SINGAPORE – Carlota Ciganda shot a 6-under 66 on Friday to move into a tie for the lead with Inbee Park after the second round of the HSBC Women’s Champions.

Ciganda offset a pair of bogeys with eight birdies at Sentosa Golf Club to finish even with Park (69) at 9-under 135.

Azahara Munoz was in sole possession of third place, two strokes back, after a 67 that featured six birdies against a lone bogey.

Ciganda, who is bidding for her first LPGA victory, got off to a shaky start with a bogey on the par-4 first hole. But she quickly recovered with two straight birdies on Nos. 2 and 3 that set her on the way to the day’s lowest score.

Top-ranked Lydia Ko birdied three of the last four holes en route to a 70 that put the 17-year-old in a tie for fourth with Stacy Lewis, Jenny Shin and Karrie Webb at 6-under.

Defending champion Paula Creamer was tied for 36th after a 71. Michelle Wie fired a 70 that included three bogeys, three birdies and an eagle and is tied for 23rd with money rankings leader Amy Yang.

Overnight co-leader Yani Tseng struggled with her game and finished with a 75 for a share of 17th place.

SINGAPORE – Inbee Park and Yani Tseng both shot 6-under 66 on Thursday to share the lead after the opening round of the HSBC Women’s Champions.

Park’s sixth birdie on the par-5 18th at Sentosa Golf Club left her tied with Tseng, who carded seven birdies and one bogey.

Angela Stanford of the United States was in third place, one stroke back.

“The front nine is a tougher nine,” said Park, who had five birdies after the turn. “I didn’t play too aggressively on the front nine, but the back nine I had a lot of shots.”

Tseng also had a late charge, with birdies on four of her last seven holes to build momentum heading into the second round.

Top-ranked Lydia Ko offset two bogeys with six birdies for a 68 and was tied for fourth with Karrie Webb, Jenny Shin, Mo Martin and Mariajo Uribe.

The 17-year-old Ko won her previous two tournaments.

Paula Creamer, who won last year’s tournament with a 75-foot putt, struggled to a 74. Michelle Wie had a 73 that included a double-bogey on the par-5 No. 7.

Lexi Thompson had a hole-in-one on the par-3 14th and was tied for ninth at 3-under 69.

“I hit a low controlled 7-iron from 150,” Thompson said of her ace. “It was looking good the whole way, so I was just waiting for it to drop. I let go of my club. I don’t even know what I did honestly.”

CHONBURI, Thailand – South Korea’s Amy Yang won the Honda LPGA Thailand on Sunday for her second LPGA Tour title, finishing with a 3-under 69 for a two-stroke victory over American Stacy Lewis and two others.

Yang broke a tie with Lewis with a three-stroke swing on the par-4 15th. Yang made a short birdie putt on the hole, and Lewis had a double bogey after blasting a 67-yard wedge shot over the green. Yang bogeyed No. 16 and closed with two pars to finish at 15-under 273 on Siam Country Club’s Pattaya Old Course.

“I don’t know what just happened,” Yang said. “I still can’t believe I did it today.”

The 25-year-old Yang is projected to jump from 16th to 11th in the world ranking.

“I was a little bit nervous out there, but I tried to focus on how low I can go today, just focus on my game,” said Yang, also the 2013 LPGA KEB HanaBank Championship winner in South Korea.

She has finished in the top five in her last tour starts. She was second last week in the Women’s Australian Open, two strokes behind top-ranked Lydia Ko.

“I worked hard in this offseason and I really wanted to come back and play well,” Yang said. “It came earlier than I thought. I’m going to keep working hard.”

Lewis, the third-round leader, finished with a 72 to match Taiwan’s Yani Tseng and South Korea’s Mirim Lee at 13 under. Tseng, the 2011 and 2012 winner, had a 67, and Lee shot 69.

Tseng won the last of her 15 LPGA Tour titles in 2012.

“I played good, but I missed bunch of putts out there,” Tseng said. “I was just actually a little nervous out there when I was putting.”

Spain’s Beatriz Recari had a 63 to match the course record. She tied for fifth at 12 under with South Korea’s Sei Young Kim (65).

CHRISTCHURCH, New Zealand – Top-ranked Lydia Ko won the New Zealand Women’s Open on Sunday for her second straight victory.

The 17-year-old New Zealander, the Women’s Australian Open winner last week for her sixth LPGA Tour title, closed with a 1-under 70 at Clearwater for a four-stroke victory.

“I really wanted to win in front of such great crowds,” Ko said. “This is probably the biggest crowd I’ve seen. It’s always cool winning on home ground. We were walking up 16 and (playing partner Giulia Sergas) said `They like you.’ I said, `Well, it’s home.'”

She has 10 worldwide victories in professional events, also winning at Clearwater as an amateur in 2013.

“The more Ws the better,” Ko said. “I think I had a really good (offseason) break, which got me fresh going into this year.”

