IBARAKI, Japan – Shanshan Feng shot an 8-under 64 on Saturday to take the TOTO Japan Classic lead, putting the Chinese star in position to close the Asian swing with consecutive victories.

Feng birdied the final two holes for a one-stroke advantage over Ariya Jutanugarn, the 20-year-old Thai player who leads the LPGA Tour with five victories. Jutanugarn had a 68 on another chilly day at Taiheiyo Club in the tour’s first tournament in the Tokyo area since 1991.

Feng won last week in steamy conditions in Malaysia. She has finished no worse than a tie for fourth in her last six events. She started the run with the Olympic bronze medal in Rio, tied for fourth at Evian in France, opened the Asia trip at home in China with a fourth-place tie, was second in Taiwan and tied for third in South Korea before winning.

The five-time LPGA Tour winner two-putted for birdie on the par-5 17th, then capped the bogey-free round with a 10-footer on the par-4 18th that caught the left edge, circled the cup and fell in to get her to 11-under 133.

The second-ranked Jutanugarn had six birdies and two bogeys. She has a 13-point lead over Lydia Ko in the player of the year standings. The top-ranked Ko was tied for 52nd at 1 over after a 71.

Suzann Pettersen (66) and Soo-Yun Kang (69) were 9 under on the pine tree-lined Minori Course.

IBARAKI, Japan – Ariya Jutanugarn chipped in for birdie on the final hole Friday for a 6-under 66 and a share of the lead in the TOTO Japan Classic, the LPGA Tour’s first tournament in the Tokyo area since 1991.

Jutanugarn birdied six of the last 11 holes in a bogey-free round at fan-packed Taiheiyo Club, holing out from 35 feet on the par-4 18th to join Soo-Yun Kang atop the first-round leaderboard. The 20-year-old Thai star also chipped in on the par-4 10th.

“I played good,” Jutanugarn said. “I missed a few tee shots, but I made some putts and those chips.”

She leads the LPGA Tour with five victories and has a 13-point lead over Lydia Ko in the player of the year standings, not that she’s looking that far ahead.

“Right now, no,” Jutanugarn said “I just try to have fun and enjoy every shot that I hit the ball. That’s what I’m trying to do.”

After a week in steamy and stormy Malaysia, the players wore jackets and sweaters in cool conditions on the pine tree-lined Minori Course. Jutanugarn tied for 43rd in Kuala Lumpur after finishing third the previous week in China.

“Last week, I was just a little bit off with my tee shot,” Jutanugarn said. “Today, I just tried to be a little bit more positive and not think about last week and try to have more fun.”

Kang birdied three of her final four holes

“I had really good putting,” Kang said. “Only 22 putts.”

The 40-year-old South Korean player won the LPGA Tour’s 2005 Safeway Classic and is now a regular on the Japan LPGA. She won the Suntory Ladies in June for her second Japanese title.

“I like Japan, people here, foods, and everything,” Kang said.

Stacy Lewis and Jenny Shin shot 67. Lewis won the 2012 event at Kintetsu Kashikojima

“I think you have to be a good ball-striker to play well here,” the Texan said about Japan.“ I just like being here. It’s one of my favourite countries that we visit. I think you just kind of come with good vibes.”

Wearing a jacket and rain pants to keep warm on the sunny day, Lewis rebounded from a bogey on the par-4 15th with a birdie on the par-5 17th. The 11-time tour champion is winless in 61 starts since June 2014.

She tied for 33rd in Malaysia in her first start since September.

“I took five weeks off,” Lewis said. “I didn’t play a lot this fall and only played two over in Asia. I just needed a break. It was like starting the year again.”

She married University of Houston women’s golf coach Gerrod Chadwell in August.

“Things definitely are changing,” Lewis said. “I’ve changed my schedule. Changed the way I do things. You just have different priorities and kind of realize there are other things to life other than just playing golf all the time. The schedule is going to change because of it, but that doesn’t change how you play on the golf course. You can still win. You just have a little bit more enjoyment off the course.”

Ha Na Jang and Sandra Gal were two strokes back at 68 in the sixth and final event on the LPGA Tour’s fall Asian swing. Jang won last month in Taiwan for her third victory of the year.

