PARADISE ISLAND, Bahamas – South Korean rookie Sei Young Kim won the Pure Silk-Bahamas LPGA Classic on Sunday for her first LPGA Tour title, holing an 8-foot birdie putt on the first hole of a playoff with countrywoman Sun Young Yoo and Thailand’s Ariya Jutanugarn.

“Just before the last putt I was super nervous, but I was fine,” Kim said.

The 22-year-old Kim shot a 1-under 72 in the completion of the delayed third round and closed with a 68 to match Yoo and Jutanugarn at 14-under 278 on Atlantis Resort’s Ocean Club course.

“It’s definitely a dream,” Kim said. “I’m really happy. Since 10 years ago, it’s what I’ve dreamed of.”

Kim birdied the par-5 18th in regulation, chipping from the front greenside rough to 3 feet – to earn the last spot in the playoff. She won on the hole a few minutes later.

A five-time winner on the Korea LPGA, Kim tied for sixth at the LPGA Tour’s Q-school to earn a card. She played in four playoffs on the KLPGA, winning four of them.

“I joined the LPGA in hopes of making the Korean Olympics team,” Kim said. “This is one step toward that. So, this means a lot to me.”

She’s projected to move from No. 40 to No. 23 in the world. Q Baek is currently the fourth and final South Korean player in the Olympic rankings at No. 11.

Yoo finished with rounds of 69 and 70, and Jutanugarn shot 70-69.

Brittany Lincicome was third at 13 under after rounds of 68 and 70.

Lydia Ko tied for seventh at 11 under in her first event as the No. 1 player in the world. She shot 70-68.

Second-ranked Inbee Park had a chance to take the top spot back from Ko, but closed with a 72 to tie for fifth at 12 under.

“I saw the news or like the projections and how it would change, but I didn’t really think about it,” Ko said. “To me, it was more important trying to make a lot of good putts and a lot of good birdies.”

Play was delayed Thursday because of rain and slowed Friday by high wind.

Team Canada Young Pro Squad member Brooke Henderson carded a final-round 72 for a share of 33rd. The Smiths Fall, Ont. native earned just shy of $9,000 (U.S.) in her first LPGA start as a professional.

PARADISE ISLAND, Bahamas – Gerina Piller topped the leaderboard at 10 under Saturday when third-round play in the Pure Silk-Bahamas LPGA Classic was suspended because of darkness.

Piller was 3 under for the round with nine holes left on Atlantis Resort’s Ocean Club course. She made 40-foot birdie putts on Nos. 3 and 4.

“Just minimize the mistakes, and fairways and greens,” Piller said. “I mean, the wind could switch at any second, it can.”

Play was delayed Thursday because of rain and slowed Friday by high wind.

Lexi Thompson was a stroke back along with Sandra Gal, Brooke Pancake, Kelly Shon, Sei Young Kim and Perrine Delacour. Thompson was 7 under for the round with two holes left. Gal had nine holes to go, Pancake 11, Shon eight, Kim 11, and Delacour six.

Second-ranked Inbee Park and No. 3 Stacy Lewis were in the group at 8 under. Park had 11 holes left, and Lewis three. Top-ranked Lydia Ko was 4 under with three holes left.

“I feel good,” said Lewis, 6 under for the round. “I would have liked to have finished that round off today, but just going to bed with a good number posted so far, I’m looking forward to tomorrow.”

Thompson played alongside Lewis.

“We were talking about that we probably had the best golf going on today, we had so many birdies,” Thompson said. “The first two days we were ball-striking it well, just didn’t make that many putts, but today we were definitely feeding off each other off of birdies.”

Team Canada Young Pro Squad member Brooke Henderson was 3 under with one hole remaining in her third round. This is her first LPGA event as a  professional.

Only two groups finished the third round Saturday.

Michelle Wie missed the cut Saturday morning, finishing at 5 over.

Canadians Rebecca Lee-Bentham (+3) and Alena Sharp (+6) also failed to make the 36-hole cut.

PARADISE ISLAND, Bahamas – Brittany Lincicome and Sun Young Yoo topped the leaderboard Friday in the wind-swept Bahamas LPGA Classic when second-round play was suspended because of darkness.

In wind gusting to 35-40 mph, Yoo completed a first-round 70 and shot 69 in the second to match Lincicome at 7 under on Atlantis Resort’s Ocean Club course.

“It was very tough, especially with the wind,” Yoo said. “I just tried to stay focused and just tried to make the right putt with the wind.”

