KILDEER, Ill.– Canada’s Brooke Henderson shares the lead at the end of the second round at the LPGA Championship.

The 20-year-old from Smiths Falls, Ont., carded a 1-under 71 in the second round to move to 6 under for the tournament, tied with Koreans So Yeon Ryu and Sung Hyun Park toward the end of the morning wave.

Henderson was one off the pace after the first round of the LPGA Tour’s third major of the year, but vaulted into a tie for top spot with a birdie on No. 18 on Friday.

A six-time winner on the LPGA Tour, Henderson has finished in the top five at this event the past three years, including a victory in 2016.

Henderson was a bit uneven with four birdies and four bogeys over her first 17 holes but buried a 12-foot uphill birdie putt on 18 to sneak into a three-way tie for the lead. Henderson will go for her seventh career win this weekend.

“It was kind of up and down all day so to finish off with a really nice birdie putt on 18 gives me a lot of confidence into tomorrow,” said Henderson. “I love it (the new putter). I feel like you can see the line really well on the course.”

#OhCanada! No better way to kick off the long weekend celebrating #Canada than by having @BrookeHenderson fight hard to tie for first after two rounds of the @KPMGWomensPGA ??☝? pic.twitter.com/7KkcUQXfRF

— Golf Canada (@TheGolfCanada) June 30, 2018

Maude-Aimee Leblanc of Sherbrooke, Que., was the second lowest Canadian at 1 over. Brittany Marchand of Orangeville, Ont., (76) and Hamilton’s Alena Sharp (78) are both at 3 over while Quebec City’s Anne-Catherine Tanguay (74) is at 6 over.

GRAND RAPIDS, Michigan — Alena Sharp was the top Canadian at 11 under after a round three 66 at the Meijer LPGA Classic at Blythfield Country Club. The Hamilton, Ont., native will head into the final round tied for thirteenth.

Fellow Canadian Brooke Henderson of Smiths Falls, Ont., (68) was at 9 under, two shots ahead of Calgary amateur Jaclyn Lee (72) while Quebec City’s Anne-Catharine Tanguay (69) was 5 under.

? for #TeamCanada Olympians @AlenaSharp and @BrookeHenderson, who ↗️ out of a tie for 32nd to sit T13 and T20, respectively, at the @MeijerLPGA. Also making the cut to the final round are @JaclynLee57 (-7) & @ACTanguay (-5) ????

Leaderboard: https://t.co/ia3EZDSmjW pic.twitter.com/WYzZJy91uD

— CP Women’s Open (@cpwomensopen) June 16, 2018

Anna Nordqvist and Lee-Anne Pace each shot 8-under 64 on Saturday to share the third-round lead in the Meijer LPGA Classic.

Nordqvist and Pace each birdied four of the first five holes and two of the last three _ each making 20-footers on the par-4 18th _ in their bogey-free rounds at Blythefield. They were at 18-under 198.

Nordqvist, from Sweden, has eight LPGA Tour victories, winning the Founders Cup and The Evian Championship last year. Pace, from South Africa, won the 2014 Blue Bay LPGA in China for her lone tour title.

Second-round leader So Yeon Ryu was third at 16 under after a 69. Angela Stanford (66) and Caroline Masson (68) were another stroke back.

OTTAWA, Ont. — Bob Moir is remembered as a grandfather who was fiercely proud of his granddaughters, Brooke and Brittany Henderson, and their accomplishments in the world of golf.

Moir, who was 81, passed away Friday after a brief battle with cancer. Brooke withdrew from the U.S. Women’s Open after an opening round 73 at Shoal Creek on Thursday and returned home with Brittany and their father, Dave, who is also Brooke’s coach. Moir was father to Brooke and Brittany’s mother, Darlene.

“He was truly blessed and proud of his granddaughters Brittany and Brooke Henderson, who brought so much joy to his life,” it said in his obituary, which can be read here: https://lannin.ca/tribute/details/996/Robert-Moir/obituary.html.

