ADELAIDE, Australia – Canadian-based South Korean SooBin Kim shot a course-record 9-under 63 on Thursday to leave top-ranked Lydia Ko and Canadian sweetheart Brooke Henderson seven strokes behind at the Women’s Australian Open.

Kim’s bogey-free opening round came after starting on the 10th hole of The Grange’s West course. She had a three-stroke clubhouse lead over American Casey Grice with most of the afternoon groups, including five-time champion Karrie Webb, on the course.

P.K. Kongkraphan of Thailand, Jenny Shin and amateur Choi Hye-jin had 67s and were tied for third among the early finishers.

Ko, who won last year’s title at Royal Melbourne, bogeyed two holes on her first nine after starting on the 10th, but the New Zealander had three birdies on the back nine for her 70.

“I’ll take it,” Ko said. “I hit two really loose shots where it was hard to put myself in position the next time but overall I played pretty solid … not many putts dropped.”

Kim, who moved to Canada from South Korea with her family when she was 10 and is based in Langley, B.C., birdied seven of her first 12 holes.

Ranked 256th in the world, Kim was playing her first LPGA tournament round this year because her low ranking failed to gain her direct entry into the initial two LPGA events in the Bahamas and Florida.

Kim, who eclipsed the previous women’s course record of 66 shot by Australian Nadina Taylor at an amateur event in 2000, had 26 putts in what she described as “one of those days.”

“I was just picking my line and rolling them in, let the ball do the rest,” the 22-year-old Kim said. “I was pretty ready for it, so (I am) not surprised.”

Kim has not made up her mind whether to become a Canadian citizen. She has had the same coach, Brian Jung, for nine years and was part of British Columbia Golf’s player development program.

“I was definitely thinking about it but I still haven’t got the citizenship yet, still deciding,” Kim said. “Most of the Koreans they want their kids to learn English, so that was the reason I moved to Canada. And then golf followed after that …”

The tournament is also sanctioned by the Australian Ladies and Ladies European Tour.

Brooke Henderson will be making her Australian debut this week at the ISPS Handa Women’s Australian Open.

“This is my first time here so I’m really looking forward to it,” Henderson said with a smile.

The trip Down Under will be the first of several international trips for the 18-year-old this season.

“I’m playing on the Gold Coast next week in the European tour event and then in Singapore in a few weeks in the LPGA and hopefully the Asian Swing in the Fall,” Henderson said of her 2016 travel schedule. “So being able to play all over I know a couple of months ago I was looking to get the sponsors invite into Dubai, so yeah I’m just kind of playing and being well known by people everywhere.”

What makes the travel easier on Henderson is having her sister Brittany as a travel companion and caddie.

“You know I love having her to travel with and see the world and experience all these things with her and then to also have her also on my bag with me every day is really cool,” Henderson said. “When I was a little girl I grew up watching her and wanting to be like her and now I have her support with me.  It really means a lot.”

Last year was Henderson’s breakout year.

“It’s been an amazing year, considering back a year ago I didn’t have a tour to play on, I didn’t know which events I would play in,” she said today. “I was just counting on Monday qualifiers and sponsors invitations to get into events, and I was able to play well and a lot of doors opened to me and I was able to win in Portland a couple of months ago and get full LPGA Tour status. I’m really just living the dream now, travelling around the world, first time to Australia is really exciting.”

Henderson’s win on the LPGA Tour in Portland last August came after she Monday-qualified, but it was emphatic. She won by eight shots, and soon petitioned the LPGA Tour for an exemption so that she could have a playing card although she had not reached the minimum age of 18. This was granted, and now she is a full member.

A former world No. 1 amateur, she says her improvement has been steady.

“I think over the last three or four years I’ve continued to improve just a little bit every year and that’s been key,” she said today after the Open pro-am. “Last year the main thing was realizing that I was good enough to compete on the LPGA Tour. Getting top 10 finishes was (a boost in) confidence for me. Over the last couple of months and in the off-season I’ve gained a bit of distance which has really helped. I was considered a longer hitter to begin with and gaining 10-15 yards has really helped. Moving forward I think short game is what I need to improve to compete on the LPGA.”

Henderson likes the look of The Grange – the venue for this weeks  ISPS Handa Women’s Australian Open.