Lincicome was 2 under in the second round with 13 holes left. She shot a 68 on Thursday.

“It was kind of just like hit-it-and-laugh kind of mentality,” Lincicome said. “Like we weren’t taking anything really seriously. We knew it was going to be blowing really strong and we’re just thankful we didn’t have to play all day. … There was nothing we could do about it. It’s so ridiculous out there that it’s not even normal. It’s kind of just you’ve got to laugh about it. You can’t get mad.”

After rain delayed play Thursday, only half of the players were able to finish the second round Friday. In May 2013, the inaugural event was reduced to three 12-hole rounds because of flooding.

Second-ranked Inbee Park, Dori Carter, Jenny Shin, Kelly Shon were 6 under. Shin and Shon shot 71, Carter had a 72, and Park was 1 under for the round with 13 holes left.

“My caddie, after we hit our approach shot on the last hole, said, `I’m not going to lie, this is the worst wind conditions I’ve ever seen,'” Carter said. “He told me on the last hole. He didn’t say it middle of the round. But we laughed about that.”

Lydia Ko, playing her first event since taking the No. 1 spot in the world ranking, was 3 under after rounds of 72 and 71. The 17-year-old New Zealander tied for second last week in the season-opening event in Florida, to break Tiger Woods’ record as the youngest player to reach No. 1.

Third-ranked Stacy Lewis was 2 under after rounds of 71 and 73.

Defending champion Jessica Korda was 1 over. She shot 73-74.

Brooke Henderson was in danger of missing the cut in her first LPGA Tour start as a professional. After opening with a 75, the 17-year-old Canadian was 1 over – and 3 over overall – through five holes in the second round. She won a Suncoast Series event last week in Florida in her pro debut and earned a spot in the field Monday in the qualifying tournament.

Michelle Wie also struggled. She opened with a 76 and played the first five holes in the second round in 2 over to drop to 5 over.

Rebecca Lee-Bentham was 4-over and Alena Sharp was 5-over thru four holes.

PARADISE ISLAND, Bahamas – Brooke Pancake shot a 6-under 67 on Thursday to take a one-stroke lead in the suspended first round of the Bahamas LPGA Classic.

Play was suspended for the day at 2:47 p.m. and more than inch of rain fell on Atlantis Resort’s Ocean Club course. In May 2013, the inaugural event was reduced to three 12-hole rounds because of flooding.

Playing in calmer morning conditions, Pancake birdied six of her first seven holes in her bogey-free round.

“I luckily got to get out early this morning,” Pancake said. “I gave myself a lot of birdie looks and I really took advantage of those.”

Second-ranked Inbee Park was tied for second with Natalie Gulbis and Brittany Lincicome. Gulbis is making her first start since having hip surgery in November.

“I hit it good,” Gulbis said. “It’s been like any other getting ready for the season. I didn’t play last week. I wasn’t quite ready last week. I’m just happy to be back.”

Lincicome played in wind gusting around 20 mph.

“It was different out there,” Lincicome said. “Every time I was with a left-to-right wind, I either snap-hooked it way left or blocked it way right. But when the wind was right to left, I crushed it and I did really well.”

Lydia Ko, playing her first event since taking the No. 1 spot in the world ranking, was 1 under through eight holes. The 17-year-old New Zealander tied for second last week in the season-opening event in Florida, to break Tiger Woods’ record as the youngest player to reach No. 1.

“We’ve still got 10 more holes and I know there are birdie opportunities,” Ko said. “The 18th is a par 5, too. We’ve just got to stay patient. Hopefully, I will make a couple more birdies down the stretch.”

Ko played in the rain for the first time since switching from glasses to contact lenses.

“They’re good. No problems,” Ko said. “I was like, `Man, I’ve got nothing. There’s nothing in my way.’ I didn’t mind the rain. It was a good test.”

Toronto’s Rebecca Lee-Bentham carded a 73.

Brooke Henderson opened with a 75 in her first LPGA Tour start as a professional. The 17-year-old Smiths Falls, Ont. native won the Monday qualifying tournament to earn a spot in the field. She won a Suncoast Series event last week in Florida in her pro debut.

Alena Sharp of Hamilton, Ont. had a 77.

Michelle Wie shot 76.

PARADISE ISLAND, Bahamas – Lydia Ko has had a few days to let her historic rise to the No. 1 spot in the world ranking sink in.