Brooke tweeted on Monday afternoon: “I am so grateful for all the time we shared together. The great laughs, smiles and memories will be deep in my heart forever. Love you Gramps.” https://twitter.com/BrookeHenderson/status/1003719057437265923

Brooke and Brittany also composed a message which was included in their grandfather’s obituary:

“The bond that we shared with our Gramps was truly special. Between the golf courses, hockey rinks, our love of nature, just hanging out at home or our texts from afar, we shared so many great laughs, smiles and memories that will be deep in our hearts forever.

“We will miss him very much as he will also be missed by so many friends and family. Peace and happiness is found knowing he is welcomed Home by Our Father through the gates of heaven where Uncle Kenny will greet him with a big hug. You are forever loved.”

Kenneth Moir was Brooke and Brittany’s uncle, who passed away in 2009.

Brooke Henderson has played more on the LPGA Tour than anyone else the last two years, so it was interesting to see her skip a tournament in the middle of the season last week.

But with the U.S. Women’s Open starting Thursday at Shoal Creek Golf and Country Club in Birmingham, Ala., the young Canadian wanted to get as prepared as she could be for what is usually the toughest test on tour.

“The majors bring that little bit extra,” said the native of Smiths Falls, Ont., who took a pass on the Volvik Championship in Ann Arbor, Mich.

“It’s a completely different atmosphere and it’s the greatest feeling in the world to know you’re competing and have a chance to win a major. Having won one in 2016 was the coolest thing ever, so I’m just really excited for when I can hold another major trophy.”

The lone major triumph for Henderson, 20, was the 2016 KPMG Women’s PGA Championship, when she toppled then No. 1-ranked Lydia Ko in a playoff. She has won six times on the LPGA Tour, including once this year at the Lotte Championship in April.

Henderson returned to her home in Naples, Fla. last week in order to get used to the different kind of grass she’ll play on this week, along with the sticky early-June heat.

In 2013, when Henderson was just 15, she qualified for the U.S. Women’s Open, and went on to make the cut, her first on the LPGA Tour. Her best result is a tie for fifth, which came in 2015.

“The U.S. Women’s Open has always been special to me,” said Henderson. “Some tournaments just mean a little bit more to you and you feel a little more confident and that’s what I feel at the U.S. Women’s Open.”

Shoal Creek is no stranger to hosting big events, including the 1984 and 1990 PGA Championships. But Shannon Rouillard, the U.S. Women’s Open championship director, says the setup for this week’s championship will be unique.

She says the United States Golf Association has intentionally narrowed some fairways and also added some closely mowed areas around the greens to force players to think about the shot they’re going to play versus just chopping out of thick rough.

Rouillard, who also runs the U.S. women’s amateur championship, remembers watching Henderson as a 14-year-old, and says she is a tremendous player. However, she’ll still need to bring her A-game this week.

“She hits the ball a long way, she’s a good putter ? but she’s still going to have to make the shots, think her way around the course, and manage her game accordingly,” Rouillard said.

Henderson has been solid from tee to green this year, sitting in the top 10 in a handful of key statistical categories. However, she is 73rd in putting average, and has used four different putters this year.

Henderson says she has returned to an older putter that she used for her first LPGA Tour win in 2015, and had that putter in her bag two weeks ago en route to a tie for fourth at the Kingsmill Championship, her fifth top-10 finish of the year.

Her biggest strength is with the driver, and according to Tom Lehman, the former No. 1-ranked golfer in the world who won back-to-back Regions Traditions titles on PGA Tour Champions in 2011-12 at Shoal Creek, that will be a key for success this week.

“If you had to get right down to brass tax, like what is absolutely necessary, you have to drive the ball well. It’s a great driver’s golf course. It’s a sensational course for those who drive the ball well,” Lehman said. “The longer you can hit it, the straighter you can hit it, the bigger advantage you have.”

Henderson never has played Shoal Creek and admits there is a lot of pressure to “learn one of the toughest courses in America.”

But she’s excited for the opportunity to play for one of golf’s biggest titles.