China’s Shanshan Feng, the winner in Malaysia, topped the group at 69 along with Minjee Lee, Suzann Pettersen, Cristie Kerr, So Yeon Ryu and 2008 and 2010 winner Jiyai Shin. Lee won two weeks ago in China for her second victory of the year. Shin won the JLPGA event last week in Saitama.

American Lexi Thompson birdied the final hole for a 73. In May in Japan, she won the JLPGA’s World Ladies Championship Salonpas Cup.

The top-ranked Ko had a 74, making two birdies and four bogeys.

“I didn’t strike the ball very well,” Ko said. “The driver and irons, nothing was really clicking and when it’s like that overall it’s really hard to give yourself a lot of birdie opportunities. I struck the ball a little better on the back nine, but still it wasn’t great.”

Gary Matthews caddied for Ko and also will carry her bag in the season-ending CME Group Tour Championship. Ko fired Jason Hamilton and used Sargunan Suntharaj last week in Malaysia. Hamilton teamed with Jang after his firing.

“We had a few days to work with each other and I think it’s been going pretty good,” Ko said. “I think when I’m out there I need to trust him and he trusts me. It’s been fine. I need to do my role better. Hit the ball better and all that, but it’s been good and he’s got a lot of experience and he brings that to the game.”

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia – Shanshan Feng won the Sime Darby LPGA Malaysia on Sunday to cap a string of top finishes that started with an Olympic bronze medal.

The 27-year-old Chinese star beat Suzann Pettersen by three strokes at TPC Kuala Lumpur, shooting a 4-under 67 after finishing off a third-round 64 in the morning.

Feng won the event for the second time to push her LPGA Tour victory total to five, ending a drought that stretched to her 2014 Kuala Lumpur win.

She has finished no worse than a tie for fourth in her last six events. After Rio, she tied for fourth at Evian in France, then opened the Asia Swing in China with a fourth-place tie at Reignwood, was second in Taiwan and tied for third in South Korea.

Tied with Anna Nordqvist after the Swede’s tap-in birdie on the par-4 13th, Feng regained the lead with a sweeping 18-foot birdie putt on the par-4 14th. She added a downhill 15-footer on the par-3 15th, and had a three-stroke lead moments later when Nordqvist three-putted the 14th.

Feng finished at 17-under 267.

Pettersen shot her second straight 66. Nordqvist had a 70, hitting into the water on the par-4 18th for a double bogey that dropped her into a tie for third with Amy Yang (69) at 12 under.

A stroke ahead of Nordqvist on Saturday when darkness stopped play, Feng returned to par the 18th and took a two-stroke lead into the final round when Nordqvist closed with a bogey.

The players remained in their third-round groups for the final round in the event that fell behind Saturday when lightning and rain forced a 4 1/2-hour delay. Feng was in the third-to-last threesome, three groups behind Pettersen and a group ahead of Nordqvist.

Top-ranked Lydia Ko shot a 71 – making a double bogey on 15 and a bogey on 18 – to tie for 12th at 8 under. Malaysia’s Sargunan Suntharaj caddied for her in her first tournament since firing Jason Hamilton.

Hamilton immediately teamed with Ha Na Jang, and she ended up tying Ko at 8 under. Jang shot a 72. She birdied four of the first six, bogeyed five of the next six, and parred the last six.

Michelle Wie finished the third round with a quadruple-bogey 8 for a 73, and shot a 71 in the fourth to tie for 27th at 4 under.

The tournament was played on TPC Kuala Lumpur’s East Course, a week after Justin Thomas successfully defended his title on the West Course in the PGA Tour’s CIMB Classic.

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia – Shanshan Feng birdied four of her final six holes after a long lightning delay Saturday to top the Sime Darby LPGA Malaysia leaderboard when darkness suspended play.

The 27-year-old Chinese player had a one-stroke lead over fellow major champion Anna Nordqvist of Sweden. Feng was 7 under for the day and 13 under overall on the 18th tee when play was stopped at TPC Kuala Lumpur. Nordqvist was on the par-5 16th.

“The 18th hole is a tough hole, but it’s good that the pin location is not the toughest today,” Feng said. “I think maybe I’ll have a full warmup in the morning. Hopefully, then, after I finish the 18th hole, I can go directly to No. 1 and start my fourth round.”

