RANCHO MIRAGE, Calif. – While the entire field at the ANA Inspiration spent the whole day playing catch-up, Norway’s Suzann Pettersen and the Korda sisters managed to get ahead.

Pettersen finished her wind-delayed first round with a 4-under 68 and added a second-round 69 Friday, taking a one-shot lead over rookie Nelly Korda and five other players after two shortened days at the LPGA Tour’s first major of the year.

After an early end to Thursday’s play and a late start on Friday for cleanup from the windstorm, play was halted by darkness with 56 players still on the course. They will complete their second rounds Saturday morning.

“Towards the end of my second round, I was getting a little tired,” said world No. 1 Lydia Ko, who sat three shots off the lead at 4-under 140 after playing 31 holes Friday. “I played 31 holes in Thailand a few weeks ago, so compared to that, this is nothing. That week was a lot of undulation plus a lot of heat. … But it’s been such a long day, and I’m craving some sleep.”

Korda, Inbee Park, Michelle Wie, Cristie Kerr, France’s Karine Icher and Minjee Lee were all one stroke behind Pettersen when play was halted, but Wie and Icher hadn’t completed their second round.

Nelly Korda shot a pair of 69s to climb onto the leaderboard in her first major as a professional. The 18-year-old’s big sister, 24-year-old Jessica, also is in the hunt at 3-under 141.

Pettersen, a two-time major champion, capped her impressive day with a long putt for birdie on her final hole. She is feasting on the Mission Hills Country Club’s par-5s, getting three birdies on the course’s three longest holes in each of her rounds.

“I played fantastic golf all day,” Pettersen said. “You’ve got to be in the mood to fight if you’re a little bit out of position, so I did.”

The first round on Thursday was halted several hours early by 40-mph winds that whipped across the Coachella Valley until midnight. Bulldozers and trucks hit the Dinah Shore Course at dawn, removing a fallen tree and countless branches and leaves from the desert course.

Workers were quick, but the cleanup forced a 90-minute delay to the planned start of Friday’s play. At least the wind largely calmed down and left cooler temperatures at a tournament frequently played in a stifling dry heat.

Jessica and Nelly Korda are the daughters of former Czech tennis stars Petr Korda and Regina Rajchrtova. Their younger brother, 16-year-old Sebastian, is a promising teenage tennis player who just reached the semifinals of the Easter Bowl USTA Junior National Spring Championship just down the road at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden.

The Florida-based family is living in a house in the Palm Springs area for the week, relishing a rare chance for togetherness. While their parents drive between the tennis court and the golf course, the sisters have spent their down time playing with the family’s new Pomeranian – a future gift for their grandparents – and rooting loudly for their favourite players while they watch the Miami Open tennis on television.

“It’s really relaxing, to be completely honest,” Nelly Korda said. “Just chilling and hanging in my room, talking about our tournaments and catching up.”

Jessica Korda is extraordinarily proud of her kid sister’s strong start, but she’s also worried about their season-long bet: Whoever finishes lower on the money list this year has to buy an expensive purse for the other.

“I’m like, ‘Man, one day, I wish I was as good as her,”’ Jessica Korda said with a laugh.

Ko and world No. 2 Ariya Jutanugarn are both at 4 under, along with Lexi Thompson and Paula Creamer.

Hamilton’s Alena Sharp was the only Canadian to complete 36 holes. She shot a 4-over 76 and is 6 over. Maude-Aimee Leblanc of Sherbrooke, Que., is 8 over and Brooke Henderson of Smiths Falls, Ont., is 3 over, but both golfers have to finish their second round.

Icher left the course Thursday with the first-round lead, but when first-round play finished near lunchtime Friday, she had been joined by Kerr and Germany’s Caroline Masson at 5 under.

Park charged into the lead with two birdies and an eagle on the first six holes of her second round. The seven-time major champion and 2013 winner of this event finished with a pair of 69s.

Park took six months off from golf after winning a gold medal at the Rio de Janeiro Olympics last summer, healing her injured thumb. While some wondered whether her career was over, she has returned in outstanding form, winning the HSBC Women’s Champions in Singapore four weeks ago.