“It’s in amazing condition, they’ve really done a great job with it. It’s a little bit tricky, second shots are key here, just playing smarter on the course and knowing where to hit the ball is going to be very important.”

OCALA, Fla – Canadian Brooke Henderson had to settle for second Saturday at the LPGA Tour’s Coates Championship.

The 18-year-old native of Smiths Falls, Ont., finished two shots back of Ha Na Jang, who captured her first career LPGA Tour title. Jang made a late birdie to take the lead en route to a final-round 72.

Henderson also shot a 72 but had two bogeys over the final five holes.

“Starting the day, if I would have finished second, I would have been very happy,” Henderson said.

“A couple putts on the back nine kind of cost me, but overall it was a good day, and I’m right in position where I want to be.”

Jang reclaimed the lead with a 5-foot birdie putt on the 16th hole.

“It’s amazing how I feel right now,” said the 23-year-old Korean, who was in tears after making one last birdie that only affected the margin.

She finished at 11-under 277 and earned $225,000.

Lydia Ko, the LPGA player of the year making her 2016 debut, was tied with Jang after they completed the third round Saturday morning at Golden Ocala.

Ko, however, fell apart in the middle of the final round. She made three straight bogeys to finish the back nine, then hit her tee shot into the water and made double bogey on the par-3 11th to fall five shots behind. She ran off three straight birdies late in her round to try to stay in it.

Ko closed with a 75 and tied for third, three shots behind.

“I just couldn’t get anything going today,” Ko said. “I wasn’t hitting the ball great, and the putts weren’t dropping, either. When those two combinations go, you know you’re not going to make a lot of great birdies. But I finished strong, so I’ll take that.”

Henderson had the lead until a pair of three-putt bogeys over the final five holes as the rain worsened, forming puddles on the edges of the green. The greens crew used leaf blowers on some of the puddles to help the water evaporate.

Henderson tried to lay up on the par-5 18th with a hybrid and came within an inch of the hazard. With an awkward stance and a tough lie, she chunked a wedge to the front of the green, some 75 feet away, and did well to two-putt for par.

She posted at 9-under 279, and then waited to see if it would be enough for a playoff.

Sei Young Kim was at 9 under and had a 10-foot birdie putt on the final hole that misses on the right edge. Kim then missed the 3-foot par putt and finished at 8-under 280. Suzann Pettersen was in range until she fell back with consecutive bogeys.

Lexi Thompson also had a chance until a peculiar decision on the par-3 15th. Thompson was two shots out of the lead when she chose to putt through about 6 feet of wet, Bermuda rough because the green sloped away from her. The ball moved only about 4 feet, and then she used putter again and barely got it out of the thick grass and onto the green. Thompson made double bogey.

Jang was 2 over for the final round after a three-putt bogey on the 14th and one shot behind. Henderson was on the 17th and three-putted to slip into a tie, and Jang pumped her fist when she made a 5-foot birdie on the 16th to take the lead.

She made a par without stress on the 17th, and played the 18th to perfection. The only nervous moment was her third shot to the 18th, which featured a back pin with a puddle on the back edge and wet rough over the green. Jang’s wedge flew all the way to the pin and checked up on the soft surface. She needed only two putts from 6 feet to win, and rolled in the centre for birdie.

Jang was 15th on the LPGA money list last year as a rookie, when she was runner-up four times. The player of the year on the Korean LPGA in 2013, Jang is projected to move into the top 10 in the Rolex Women’s World Ranking. She was a runner-up at the Coates Golf Championship last year.

“I’m really comfortable at this golf course, and then very confident because of really good last year,” she said.

U.S. Women’s Open champion In Gee Chun had a 70 and joined Ko and Kim at 8-under 280.

OCALA, Fla. – Lydia Ko hit the ball only 22 times in a span of 11 hours Friday in the Coates Golf Championship and finished where she started – with a share of the lead, and still a long way from the finish line.

Ko three-putted from 15 feet for bogey in 39-degree weather to finish the rain-delayed second round in the morning. In the afternoon, she made one birdie in six holes to get back to 7-under par and share the lead with Ha Na Jang, who played 24 holes on Friday.

None of the 75 players who made the cut finished the third round, which was to resume Saturday morning.