On Saturday, Ko broke the course record with a career-best 61 to take a three-stroke lead into the final round. She had five birdies, a double bogey and two bogeys Sunday to finish with a tournament-record 14-under 202 total.

“This is even better than I would ever have imagined,” Ko said. “It’s just great to have won the two Opens back to back.”

Australian amateur Hannah Green was second after a 68.

Denmark’s Nanna Koerstz Madsen was third at 9 under after a 71.

England’s Charley Hull had a 75 to tie for sixth at 7 under.

Hull pulled within two strokes of Ko with an eagle on the par-5 10th. She fell back with a double bogey after hitting into the water on No. 12 – Ko birdied the hole for a three-shot swing – and bogeys on Nos. 15, 17 and 18.

The tournament was sanctioned by the European and Australian tours.

CHONBURI, Thailand – Stacy Lewis held on to lead Amy Yang by one stroke at the LPGA Thailand despite a dismal third-round 73 on Saturday.

Leading overnight by three shots after a second-round 64, Lewis had three straight bogeys in the front nine before the American fired a five-foot eagle on the 15th hole to regain the lead from South Korea’s Yang.

Third-ranked Lewis had five bogeys – including at the 18th – and two birdies at the Siam Country Club Pattaya Old Course for a three-day total of 13-under 203.

Sandra Gal of Germany shot 68 for third place, a further stroke behind Yang.

“It was a bit all over the place today,” Lewis said. “Hit some good shots, hit some shots too far.”

Yang bogeyed Nos. 12 and 14 before back-to-back birdies on the 17th and 18th holes saw her finish with a 71.

CHONBURI, Thailand – Stacy Lewis shot an unblemished round of 8-under-par 64 for a three-shot advantage over Amy Yang after the second round of the LPGA Thailand on Friday.

Lewis, the world No. 3, enjoyed four straight birdies from hole Nos. 4-7, plus four more on the back nine, to produce a two-day total of 14-under 130. She also led at Siam Country Club at the halfway stage in 2013, and finished third.

“It really was a pretty easy day,” Lewis said. “I didn’t cause myself too much stress.”

Yang shot five birdies and eagled the par-5 10th in a 66 to lie at 11 under overall. She has three top-five finishes in her last four tournaments.

Four players were another three shots back at 8 under: Germany’s Caroline Masson, South Koreans Jenny Shin and Mirim Lee, and Thailand’s Ariya Jutanugarn.

Former world No. 1 and two-time champion Yani Tseng of Taiwan, an overnight leader with Lewis and Brittany Lang, carded 72 to drop to 6 under, while Lang shot a 73 to be at 5 under.

CHONBURI, Thailand – Yani Tseng shot an opening 6-under 66 Thursday to take a share of the lead with American rivals Stacy Lewis and Brittany Lang at the LPGA Thailand.

Tseng, a former No. 1 from Taiwan who won the title in Chonburi in 2011 and 2012, had seven birdies and a bogey at Siam Country Club.

“Could be better, could be worse,” said Tseng, a five-time major champion. “I miss(ed) couple short putts, but I just tell myself to smile and let it go.”

Lewis, who only got her clubs back on Wednesday after an airline had misplaced them, started with an eagle on the opening hole.

“No. 1 was just a bonus, holing out with a wedge shot there,” said Lewis, who also had six birdies. “I don’t know if I’ve ever shot 29 before, so it was cool.”

Lang had five of her eight birdies on the back nine.

“I got off to a good start with a birdie on 10 and 11,” Lang said. “I was just really seeing my shots and committing to them. Just felt effortless really.”

Six players have a share of fourth, a shot off the lead. They are Lizette Salas, Budsabakorn Sukapan, Any Yang, Ariya Jutanugarn, Mirim Lee and Suzann Petersen.

Defending champion Anna Nordqvist (72) had three birdies and three bogeys.

There are no Canadians in the field this week.

MELBOURNE, Australia – New Zealand’s Lydia Ko made her second start as world No. 1 a winning one, shooting a final-round 2-under 71 for a two-stroke victory over South Korea’s Amy Yang in the Women’s Australian Open.

The South Korean-born Ko finished with a 72-hole total of 9-under 283 on the composite course at Royal Melbourne. Yang shot a final-round 72.

Ariya Jutanugarn of Thailand, who was tied with Ko after three rounds in the LPGA, European Tour and Australian Ladies event, shot a 76 to finish third, five strokes behind Ko.

Defending champion Karrie Webb, who won her fifth Australian Open last year at nearby Victoria Golf Club, shot 71 and finished 10 strokes behind.

As the leading groups were making the turn, play was suspended for about an hour due to nearby thunderstorms and the threat of lightning.

While Ko had just dropped a shot on the eighth, Yang had birdied the ninth hole and was ready to putt for an eagle on 10 when the siren to stop play sounded. Yang settled for a birdie after her ball circled the hole but failed to drop.