“Just looking at the scores, everybody can think it was a good round, but actually (it was) really a nightmare for me on the greens,” Park said. “I struck the ball great. I’m really happy the way I’m hitting the ball, but just putting was very disappointing.”

RANCHO MIRAGE, Calif. – Michelle Wie was the teenage prodigy on this same desert course 14 years ago, showing off her precocious skills and a seemingly limitless future.

Now a wizened veteran of the LPGA Tour, the 27-year-old Wie saw reflections of her own journey Thursday while she played alongside 14-year-old Lucy Li, the newest wunderkind with a chance to dazzle the golf world at the ANA Inspiration.

“For sure, very mature for her age,” Wie said. “The way she played out there, her game did not seem 14. I was really impressed with her game and how she handles herself out there. She’s very calm and collected.”

Wie’s young playing partner still has things to learn from the pro, however. While Li opened with a 71, Wie shot a 4-under 68 to move one stroke behind leader Karine Icher of France before 35-mph winds shortened the opening day of competition at the first major of the year.

Four players were one shot behind Icher, including 17-year-old amateur Eun Jeong Seong, who had an early hole-in-one .

Half of the field in the LPGA Tour’s first major of the year was still on the course when play was stopped. The first round will resume Friday morning when the Coachella Valley calms down.

Brooke Henderson of Smiths Falls, Ont., shot a 1-over 73 while Maude-Aimee Leblanc of Sherbrooke, Que., had a 7-over 79. Hamilton’s Alena Sharp was 3 over through 12 holes.

But an early tee time allowed Wie and Li to log their first round together. Li has known about Wie for her whole life, since she grew up in the San Francisco suburbs while Wie was attending Stanford and playing on the tour.

“I was really excited to play with her,” Li said. “She’s super nice, and we just had a lot of fun today. She played really well.”

Wie was only 13 when she debuted at this tournament, then called the Kraft Nabisco Championship, in 2003 as one of the most touted teenagers in golf history. She became the youngest player ever to make an LPGA cut on the Dinah Shore Course, finishing tied for ninth in her first major.

Li was almost six months old at the time.

While Wie has never dominated the tour as some anticipated, she won the U.S. Women’s Open at Pinehurst in 2014. That’s also where Wie met Li, then an 11-year-old who had just become the youngest person to qualify for the Open.

After missing the cut at Pinehurst, Li stayed for the weekend to watch Wie’s victory. Li then cracked the field of her second major last week by winning the ANA Junior Inspiration.

Wie hasn’t won an LPGA tournament since that U.S. Women’s Open breakthrough, and she missed the cut in three majors last year. Playing alongside the precocious teen caused Wie to reflect on her own beginnings in surprising ways.

“I feel like no one really called me cute back then,” the 6-foot Wie said with a laugh. “They were just like, ‘Damn, she’s big.’ You know? I was walking behind her today, and I was like, ‘You know, she’s really cute.’ No one really called me that when I was 13. ‘Damn, she’s tall.’ That’s all I got.”

Li is almost a foot shorter than Wie, and she’s already a junior in high school. She’s working on her Algebra II homework this weekend when she isn’t playing, and she recently indulged her interests in politics and history by reading Doris Kearns Goodwin’s “Team of Rivals,” a 944-page examination of Abraham Lincoln and his cabinet.

“I’m probably a little more experienced than the last time (in a major), but it’s still very exciting,” Li said.

Lydia Ko, the defending ANA Inspiration champion and world No. 1, was 2 under through five holes in vicious wind before play was suspended.

Playing in her second major, the 17-year-old Seong aced the par-3 fifth, celebrating in disbelief after she put a 6-iron into the cup for this tournament’s first hole-in-one in five years. Although she plays sparingly on this side of the Pacific, Seong won the U.S. Women’s Amateur and the U.S. Girls’ Junior tournaments last year.

“I couldn’t see the hole, and then I just said, ‘Oh my God!”’ Seong said after the second hole-in-one of her career. “I don’t think about being one of the leaders. I’m just happy that I’m playing.”

Icher had seven birdies in an outstanding opening round.

RANCHO MIRAGE, Calif. — The members of the Canadian contingent at the ANA Inspiration got a little bit more time to prepare for the first major of the golf season than they would have liked.

