PHOENIX – Stacy Lewis was 9-under par after 11 holes Thursday in the Bank of Hope Founders Cup, putting herself in position to make a run at the second sub-60 round in LPGA Tour history. Then her ball stopped behaving in the thin, hot desert air.

“The ball started going really far,” Lewis said. “Maybe some adrenaline, I’m not really sure. Or just the dry air.”

Needing to play the final seven holes in 4 under to shoot 59, Lewis parred the next six and closed with a bogey after hitting into the deep left greenside bunker on the par-4 18th. She settled for an 8-under 64 and a share of the first-round lead with playing partner Ariya Jutanugarn and other afternoon starters In Gee Chun, Katie Burnett and Sandra Changkija.

Michelle Wie and 56-year-old Juli Inkster were a stroke with Jane Park, Vicky Hurst and Sherman Santiwiwatthanaphong on the hot day when 103 of the 144 players broke par.

Canada’s Brooke Henderson (69) was five shots back. Augusta James (72), Jennifer Ha (72), Alena Sharp (73) and Maude-Aimee Leblanc (77) are the other Canadians in the field.

Lewis holed out from 136 yards for eagle on the par-4 ninth to make the turn in 7-under 27.

“You kind of start thinking a little bit about what you’re shooting at that point, but just tried to keep hitting good shots,” Lewis said. “I did that for the most part most of the day. If you’d tell me at the beginning of the day I would shoot 8 under, I would take it any time.”

She birdied 10 and 11 and made a series of par saves before dropping the stroke on the last after short-siding herself and finding a bad lie in the bunker.

“It was pretty bad,” Lewis said. “It was kind of back up against a rake mark, so ton of sand behind the ball. Didn’t have a shot at it. Just trying to make bogey at that point.”

The 32-year-old Texan was trying to join Annika Sorenstam as the only LPGA Tour players to break 60. Sorenstam did it 16 years ago to the day, shooting a 13-under 59 at nearby Moon Valley.

Lewis won the event in 2013 to reach No. 1 in the world, was second in 2014 and 2015 and tied for fourth last year. The 11-tour champion is winless in 66 events since June 2014 and has slipped to 14th in the world.

The second-ranked Jutanugarn eagled the par-5 15th, holing a 20-footer. She’s playing without a driver.

“I don’t think I need it,” the long-hitter said.

Wie eagled the par-5 fifth. Winless in 62 events since the 2014 U.S. Women’s Open, she’s coming off a fourth-place tie two weeks ago in Singapore. She took a two-stroke lead into the final round, but closed with a 72 to finish five strokes behind winner Inbee Park.

“I was so proud of myself for putting myself there,” Wie said. “I was so confident all week and it felt great to be confident again, in contention. I was really disappointed on Sunday. I was sad. It definitely stung. You always want to win. At the same time, I played great on Sunday. Just couple putts didn’t go in, and I forgot you hit it farther when you get adrenaline going.”

Inkster is coming off a Legends Tour victory two weeks ago at Sun City West.

“I’ve been working hard on my game and it’s nice to see some results,” the U.S. Solheim Cup captain said.

Inbee Park opened with a 67. Finally over a left thumb injury, she won in Singapore in only her second start since winning the Rio Olympics in August.

“I made couple of mistakes, but felt pretty good over the putter,” she said

She three-putted the par-3 17th for a bogey, lipping out a short putt.

“It can happen,” she said. “About 2, 3 feet. Just unlucky.”

Wie has fought a series of injuries, and joked when asked if she was 100 per cent healthy.

“I’m not going to say that because every time I say that something happens,” Wie said. “No comment.”

She also drew laughs when asked to describe her modified claw putting grip.

“I have no idea,” Wie said. “At this point, I can’t describe anything I do while I putt.”

Defending champion Sei Young Kim overcame a bee sting on the palm of her right hand on the first hole – her 10th of the day – to shoot 67.

“They gave me medicine and it was better,” Kim said.

Playing partner Lydia Ko helped her seek treatment, and Kim played the final nine bogey-free with four birdies.

