a little bit easier.”

Ji, the 2009 U.S. Women’s Open champion, birdied four of the five holes in a bogey-free round.

“I felt good this morning when I was warming up,” Ji said. “Feel good with my swing and with my putter. Was out there like, `I can see the green. I can see the line.’ So I just made a lot of putts.”

Bahamas winner Jessica Korda was three strokes back at 67 along with 2010 champion Se Ri Pak, Nicole Castrale, Julieta Granada, Moira Dunn and Jenny Shin. Pak also won the Tournament of Champions on the course in 2001 and 2002.

Anna Nordqvist, a two-time winner this year, had a 68, and Kraft Nabisco winner Lexi Thompson opened with a 70. Michelle Wie, the winner in Hawaii, and defending champion Jennifer Johnson shot 71.

Top-ranked Inbee Park had a 74. She’s winless in eight tour starts this season after sweeping the first three majors last year and finishing the season with six victories.

Jennifer Kirby of Paris, Ont., shot a 3-under 69 in the first round to place herself among the top-20 scores of the day. She will head into the second round as part of the group tied for 18th.

MOBILE, Ala. – Inbee Park is back defending her No. 1 ranking, instead of watching others try to take it away from her.

Second-ranked Stacy Lewis couldn’t take advantage of Park’s absence last week at the Kingsmill Championship in Virginia, but they’ll be competing head to head again at the Airbus LPGA Classic starting Thursday on The Crossings course at Magnolia Grove that’s part of the Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail.

She watched Adam Scott wrest the PGA Tour’s top ranking from Tiger Woods on Monday without competing that week.

“It would be nice to get it the way Adam Scott did, but I want to win tournaments at the end of the day,” Lewis said Wednesday. “Being No. 1 in the world is definitely a goal but you can’t think about it all the time.

“If it’s something I’m thinking about trying to make a birdie putt, it’s just not going to happen, so I just have to keep doing what I know is right. Even if I do get to No. 1, the goals don’t change. It’s still, give myself a chance to win on Sunday and let everything else take care of itself.”

Lewis has a successful track record in Alabama, winning the state’s tournaments in Mobile and Prattville in 2012.

She wasn’t able to pass Park, who missed last week’s tournament while sick. Park has been No. 1 for more than a year.

“I wasn’t really feeling well for the last couple weeks I played … so the next week I probably took three or four days off trying to get healthier and get the bad things out of my system,” the South Korean said. “The next week I try to practice a little bit more and work on my game because I didn’t really have that big of a gap or a break when the season started, so I didn’t really have time to work on my game as much as I would like to.

“I feel like I’m back in a healthy condition, that’s the important thing.”

Park is winless in eight starts this year.

Lewis has eight top-10 finishes and won the North Texas LPGA Shootout.

She expects low scores from the contenders this week.

“It’s just the way the greens are set up,” Lewis said. “They’re set up to make birdies, they’re set up to kind of funnel some shots in and get them close. It’s fun for the fans, it’s fun for us to play, and being a good ball striker is where you want to be.”

For Jennifer Johnson, the return to Mobile has rekindled memories of her first LPGA Tour win last May.

She finished with back to back 7-under 65 rounds and set a tournament-record with a 21-under 267 total. Johnson birdied four of the final six holes for a one-stroke victory over Jessica Korda and Pornanong Phatlum.

She said being the defending champion could bring “a little pressure.”

“Maybe just trying to shoot the same thing I did last year because I’m always trying to do better than I did the year before,” Johnson said. “But I think the pressure really just you put it on yourself.”

Five Canadians are in the field, including Sue Kim, Rebecca Lee-Bentham, Alena Sharp, Jennifer Kirby and Lorie Kane.

MANAKIN-SABOT, Va – Canada’s Sue Kim, Rebecca Lee Bentham, Jessica Wallace and amateurs Brooke Henderson and Elizabeth Tong qualified for the U.S. Women’s Open on Monday.