Play was delayed for 4 hours, 39 minutes by the lightning and periods of heavy rain, leaving only 90 minutes of light left when the action resumed.

“I just kept eating,” Feng said. “They kept updating like every 30 minutes, and like after every update, I’m like, ‘Maybe I’m going out so I should eat more.’ I ate like three or four times before I went out. So made sure that I’m full of energy.”

Lightning and rain also suspended play Friday afternoon. They’re playing TPC Kuala Lumpur’s East Course, a week after Justin Thomas successfully defended his title on the West Course in the PGA Tour’s CIMB Classic.

Feng won the 2014 tournament for the last of her four LPGA Tour titles.

“Coming back here, I’ve had so many good memories that I’m really relaxed and really enjoying the week,” Feng said. “Of course, I think that really helps me to bring out my ‘A’ game.”

She bogeyed the par-4 11th before the delay, then reeled off birdies on par-5 12th, par-4 14th, par-3 15th and par-5 16th. She made a 20-foot eagle putt on the par-5 sixth in a front-nine 31.

Feng was third in the Olympics in August, the start of a string of five top-four finishes – the best a second behind Ha Na Jang three weeks ago in Taiwan.

Nordqvist was 5 under for the round. She has six LPGA Tour victories, successfully defending her ShopRite LPGA Classic title in June in New Jersey. The former Arizona State player lost a playoff to Brittany Lang in the U.S. Women’s Open in July at CordeValle.

Amy Yang was third at 11 under with three holes left.

Suzann Pettersen (66) and Candie Kung (three holes left) were 9 under, and top-ranked Lydia Ko (65) and Chella Choi (67) were 8 under.

Playing her first tournament since firing caddie Jason Hamilton, Ko rebounded from a bogey-double bogey finish Friday that left her eight strokes back.

“I’ve just got to focus on my game,” Ko said. “That’s what I tried to do yesterday and today, and that’s how I got to this position, so I think I have to do the same thing for tomorrow.”

Malaysia’s Sargunan Suntharaj is carrying the 19-year-old New Zealander’s clubs. Hamilton shifted to Jang.

Pettersen birdied six of the first eight and made another on 12, then returned from the break to hit into the water and make a double bogey on the par-3 15th. She birdied the 18th.

Michelle Wie was 7 under with three holes left.

Paula Creamer shot a 64 before the storm hit to get to 6 under. The American played the first eight holes in 5 under. She opened with a birdie on 10, bogeyed 11, made four straight birdies, parred the par-5 seventh and birdied the eighth.

“I started on the back nine, second off today, you get really good greens,” Creamer said. “But I played great. I hit a lot of really good iron shots. Made a lot of good putts. Just tried to keep the momentum going. I could have shot a lot more under par, but I’ll definitely take my 7 under.”

She closed with a triple bogey Thursday in a 72, and had a double bogey Friday in a 71.

“If you take those two things away, I’d be pretty much right in the mix of things and I know that,” Creamer said. “I’ve been playing well and putting well and my short game is on point. It’s just putting them all together and hopefully I can do it tomorrow.”

Stacy Lewis was 1 under after a 70 in her first event since mid-September.

Second-ranked Ariya Jutanugarn also shot 70, leaving her even par. She has a tour-high five victories – one more than Ko – and leads the money list and the Race to CME Globe and player of the year standings.

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia – Amy Yang holed a pitching wedge for eagle on the par-4 11th hole and stretched her lead to three strokes Friday in the hot, humid and stormy Sime Darby LPGA Malaysia.

The 27-year-old South Korean player shot a 2-under 69 to reach 10-under 132 at TPC Kuala Lumpur. Her 125-yard shot on 11 hit on the front of the green, hopped and rolled in.

Anna Nordqvist, Mi Jung Hur and Candie Kung were tied for second after the round that was delayed 1 hour, 43 minutes because of lightning – accompanied by heavy rain – with the last group in the 16th fairway.

A day after opening with a 63 to miss her own course record by a stroke, Yang parred the first 10 holes before the eagle. She made her first bogey of the week three holes later, hitting into the water on the par-4 14th. She returned from the delay – and lunch – to hole a 20-footer for birdie on the par-5 16th.