“I’m like, ‘What?’ You need to tell someone and get some ointment on it,”’ Ko said.

Last year at Desert Ridge, Kim matched Sorenstam’s tour scoring record of 27 under.

Ko shot 68. The top-ranked New Zealander has a new instructor, caddie and equipment company. She tied for second in 2014, tied for sixth in 201 and was second behind Kim last year.

SINGAPORE – Inbee Park won the HSBC Women’s Champions tournament by one stroke on Sunday after closing with a round of 8-under 64.

The South Korean finished on 19-under 269 at the Sentosa Golf Club, one shot clear of her playing partner Ariya Jutanugarn, who was second after a 66.

Sung Hyun Park (68) was third, a further shot back, while overnight leader Michelle Wie dropped back into a tie for fourth after a 72.

Wie was two in front after making birdies on the second and third holes before her round unraveled when she four-putted for a double-bogey on the par-5 fifth.

The American finished alongside Canadian Brooke Henderson (66) and last year’s Singapore champion Jang Ha Na (69).

Inbee made her first birdie of the day on the same hole that Wie’s charge started to falter, then proceeded to reel off another eight birdies to the 17th hole, draining a series of long putts in a near-flawless display on the greens.

“My putting was amazing today, obviously,” she said. “I couldn’t make any putts yesterday and obviously I made up for it today.

“Pretty much everything I looked at, it wanted to drop in. It was very consistent ball-striking all week, and obviously there is a lot of birdie opportunities out there and I was able to convert the birdies.”

Despite being a seven-time major winner, Inbee Park said she surprised herself by winning so soon. The 28-year-old took six months off shortly after winning the gold medal at the Rio Olympics last year to recover from a thumb injury and was playing only her second event.

“I thought it may take maybe a couple months to kind of get back out on the tour and to get my rhythm back,” she said. “I thought I was going to be just a little bit rusty. That’s how I felt exactly last week. This week was totally different. Especially the final round was just what I wanted.”

Jutanugarn was tied with Park after 10 holes and was left in awe at her playing partner’s performance.

“I had so much fun playing playing with Inbee. She’s awesome. She’s the best player,” said Jutanugarn. “I learned a lot from her. She’s very calm. I feel like she makes every putt. I don’t think she missed one today.”

There was some drama even after Inbee Park clinched the title when play was halted because of an electrical storm, with Sung Hyun Park , Wie and Ko still on the course, within a wedge shot off the 18th.

When the weather cleared and play resumed, the trio finished off their rounds and Park received her winner’s trophy.

Ko shot a final-round 72 and finished at 12-under, seven behind.

SINGAPORE – Michelle Wie shot a 5-under 67 Saturday to lead the LPGA’s Women’s Champions tournament by two strokes after the third round.

The American followed up her previous rounds of 66 and 69 to reach 14-under 202 and lead an LPGA event after 54 holes for the first time since she won the 2014 U.S. Open.

No. 1-ranked Lydia Ko birdied the last hole for a 67 to end the day in a three-way tie for second. She was joined by last year’s British Open champion Ariya Jutanugarn (69) and the big-hitting Park Sung-Hyun (68).

Rio Olympic gold medallist Inbee Park shot a 71 to finish three shots behind Wie and level with the defending champion Ha Na Jang (68).

Canada’s Brooke Henderson also shot a 71, which put the Smith Falls, Ont. native at 8-under 208 after 54 holes.

Plagued by injuries and a loss of form, Wie needed a sponsor’s invitation just to get a start in the $1.5 million tournament but has been in vintage touch since arriving in Singapore.

She took just 32 shots to reach the turn and despite making her first bogey in 35 holes on the tricky par-3 15th, she made her sixth birdie of the day on the next hole to put herself in a great position to end her three-year title drought.

“There definitely is some butterflies out there, but it’s exciting getting that feeling again and being in this position,” Wie said.

“It doesn’t feel that long ago, but I guess it is. I’m just going to not really think about that. It doesn’t matter how long it’s been since I’ve been in contention or anything.”