Henderson, playing at the qualifier in Manakin-Sabot, Va., totaled a score of 140 through two rounds en route to capturing medalist honours. This year’s U.S. Women’s Open will mark the third LPGA major tournament for the Smiths Falls, Ont. native – she played in the 2013 U.S. Women’s Open and this year’s Kraft Nabisco Championship.

Joining Henderson are Sue Kim of Langley, B.C. and Rebecca Lee-Bentham of Richmond Hill, Ont. Both Kim and Lee-Bentham were recently named to Team Canada’s Young Pro Squad. Kim, 23, carded a 142 and Lee-Bentham, 22, was three strokes behind with a 145.

Wallace, a Langley, B.C. native, became one of three who qualified at the Dunwoody, Ga., event. The 23-year-old finished with a 148 through two rounds.

Tong, a Thornhill, Ont., native, qualified with 148 at the Winnetka, Ill., event. The 21-year-old Indiana University student will join Henderson in the field as an amateur.

Also to note, Canada’s A. Ram Choi of Surrey, B.C., will be listed as an alternate player after carding a 151 at the Seattle, Wash., qualifier. Choi is a junior for the Portland State Vikings.

All five Canadians will head to North Carolina from June 17-22 to tee-it-up at the famous Pinehurst No. 2 golf course.

For all sectional qualifier results, click here.

To cap off the week, Henderson got word on Tuesday that she earned a sponsor exemption to play in the Manulife Financial LPGA Classic for a second straight year. In 2013, the National Squad member fared well with a promising T35 finish.

With the announcement, Henderson becomes the seventh Canadian set to compete at the Grey Silo Golf Course in Waterloo, Ont., from June 4-8. She will be joined by veteran professionals Lorie Kane, Alena Sharp, and Maude-Aimee Leblanc. Also in attendance will be the three members of the Young Pro Squad – Rebecca Lee-Bentham, Sue Kim and Jennifer Kirby.

WILLIAMSBURG, Va.– Lizette Salas won the Kingsmill Championship on Sunday for her first LPGA Tour title, finishing with even-par 71 for a four-stroke victory.

The 24-year-old former Southern California player was never really challenged in the final round on the River Course. She started the day with a three-shot lead and doubled it with birdies on the par-5 third and par-3 fifth. A bogey on the par-4 eighth was her only hiccup – and only her third bogey in four rounds – until she three-putted the par-3 17th.

She finished at 13-under 271 and earned $195,000.

Salas, who has had several near misses, cupped her head in her hands and covered her face in celebration after the final putt fell, but her winning moment was quickly interrupted by a champagne, water and wine shower from fellow competitors.

“I was patient, I was happy, and I was ready most importantly,” she said on the green. “I took a different approach this week of not thinking so much and trying to be perfect.”

This year, Salas tied for third in the season-opening event in the Bahamas and shared the lead after three rounds in the Kia Classic in California, but Anna Nordqvist closed with a 5-under 67 to win by one.

Last year, playing alongside winner Inbee Park in the final group of the Kraft Nabisco, Salas shot 79 to tie for 25th. Two weeks later, Salas lost a playoff to Suzann Pettersen in the LPGA LOTTE in Hawaii. Salas chunked her approach into the water on the first extra hole after closing with a tournament-record 62.

Yani Tseng, seeking her first victory since 2012, got within three with three birdies in a four-hole stretch on the back nine, but she finished with two pars and a double bogey for a 69, expanding Salas’ lead to five shots.

Tseng tied for second with Kraft Nabisco winner Lexi Thompson and Sarah Jane Smith. Thompson had a 69, and Smith shot 66 – the best round of the day.

Tseng nearly made it very interesting at the par-5 15th, but her eagle putt stopped just short of the cup.

“One more roll it will be in,” she said. “I know if I make that I have a good chance.”

Alena Sharp finished as top Canadian. The Hamilton, Ont. native finished 5-0ver and tied for 60th. Lorie Kane was a shot back at 6-over. She tied for 62nd. Maude Aimee LeBlanc finished 74th at 11-over.