It gave Yang the lead but it didn’t last long with Ko adding two birdies on the back nine.

“I think that break was really good for me,” Ko said. “I had some lunch and got my stuff together there and I played much better after that.”

Ko’s accomplishments also include being the youngest golfer to win a professional event after capturing the New South Wales Open when she was 14.

“I’ve always played well in Australia, so it’s always cool coming back here,” she said. “It’s great. I played pretty solid. I think that’s a really important thing and to win on such an amazing golf course.”

South Korean-born American Jenny Shin birdied the last two holes for a four-under 69, the low round of the day, to move into a tie for fourth with first-round leader Ilhee Lee, seven behind Ko.

Lee closed with 71 but a second round of 82 all but ended her chance for victory.

Canada’s Lydia Ko finished 7-over 299 for a share of 37th place.

MELBOURNE, Australia – World No. 1 Lydia Ko of New Zealand and Thailand’s Ariya Jutanugarn shot 1-under 72s on Saturday to share the lead after the third round of the Women’s Australian Open at Royal Melbourne.

Ko and Jutanugarn had 54-holes totals of 7-under 212, one better than South Korea’s Amy Yang, who shot 70.

Julieta Granada of Paraguay and Australia’s Katherine Kirk, also with 70s, were tied for fourth, three behind the leaders. Kirk had four consecutive birdies from Nos. 13 to 16 to move her up the leaderboard.

England’s Charley Hull shot 76 and dropped back into a group tied for seventh with Jessica Korda (75), the 2012 champion at Royal Melbourne.

It was a tough, hot day at Royal Melbourne, particularly on the back nine. Only one player broke 70 – first-round leader Ilhee Lee with a 69. She’s tied for 13th and seven strokes behind.

Ko said conditions were so tough it was like playing in a major.

“You hit in on to the green and you have this humungous break,” Ko said. “It’s tough in every aspect … it does feel like a major.”

Kirk, who also had three bogeys and six birdies overall on Saturday, said Royal Melbourne had the firmest greens she expected to compete on all year.

“I’m very happy with it because it’s not easy to make birdies out there and I made six,” Kirk said. “I made two long putts and they’re just bonuses, but that’s probably as good as it gets today. You know this week that you’re going to make bogeys; it’s a tough golf course and they’re inevitable.”

Ko said she felt frustrated about not being able to make more birdies, but said she’d take a 2-under 71 before she began play on Sunday if offered.

“Yes, I would,” she laughed. “If I don’t have to play in that heat and get a 71 I’d take it.”

Canadian Alena Sharp shot a 2-over 75 and sits in a tie for 36th place.

MELBOURNE, Australia – No.1-ranked Lydia Ko of New Zealand, helped by a chip-in eagle, took a share of the second-round lead Friday with South Korea’s Jang Ha-na and Ariya Jutanugarn of Thailand at the Women’s Australian Open at Royal Melbourne.

The 17-year-old South Korean-born Ko, playing her second tournament since becoming the youngest golfer, male or female, to earn the top ranking, shot a three-under 70 while Jang finished with a 69 and Jutanugarn had a 71, giving the leaders 36-hole totals of 6-under 140.

England’s Charley Hull, the Ladies European Tour’s top money winner last year, was in fourth place after a 71, two strokes behind.

American Jessica Korda, the 2012 champion at Royal Melbourne, shot 71 and was in fifth place, three strokes off the lead and tied with South Korean Amy Yang, who shot 70.

Ko began the day two strokes off the lead and pulled level when she holed out with a 9-iron from 125 meters on the par-4 15th hole.

She was upset with herself on the 15th tee after only taking par on the preceding par-5 hole, which she eagled in the first round.

“That anger led me to hit an aggressive drive on the 15th,” said Ko. “I was so upset from the hole before that I gambled. A little bit of anger is good because it lets the steam out, whereas sometimes I’ve had experiences where I’ve kept it in and it’s definitely not helped me.”

The 22-year-old Jang, in her rookie year on the LPGA tour, finished tied for second last month at the Coates Championship.

The 18-year-old Hull’s mostly good round was offset by problems on the sixth green, where she missed putts twice from less than three feet.

“I just four-putted that hole, it just didn’t go in,” Hull said. “I had a couple of three-putts as well. It’s just a learning experience for me. Sometimes I can get a bit ahead of myself and do silly stuff like that. But then I feel I concentrate well afterwards and try and get them back.”

Last week at the Australian Ladies Masters, Hull was in a shared tied for the lead going into the final round before triple bogeying the sixth hole, including an air swing and a penalty drop. She finished tied for second, three behind Australian winner Su Oh.

Oh opened with a 79 at Royal Melbourne and had a 78 Friday to miss the cut. Defending champion Karrie Webb also had a 78 but finished right on the cut line of 5-over 151, 11 strokes behind the leaders.

Canadian Alena Sharp is tied for 26th at 2-over 148.