Ko is also in a drought, albeit by her own lofty standards. The 19-year-old, who has not won an LPGA title since July last year, birdied the last hole with a long putt from the fringe of the green.

“I’ve been having a really good finish on the 18th hole, so it’s always nice to come off with a birdie,” Ko said. “I started off really hot today. I didn’t really continue the momentum after the 10th hole, but I tried to hang in there. I made a clumsy bogey on 17, but it was nice to bounce back with the birdie on the last.”

Inbee Park, playing only her second tournament in six months because of a thumb injury, led by a shot overnight but made an early bogey to lose her place at the top of the leaderboard and never really got going.

“My ball-striking was consistent, but I just could not hole like one putt out there,” she said.

“But I’m not far back, and obviously at this golf course, if you can drop some putts, there are a few birdies out there. I’m just going to go out there tomorrow and just play aggressively and hopefully the putts can drop.”

SINGAPORE – Inbee Park made a birdie on the last hole Friday to take a one-stroke lead over Michelle Wie and two others after two rounds of the LPGA’s Women’s Champions tournament.

Park lost her place atop the leaderboard when she made a double-bogey on the 12th hole, her only blemish in two rounds at the Sentosa Golf Club, but regained her composure with birdies on the 14th and 18th holes.

The Olympic gold medallist had a second consecutive five-under-par 67 to lead the $1.5 million event at 10-under 134.

Wie, who led overnight after an opening round of 66, shot a bogey-free 69 to join Hur Mi-Jung (67) and Ariya Jutanugarn (68) in a three-way tie for second.

Suzann Pettersen (67) and Park Sung-Hyun (68) reached the halfway stage at 8 under, tied for fifth.

Brooke Henderson of Smiths Falls, Ont., who opened with 5-under for a share of second place, slipped back with a round of 70 and now sits at 7-under 137. Henderson and five others, including No.1-ranked Lydia Ko, who shot 68 Friday, trail Park by three strokes.

Alena Sharp of Hamilton was at plus-5 after her round of 2-over.

With the greens soft after a morning rain shower, Park birdied five of her first nine holes to go out in 31 before an unlucky break at the 12th when she got mud on her ball.

“I hit a good shot but it’s that unlucky bounce. Making double-bogey was a mistake,” she said. “I didn’t want to ruin the day with one bad hole with an unlucky shot. I think it’s just trying to keep the calm emotions going. Obviously there were a few birdie holes coming in, so I was trying to get a couple from there.”

Wie made a flying start when she sank two long birdie putts, but managed just two more for the rest of the round.

“I hit it in the bunker on 2, and then I hit it to about 25 feet and made that putt, which is a nice one to make on the second hole,” she said.

“And then the next hole I made a 15-footer. It was just one of those days where after that, it looked like every putt was going to go in, but just didn’t go in.”

Ko’s putter was running hot at the end of her round as the New Zealander knocked in three long birdie putts at the 16th, 17th and 18th on the new Tanjong course at Sentosa.

The Olympic silver medallist has not won a title since July _ a barren run by the 19-year-old Ko’s standards _ but she produced the shot of the day when she hit a fairway wood within inches of making a double-eagle at the 534-yard 5th hole.

“I just kind of gripped my 5-wood and ended up being like a foot by the hole,” she said. “Because the hole was kind of behind this little slope, I didn’t know how long it was, because I thought it had kind of gone off the green. But it ended up being perfect.”

Pettersen also made a strong start, making seven birdies in her first 13 holes, before she slipped back into a tie for fifth with two late bogeys.

“Eight-under through two rounds, yeah, it’s good,” Pettersen said. “I wish I could have taken back a couple of those dropped shots, but I’m going to have more opportunities coming my way on the weekend.”

SINGAPORE _ Michelle Wie rolled in several clutch putts on Thursday and had six birdies in a 10-hole stretch to take a one-stroke lead after the first round of the HSBC Women’s Champions.

The 27-year-old Wie, who has struggled with injuries and form since winning the U.S. Open in 2014, shot a 6-under 66 at the new Tanjong course.