WILLIAMSBURG, Va. – Lizette Salas moved into position for her first LPGA Tour victory, playing 25 holes Saturday in 6-under par to take a three-stroke lead in the Kingsmill Championship.

The 24-year-old former Southern California player shot a 3-under 68 in the completion of the rain-delayed second round and birdied three of the last five holes in the afternoon for a season-best 65.

“I took a different approach this week,” Salas said. “I only played the pro-am. I’ve seen the course several times. It’s my third year here. I didn’t want to think too much about the golf course and just hit my targets. Last week, I had a good practice session at home, so I was feeling good coming in.”

She had a 13-under 200 total on Kingsmill Resort’s River Course.

South Korea’s Hee Young Park, the second-round leader, was second. She bogeyed No. 18 for a 69.

“Today, a little bit miss driver off the fairway, so it’s bit tough to make it close or make birdie chance,” Park said. “Tomorrow, a little more focus on the accuracy rather than distance.”

Second-ranked Stacy Lewis and No. 3 Lydia Ko, both trying to take the top spot in the world from Inbee Park, were five strokes back along with Katherine Kirk. Lewis shot 70, Ko 67, and Kirk 68.

Coming off a victory two weeks ago in the North Texas LPGA Shootout, Lewis would jump to No. 1 with a victory or a solo second-place finish, as long as Ko doesn’t win. Ko needs a victory to move to No. 1. Inbee Park is skipping the tournament.

“Overall, I’m really happy,” Ko said. “I mean, I guess improving every day is a really good sign.”

She played 24 holes Saturday.

“I started on 13 this morning,” Ko said. “Luckily, I birdied that and birdied the next hole. After that, I just kind of went back to my hotel and had some rest.”

Kraft Nabisco winner Lexi Thompson was 7 under along with Yani Tseng and Pornanong Phatlum. Thompson shot 70, Tseng 68 and Phatlum 66.

“I have good confidence with my putter and short game today,” Phatlum said. “Just try to be relax tomorrow and try my best.”

Salas began the day with a bogey on the par-5 third – her 12th hole in the second round – and closed with a birdie on the par-4 ninth.

“I was pretty upset about that one,” Salas said about her lone bogey of the day. “I don’t like bogeying par 5s, and especially a three-putt. So, that gave me a little bit extra motivation.”

She had a long wait before starting the third round.

“I had about 2 1/2, 3 hours to kill,” Salas said. “I went in to the physio trainer got some work done on my lower back, took like a 10-minute nap, and just started my whole routine again. … Didn’t hit a lot of balls on the range today. Just did a couple drills. I just knew it was going to be a long day, so I didn’t want to overdo it on the range.”

She birdied three of the first six holes in the third round to reach 10 under and pulled ahead with birdies on Nos. 14 and 15. She made a 15-foot putt on 14, and a 4-footer on 15.

“On 14, that was a putt that I knew was going to go in,” Salas said. “I read it correctly. … That was probably the purest stroke of the day.”

Salas made an 8-foot birdie putt on the par-3 17th and saved par on the par-4 18th with a 4-footer after running her long birdie try past the hole.

She has missed some good chances to win in the last two years.

Last year, playing alongside winner Inbee Park in the final group of the Kraft Nabisco, the American finished with a 79 to tie for 25th.

Two weeks later, Salas lost a playoff to Suzann Pettersen in the LPGA LOTTE in Hawaii. Salas chunked her approach into the water on the first extra hole after closing with a tournament-record 62.

This year, Salas tied for third in the season-opening event in the Bahamas and finished second in the Kia Classic in California.

Three Canadians qualified for weekend action. Alena Sharp (76) is tied for 48th at 1-over 214, Lorie Kane (74) is tied for 62nd at 3-over 216 and Maude Aimee LeBlanc (75) is tied for 71st at 6-over 219.