Brooke Henderson of Smiths Falls, Ont, ranked 13th in the world, Alena Sharp of Hamilton and Maude-Aimee Leblanc, a native of Sherbrooke, Que., all missed the cut at last week’s LPGA Tour stop, the Kia Classic in Carlsbad, Calif.

But they chose to look at the opportunity to arrive at Mission Hills Country Club a couple of days early as a bonus.

“Sometimes having a weekend off before a major is good because it is more taxing on the mind,” said Sharp, who finished a career best 41st on the LPGA money list in 2016. “As the week goes on it gets firmer, the rough gets longer, we’re going to deal with wind. It’s going to be a test of the fittest, for sure, not so much physical, but mental. 

“Not playing last weekend, maybe getting some rest it will help me for this week, but I feel like my game is in good shape. I love the golf course. I’ve always loved coming to play here. I love how the course is playing. I had some good practice rounds so I’m just ready to get going.”

Henderson arrived on Saturday and has played a few holes each day “so I have a great feel for the golf course. This is one of my favourite tournaments all year. You know, coming here as an amateur in 2014, I got to witness and experience an amazing atmosphere out here and Poppy’s Pond, Dinah Shore, it’s such an amazing tradition.

“I’m excited to go out and hopefully get off to a fast start Thursday and Friday and put myself into contention on Sunday.”

@BrookeHenderson tuning up for @ANAinspiration, golf’s first major of the year. Hammered this one through wind on 4th hole @MissionHillsCC1 pic.twitter.com/hTsY0IK4gL

— Chris Stevenson (@CJ_Stevenson) March 28, 2017

Henderson said driving the ball will be a key this week and that should give her an advantage.

“You’ve got to hit fairways and I think if I can get my driver out there a good distance, there’s a lot of corners and a lot of trouble you need to carry it 250, so if I can do that, I think I can take out a lot of the field that way,” she said. “The rough is very long, so hitting fairways and being consistent is also very important.

“The greens are always fast and firm out there, so making sure you’re hitting fairways and giving yourself a great angle for approach shots will be really important the next few days.”

Neither Henderson nor Sharp have had the results they would have liked so far in 2017. 

Henderson’s best finish was a tie for fourth at the HSBC Women’s Champions, her only top 10 finish in 2017. She’s 18th on the LPGA money list.

“So far into the year 2017 I have necessarily performed or gotten the results I necessarily want, but I feel my game is really close and hopefully if I can just tune up a little bit mentally and get focused on what I actually have to do, I think my game is right there that I can win a few more times and I think that starts this week,” she said. “Having played the golf course the last few days, I think it suits my game really well, so if I can get my mental attitude the way it should be, I think I’ll be right there on Sunday.”

Sharp, who enters the week 61st on the money list, said her scores haven’t reflected the quality of her play.

“I’ve been playing much better than I’ve been scoring,” said the 36-year-old. “It’s one of those things you have to be patient, keep trusting the process and stay positive.”

Leblanc, 28, had a tie for seventh at the ISPS Women’s Australian Open in February, her first top 10 on the LPGA Tour. The long hitter (sixth on Tour with an average of 270.75 yards) is 50th on the money list and, like Sharp, has been playing the best golf of her career over the last year.

CARLSBAD, Calif. – Mirim Lee took the lead into the final round of the Kia Classic two years ago and was overhauled by Cristie Kerr, who won with a tournament record of 20-under.

Lee had the 54-hole lead again this year, and she wasn’t about to let anyone catch her.

Lee, of South Korea, shot a 7-under 65 to win by six strokes Sunday and tie Kerr’s tournament record.

It was her third LPGA Tour victory and first since winning two titles in 2014, her rookie year.

She played a bogey-free round at Aviara, with birdies on each of the odd-numbered holes on the front nine to reach 18-under.

Lee twice just missed putts that would have put her at 21-under. She left an eagle putt short on 16 and then rolled a 40-foot birdie putt even with the hole on 18.

She was so far ahead, she wasn’t tempted to think about the lead she lost in 2015.

“I just thought I didn’t play very well at that time. Today, I tried not to think about it,” she said.

Lee was doused with water by fellow South Koreans Mi Jung Hur and In Gee Chun.