Michelle Wie followed her opening 66 with a 70 to drop four strokes behind.

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia – Amy Yang took the Sime Darby LPGA Malaysia lead, and Michelle Wie had her best score in more than a year. Lydia Ko had to fight to get back to even par in her first event since firing her caddie.

Yang shot an 8-under 63 _ one off her own course record – in hot and humid conditions Thursday for a two-stroke lead over American Marina Alex. The 27-year-old South Korean player birdied all four par-3 holes at TPC Kuala Lumpur.

“Simple, just keep it simple,” Yang said. “And try to get as much shade as I can.”

Wie opened with a 66, breaking 70 for only the fourth time in 68 rounds this year. Winless in 57 tournaments since the 2014 U.S. Women’s Open, she’s coming off a season-best 10th-place tie last week in China in the Blue Bay LPGA.

“I just had fun out there today,” said Wie, paired with Alex. “I love playing with Marina. She’s a really good friend of mine and she was playing great today, and just kind of feeding off each other’s energy.”

The top-ranked Ko birdied the par-5 18th for a 71. She had a double bogey on the par-4 second.

“Really clumsy double,” Ko said. “I hit a great drive and then I just leaked a shot in the water. The rest of the day I was just trying to fight back and put myself in position under par. And I got back into good position and I hit it in the water again. So, that wasn’t good. But obviously to finish up the round with a birdie on 18 was good. To bring it back to even, I think it could have been much worse.”

The 19-year-old New Zealander fired Jason Hamilton, the Australian who caddied for her since late 2014, and is using Malaysia’s Sargunan Suntharaj this week. Hamilton shifted to Ha Na Jang and helped the South Korean player open with a 69.

China’s Shanshan Feng, the 2014 winner, was at 66 along with Wie, Norway’s Suzann Pettersen, American Mo Martin, Spain’s Azahara Munoz and South Korea’s Jenny Shin.

Feng had 10 birdies, watery double bogeys on Nos. 14 and 15 and a bogey. The women are playing TPC Kuala Lumpur’s East Course, a week after Justin Thomas successfully defended his title on the West Course in the PGA Tour’s CIMB Classic.

Yang birdied Nos. 15-17 and nearly made it four in a row on the par-4 18th, only to have her 5-footer graze the right edge. That left her a stroke short of the course record she set in 2013.

On the par 3s, she hit to a foot on the fifth, 20 feet on the seventh, and 7 feet on 15 and 17. She had 22 putts.

“My putting was good,” Yang said. “Just happy to shoot a bogey-free round.”

She has five top three-finishes this season. Both of her LPGA Tour victories have come in Asia, the first in 2013 in South Korea and the second last year in Thailand.

“I do enjoy Southeast Asia,” Yang said. “I’d rather play in this weather than cold weather.”

Wie returned to play last week at Blue Bay after a four-week break.

“Just really just kept my body right,” Wie said. “Just really took time off and really tried to get healthy again. I did a lot of rehab and just practiced and tried to play a lot.”

She also opened with a 66 last year. The American struggled after that a year ago, closing with a 76 to tie for 42nd.

Second-ranked Ariya Jutanugarn, grouped with Ko and fifth-ranked Brooke Henderson, had a 68. The 20-year-old Thai star has a tour-high five victories and leads the money list and the Race to CME Globe and player of the year standings. She was third Sunday in China.

Stacy Lewis shot a 70 in her first event since mid-September. Winless in 60 starts since June 2014, the 11-time tour champion had a triple bogey on the par-4 11th. She has 11 runner-up finishes during the drought.

Henderson also had a 70. The 19-year-old Canadian is playing for the fifth straight week in Asia and plans to make it six in a row next week in Japan in the Asia finale.

Defending champion Jessica Korda shot 71. She was second in China.

VENICE, Fla. – Four Canadians were among 84 competitors that advanced to Stage III of the LPGA Qualifying Tournament on Sunday at the Plantation Golf & Country Club.

Megan Osland of Kelowna, B.C., led all 10 Canadians in the field, finishing at 5-over par (72-72-73-76) to grab a share of 30^th. Team Canada graduate and Calgary product Jennifer Ha was the next Canadian in line, closing at 7-over par (69-71-79-76) to end in a tie for 47^th.