Brooke Henderson, of Smiths Falls, Ont., was in a five-way tie for second place. Henderson, Inbee Park, Mo Martin, Anna Nordqvist and Ariya Jutanugarn each shot a 5-under 67.

“We love Singapore,” Henderson said of her and her sister Brittany. “It’s our favourite place that we travel to. We love it. Just being in a hotel room and looking out over the city is cool. Maybe a night safari or something like that.”

Among other scores in the 63-player field, Stacy Lewis and Paula Creamer had 68s, top-ranked Lydia Ko shot 69, Shanshan Feng and Lexi Thompson 70, Karrie Webb 75 and Cristie Kerr 77.

Alena Sharp of Hamilton opened with a 3-over 75.

Wie, who had eight birdies and a pair of bogeys on Thursday, has managed just one top-10 finish since 2014 and only got into the $1.5 million LPGA tournament on a sponsor’s invitation after her ranking slumped to No. 179.

But she was in vintage touch Thursday despite playing in tricky winds and light rain.

After making a bogey-5 at the third, Wie’s putter suddenly got hot as she made three birdies in a row to go out in 34.

She made another three birdies at the start of the back nine, draining a 12-foot putt on the 11th and then sinking another long putt from below the hole on the 501-yard, par-5 13th to take the early lead at a tournament featuring nine of the world’s top 10 players.

Wie slipped a shot behind Nordqvist when she bogeyed the 15th after an errant tee shot and the Swede picked up her sixth birdie, but Wie regained the lead with back-to-back birdies at 16 and 17.

“It feels good to play without much pain, to go out there and just play some golf and focus on my game rather than trying to finish out rounds,” Wie said. “It’s always exciting to be on the top of the leaderboard.”

CHONBURI, Thailand – Amy Yang rarely wavered with a big lead during the final round of the Thailand LPGA tournament, shooting a 4-under 68 to win by five strokes Sunday.

Due to rain delays, Yang was forced to play her final five holes of the third round on Sunday morning, and she led by five strokes after 54 holes.

Later in the day, the 2015 Thailand champion saw her lead reduced to three shots on several occasions, but the South Korean held on to post a record 22-under 266 on the Siam Country Club’s Pattaya Old Course.

The previous tournament record of 21 under was held by Suzann Pettersen in 2007 and Ai Miyazato in 2010.

Yang, who won for the third time on the LPGA Tour, made a 15-foot putt on the 14th for par, then drove the green on the par-4 15th.

“I knew I had to make it, and I did,” Yang said of her par putt on 14.

She missed her eagle attempt at 15, but made a three-foot putt for birdie to increase her lead to four shots with three to play. From there, her lead was safe and she birdied the 18th for good measure.

So Yeon Ryu, the 2011 U.S. Women’s Open champion, matched Yang with a 68 to finish second.

Lexi Thompson had the best round of the day, a 67, to finish tied for fourth, nine strokes behind, and level with fellow American Danielle Kang, who shot 68.

Hamilton’s Alena Sharp shot 69 to finish in a tied for 45th at even for the torunament. Brooke Henderson of Smiths Falls, Ont., also finished even after a final round of 72.

The tournament featured 18 of the top 20 players in the world, including top-ranked Lydia Ko of New Zealand, who shot a closing 68 and was tied for eighth, 11 strokes behind.

“I am beyond happy, I had so many early wakeup calls this week,” said Yang, who had to play 31 holes on Saturday and 23 on Sunday. “I had to stay patient out there.”

Yang carded 10 birdies, one eagle and only one bogey over her second and partial third rounds on Saturday.

CHONBURI, Thailand – Amy Yang of South Korea had 10 birdies and an eagle in 31 holes on Saturday after round three of LPGA Thailand was suspended due to bad light.

With five holes left, 17-under Yang had a four-shot advantage over 2011 US Women’s Open champion Ryu So Yeon, whose completed third-round 68 gave her the clubhouse lead of 13-under 203.

The tournament was already behind schedule after rain and unplayable course conditions saw the unfinished second round postponed to Saturday at the Siam Country Club Pattaya Old Course.