“Only the winner can enjoy the moment so it was very special,” said Lee, who came into the final hole with a one-shot lead over Hur.

If Lee wins the season’s first major next weekend, the ANA Inspiration at Mission Hills in Rancho Mirage, she can get another wet celebration – by jumping into Poppie’s Pond.

Ryu (66) and Austin Ernst (67) of Greenville, South Carolina, tied for second at 14-under.

Kerr (70) was in a group of five at 12-under. Calgary’s Jennifer Ha (69) tied for 49th at 2 under.

Lee “was at 20-under. I knew at that point you’re basically playing for second place unless she does something coming down the stretch,” Ernst said. “I think Mirim had a good lead all day. She played really good golf. Your entire game needs to be solid here.”

Said Ryu: “It’s really great to see Korean players keep playing well. Also, I always feel very proud to see many Korean companies sponsoring the LPGA tournament. We just have a kind of like responsibility to play well on the LPGA. Hopefully a lot of fans are having a lot fun to watch her play. Yeah, if another Korean girl is going to win the tournament, hopefully next one is going to be me.”

CARLSBAD, Calif. – Moving day at the Kia Classic set up what should be an exciting final 18 holes at Aviara on Sunday.

Mirim Lee shot a 5-under 67 in the third round Saturday to go to 13-under and take a one shot lead over Mi Jung Hur, who made a 67-foot putt on No. 18 to card a 66.

Another South Korean, In Gee Chun, was tied at 10-under with Cristie Kerr, who was in a three-way tie for the lead after the first round and was alone atop the leaderboard after 36 holes.

The most pressure Sunday might be on Kerr, the 2015 Kia champion.

Kerr had her most erratic round of the tournament, a 1-under 71 that ended with a bogey on 18.

“I like my position,” Kerr said. “Honestly, I didn’t hit it that great today. I scrambled a lot. That last pin was really difficult. It was kind of hard to judge the speed through the shadows, and I didn’t do a very good job. I three-putted the last hole.”

She said her coach flew in on Saturday, “so I get to go do a little session with him tonight. I’m going to go work with my coach and try to hit it a little better tomorrow and give myself more opportunities to make birdies.”

Hur was energized by her long putt on 18, which she thinks was the longest she’s ever made.

“I definitely feel very, very good right now because I finish with a birdie on the last hole,” she said. “That was a huge, long putt. That helps a lot, the last putt. It put me second place. I’m getting excited to be playing tomorrow.”

Her only bogey was on the par-3 11th.

“I just want to stay positive and still be patient for those greens,” she said. “It actually was good today and my putter was good. I struggled a little bit with my iron shots.”

Brittany Lincicome made an early run with four birdies and an eagle in her first eight holes to get to 10-under before she had two bogeys on the back nine in a round of 67 that tied her with Austin Ernst and Karine Icher at 9-under. Calgary’s Jennifer Ha (76) was tied for 62nd at 1-over par.

In a group of five golfers at 8-under was Jackie Stoelting, who at 30 has earned, lost and earned back her tour card. After making the cut in an LPGA tournament for the first time since 2015, she got to 11-under through 10 holes before double-bogeying the par-4 13th and bogeying the 18th for a 70.

Two years ago at the Kia, she shot 4-under in the first round and 4-over in the second round and missed the cut by one.

“I’m not going to lie, yesterday I had a lot of nerves thinking, ‘I don’t want to do that again,”’ said Stoelting, whose husband, Travis, is her caddie. “I made a couple birdies – actually bogeyed my second hole and made a couple birdies coming in the front nine and really settled down.

“I’ve been in contention a lot on the Symetra Tour,” said Stoelting, who admitted getting nervous Saturday when the TV crew began following her.

“That really helped me settle down a little bit more, knowing that I’ve dealt with cameras before,” she said. “It’s definitely different out here. But I enjoy that feeling.”

She has only $10,398 in career LPGA earnings and is ranked 303 in the world. Her biggest paycheque has come via Big Break on the Golf Channel, when she won some $70,000 and other prizes.

Stoelting said she owes a lot to her clothing sponsor, 2GG Apparel, which is owned by former major league pitcher Russ Ortiz.