Jang played her entire second round Friday morning, when temperatures eventually climbed into the 50s. She made 15 pars, two birdies and a double bogey for an even-par 72 and the 36-hole lead. Jang was even par through six holes of the third round when play was halted by darkness.

Lexi Thompson was among five players who were one shot out of the lead.

Rain that soaked Golden Ocala on Thursday gave way to a cold front that chilled central Florida. Ko had a 15-foot birdie putt on her last hole of the second round when she returned Friday morning, only to ram the putt about 4 feet by, miss the next one for par and have to make a 3 1/2-foot bogey putt to limit the damage. That gave her a 69.

“I did some 15-footer practice on the putting green before I went, but when I hit it on the course, the green was a touch faster than what I thought it would be,” Ko said. “Obviously, it’s not the best start of the day, but I had a nap and of got over it, and it definitely got much better. Who knows? It might have happened yesterday. But because it happened right first thing in the morning, it might feel worse.”

Ko, the No. 1 player in women’s golf who is making her 2016 debut, at least headed off to sleep confident about her game _ and her score. She summoned a rules official to discuss whether her ball moved on the sixth green.

“I wasn’t sure because it’s obviously getting a little dark and with the steepness of the greens, you never know if it does move or not,” she said. “I kind of was hovering over it, going back and forth, so I don’t know if that action was making it look like it moved or not.

“We cleared everything, so now I can just go to bed and have a good dinner and come out here early.”

Players had to wear extra layers of clothing to combat the cold weather, and Jang soldiered on beautifully with a steady diet of pars to offset her lone mistake in the morning. She started the third round with a birdie, only to drop a shot on the next hole with follow with four pars.

“Very confident right now,” Jang said.

The tournament is still hopeful of ending on Saturday.

Kim Kaufman made four birdies on the front nine before her lone bogey. She was 3 under for the third round and 6 under for the tournament through 12 holes, tied with Thompson, Sei Young Kim, Jessica Korda and Haru Nomura.

U.S. Women’s Open champion In Gee Chun and Candie Kung were two shots behind at 5 under. Michelle Wie was even through 12 holes and four shots back.

Canadian Brooke Henderson was even through nine holes before her third round came to an end. The Smiths Falls, Ont., native is 4 under for the tournament.

Jang played more golf. Players like Ko, Thompson and Suzann Pettersen (4 under) felt like the day was even longer. They played no more than two holes in the morning, and then didn’t play again for at least six hours.

“It was an early wake-up call to play two holes and then wait around until 3 to warm back up,” Thompson said. “You can’t control the weather. I went back and slept for an hour. I wasted some time. And then I went through my whole warm-up stretching routine in the hotel room to get ready and come out here mentally prepared.”

OCALA, Fla. – Lydia Ko played enough golf Thursday to catch up to the lead. She just didn’t play enough to finish the rain-delayed second round of the Coates Golf Championship.

Ko, the No. 1 player in golf making her 2016 debut, was 4-under par for her round and had a 15-foot birdie putt on her final hole at the par-4 ninth hole at Golden Ocala when the horn sounded to stop play because of thunderstorms in the area.

Ko was 7 under for the tournament, tied with Ha Na Jang.

Jang, who opened with a 65, didn’t hit a shot Thursday. She was to tee off in the afternoon, but within an hour of play being stopped, several greens already were flooded. Play was suspended for the rest of the day and will resume on Friday.

The 72-hole tournament is scheduled to end Saturday.

Haru Nomura made seven birdies for a 66 and finished two rounds at 6-under 136.

Canada’s Brooke Henderson was in a large group at 4 under that included Michelle Wie, Suzann Pettersen, U.S. Women’s Open champion In Gee Chun, Lexi Thompson and Juli Inkster, who birdied her opening hole of the second round before the storms arrived.

Henderson has three holes to play in her second round.

Ko started quickly Thursday by opening with two birdies. But she birdied only one of the par 5s, though she never missed a fairway.

“I felt more comfortable today. I was pretty pleased to see all my balls finish in the fairway,” Ko said.

Ko played with Morgan Pressel, who was 3 under, and Paula Creamer, who was even. They could tell storm clouds approaching and Creamer jokingly said that play would be stopped right before they finished. All they could do was laugh when they reached the ninth green to mark their golf balls.

“At least we don’t have to go back to the range,” Pressel said.