WILLIAMSBURG, Va. – Hee Young Park topped the leaderboard at 8 under Friday in the suspended second round of the Kingsmill Championship.

The South Korean player, fighting a lingering wrist injury, shot a 3-under 68 to take a one-stroke lead over Stacy Lewis, Brittany Lang, Lexi Thompson, Azahara Munoz and Lizette Salas.

“Last week I rested like whole week, so I can I think more focus on the course and I’m ready,” said Park, a two-time winner on the LPGA Tour. “Yesterday more hard ground, so a bit tough to hit solid, hit the ball. But today more soft fairway, everything, so it helped a lot. So more comfortable today. A lot of ice, good food, good sleep.”

The second-ranked Lewis, in position to take the top spot in the world ranking from Inbee Park, had a 65.

“Definitely have a better feeling coming off the course today,” Lewis said. “Just feel like I played a lot more solid, hit the ball better, definitely had more control going into the greens. I think less wind helped there. Just stayed really patient and made a few putts, and added up to a pretty good score.”

Lang finished with a 68.

“I’ve been playing really well and working really hard just trying to be confident out there and committed to my shots,” Lang said. “Working on a few things, so good first two days.”

Thompson, Munoz and Salas were unable to finish the round because of darkness after the start of play was delayed 3 1/2 hours because of overnight rain. Thompson, the Kraft Nabisco winner, and Munoz had five holes left, and Salas had seven remaining.

Coming off a victory two weeks ago in the North Texas LPGA Shootout, Lewis would jump to No. 1 with a victory or a solo second-place finish, as long as third-ranked Lydia Ko doesn’t win. Ko, 2 under with six holes left in the round, needs a victory to move to No. 1. Inbee Park is skipping the tournament.

“I’m excited,” Lewis said about her lofty spot on the leaderboard. “This is a position I love to be in. I love giving myself a chance to win. I’m right where I need to be. I just got to keep staying patient and get a few putts to fall.”

Defending champion Cristie Kerr was tied for 12th at 4 under after a 71. She also won the Michelob Ultra at the course in 2005 and 2009.

Canada’s Alena Sharp was tied for 12th at 4-under par when the horns sounded Friday. Lorie Kane was at even par and tied for 42nd.

WILLIAMSBURG, Va. – Azahara Munoz and Austin Ernst had strong finishes Thursday to share the first-round lead in the Kingsmill Championship at 6-under 65.

The former NCAA individual champions completed their morning rounds on the front nine at Kingsmill’s River Course, with Munoz birdieing four of her last seven holes, and Ernst closing with birdies on No. 7 and 9.

“I don’t think it’s easy,” Munoz said. “The wind is pretty tricky, but the pins were somewhat accessible. Obviously, the course is playing is much shorter than normal because it’s warmer and drier. Holes I had been having 4-irons in, I was having 9-irons in today.”

Munoz had a bogey-free round, saving par with a 10-foot putt on the par-3 second – her 11th hole – after hitting into a greenside bunker. The Spaniard lost a playoff to Paula Creamer in Singapore in March, when Creamer made a 75-foot eagle putt on the second extra hole.

“I’ve been having a much better attitude,” said Munoz, the 2008 NCAA winner at Arizona State who won the 2012 Match Play Championship for her lone tour title. “When I miss a shot, I don’t let it get to me so much like I used to. I used to get pretty upset, and that really hurt me.”

Ernst, the 2011 NCAA winner at LSU, rebounded from a bogey on the par-4 first with an eagle on the par-5 third, hitting a 6-iron from 182 yards to 10 feet on the downwind hole.

“Really just solid,” Ernst said. “Gave myself a lot of looks, hit a lot of greens and made it really easy on myself out there on a day when it was pretty windy and it could kind of get away from you a little bit.”

Heavy rain was expected overnight and Friday morning, likely delaying second-round play.