“I’m just trying to go back to my normal routine, just get used to the weather here and check out the course,” the 17-year-old Ko said Wednesday, the day before the start of play in the Bahamas LPGA Classic. “I’m very proud to be in that position, but at the same time, I’m trying to just kind of block it out and just be like another golfer, being on the course and just enjoying my time out here.”

The New Zealander tied for second last week in the season-opening Coates Golf Championship in Ocala, Florida, to break Tiger Woods’ record as the youngest player to reach No. 1. She had three LPGA Tour victories last season after winning the Canadian Women’s Open the previous two years as an amateur.

After jumping to No. 1, she got a congratulatory tweet from New Zealand singer and songwriter Lorde.

“I’m a huge fan of her music and she sent me a tweet and she’s like, `Congratulations, very proud.’ And I was like, `Oh, my God.” I’m a huge fan and for somebody of that status to give me a tweet like that, that was pretty awesome. And also I got a Twitter message from Don Cheadle. That was really cool, too.

Last year at Atlantis Resort’s Ocean Club, Jessica Korda birdied the final hole to beat Stacy Lewis by a stroke. Korda also tied for second last week, a stroke behind Na Yeon Choi.

“I saw where my game kind of is and shook off some rust,” Korda said. “I’m sure that there’s going to be some left over rust, it’s going to take a couple tournaments to kind of really get back into playing mode. We’re used to playing week in, week out and you take two months off and you think that you’re going to be in the same spot, you hit some pretty shots and then not so pretty shots.”

Brooke Henderson is making her first LPGA Tour as a pro. The 17-year-old Canadian won the Monday qualifying tournament to earn a spot in the field.

“My schedule this year will be a little bit up and down, but getting into this tournament this week is really exciting, Henderson said.

She won a Suncoast Series event last week in Florida in her pro debut.

“It really helped coming into this week, just a confidence-booster knowing that I got a couple of solid rounds together last week,” Henderson said.

Two other Canadians will join Henderson in the field in Bahamas, including Toronto’s Rebecca Lee-Bentham and Hamilton, Ont.’s Alena Sharp.

PARADISE ISLAND, Bahamas -A pair of Team Canada Pro Squad members have Monday-qualified for this week’s Puresilk Bahamas LPGA Classic.

Smiths Falls, Ont. teenager Brooke Henderson carded a 69 to earn qualifying medalist honours and a spot in her first LPGA Tour event as a professional.

Another Team Canada Pro Squad member, Rebecca Lee-Bentham of Toronto, finished a shot back with a 70 to grab the other qualifying spot.

Hamilton, Ont.’s Alena Sharp is also in the field in Bahamas.

The opening-round of the Bahamas event takes place at Atlantis’ Ocean Club Course Thursday.

Henderson turned professional late last year after becoming the first Canadian female to hold the No. 1 spot on the World Amateur Golf Rankings. She just missed out on qualifying for the LPGA’s season-opener in Florida, finishing in a tie for third in the qualifier. Only the top two earned spots.

Instead of playing on the LPGA Tour last week, Henderson played a SunCoast Ladies Tour event in Winter Garden, Fla. She won the event and cashed a $2,200 cheque – her first as a pro.

Unlike Lee-Bentham who has conditional status on the LPGA Tour, Henderson does not have a regular tour to compete on. She is able to accept six LPGA sponsor’s exemptions and also qualifies for the 2015 U.S. Women’s Open in Pennsylvania by virtue of her top-10 finish last year.

Henderson also will try to Monday qualify for events, as she did this week.

OCALA, Fla. – During a closing stretch that featured one of the more tumultuous final hours in recent LPGA Tour history, teen wunderkind Lydia Ko faced a series of tough predicaments. But a query that came after the final round gave her the biggest pause of all.

After reclaiming the lead late Saturday to set herself up for a double payoff of sorts, the 17-year-old double-bogeyed the 71st hole in the inaugural Coates Golf Championship to lose by a shot to Na Yeon Choi.

However, Ko secured a piece of history that could be remembered long after the details of the tour’s season opener are forgotten. The New Zealander became the youngest player of either gender to climb to world No. 1, breaking the record set by Tiger Woods by almost four years.

As the ramifications of the distinction finally took hold, the sting of defeat at Golden Ocala Golf and Equestrian Club wasn’t quite so bad. The notion of celebrating, which first set her back for a moment, didn’t seem so crazy after all.

“It’s going to be good,” Ko said. “I was here to focus on the tournament itself, but I guess I got a great outcome at the end of the day, too.”