“We talked a lot last week just about playing fearless and just really believing in myself,” she said. “I think that’s the biggest difference this week.”

She said she decided last year she was either going to get her card through the Symetra Tour or Q-School, or quit. She got it through the Symetra Tour.

“A lot of people say, ‘You’re 30, you’re 30.’ But the golf ball has no clue how old I am.”

CARLSBAD, Calif. – A 10-foot putt stood between top-ranked Lydia Ko making the cut or getting a rare weekend off.

She rolled it just right.

So after taking Saturday off, she’ll be driving out to Palm Springs on Sunday to start preparing for the season’s first major.

Ko, the defending Kia champion, missed the cut for just the second time in 91 LPGA Tour starts when she bogeyed two of her final three holes Friday at the Kia Classic.

Cristie Kerr, the 2015 Kia champion, shot a 3-under 69 for a two-round total of 9-under 135, good for a one-shot lead over Mo Martin and Mirim Lee.

“I kind of was in an OK position after halfway. Then I had a really bad finish,” said Ko, a 19-year-old New Zealander.

“I can’t do anything about it. I tried my best out there to hopefully put myself in better position going forward. But, hey, I wish I would’ve been able to be able to play on the weekend.”

Ko fell apart on the last three greens. She missed short putts on 16 and 17 for a bogey and par, and three-putted No. 18 to finish at par-72 for a 36-hole total of 2-over 146. Calgary’s Jennifer Ha (67), a Team Canada Young Pro Squad member, was tied for 18th at 3-under par and was the only Canadian to make the cut.

Hamilton’s Alena Sharp (74) and Brooke Henderson (74) of Smiths Falls, Ont., Maude-Aimee Leblanc (74) of Sherbrooke, Que., all missed the cut, which was set at 1 over.

“Ball striking wasn’t very good today,” she said. “I’m hitting my drives really well, but like the birdie opportunities I had I was missing quite a few of them. I was putting so much better today until the last few holes.”

So while there won’t be a repeat champion at the Kia, Kerr can win it for the second time in three years if she keeps up her strong play through the weekend.

“You know, I’ve hit it really well,” she said. “I hit a couple squirrely shots coming in and had some really tough up and downs in the back, but all in all, I played well today,” she said.

Kerr kept the lead despite bogeys on two of her final four holes.

To stay atop the leader board will take “making it routine, just playing my game every day and keeping it simple. Staying out of my own way.”

Kerr had been tied at 6-under 66 with Martin and In Gee Chun after the first round.

Martin shot a 70 on Friday while Lee had a 67.

“I love this week in general,” said Martin, who grew up in Pasadena and played at UCLA. “It still feels like a home game to me. I/’ve got family and friends out. The course is playing fantastic. The weather has worked out really well.

“I had a few good putting days coming into this week just practice-wise with my putting coach, Jamie Mulligan. I think we made some good progress, and it’s been showing off so far. It’s been fun. Been hitting the ball as well as I have been from last year pretty much. So hitting it well. Putting it well. Chipping it well. Good combination.”

Mi Jung Hur, Austin Ernst, Jackie Stoelting and Karine Icher were tied at 6-under 138.

CARLSBAD, Calif. – Cristie Kerr, Mo Martin and In Gee Chun each shot a 6-under 66 Thursday to share the lead after the opening round of the Kia Classic at Aviara.

Kerr, the 2015 Kia champion, and Martin, a native of Southern California, were among the first groups to tee off.

Chun was in one of the last groups on the course and made an impressive charge in the late-afternoon shadows, with birdies on five of her last seven holes. After almost hitting her drive on the par-4 18th into a pond, she had a 60-foot putt for the lead but rolled it about 15 feet past. She made that one for par and a share of the lead.

Kerr’s round would have been better if not for putts lipping out on the first two holes, including a 2-footer on No. 2 that left her with her only bogey.

“It was nice they all went in from there,” said Kerr, who closed with birdie-birdie.

Asked if she needed to make any adjustments, she said: “Just keep shooting 6 under. I don’t think I have to adjust much.”

Martin, who grew up in Pasadena and played at UCLA, had a bogey-free round on the 6,540-yard layout, part of which hugs Batiquotis Lagoon.