“We’ll just kind of see,” Ernst said. “I’m kind of glad I’m in the afternoon tomorrow. That way I don’t have to kind of hang out. If it does get delayed, you’re not waiting on the update every 30 minutes.”

South Korea’s Hee Young Park shot 66.

“Everything is pretty good,” Park said. “I made a lot more putts.”

Defending champion Cristie Kerr opened with a 67 after missing the pro-am Wednesday because of illness. She also won the Michelob Ultra at the course in 2005 and 2009.

“It was weird. I started feeling really bad Tuesday night,” Kerr said. “I woke up and just didn’t want to get out of bed. Just kind of knew something was wrong. I just was going to stay in bed and try to recover, but my husband was like, `You got to go see a doctor.’ So I went, and he was like, `You have heat exhaustion and maybe something else going on.’ So they took me to the hospital and gave my IV fluids and ran some tests and I had an infection.”

Lexi Thompson, the Kraft Nabisco winner, also was in the group at 67 along with Lizette Salas, Brittany Lang, Kathleen Ekey, Danielle Kang and Thidapa Suwannnapura.

“Overall, I’ll definitely take 4 under,” Thompson said. “I feel really good about my game right now. I’ve worked extremely hard in my offseason, especially on my short game. I put a lot of hours and hard work into it. To see it paying off definitely helps my confidence out.”

Jessica Korda, Yani Tseng and Ai Miyazato topped the group at 68.

Second-ranked Stacy Lewis and No. 3 Lydia Ko, both in position to take the top spot in the world ranking from Inbee Park, each shot 70. Lewis would jump to No. 1 with a victory or a solo second-place finish, as long as Ko doesn’t win. Ko needs a victory to move to No. 1. Park is skipping the tournament.

Lewis won the North Texas LPGA Shootout two weeks ago.

The 17-year-old Ko is coming off a victory three weeks ago in the Swinging Skirts event in California.

“I think I’m hitting the ball really well, which is a really good sign,” Ko said. “So, hopefully, I can hit like this the next couple days and get some putts going in.”

Alena Sharp is leading Canadian after the opening-round in Virginia. Sharp is 2-under, four back off the lead after a 69.

Lorie Kane carded a 2-over 73 Thursday, leaving her tied for 79th.

Team Canada members Rebecca Lee-Bentham and Jennifer Kirby, as well as Maude-Aimee LeBlanc, were all tied for 123rd after 5-over 76s.

Sue Kim was 6-over after a 77.

Heavy rain was expected overnight and Friday morning, likely delaying second-round play.

WILLIAMSBURG, Va. – Many of the top players in women’s golf have won when the LPGA Tour visits Kingsmill.

From Annika Sorenstam and Se Ri Pak to Karrie Webb and Suzann Pettersen, it is a layout that brings the best to the top.

No one loves the River Course more than three-time winner Cristie Kerr, but the defending champion missed Wednesday’s Pro-Am due to an illness and her status for Thursday is uncertain. If Kerr doesn’t play or isn’t 100 percent, Stacy Lewis would be the likely favorite to win. She is coming off a victory and has a chance to rise to No. 1, the favorite.

Lewis won the North Texas LPGA Shootout by six shots last weekend, closing with a 7-under 64.

Inbee Park has led the world rankings for 57 weeks, but she isn’t playing this weekend. But Lewis said her focus isn’t the ranking, it’s winning.

“My number one goal is to win tournaments,” Lewis said Wednesday. “Obviously the rankings and the money list, everything like that takes care of itself. The goal doesn’t change: win tournaments.”

Lewis has won nine times in her career and has eight top 10 finishes this season while Pettersen, another favorite based on her track record, has three top 10s after rebounding from a back injury.

She arrived at Kingsmill feeling like she’s rounding into form at just the right time.

“Overall I feel very happy with my game,” she said Tuesday. “I feel great. I’m happy that I kind of managed to get back and get a couple tournaments in before we got here after being out with an injury.”