After leading by as many as four shots on the front nine, Ko trailed Choi by a shot as they played the par-3 15th. With Choi facing a 6-footer for birdie, Ko slammed in an improbable 60-footer and Choi promptly three-putted for a two-shot swing.

The teenager’s lead didn’t last long. Ko drove into a fairway bunker, then fanned a hybrid shot into a stand of pine trees down the right side of the 17th hole, scrambling to make a double bogey.

As the steadier Choi finished with a 4-under 68 and 16-under total, Ko had to salvage a par on the 18th to finish in a three-way tie at 15 under, but it was good enough to secure a piece of the record book.

Woods, previously the youngest golfer to reach No. 1, was 21 years, 5 months, 16 days when he reached the top in 1997. Ko reached the mark 3 years, 8 months, 14 days earlier. The men’s rankings date to 1986 and the women’s list is nine years old.

“It’s a nice consolation, if you want to call it that,” said Ko’s swing coach, David Leadbetter.

Ko finished with a 71 to match Jessica Korda (66) and Ha Na Jang (70) at 15 under.

Ko, whose pulse rate seems to be frozen at about 75 beats per minute whether she’s making an eagle or double bogey, hardly seemed derailed by the 71st-hole meltdown. Her indefatigable nature is her biggest asset, Leadbetter said.

“We sent her to anger management school to learn how to get angry,” Leadbetter laughed.

Choi, on the other hand, was clearly caught up in the emotion of her first victory since late 2012. The 27-year-old topped the LPGA money list in 2010 and won the 2012 U.S. Women’s Open, but had fallen out of the world top 15.

“I think I was so nervous out there,” said Choi, who recorded her eighth LPGA victory and was fighting back tears. “I was waiting so long for this moment.”

Choi, one of the game’s elite players before the two-year victory drought set in, admitted that the pressure to succeed wore her down to the point that she stopped reading Korean sports websites and considered downgrading her cellphone plan so she could not download stories about her play.

“I think I had a lot of stress from the result,” Choi said. “Even if I was top 10 or top five, not many people said you did a good job if you finish as runner up. They say you are a loser and that hurts me a lot.”

As for Ko, her ascent seemed ordained when she won her first LPGA Tour title as an amateur at age 15, the youngest in tour history.

“I can’t say I’m surprised,” American star Stacy Lewis said of the new No. 1. “It was just a matter of time.”

Ko, a native of South Korea who moved to New Zealand as a youngster, unseated Inbee Park in the top spot.

“She’s probably the straightest player out here,” said Park, who tie for 17th. “The golf gets easier if you hit the ball straight and you can roll the ball in.”

Ko hit a few crooked shots down the stretch, which ultimately cost her the first-place trophy, but once the magnitude of the moment took hold, she was all smiles.

“There was obviously a loss,” Ko said. “But there was a huge positive, too. That’s pretty awesome.”

Canada’s Alena Sharp tied for 55th at 5-over 293 to earn $3,738 (U.S.).

OCALA, Fla. – Lydia Ko is one round from potentially making golf history.

The 17-year-old New Zealander birdied five consecutive holes and shot a 7-under 65 in the third round of the Coates Golf Championship on Friday to take the outright lead in the LPGA Tour’s season opener.

If she hangs on Saturday, she would become the youngest golfer – male or female – to be ranked No. 1 in the World Golf Rankings.

“I really haven’t thought about it,” Ko said. “Like I’ve always said, the rankings come after the results in each tournament. It would be great and it would be a huge honor to be in that position, but we’ve still got another long, 18 holes to go, and you never know what’s going to happen in those holes.”

Second-round leader Ha Na Jang was a stroke back at 13-under 203 after a 1-under 71 Friday. Fellow South Korean Na Yeon Choi shot a 6-under 66 and was two back at 12 under.

Stacy Lewis (70) was 10 under, one stroke ahead of Amy Yang (65), Jessica Korda (69) and Austin Ernst (70).

Michelle Wie and Cheyenne Woods both shot 73 in the third round and fell further back in the 77-player field at Golden Ocala Golf & Equestrian Club.

All of them are chasing Ko, who is chasing history as well as her sixth career LPGA victory.

“There are so many great players that are like one to four shots (back),” Ko said. “You just never know what’s going to happen. I’m just going to concentrate on my game, stay really positive and if somebody else shoots a much bigger score than I do, I can’t really do much about it. I’m just going to focus and hopefully I’ll be able to shoot a good score (Saturday).”