With a handful of family and friends wearing “Go Mo” buttons, Martin had a “really good putting day,” starting when she rolled in a downhill 15-footer on the first hole. She also birdied Nos. 5-7, draining a 35-foot putt on the par-3 sixth hole.

“I love everything about this week. It’s pretty much home territory,” Martin said. “The weather is perfect. I mean, the course in and of itself I love playing it. Love the setup. Keeps you on your toes all day. When you’re not hitting shots you’ve got beautiful scenery, wildflowers.”

Defending champion Lydia Ko struggled with her putter and had a disappointing start with a 2-over 74.

“The drive was great, but from there it was pretty average,” Ko said. “It was really hard to get anything rolling when you’re not putting that good either.”

Ko planned to spend the afternoon on the putting green.

“No matter if you’re hitting it good or not, if you can putt and you can make up and down when you’re missing the greens, that makes a huge difference,” she said.

Tied at 4 under were Marissa Steen, Alison Lee, Karine Icher, Mirim Lee, Hyo Joo Kim

Anna Nordqvist, the 2014 Kia champion who won last weekend in Phoenix, shot a 3-under 69.

Azahara Munoz hit an 8 iron for her first hole-in-one as a pro, on the par-3 No. 3, during her round of 3-under 69.

“I was pretty excited,” she said. “I actually hit a really good shot. Sometimes people say, ‘I hit it thin or whatever.’ No, I hit it really good. Bounce about that far right of the pin, went forward, and spun back in.”

Muoz gave the ball to a little girl.

“My caddie was actually telling me that I should keep it. I’m like, ‘No, I’ll give it away to a little girl.’ You never know. She could be out here with us in a few years.”

PHOENIX – Anna Nordqvist caught up with some college friends – and left everyone else behind Sunday on another hot afternoon at the Bank of Hope Founders Cup.

The 29-year-old former Arizona State player shot a 4-under 68 to hold off fellow major champions Ariya Jutanugarn, Stacy Lewis and In Gee Chun by two strokes in record 96-degree heat at Desert Ridge.

“I have so many friends and family here. They feel like family, my U.S. family,” the 6-foot Swede said. “Couldn’t think of a better place to be. I’m just so happy to be back. I wasn’t even going to play a couple weeks ago and just ended up adding it last minute. Maybe it was meant to be.”

Nordqvist won her seventh LPGA Tour title and first since successfully defending the ShopRite LPGA Classic title last June. In the U.S. Women’s Open in July, she lost a three-hole playoff to Brittany Lang after being penalized two strokes for touching the sand with her club in a fairway bunker on the second extra hole.

“Of all the wins probably this is the one that’s going to be more special,” Nordqvist said. “If it wasn’t for me getting an opportunity to come to Arizona State University about 10 years ago, I wouldn’t be here today. This truly still feels like home, even though I’m based in Florida.”

She finished at 25-under 263, two shots off the LPGA Tour record that Sei Young Kim matched last year at Desert Ridge. The Swede had a tournament-record 61 on Saturday to take a two-stroke lead into the final round.

Jutanugarn matched Nordqvist with a 68 in the final pairing, playing the back nine in 5 under. The second-ranked Thai star had a bogey-free week. She won five LPGA Tour titles last year and topped the player of the year points race and money list.

Lewis also shot 68, and Chun had a 66.

Lewis is winless in 67 events since June 2014. The 32-year-old Texan finished second for the 25th time in her career and the 12th since her last victory. She won at Desert Ridge in 2013 to reach No. 1, was second in 2014 and 2015 and tied for fourth last year.

Nordqvist made a 4-foot birdie putt on the par-4 10th to take a one-stroke lead, and pushed the margin to two with an 18-footer in the par-4 13th.

She made a 25-footer on the par-3 17th and closed with a bogey after failing to get up-and-down from the left greenside bunker on the par-4 18th.

“Saw the leaderboard on 15, but I just tried to keep my head down and do my thing,” Nordqvist said. “Felt like I played pretty solid on the front and made two good putts on 13 and 17. A little interesting at the end, but I’m so happy and proud of myself this week.”

She earned $225,000 and is projected to jump from 13th to 11th in the world ranking.