“I do feel that the major championships do fit my game a little bit, because the courses are longer, I tend to play better on tougher courses generally which is always a good thing,” Henderson said. “As long as I’m feeling healthy and not tired, I feel like mentally I can out-grind a lot of the players out there, which is always a really great thing.”

WILLIAMSBURG, Va. – Brooke Henderson made a late run at the Kingsmill Championship on Sunday, missing out on a three-person playoff by one stroke . The Smiths Falls, Ont., native finished the rain-shortened event at 13 under par to collect a fourth place finish.

“I just had a lot of great energy today. I started off with three birdies right off the start. Felt like I could really go low today, which is a great feeling,” said Henderson. “I came up a little bit short this week, but just to be in the hunt again and to feel that kind of adrenaline and to see my name at the top of leaderboard, it’s always a lot of fun.”

Henderson made it interesting down the stretch with three consecutive birdies in her last four holes, making a charge at the leaders.

“Yeah, it was pretty awesome. I just felt like — I was in the groove, and I felt like I could make birdies and I could make a charge, so I’m really happy I was able to do that,” added Henderson.

Highlights from @BrookeHenderson’s final-round 65 at the @KingsmillLPGA ??? pic.twitter.com/4kSBOW7M1n

— Golf Canada (@TheGolfCanada) May 21, 2018

Ariya Jutanugarn arrived at Kingsmill Championship with no expectations, and it was a strategy that paid off handsomely.

The 22-year-old Thai star birdied the second hole of a playoff Sunday to win the LPGA Tour event for the second time in three years.

“I’m going to say I didn’t expect anything this week because I think I have been playing … very good like the last few tournaments and I’m still not winning the tournaments,” she said. “So show up this week, I just tell myself I’m not going to expect anything. I’m going to really focus on the things under my control and make sure I’m going to have good commitment every shot.”

“When I’m thinking about winning, I never win,” Jutanugarn said. She became the 12th winner in as many events on the tour this season.

Jutanugarn closed with a 5-under 66 to match Nasa Hataoka (67) and In Gee Chun (68) at 14-under 199.

Jutanugarn and Hataoka both birdied the first extra hole, with Chun dropping out. The 19-year-old Hataoka putted first on the second extra hole and missed badly from just off the back of the 18th green before Jutanugarn rolled in a 15-footer for her eighth career victory.

“I couldn’t believe I played in a playoff in such an early stage in my career,” Hataoka said. “I’m just going to try to keep going for the rest of the year.”

Jutanugarn’s older sister, Moriya, won the HUGEL-JTBC Championship in Los Angeles in April for her first LPGA Tour victory

Jutanugarn started the day two shots behind Chun and used a stretch of five birdies in six holes to build a two-shot lead before making bogey at the par-5 15th,, one of the easiest holes on the course.

“After that I got a little bit mad, but my caddie just told me … we can’t go back and change anything,” she said. “All we can do is just what we have now. Try to hit a good shot.”

Hataoka, playing with Chun in the final threesome, birdied No. 15 to join Jutanugarn at 14 under, and Chun made a long birdie putt on the par-3 17th to also get to 14 under.

It was the eighth top 10 finish of the season for Jutanugarn, the only player on the women’s tour to have made the cut in every event she’s played.

It was the fourth playoff in the history of the tournament.

The tournament was cut from 72 holes to 54 when rain washed out play Saturday.

Megan Khang was fifth after her third straight 67.

Brittany Marchand of Orangeville, Ont., finished at 3 under, while Maude-Aimee Leblanc of Sherbrooke, Que., was at 1 over.

.@BrookeHenderson on her 4th place finish at the @KingsmillLPGA ???? pic.twitter.com/M0oUeV0w3p

— CP Women’s Open (@cpwomensopen) May 21, 2018

Brooke Henderson is just three wins away from becoming the most decorated Canadian professional golfer of all time – and she’s only 20 years old.

After her sixth career LPGA Tour victory Sunday at the Lotte Championship in Hawaii, the native of Smiths Falls, Ont., is on track to eclipse the Canadian-high mark of eight wins, held jointly by Sandra Post, Mike Weir, and George Knudson.