By mid-afternoon Friday, much of the focus had turned to Ko. She three-putted Nos. 10 and 11 to start the back nine, falling four strokes behind leader Jang. Ko slammed her putter into her bag and mumbled to herself, `OK, you’ve got to start working again.”

She outplayed everyone on the course from there, showing the poise of a tour veteran instead of the nerves of a teenager.

“She’s acting more mature than 17 years old, like at least 25,” said Choi, who played a practice round with Ko near Orlando last week. “She’s so mature. Sometimes, when we’re having dinner or lunch, she’s 17 years old. She likes to eat some chocolate or ice cream or that kind of stuff.

“But on the course or on the range, when she has a golf club, I think she totally changes,” Choi added.

It showed when she responded to those consecutive bogeys with a lengthy birdie run.

It started at the par-5 12th, one of eight tribute holes modeled after some of the most famous courses from around the world. It’s a replica of the third and final leg of Amen Corner at Augusta National.

She nearly reached the 12th green in two and then chipped it close. She followed that by hitting a hybrid from the 13th fairway to 3 feet and made the putt.

Ko sank a 20-footer for birdie on the 14th, drained an 8-footer on No. 15 and then notched her 11th one-putt of the round with a 6-footer at the 16th.

She had a chance to make it six in row at after hitting a 6-iron to 8 feet at 17, but her putt came up short. She babied another relatively short putt at 18.

“I just didn’t want to ram it by,” she said. “I was a little tentative there. I just have to stay in that concentrated mood, I guess.”

Ko can finish second or third Saturday and still supplant Inbee Park, who is tied for 17th at 3 under, as the world’s No. 1 player.

It would be the latest feat on Ko’s growing resume, which includes winning the inaugural Race to the CME Globe, which included a $1 million bonus last season, and becoming the youngest to win the tour’s rookie of the year award.

Now, she has a chance to really make a mark.

“It’s never over until you pull the glove out of your pocket and put it in your bag,” Ko said. “You’ve just got to concentrate until the last moment.”

 Canada’s Alena Sharp is tied for 55th after a third-round 78.

OCALA, Fla. – Ha Na Jang went from qualifier to leader in just a few days at the LPGA season opener.

And it surprised no one.

The 22-year-old South Korean, ranked 21st in the world, shot a 7-under 65 in the second round of the Coates Golf Championship on Thursday and opened up a four-shot lead over Stacy Lewis heading into the third round.

Jang has full status on the LPGA Tour. But because the opener isn’t a full-field event, she had to qualify last Saturday. Her extra time at Golden Golf & Ocala Equestrian Club certainly paid dividends. She made one bogey in two rounds, and responded to that miscue with birdies on two of the next three holes.

“I hope to play well these next two days so people get to know who I am,” Jang said through an interpreter.

The start of the second round was delayed 90 minutes because of frost, and the interruption prevented 50 players from completing 18 holes. They will return Friday morning to finish.

Jang might not want to wait to get back on the course. She sank a curl-in, 25-footer on her final hole in near-dark conditions to get to 12-under 132.

Although Jang is technically a rookie, she has plenty of experience. Her best LPGA finish was third in the 2014 Evian Championship last year. She also won six tournaments in five seasons on the KLPGA Tour and finished tied for 42nd at the Korean Women’s Open as a 12-year-old.

Lewis, one of three players to shoot 66 in the opening round, was 8 under heading into Friday’s third round.

“I just didn’t play quite as well today,” said Lewis, the first American since Betsy King in 1993 to sweep the Rolex player of the year award, the Vare Trophy and the money list title last season.

World No. 2 Lydia Ko and Azahara Munoz were five back at 7 under. So were Angela Stanford and Austin Ernst, but they had holes to finish.

“I was super rusty,” said Ko, who played with her left thumb taped. “For a moment, I didn’t even know if I would be able to play … I had zero feel. It’s kind of good that it’s back to normal. I tried to work hard in the three weeks I had to prepare for this.”

Much of the attention – the opener drew big crowds in horse country – was focused on players off the leaderboard.

Cheyenne Woods, the niece of Tiger Woods, likely made the cut. She birdied No. 18th to get to 4 over, which is expected to be safe. Woods is playing her first tournament with full-time status, although she got in on a sponsor’s exemption because she didn’t have enough priority to make the 120-player field.

“It’s definitely important for me to play well this week and get started off good,” Woods said.