Pettersen has won 14 times in her career, and the first one came on the River Course in 2007. She was in it to the end last year, too, and then some, losing to Kerr on the second hole of a playoff.

“I’ve been looking forward to this tournament since that last putt dropped last year,” she said. “This is by far one of my favorite stops. I mean, we can say that each and every week, but I’ve had some great success here. I love the course. I think it’s one of the best courses we play all year.

“I’m staying here at the resort. It’s just very pleasant and nice and calm. You have all the facilities you need. If you can’t find peace here, I don’t think you’ll find it anywhere.”

If Kerr rebounds to play Thursday, eight of the top 10 players in the world are in the field with Park and No. 7, Shanshan Feng, the only ones missing. Michelle Wie, one of the tour’s most popular players and in the midst of her best season, also is skipping the tournament. Wie is now ranked 12th worldwide.

Other former champions in the field include Pak, the 2004 champion and Karrie Webb (2006), along with 17-year-old sensation Lydia Ko, who won her last event and is ranked third in the world.

It’s Ko’s first experience with Kingsmill, and she said will place a premium on accuracy off the tee.

“They always seem to put the bunkers where my drive distance goes,” she said.

IRVING, Texas – There was no near-miss for Stacy Lewis this time.

This was a runaway for the highest-ranked American after six runner-up finishes in her previous 16 tournaments.

Lewis shot a 7-under 64 on Sunday in the North Texas LPGA Shootout, finishing at 16-under 268 and six strokes ahead of Meena Lee. It was the LPGA Tour’s largest margin of victory since Jiyai Shin won the 2012 Women’s British Open by nine.

“I’ve been wanting to do this for a long time. I kind of have these mini goals in the back of my mind,” Lewis said. “One of them was kind of taking a tournament and running away with it. … So to be so close the last few weeks and then to come out and shoot 64, I mean I don’t even know what to say.”

It was the ninth career LPGA Tour victory for Lewis, her first since August in the Women’s British Open, and will boost the Texan from third to second in the world ranking.

Lewis made a putt from about 25 feet off the fringe at the 540-yard seventh for an eagle. She followed with consecutive birdies to make the turn at 14 under and up by three strokes.

“The eagle just really kind of got things going in the right direction, and then just I never let up,” said Lewis, who punctuated her round with birdies on Nos. 17 and 18. “I never let the hammer down.”

Lee, the South Korean who won the last her two LPGA Tour titles in 2006, shot 70 after going into the final round at Las Colinas Country Club tied with Lewis for the lead. Lee bogeyed the opening hole and needed a birdie at No. 18 to finish alone in second place.

Michelle Wie, who closed within two before faltering late, had a 67 to finish third at 9 under.

Na Yeon Choi (69) and Kim Kauffman (70) tied for fourth at 8 under. Kraft Nabisco winner Lexi Thompson (69), Cristie Kerr (71) and Suzann Pettersen (72) were among six players at 7 under.

Lewis, from The Woodlands near Houston, has finished outside the top six only once in nine tournaments this year. She was third at the Kraft Nabisco and had another runner-up finish just last week in San Francisco. She had three runner-up finishes in her last eight tournaments in 2013 after her victory at St. Andrews.

Lewis got a share of the lead in Texas after a frustrating 69 in the third round Saturday when she hit all 18 greens in regulation but missed several makeable birdie putts.

“Honestly, I didn’t change anything. I didn’t do anything different,” she said. “They just didn’t go in (Saturday). … But once you see putts in, it’s kind of contagious.”

Defending champion Inbee Park closed with a 72 to tie for 14th at finish at 5 under. That will be good enough when the new world ranking comes out to stay No. 1 for the 56th consecutive week since the South Korean replaced Lewis at the top.

Lewis will supplant Lydia Ko in the second spot. Ko, who didn’t play in North Texas, moved to No. 2 after her win last week in San Francisco only days after her 17th birthday.