Ha Na Jang (63), Inbee Park (67) and So Yeon Ryu (69) tied for fifth at 21 under.

Top-ranked Lydia Ko also had a bogey-free week, closing with a 68 to tie for eighth at 20 under. Moria Jutanugarn, Ariya’s older sister, also was 20 under after a career-best 63.

PHOENIX – Anna Nordqvist was right at home on another hot, low-scoring day in the Valley of the Sun.

The former Arizona State player shot a tournament-record 11-under 61 on Saturday to take a two-stroke lead over Stacy Lewis and Ariya Jutanugarn into the final round of the Bank of Hope Founders Cup.

“They always say that home is where the heart is, and my heart is definitely still here,” Nordqvist said. “I always say I’m a West Coast girl and people remind me I’m from Sweden. But even though I live in Florida now, this definitely feels like home.”

Playing in record 95-degree heat at Desert Ridge, Nordqvist broke the tournament 54-hole record of 19 under set by Ai Miyazato in 2013.

Lewis and Jutanugarn each shot 66 in their third straight round together – after they played alongside Nordqvist the first two days. Lewis and Jutanugarn have had identical scores each day, with Jutanugarn getting the spot in the final twosome with Nordqvist on Sunday because she was listed first on the tee sheet Thursday.

“We both played great the last three days and kind of fed off each other,” Lewis said. “We were able to kind of club off each other on par 3s and things like that.”

Nordqvist needed to hole her second shot on the par-4 18th to shoot 59, but hit left of the pin and went through the green to the edge of the grandstand.

“Sat on a pretty good sidehill and I had a 7-iron in, so came off a little bit more left than I expected, but long is not going to be bad spot, especially with the grandstand there,” Nordqvist said.

Her putt from the fringe slid by to the left.

“Thought I had it,” Nordqvist said. “But it’s not the end of day, I still shot 61.”

The 6-foot Swede played the first 12 holes in 8 under, capping the run with an eagle on the par-5 12th. She added birdies on the par-3 14th, par-5 15th and par-3 17th.

Nordqvist successfully defended her ShopRite LPGA Classic title last season for her sixth LPGA Tour victory. She nearly won the U.S. Women’s Open for her second major, but lost a three-hole playoff to Brittany Lang after being penalized two strokes for touching the sand with her club in a fairway bunker on the second extra hole.

The 61 matched her career best set in the 2013 Mobile Bay LPGA Classic.

“I feel like I enjoyed it a little bit more today than I did that time,” Nordqvist said. “I’m in a better place.”

Lewis is winless in 66 events since June 2014 and has slipped to 14th in the world. She won at Desert Ridge in 2013 to reach No. 1, was second in 2014 and 2015 and tied for fourth last year.

“With the way this golf course is playing, two back is not a big deal,” Lewis said.

She bogeyed the par-4 14th after a short putt horseshoed out, then rebounded with birdies on 16 and 18.

“It wasn’t great, but it was good,” Lewis said. “Definitely would’ve liked to have birdied those couple par 5s on the back nine. Felt like I didn’t play those very well. But making those two birdies coming in was huge.

Jutanugarn was bogey-free for the third straight day. The second-ranked Thai star won five LPGA Tour titles last year and topped the player of the year points race and money list.

“I just really like the course,” Jutanugarn said. “The course not that easy. Some hole pretty challenging for me.”

Brooke Henderson of Smiths Falls, Ont., shot a 69 and is 11 under.

So Yeon Ryu had a 64 to get to 18 under, and In Gee Chun (66) and Angel Yin (65) were 17 under.

Top-ranked Lydia Ko had a 63 to join Inbee Park (67) Nelly Korda (64) and Vicky Hurst (68) at 16 under. Ko birdied the final six holes, closing with a 15-footer on the par-4 18th

“I just gave myself a lot of good opportunities,” Ko said. “I don’t know if I’ve had that string of birdies in a row before. … I just got to focus on my game tomorrow, and hopefully I have another low one.”

Michelle Wie, a stroke back entering the round, had a 72 to drop into a tie for 24th at 12 under. She’s winless in 62 events since the 2014 U.S. Women’s Open.