Ko, the 18-year-old from New Zealand, is coming off a five-victory season that included her first major (Evian Championship in France) and LPGA player of the year. She conceded to having some rust during her start on Wednesday, though she was dialed in for much of her second round until the rain arrived.

“Last year was an awesome year, so much better than I ever expected,” Ko said. “Things I only dreamt of happened. But you have to forget about it. It’s a whole new year. Obviously, you come into the year with a bit of confidence, but you never know what’s going to happen.”

Pettersen started with a 73. After making the turn, she birdied five of the next six holes – the exception was the par-5 fifth hole – to get within range. Pettersen played with Stacy Lewis (1 over) and Alison Lee, with whom Pettersen was involved in a bitter rules controversy at the Solheim Cup last year over a putt that Pettersen said was never conceded. Pettersen said there was no drama with the group and the media “want to make it another story.”

“Alison and I are pretty good friends,” she said. “I’m very happy with the way I’m playing.”

OCALA, Fla. – Top-ranked Lydia Ko shot a 3-under 69 on Wednesday in the Coates Golf Championship in her first round of the season, leaving her four strokes behind leader Ha Na Jang.

The 18-year-old Ko closed with a birdie on the par-5 18th, her fourth birdie on the back nine on the Golden Ocala course that features some tributes to holes at Augusta National, St. Andrews and others.

Ko tied for second last year in Ocala to reach No. 1 in the world ranking, and went on to win five times, and sweep the points-based player of the year award, Race to the CME Globe and the money title.

“First nine holes were pretty rusty, but almost felt like our whole group as we made the turn, we started making birdies,” Ko said. “On 10 it was my first birdie of the season, so it was great.

“Obviously, starting to get back into playing competitively and think more target-oriented. It’s definitely different than hitting the ball on the range. It’s a pretty solid start. I’m happy with the way I finished today and definitely the back nine, hitting a few wedges close.”

She is learning how to drive – a car.

“I got my learner’s permit, so whoever is around Orlando or around ChampionsGate, I would recommend not being on the road when I am,” Ko said. “Everybody said it’s the same as a cart, but it’s nothing like a cart. It goes so much faster.”

Jang made an 18-foot birdie putt on 18 for a bogey-free 65 and a three-stroke lead over six players. Winless on the LPGA Tour, the South Korean player also tied for second last year behind Na Yeon Choi.

“It’s perfect, no bogeys,” Jang said. “I just keep going just simple, simple, simple.”

Jang had the first hole-in-one on a par 4 in LPGA Tour history last week in the season-opening event in the Bahamas. She used a 3-wood for the albatross on the 218-yard hole.

“I got my new dog, named it Albatross,” Jang said. “I have three dogs – Birdie, Eagle and Albatross. I need one more dog, Hole-in-one.”

U.S. Women’s Open champion In Gee Chun had a 68 in her first start as an LPGA Tour member. Sei Young Kim, Jodi Ewart Shadoff, Kim Kaufman, Candie Kung and Kelly Tan also shot 68.

Lexi Thompson was in the group at 69. She had only three pars on the first 14 holes, making seven birdies and four bogeys.

“It’s definitely challenging,” Thompson said. “You have to keep it in the fairway with it being tree-lined. The rough is only about an inch deep, but you’re going to get some gnarly lies and some fliers, so you’ve got to keep it in the fairway.”

U.S. Solheim Cup captain Juli Inkster, at 55 the oldest player in the field, also had a 69.

Michelle Wie birdied three of the last six holes for a 70. She missed the cut last week in the Bahamas after a bee stung her on the palm of her right hand.

Brooke Henderson also carded a 70. The 18-year-old leads the Canadian contingent. Maude-Aimee LeBlanc had a 72, while Alena Sharp had a 75.

Hyo Joo Kim, the Bahamas winner last week, opened with a 71.

Stacy Lewis had a 74, making a double bogey on par-4 ninth after driving left into the trees. She tied for second in the Bahamas for her ninth runner-up finish in a 40-event victory drought that dates to June 2014. The 11-time tour winner has 22 career second-place finishes.

Lewis played alongside Suzann Pettersen and Alison Lee, the two central figures in a Solheim Cup controversy last season in Germany.