Fossambault, Que., native Sara-Maude Juneau—also a Team Canada graduate—carded her lowest round of the tournament (73) to solidify her place in the final stage with a T62 result.

Paris, Ont., native and former Team Canada member Jennifer Kirby finished one stroke clear of the cut line to become the fourth Canadian to advance to the final stage. Kirby struggled out of the gate with an opening-round 80 (+8), but fought her way back into contention with three consistent rounds to finish the event tied for 76^th.

Norway’s Marianne Skarpnord (Sarpsborg, Norway) cruised to medallist honours at Stage II of LPGA Qualifying Tournament on Sunday with a final-round 1-under, 71 to finish at 11-under, 277, five shots clear of second.

World No. 2 amateur, Bronte Law (Manchester, England), finished second at 6-under, 282 while runner-up at the 2015 U.S. Girls’ Junior Angel Yin (Arcadia, Calif.) finished third at 5-under, 283.

The final stage will commence from Nov. 30 – Dec. 4 at LPGA International in Daytona Beach. The top 20 finishers at final stage will earn LPGA Tour membership for the 2017 season.

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HAINAN, China – Minjee Lee got up-and-down one last time at Jian Lake on Sunday to win the Blue Bay LPGA for her second victory of the year and third in 17 months.

The 20-year-old Australian chipped to 3 feet from the front runoff area on the par-5 18th to match Jessica Korda’s birdie and beat the American by a stroke. Lee’s chip left Korda with an 18-footer for eagle from off the back edge that she missed to the left.

“It was a good fight out there, and I fought to the end,” Lee said.

Ariya Jutanugarn tied Lee with a two-stroke swing on the par-3 17th, then hooked her 3-wood drive into the water on 18 to end her chances for a tour-high sixth victory.

“I knew that I had a good opportunity, but I wasn’t getting ahead of myself,” Lee said. “I knew Jess was going to make birdie – was probably going to make birdie – and so I thought to myself, ‘I need to make birdie here.’ I just put myself in good spots and then I ended up making birdie. Just stuck to my game plan.”

Lee rebounded after losing a six-stroke lead Saturday, closing with a 2-under 70 in hot and humid conditions to finish at 13-under 275. Korda had a 71. Jutanugarn shot 70, her closing bogey leaving her two strokes back.

Five days after Typhoon Sarika blew through the South China Sea beach resort, the wind jumped up on the final holes, making it more difficult to hit the valleys and plateaus on the large greens.

“It played like a totally different golf course,” Korda said. “It wasn’t the same as every day. The golf course conditions were a lot harder today. Some greens were slow and there were some greens that were fast. All in all, it was a tough day out there.”

Lee chipped in for birdie on the par-4 first to break a tie with Korda, chipped to 2 feet for birdie on the par-5 eighth and had eight straight pars before stumbling on the 154-yard 17th. She ran her 30-foot first putt 6 feet past, watched Jutanugarn make a 15-footer for birdie, then missed the comebacker to give up sole possession of the lead for the first time since the start of the round.

Lee earned $315,000 and is projected to jump from 17th to 16th in the world ranking. She won last year at Kingsmill and in April in Hawaii.

The Australian tied for 37th last week in South Korea and was one of the many players who didn’t get to Hainan until Wednesday afternoon, leaving little time to prepare.

“I really came into this week with no expectations,” Lee said. “Just wanted to have fun.”

She did, and her mother and grandmother were there to celebrate with her.

“My Nan, she my biggest supporter,” Lee said. “I love having her around. She normally comes around for the Asia Swing, so yeah, it’s nice to have won in front of her. She was here, so that’s really nice.”

Korda bogeyed the par-3 seventh, firing her tee shot over the green a day after hitting to 6 inches. The defending champion next week in Malaysia, the 23-year-old American birdied the par-3 11th and par-5 14th. She three-putted the par-4 16th for a bogey, charging a 25-footer 15 feet long.

“I think considering we had zero preparation for the tournament and came in on Wednesday, I think I would have taken a second place if you would have told me that that’s what I would have gotten,” Korda said. “We didn’t get a lot of preparation. But with the typhoon, there’s nothing you can do.”