Canada’s Alena Sharp was one of four players who tied Park for 14th spot. Sharp, who started the final round in a tie for 18th, climbed four spots up the leaderboard Sunday thanks to a 1-under 70. She finished at 5-under 279.

IRVING, Texas – Stacy Lewis was holding her 3-year-old nephew after a frustrating round when someone asked the little boy what his aunt could do better.

“Make some putts,” little Cole Wysocki said.

Aunt Stacy, who had whispered the response into his ear, wholeheartedly agreed.

Missing several makeable putts Saturday, including a birdie chance on the 18th hole, Lewis shot a 2-under 69 to grab a share of the lead with South Korea’s Meena Lee after three rounds at the North Texas LPGA Shootout.

“I hit the ball so good today, especially on the back nine, gave myself a lot of good looks at birdie, and I couldn’t get a putt to go in,” Lewis said. “I had so many that they just went right over the top edge and finished right behind the hole. … The encouraging thing is that I’m hitting the ball great. I have a lot of control over the different shots I’m trying to hit.”

Lewis, the third-ranked player in the world, dropped her head when the final birdie chance rolled just left of the hole after getting over the green at the 518-yard, par-5 18th in two shots. The Texan matched Lee at 9-under 204.

In nearly ideal scoring conditions with little if any wind, Lee shot 70 with plenty of near-misses, too.

“It definitely is going to be the putting,” Lee said about what she needs to do Sunday to get her first win since 2006. “I didn’t really take advantage of a lot of birdie chances today, so I want to make more birdies tomorrow and see how it goes.”

First-round leader Suzann Pettersen, Dori Carter and Julieta Granada shot 68 and were a stroke behind the leaders.

Cristie Kerr (69), Christina Kim (70) and Natalie Gulbis (71) were among seven players tied at 7 under and only two strokes off the lead. Also in that group was 22-year-old Jennifer Johnson, who had an opening bogey before shooting a 65 for the best round of the day at Las Colinas Country Club.

But Caroline Masson, who shared the second-round lead with Lee, followed consecutive 67s with a 75 to fall five strokes back.

Lewis is an eight-time LPGA Tour winner, but has had six runner-up finishes in 18 starts since winning the Women’s British Open in August. She finished worse than sixth only once in the first eight events this year, including second in San Francisco last week.

After a bogey-free 64 with only 26 putts in the second round, Lewis hit all 18 greens in regulation Saturday – even while hitting only seven of 13 fairways. But she needed 34 putts.

“It’s golf. As many rounds as we play, you know, you’re going to hit some putts that you think are going to miss and they end up going in,” she said. “It’s just the way it is sometimes, and the thing about it is that I hit my lines. I hit it the right speed. You know, it wasn’t like they were going way by the hole or anything. They were just tap-ins coming back.”

Lee had the lead alone at 10 under after consecutive birdies. The second of those birdies came after an approach to within a few feet at the par-5 seventh hole, and was her last of the day.

On the par-3 13th hole, Lee was still 10 under when her tee shot went over the green and she pitched past the hole before a par-saving putt. Lewis then had a birdie chance slide just past to hole to remain a stroke back.

Lee’s approach at the 416-yard 14th hole settled near a scoring tower by the green and a par putt came up just short of going in the hole. Lewis got even, though she looked up in frustration when a birdie chance for the outright lead rolled just right of the hole.

“I’m doing a lot of good things. The encouraging thing is that I’m tied for the lead,” Lewis said. “Even with all the missed shots today, I’m still tied for the lead and I have a chance for tomorrow.”

Inbee Park, the No. 1 player in the world and the defending champion, shot 68 and was only three strokes back.

Alena Sharp and Lorie Kane both had exceptional rounds Saturday and are tied for 18th at 4-under 209 heading into the final round. Sharp carded a 5-under 66 Saturday, while Kane had a 4-under 67.

When the initial cut was made at 2 over after the second round, 74 of the original 144-player field made it. There was another cut after the third round, with 51 players advancing to Sunday at even par or better.