In September, Pettersen infuriated the Americans by insisting that Lee be penalized for picking up her ball when she thought her short second putt had been conceded in a fourballs match. The U.S. then staged the biggest comeback in event history, winning 8 1/2 points in the 12 singles matches to take the cup.

They were friendly in their first pairing since the incident, with Pettersen stopping to offer assistance when Lee had a nosebleed on the first tee.

“I’m fine,” Lee said about the nosebleed. “It happens all the time. It’s happened at previous tournaments. It’s just annoying.”

Lee opened with a 72, and Pettersen shot 73.

PARADISE ISLAND, Bahamas – Hyo Joo Kim won the season-opening Pure Silk-Bahamas LPGA Classic on Sunday, relegating Stacy Lewis to yet another second-place finish.

Kim rebounded from a bogey on the 16th hole with a 9-foot birdie putt on the par-3 17th and closed with a par for a two-stroke victory over Lewis, 2015 champion Sei Young Kim and Anna Nordqvist.

Hyo Joo Kim shot a 7-under 66 at the breezy Ocean Club to finish at 18-under 274. The 20-year-old South Korean player has three LPGA Tour victories, also winning the 2014 Evian Championship and 2015 Founders Cup.

Needing an eagle to force a playoff, Lewis parred the par-5 18th for a 68. She has nine runner-up finishes in a 40-event victory drought that dates to June 2014. The 11-time tour winner has 22 career second-place finishes.

Sei Young Kim also shot a 68, and Nordqvist had a 69.

Hyo Joo Kim made three straight birdies – holing putts of 18 feet on the par-3 12th, 15 feet on the par-4 13th and 5 feet on the par-4 14th – to open a three-stroke lead. After the bogey on the difficult par-4 16th, she hit a slight draw with a 4-iron to set up the birdie putt on the 171-yard 17th.

She had four birdies on the front nine, making three in a row on Nos. 4-6 and adding another on No. 8. The nine-time Korean LPGA winner parred all three par 5s on the back nine.

The third-ranked Lewis parred the final three holes after birdieing Nos. 13-15. After missing long birdie tries on 16 and 17, she hit a 3-wood into the light rough near the right-side front bunkers on 18, flopped 8 feet past and two-putted for par.

Sei Young Kim had a double bogey on the par-4 ninth, then rallied with four back-nine birdies.

Nordqvist, tied with Charley Hull for the third-round lead, birdied the final two par 5s.

Pornanong Phatlum matched the tournament record with a 65 to tie for fifth with Paula Creamer (66) and 2013 winner Ilhee Lee (68) at 15 under. Brittany Lincicome also shot a 65 to join Hull (71) and Min Seo Kwak (67) at 14 under.

Megan Khang, playing her first event as an LPGA Tour member, bogeyed the final hole for a 60 to drop into a tie for 11th at 13 under.

Brooke Henderson carded a final-round 70 and to get to 9-under and tie for 21st. Maude-Aimee LeBlanc shot 72 Sunday and finished 7-under for a share of 31st. Alena Sharp tied for 38th a shot back at 6-under thanks to a 70.

PARADISE ISLAND, Bahamas – Charley Hull and Anna Nordqvist shared the lead Saturday in the season-opening Pure Silk-Bahamas LPGA Classic, and Ha Na Jang had the first hole-in-one on a par 4 in tour history.

Hull made a 10-foot birdie putt on the par-5 18th to match European Solheim Cup teammate Nordqvist at 12-under 207 in breezy but calmer conditions at the Ocean Club. The 19-year-old Hull, from England, had a 4-under 69. Nordqvist, from Sweden, also birdied the 18th for a 68.

“It’s a little different because, obviously, it’s been really windy, so I got used to playing in that wind.” Hull said. “And today the first couple holes I think I was allowing too much of the wind and there wasn’t that much up there.”

Jang made the albatross on the eighth hole, at a mere 218 yards playing at a distance normally considered a par 3. Her 3-wood shot into light wind landed a yard in front of the green and rolled in.

“I don’t see the ball finish, but my dad was, ‘Oh, you made it,'” Jang said. “It’s unbelievable. Amazing.”

She was disappointed that she didn’t win a car.

“A new car, please. A car, please,” Jang said. “I wanted a car. I need a car.”

The South Korean player was five strokes back after a 68.