Woods would be in much better shape if not for the par-4 13th, one of eight tribute holes at Golden Ocala. No. 13 resembles the 17th at St. Andrews, the Road Hole, and it’s gotten the best of Woods in two rounds. She’s 3 over on No. 13, including a double-bogey Thursday.

“That hole kicked my butt this week,” she said. “If I play it (Friday), I’m definitely going to get revenge on it.”

Paula Creamer had no trouble with the par-3 sixth, a replica of No. 16 at Augusta National. Using a 5-iron from 162 yards, Creamer notched her second ace in tour play.

It didn’t come with any bonus gifts, though.

“I made my hole-in-one at Augusta,” she said. “I go, `Where’s my car?’ But I guess having a hole-in-one at Augusta is better than a car. … That’s why you play. You play for that perfect moment.”

Reigning U.S. Women’s Open champion Michelle Wie rebounded from even par in the first round with a 2-under 70 on Thursday.

“A lot of stupid mistakes,” Wie said. “But at the same time, you know, I just felt like it’s kind of good to get it out of the way. You make the mistakes and `OK, I’m not going to do that next time.’ … Just stupid errors here and there, but I’m excited for the weekend.”

Wie is a stroke back of Canada’s Alena Sharp. The Hamilton, Ont. native carded a 69 today and sits tied for 14th at 3-under.

OCALA, Fla. – Jessica Korda pulled a hand warmer out of each jacket pocket, showing just how cold she was during the opening round of the LPGA opener.

Her scoreboard told a much different story.

The 21-year-old American shot a 6-under 66 in the opening round of the Coates Golf Championship on Wednesday and was in a three-way tie with fellow American Stacy Lewis and Azahara Munoz of Spain. All three teed off in windy conditions and finished in chilly temperatures just before dark.

“I can’t feel my fingers right now,” Korda said.

She might be in for more of the same Thursday morning, with temperatures expected to be the mid- to late-30s for the early tee times.

Twenty players failed to complete the opening round at Golden Ocala Golf & Equestrian Club, which boasts eight tribute holes from famed courses around the world. They will finish up beginning at 7:30 a.m. Thursday, just before Korda, Lewis and Munoz tee off in the second round.

Only 26 of 120 players were under par when play was halted.

American Austin Ernst and Ha Na Jang of South Korea finished at 5 under, one stroke ahead of New Zealand’s Lydia Ko and South Korea’s Na Yeon Choi. Nineteen-year-old American Lexi Thompson and Mi Jung Hur of South Korea were 3 under.

Top-ranked Inbee Park was 1 under, one shot ahead of reigning U.S. Women’s Open champion Michelle Wie. Cheyenne Woods, the niece of Tiger Woods, was 4 over through 17 holes.

Ernst was maybe the most surprising name on the leaderboard. She hit 16 of 18 greens in regulation and made just about every putt inside of 10 feet.

“I’ve had rounds in the past where you’ve hit it close and then you can’t get anything to go in,” Ernst said. “But today everything was going in so I was really confident with everything.”

Korda, Lewis and Munoz were feeling it, too.

Korda straightened out an errant driver on the front nine and birdied six of her final 13 holes. Considering she’s won two of the last three LPGA season openers – in Australia in 2012 and in the Bahamas last year – starting fast is nothing new.

“I just feel like I’m refreshed and ready to go,” she said. “I try and bring the mentality with me all the time, every time I try to play, but for some reason it just shines brighter the first event of the season. Honestly, I don’t know what it is about it. I’m just happy to be back. It’s so much fun. It’s like the first day of school; you’re always happy to be back the first week of school.”

Lewis birdied five of her final six holes, the last coming on an uphill, 6-footer just after the horn blew.

“I stayed patient out there,” Lewis said. “Finally, on the back nine, I got more comfortable with being back playing again and just started hitting golf shots. It was a good day. I almost wish we didn’t have darkness and I could keep going since I finally got into a rhythm there. “

Munoz was solid throughout, hitting 17 of 18 greens in regulation, and closed with consecutive birdies to make it a three-way tie at the top. The only green she missed was at the par-4 13th, her approach shot coming up just a few feet short and rolling off the front.

“I gave myself a lot of opportunities and I made them, too,” she said. “If I didn’t hit a really good shot, I made a couple nice 5-, 6-footers for par, so that was nice.”

Canada’s Alena Sharp, the lone Canadian in the field, opened with an even-par 72.