PHOENIX – Michelle Wie is healthy and confident again. She’s in contention in the Bank of Hope Founders Cup, too.–

Wie shot a 5-under 67 on Friday on another hot and low-scoring day at Desert Ridge to enter the weekend a stroke behind leaders Stacy Lewis and Ariya Jutanugarn.

“I think being in contention is definitely a spot where I feel comfortable at. Feels like home to me,” Wie said. “It’s nice being in this position again. I’m really proud of the way I’ve played the last two days.”

Lewis and Jutanugarn played together, each following an opening 64 with a 67 to reach 13 under in the tournament that broke the LPGA Tour record for the lowest 36-hole cut at 5 under. The previous mark of 4 under came in the 2015 Manulife LPGA Classic in Canada. The event record was 3 under last year.

“Sometimes birdies are pars out here,” Wie said. “Certain holes you have to make birdie to stay with the competition. It’s just kind of the nature of the game out here.”

Jeong Eun Lee shot a 64 to join Wie, Mi Jung Hur (66) and Vicky Hurst (67) at 12 under.

Inbee Park (66) was another stroke back with In Gee Chun (69), Jessica Korda (66), Karine Icher (65), Chella Choi (66) and Sung Hyun Park (66). Finally over a left thumb injury, Inbee Park won in Singapore two weeks ago in her second start since winning the Rio Olympics.

Wie is winless in 62 events since the 2014 U.S. Women’s Open. She’s coming off a fourth-place tie in Singapore after struggling with injuries and her game.

“It definitely makes it a lot sweeter,” Wie said. “Struggling to make the cut on Fridays, coming down the stretch and trying to make the cut is a whole different feeling than making birdies to stay in contention.”

Wie had six birdies in a nine-hole stretch, a run she capped with a 30-foot birdie putt on the par-4 ninth and a curling 8-footer on the par-4 10th. She bogeyed the par-4 13th after driving into the left rough and failing to get her approach to hold the green, and missed a 5-foot birdie try on the par-5 15th

Lewis is winless in 66 events since June 2014 and has slipped to 14th in the world. She won at Desert Ridge in 2013 to reach No. 1, was second in 2014 and 2015 and tied for fourth last year. After playing the first 11 holes Thursday in 9 under, she has fought to control her wedges in the thin, hot desert air.

“Didn’t have the distance control with my wedges quite dialed in the way I would’ve liked, but still made a bunch of birdies and shot a good round,” Lewis said. “It’s always hard to follow up a round like yesterday, so happy with the day.”

The 32-year-old Texan has played the Arnold Palmer-designed front nine at Wildfire in 10 under and the Nick Faldo-designed back nine in 3 under.

“Going into this weekend I’m going to be playing later,” Lewis said. “It’s going to be hotter, going to be this temperature. I just need to get that distance control dialed in because that is where you’re going to make birdies on this golf course, is with the wedges.”

The second-ranked Jutanugarn birdied four of the last six holes. Playing without a driver, the long-hitter is bogey-free after two days.

“I feel like every hole everybody have chance to make birdie,” Jutanugarn said. “I just try to play my own game and have fun. … I’m not really worry who going to be in the leaderboard. I just really wasn’t to focus on what is under my control.”

The 21-year-old Thai star won five LPGA Tour titles last year and topped the player of the year points race and money list. She’s coming off a second-place finish in Singapore.

Ha Na Jang won a Kia Cadenza SXL with a hole-in-one on No. 17. She used a 9-iron on the 140-yard shot, and finished with a 68 to get to 9 under.

“I’m so happy, more than happy, and I have a car,” Jang said. “Oh, my God, that one is mine.”

Nickamed “Lucky” and “Clover” because of her good fortune, Jang accomplished the feat on St. Patrick’s Day.

“I have the green glove today, so probably lucky,” said Jang, the Women’s Australian Open winner last month for her fourth tour title.

Top-ranked Lydia Ko (69) and defending champion Sei Young Kim (70) were 7 under. Last year, Kim matched Annika Sorenstam’s tour scoring record of 27 under in a five-stroke victory over Ko.

Juli Inkster followed her opening 65 with a 73 to make the cut by a stroke at 6 under. The 56-year-old U.S. Solheim Cup captain won a Legends Tour event two weeks ago at Sun City West.