Winless in 30 career starts on the LPGA Tour, Hull birdied four of her last eight holes. She had a bit of an adventure Friday night at dinner when a candle burned her napkin.

“I was like, ‘Oh, good thing we didn’t have the pizza because it smells a bit burny,'” Hull said. “I looked down and there’s this hole like growing bigger and bigger and bigger, and I’m like, ‘Sheez!'” So I patted it out.”

Nordqvist rebounded after hitting a wedge approach long into the water for a bogey on the par-5 11th. She won the ShopRite LPGA Classic last year in New Jersey for her fifth LPGA Tour title.

“I’m really excited,” Nordqvist said. “I really had zero expectations coming into this week. It’s the first tournament of the year. I’m just excited to be back playing. Put in a lot of work this winter.”

Third-ranked Stacy Lewis, defending champion Sei Young Kim and Hyo Joo Kim were a stroke back. Lewis birdied the 18th for a 67, and Sei Young Kim and Hyo Joo Kim shot 68.

Lewis won the last of her 11 LPGA Tour titles in June 2014, a 39-event drought that includes eight runner-up finishes.

“I think tomorrow is supposed to be even less wind, maybe a little more calm,” Lewis said. “So, you’re going to have to make some birdies. You’re going to have to shoot a good score, but you’re not trying to force things. That’s the biggest thing for me tomorrow is just to stay patient and trust my golf swing.”

Sei Young Kim birdied the 18th after losing the lead with a double bogey on the par-4 16th. On 16, she drove left in palm trees, chipped out through the fairway and into the rough, and hit her third over the green into bushes that line the water. She made a 12-foot putt to save double bogey.

“The tee shot was a bad choice,” Sei Young Kim said about her decision to use a driver. “I’m very disappointed there. I’m OK. I have a one day tomorrow.”

Hyo Joo Kim chipped in for eagle on 18.

Megan Khang, playing her first event as an LPGA Tour member, was two shots back along with 2013 winner Ilhee Lee. The 18-year-old Khang, from Rockland, Massachusetts, had a 71 after shooting a 68 on Friday for a share of the lead with Hull and Haru Nomura.

“Wind was definitely better today,” Khang said. “So much the driving and approach shots, so much the putting, I just couldn’t find a putt to drop. … I definitely am excited for tomorrow.”

Lee shot a 66.

Canadians Brooke Henderson and Maude-Aimee LeBlanc have a share of 16th at 6-under after matching 70s Saturday. Compatriot Alena Sharp is 3-under and has a share of 31st.

PARADISE ISLAND, Bahamas – Charley Hull, Megan Khang and Haru Nomura all sit atop the leaderboard at 8-under par after two rounds of the Pure Silk-Bahamas LPGA Classic. Players battled gusty conditions at the LPGA’s season opener with winds reaching gusts of 30 mph. The young trio is one shot in front of a group of four players including defending champion Sei Young Kim, Anna Nordqivst, Catriona Matthew and Min Seo Kwak.

The average age of the leaders is just 20 years old (Hull at 19, Khang at 18 and Nomura at 23) and it marks the first time in each of their careers to hold the lead at an LPGA event after 36 holes. This event has been kind to first time winners and crowned Rolex First-Time Winners twice in the first three editions (Ilhee Lee in 2013 and Sei Young Kim in 2015).

Hull followed her opening round of 68 with a 3-under 70 in the morning wave to get to 8-under par. The teen from England had a sunny disposition when it came to the challenging wind conditions.

“I’ve never played the wind, or the golf course with that wind before,” said Hull. “It was a completely opposite direction. So it was good fun to play in that direction, I like it in that direction actually. No, it was good, just got to keep patient out there. Obviously the same for everyone. No, I enjoyed it, I thought it was fun.”

Khang, who is making her rookie debut this week, said she didn’t have many expectations in the season opener but feels like she belongs out on Tour. Seeing her name at the top of the leaderboard might take some getting used to.

“It definitely will take some time to sink in but I think my game’s at a good place right now and I definitely think I can hold my own,” said Khang. “I’ve played in the Open a few times and they’re all there, all the pros are there, even like the best amateurs make it there. So I think I can hold my own and it’s going to take a while for it to sink in after two days.”