Ten shots behind Lee after two rounds, Jutanugarn made $139,681 to take the money lead from Lydia Ko with $2,439,878. The 20-year-old Thai star also moved atop the Race to CME Globe and extended her lead over Ko to 13 points for player of the year. Ko and Jutanugarn are playing next week in Kuala Lumpur.

Thailand’s Pornanong Phatlum (72) and Germany’s Caroline Masson (73) tied for a distant fourth at 6 under. England’s Charley Hull (69) was 5 under, and Sweden’s Pernilla Lindberg (72) 4 under.

Brooke Henderson (71) was 3 under. The 19-year-old Canadian has played all four weeks in Asia and plans to make it six in a row with stops in Malaysia and Japan.

Michelle Wie was one of the 13 players to break par, closing with a 74 to tie for 10th at 1 under. She had her best finish of the year, topping a tie for 25th in February in the second event of the season.

HAINAN, China – Jessica Korda caught Minjee Lee on Saturday in the Blue Bay LPGA. Ariya Jutanugarn made up even more ground to move into contention for her sixth victory of the season.

Korda shot a 6-under 66 at Jian Lake to make up seven strokes on Lee for a share of the lead, and Jutanugarn had a 65 to cut her deficit from eight to two shots and get in the final group Sunday.

In hot and mostly calm conditions four days after Typhoon Sarika hit the South China Sea beach resort, Korda had five birdies in a six-hole stretch and got up-and-down for another on the par-5 18th.

“I missed a lot of birdie opportunities at the beginning and I was just saying in my head, ‘Stay patient.’ and, ‘Stay positive,”’ the 23-year-old American said. “Yesterday, I was 4 over through seven and then battled back to shoot even par. I was really proud of myself to keep myself in it. I just knew that I can make birdies out here.”

Lee had a 73, also getting up-and-down for birdie on 18 to match Korda at 11-under 205. The 20-year-old Australian began the day six strokes ahead of Germany’s Caroline Masson after shooting 65-67 the first two rounds.

“It wasn’t that windy today, so I guess you could be a bit more aggressive at the pins,” Lee said. “I wasn’t striking it that well, so I think I just got by making up-and-down.”

The second-ranked Jutanugarn had the best round of the day on the course with difficult to hit valleys and plateaus on the large greens.

“This course, you have to be really patient,” Jutanugarn said. “I just be like waiting for birdies, not really rushing trying to make birdies. Just trying to have fun.”

The 20-year-old Thai star leads the tour in victories and tops the player of the year points race.

Korda hit an 8-iron to 6 inches on the 141-yard seventh to start the birdie spree.

“I actually thought it was going to go in,” said Korda, set to defend the last of her four LPGA Tour titles next week in Malaysia.

The 5-foot-11 Floridian made a 20-footer from the fringe on the par-5 eighth, hit to 3 feet on the par-4 ninth, 5 feet on the par-3 11th and made a 25-footer on the difficult par-4 12th after holding the green with a mid-iron.

“You have to land it perfectly at the top to have any shot at that pin staying on the back of the green,” Korda said. “It’s really wet back there so you don’t want to have to chip up. It’s not an easy chip. I was just really happy to be on the green to be honest with you and have some type of putt at it.”

She has played 20 holes without a bogey. She made a key 6-foot par save on the par-4 sixth.

“Making par on six was important,” Korda said. “It’s a really tough pin today. It’s almost impossible to get close to.”

Lee got on the wrong side of the ridges on 11 and 12, three-putting for bogeys – after Korda birdied both in the group ahead – to drop into a tie.

“I think the girls did pretty well considering where the pins were today,” said Lee, the winner last year at Kingsmill and in April in Hawaii.

Masson (71) was 7 under, and Thailand’s Pornanong Phatlum (69) was 6 under.

Michelle Wie (71) was tied for seventh at 3 under. She has only one top-25 finish this year, a tie for 25th in February in the second event of the season, and needed a sponsor exemption to get in the event.

Brooke Henderson (70) was another stroke back. The 19-year-old Canadian birdied three of last five holes. She’s playing for the fourth straight week in Asia and plans to make it six in a row.