The 2015 champion and 11th-ranked Yang was among five players to start their second round in the morning, including second-ranked Ariya Jutanugarn.

Yang shot six birdies and a bogey for a second-round 67 and overall 11-under 133, heading into the third round with a one-shot lead over Jutanugarn (68) and Chinese Shanshan Feng (67).

In less than an hour, Yang went back for the third round and had two birdies _ and an eagle on the seventh _ for 15 under after eight holes. Play was stopped again due to lightning for more than an hour and Yang sank more birdies on Nos. 10 and 11 on resumption before bad light forced suspension.

Jutanugarn is 10 under overall with five holes to complete. Feng is also 10 under with four holes left from the third round.

Brooke Henderson of Smiths Falls, Ont., was tied for 44th place at even par. She was 1 under on her day with three holes left to play when play was suspended.

Alena Sharp of Hamilton, Ont., was in the clubhouse at 2-over 219 after a 74.

Play resumes at 7 a.m. local time on Sunday.

Play at the Honda LPGA Thailand was called at due to unplayable course conditions brought on by severe weather at the Pattaya Old Course.

“We were hoping we could get out and play some more golf. All four of us (LPGA Rules Officials) went out and looked, and there is just too much of a mess out there to be able to go and play today,” said LPGA Vice President of Rules and Competition Sue Witters. “It’ll take them a long time to restore the bunkers and pump the water out. We’re not going to play anymore today, and we’ll resume play at 7:00 tomorrow to finish round two.” 

The second round got underway at 9:38 a.m. but was delayed at 11:24 a.m. local time due to inclement weather in the area. Players returned to the course at 12:19 p.m. after a 55 minute delay but were quickly pulled off the course again at 12:39 p.m. when the storms returned. 

The final group of Ariya Jutanugarn, Amy Yang and Sei Young Kim did not tee off while the penultimate group of Minjee Lee, Ryann O’Toole and Shanshan Feng only hit their tee shots on the first hole before being called in.

Jutanugarn and Yang continue to lead at 6-under with Lee, O’Toole and Feng a shot back. Also a shot back are Danielle Kang and Cristie Kerr who both birided the par-5 first hole.

Ha Na Jang had the low round on the course at 3-under through eight holes to move into a tie for ninth at 4-under par.

Second round competition will resume at 7 a.m. tomorrow. Projected round three starting times will be 10:30 a.m. – 12:42 p.m.. Players will remain in their round two pairing for round three.

PATTAYA, Thailand – Ariya Jutanugarn and Amy Yang both shot 6-under 66 in the first round Thursday to take a share of the lead at the LPGA Thailand.

Jutanugarn, a Thai ranked second in the world, had six birdies while Yang, the 2015 champion, had seven birdies and a bogey at the Siam Country Club Pattaya Old Course.

“In the middle, during the round, I had some time I couldn’t control the ball, but I still had a lot of good shots,” said Yang, who is from Taiwan. “Gave myself a lot of good opportunities out there.”

Ryann O’Toole, Sei Young Kim, Minjee Lee and Shanshan Feng were a stroke behind the leaders.

Top-ranked Lydia Ko (70) had five birdies and three bogeys, while former No. 1 Inbee Park shot a 72 in her first action since winning the Olympic gold medal last year.

“I don’t feel much of the injury anymore,” said Park, the winner in Pattaya in 2013. “Ball-striking was really good today. Just around the greens wasn’t as sharp as I wanted. Obviously that’s just going to happen. Just got to be patient.”

ADELAIDE, Australia – Ha Na Jang boldly predicted she’d finish at 10-under on Saturday evening; little did she realise it would be enough to lift the Patricia Bridges Bowl in the most dramatic circumstances.

In a rollercoaster final round during which no fewer than five players held or shared the ISPS Handa Women’s Australian Open lead, Jang unleased a closing salvo that will long be remembered by all in a huge gallery at Royal Adelaide.

The Korean hadn’t made a birdie in almost three hours on a day of trying, gusty winds as the overnight leaders imploded and left 17 people within three shots of the lead as birdies became a rare commodity.