Cristie Kerr tied the tournament record in impressive fashion in such high winds with the low round of the week, 8-under 65. She shot a 77 on Thursday and jumped from T95 to T13 and agreed the round of 65 was a solid day.

“Yeah, I would say,” said Kerr. “Yeah, after yesterday, it wasn’t looking good and very difficult day and I just came out and just did it.”

Top-ranked American Stacy Lewis followed up her opening round of 73 with a 5-under 68 on Friday to move into a tie for 10th and sits just three shots back.

Canadians Maude-Aimee LeBlanc and Brooke Henderson both have a share of 20th at 3-under, five-shots off the lead.

PARADISE ISLAND, Bahamas – Michelle Wie was stung by a bee Thursday in the season-opening Pure Silk-Bahamas LPGA Classic, and second-ranked Inbee Park withdrew because of back pain after the second-worst round of her LPGA Tour career.

Wie was stung on the palm of her right hand on the 16th hole, her seventh of the day at the windy Ocean Club. She finished with a 3-over 76 to fall eight strokes behind first-round leaders Paula Creamer, Charley Hull, Alison Lee, Ashlan Ramsey, Catriona Matthew, Mika Miyazato and Haru Nomura.

“I was waiting to hit my tee shot and I felt something sting and it hurt really, really bad and I knew it was a bee,” Wie said. “I brushed it away and the stinger was still in there. We were trying to find a tweezer and out of all the people, our security guy had tweezers on him, so I got it out.”

She bogeyed three of the first five holes on her back nine.

“It just kind of felt so swollen it was kind of hard to grip the club. I was hitting the ball so well on the front nine and just definitely had a couple loose ones coming in making the turn. You can kind of feel the venom kind of spread. But the last couple holes, it’s feeling better.”

She struggled with her putting.

“I only missed two greens,” Wie said. “I just putted horribly.”

Park shot an 80, playing her final four holes in 5 over with a double bogey on the par-5 15th and three bogeys. She will sit out the Coates Golf Championship next week in Florida, and hopes to return late next month in the Honda LPGA Thailand.

“I’ve always had a little lower back problem and some weeks it just gets bit worse and today happened to be one of those days,” Park said. “Hopefully, in Thailand I’ll be in really good shape.”

Creamer played a late three-hole stretch in 4 under, making an eagle on the par-4 eighth.

“I’ll definitely take it,” Creamer said. “This golf course, it’s a great track. It really does play well. The wind makes it very difficult, but these greens, they’re challenging. The biggest thing is get it as close as you can from the fairways and see what you can do.”

Lee finished with a bogey on the par-4 ninth after playing the previous three holes in 4 under with an eagle on the par-5 seventh. She is still a student at UCLA.

“I’m taking four classes right now,” Lee said. “Each week, I think, I counted to about 13 hours of class, so it’s not too bad. I have friends in each class that can give me notes.”

The 46-year-old Matthew also eagled No. 7.

“You would much rather get off to a good start than a bad start,” Matthew said. “I think this course is tough because there’s a lot of crosswinds, which makes it difficult.”

Miyazato had only 10 putts in a first-nine 6-under 31.

“Very excited because if green in regulation, I make it, make it, make it,” Miyazato said.

The Japanese player had an interesting answer when asked if she did anything exciting in the offseason.

“Too much drink,” Miyazato said.

Her drink of choice?

“Whiskey,” Miyazato said. “Only in the offseason.”

Hull had a bogey-free round.

“It’s quite quiet this week,” Hull said. “You can really focus and get your head down and just get back out on tour.”

Jennifer Johnson and Min Seo Kwak were a stroke back at 69.

Defending champion Sei Young Kim opened with a 71, and 2014 winner Jessica Korda had a 72. Third-ranked Stacy Lewis shot 73, No. 4 Lexi Thompson 74, and No. 11 Christie Kerr 77.

Canada’s Brooke Henderson carded a 2-under 71 in her opening-round of 2016. The 18-year-old Smiths Falls, Ont., native had three birdies and a single bogey on the day.

“It was a good round today,” said Henderson. “I missed a lot of opportunities which I wish I would have capitalized on, but at the same time I missed a couple greens and was able to get up and down. It was just kind of up and down. And I would have like to have finished a little further under par. But it’s a good start and get another good round in tomorrow and see what happens.”