Spain’s Carlota Ciganda (75) also was 2 under. She won her first LPGA Tour title last week in South Korea.

HAINAN, China – Minjee Lee patiently navigated Jian Lake’s undulating greens again Friday to stretch her lead to six strokes in the Blue Bay LPGA.

Already a two-time winner on the LPGA Tour, the 20-year-old Australian followed her opening 7-under 65 with a bogey-free 67 in windier afternoon conditions off Hainan Clear Water Bay.

“I had a pretty solid round,” Lee said.”I had 3 under the first nine, so I was happy with my start. In the middle, I had a couple loose shots here and there, but I could get up-and-down. Then I finished off with two birdies. Overall, pretty solid round.”

Three days after Typhoon Sarika roared through the South China Sea beach resort, the wind finally kicked up as Lee played the back nine. The wind makes it more difficult to hit targets in valleys and on plateaus on the large, tiered greens.

“I don’t think it’s easy out there,” Lee said. “It’s still windy and the greens are really undulated, so you have to be in the right places. It’s not easy.”

Brooke Henderson of Smiths Falls, Ont., fired a 3-over 75 and was at even par for the tournament. The 19-year-old is playing for the fourth straight week in Asia and plans to make it six in a row with stops in Malaysia and Japan.

Alena Sharp of Hamilton was even par in her round to sit tied for 24th at 1-over par. Marie-Aimee Leblanc of Sherbrooke, Que., carded a round of 2-over and was plus-14.

Germany’s Caroline Masson was second at 6 under after her second straight 69. She birdied four of the last five holes – the lone par coming on a 3-foot birdie miss on the par-4 15th.

“You’ve just got to be smart and you’ve got to be accepting out there,” Masson said. “Some holes play very tough with certain wind and certain pin positions. So sometimes you have to hit a perfect shot in the perfect spot and get lucky, as well, to get it on the right side of the green or keep it on the green or get it close.”

“A lot of times, you hit a decent shot and you end up missing the green, so it’s important to stay patient and trust in the short game, and I think that’s what I did today. I made some really good up-and-downs out there, and kind of made the birdies when I had the chances on the last few holes.”

She won the Manulife LPGA Classic in Canada in September for her first LPGA Tour victory.

“Today it was important to stay patient out there, be confident and kind of be relaxed and not try to force things too much,” Masson said. “I think I’ve gotten a little more relaxed on the golf course after my win, so that’s definitely a good thing.”

Spain’s Carlota Ciganda and American Jessica Korda were 5 under.

Ciganda had a 71. She had an emotional first LPGA Tour victory Sunday in a playoff in South Korea.

Korda followed her opening 67 with a 72. She had five birdies, a double bogey and three bogeys.

Lee birdied three of the four par 3s, the last with an 18-footer from the fringe on the 116-yard 17th. She also birdied the par-3 fourth and seventh, and followed with a downhill 30-footer on the par-5 eighth. She ended a par streak with a downhill 12-footer for birdie on the par-4 16th.

After the birdie on 17, she missed a chance on the par-5 18th when her low wedge approach skipped up a ridge and left her a downhill 20-footer that missed on the right edge.

The 2012 U.S. Girls’ Junior champion won last year at Kingsmill and in April in Hawaii.

“I’ll just try to play my own game,” Lee said. “I don’t really want to go in with too high of expectations because I don’t know what the conditions are going to be like. It could get windy. … ”

“I’m not going to be any more or less aggressive or more or less conservative. It just depends on where you are on the fairway and where the pin is. I’ll take it from there.”

China’s Xi Yu Lin (68), South Korea’s Chella Choi (72) and Germany’s Sandra Gal (73) were 4 under.

“Yesterday, the rhythm was kind of slow. Today, the rhythm was right there, pretty smooth,” Lin said. “Also my mood is pretty good, as well, as far as the putting.”

Second-ranked Ariya Jutanugarn, the tour leader with five victories, was 2 under after a 71. Michelle Wie and Charley Hull each shot 70 to also reach 2 under. Wie got into the field on a sponsor exemption.

Defending champion Sei Young Kim was 1 under after a 72. The South Korean player won last year in wind and rain without shooting a round in the 60s.