But in a truly incredible final hour from the 13^th hole, the effervescent 24-year-old from Seoul went birdie-birdie-par-par-eagle-birdie to close out a remarkable back-nine 31 that simply left the field in her wake.

Jang’s explosive finish left her a three-shot winner for her fourth career LPGA Tour title – all in the past 13 months.

Maude-Aimée Leblanc finished at 5-under par (71-68-73-75) to close with a share a seventh place – a career best for the Sherbrooke, Que., product. Fellow Canadian Alena Sharp also had a strong performance Down Under, finishing T16 at 3-under for the tournament.

Brooke Henderson had an electric front nine with five birdies to shoot 32, but would play the back nine at 3-over par to finish at 2-under for the tournament in a tie for 21st.

Unheralded Dane Nanna Madsen was one of few among the third-round leader to hold her ground and her even-par 73 was eventually good enough for seven under and second in a blanket finish for the minor placings.

World No.2 Ariya Jutanugarn came from the clouds to momentarily lead, but a three-putt bogey on the 15^th consigned her to a share of third at six under alongside defending champion Haru Nomura (73) and Australian pair Minjee Lee (70) and Sarah Jane Smith (75).

Third-round leader Lizette Salas had recovered from an early lapse and led by three shots as she strolled the 11^th fairway until four bogeys in five holes reduced her to a 78 and a share seventh.

Her playing partner, Melbourne’s Su Oh, was also flattened by three back-nine bogeys and finished T14 after carding a 77.

Hannah Green was the other Australian in the mix and briefly shared the clubhouse lead after her 71 left her at five under and her most impressive finish in her three-month professional career.

But the day belonged to Jang, whose magnetic demeanour has won a horde of Australian fans in her third visit to the national championship, including five singing fans who supported loudly throughout her 69 strokes, most notably after her breathtaking eagle on the penultimate hole.

“I’m just looking for the score board (early on the back nine) and it’s not really good scores for the other players,” Jang said.

“I said, ‘OK, you can do it, just you try simple’.

“Then on hole number 13 and 14 (I made) birdie.  I’m starting more, like my mind is more exciting and I can do it more,” she bubbled.

“I try like consultation and conversation, too, and then hole number 17, I try to think about the speed and it (was) very, very exciting.

“(The putt is) feeling good, touching (my blade) solid, looks good, `Oh my God, that one is (to) make eagle — eagle, yeah!

“So my mind is more nervous, (the) pressure is gone. Hole number 18 is easy.  It’s very exciting today.”

If that sounds excitable, it was probably only half as pumped as the crowd who’d taken her theatrics to heart, most notably the five chanting men.

“I remember fan guy (as we were) starting hole No.1, saying, `Ha Na, let’s go. Ha Na Jang, you can do it”, like that.

“I play with Haru and she said, `You know that guy, right?’ and I said, `No, I think it’s an Australian guy’. She say, `Why is he a big fan for you … I think he likes you.”

“So that’s why big fans every hole and every hole is a good shot (with shouts), `Good shot Ha Na, you can do it.  Let’s go do it’, like that.

“Thank you so much … they’re good sport.”

Jang immediately promised to return to defend her title at Kooyonga next year.

“I love Australia because food is good, people (are) really kind, I love the golf course and the weather is so good, because it’s not really hot.  Strong windy and a little dry, I like dry arid conditions, so, really good,” she beamed before leaving with one final gem about her love of Aussie golf courses.

“I like the golf course because (they’re) firm.  I like fast green and firm green. Korea’s (courses are) really soft and (have) long grass, (with) little, soft green.

“But in Australia … every hole is happy, you know why? I hit driver 300 yard, because it’s long on the fairway.  Always I’m looking, and it’s oh, 300 yards, it looks like little girl’s Bubba Watson. That’s funny.”

World No.1 Lydia Ko fired a closing 75 to finish two over, playing alongside world No.8 Brooke Henderson who threatened early in reaching five under, but fell away late to shoot 71 and finish two under, just outside the top 20.