“It’s actually amazing, when I think about it, that I’m this close already,” said Henderson from Los Angeles, where she is competing this week. “I’d love to get a couple more wins this season and go from there.”

Post, who was 31 when she notched her sixth victory, said Henderson has adapted well to the lifestyle of the LPGA Tour. Henderson’s early success hasn’t shocked the Canadian Golf Hall of Famer.

“I’m really not that surprised,” Post said by phone. “She’s always had a tremendous amount of talent and she loves to compete.”

Henderson is in just her third season as a pro, but said it’s becoming increasingly difficult to win on the LPGA Tour. There have been no two-time LPGA winners yet this season, while on the PGA Tour three golfers have already won twice.

“I feel like every week coming down the stretch on Sunday there are six people within a shot of the lead,” she said. “Last week was a little different, which was nice for me, but every other week I feel like anybody can win.”

Henderson dedicated her win to the community of Humboldt, Sask., and will be playing with the Humboldt Broncos in her thoughts through the rest of the season after a deadly crash involving the hockey team’s bus led to 16 deaths and 13 injuries.

Smiths Falls is approximately the same size as Humboldt, and she said she has a unique connection to a small town that supports its hockey team.

“Hockey is so important to almost every Canadian, I would say, and definitely Smiths Falls is a hockey town,” she said. “I think it gave me that little extra motivation and extra mental strength to keep pushing and try to get that win not only for me but for them as well.”

Although Henderson has four top-10 finishes this year, she sits 13th in the world rankings.

She admitted she is a bit of a victim of how many events she plays, as standings in the world rankings are determined by dividing total points earned by the amount of events a golfer plays. But is eager to get into the LPGA’s elite group.

She said getting into the top 10 of the world rankings along with getting into the top six of the season-long Race to the CME Globe are her two goals for the near future.

Post said Henderson will likely focus her attention on trying to win majors, as she’s already proven she can compete week in and week out on the LPGA Tour. The big events will have special meaning for her moving forward.

“There will be certain tournaments, like the CP Women’s Open, that she’ll aim at a little bit more,” Post said. “The big thing is to keep her enthusiasm and keep that fire lit as long as she can, and stay healthy.”

After this week in Los Angeles, Henderson will play the next two weeks, in San Francisco and Dallas, before the LPGA Tour has a week off where she will return to Smiths Falls and participate in a charity event in Ottawa.

Henderson said she would likely take the week off prior to the U.S. Women’s Open, the next major on the LPGA Tour schedule, to prepare.

She’ll play at her home course in Florida to get used to the warmer temperature and the different grass she’ll have to play on at the host course, Shoal Creek Golf Club in Birmingham, Ala.

“Hopefully I can win again soon,” Henderson said. “With the amount of talent out here, and the amount of players that don’t get a lot of credit, it’s going to be a tough challenge. But I’m ready for it.”

Coming off her four-stroke victory at the Lotte Championship, Canada’s Brooke Henderson shares a laugh with the LPGA Tour’s Amy Rogers in the Emoji Challenge.

KAPOLEI, Hawaii – For the final two days of the Lotte Championship, it was pretty clear that the only player who could beat Brooke Henderson was Brooke Henderson.

She wasn’t about to let it happen Saturday at windy Ko Olina Golf Club, where she won by four shots. The Smiths Falls, Ont., native was too talented, and she had some very important people to play for, dedicating her victory to the people involved in the Humboldt Broncos junior hockey team bus crash in Saskatchewan.

“It’s extremely sad, a terrible tragedy what happened up there,” Henderson said. “I know it kind of affected my whole country. Everybody really took it kind of personally.

“For all the survivors that are still fighting through it and all the ones that have passed away, I want to show them that we’re here for them and we’re supporting them. They’re always going to be in our thoughts and prayers.”

Canadian golfers and their caddies were wearing green and gold ribbons at the tournament this week to honour the victims of the April 6 crash. Twenty-nine people were on the team bus when it collided with a semi-truck en route to a playoff game in Nipawin, Sask. Sixteen of them have died and 13 were injured.

A champion in every way ??

Post-round interview with @BrookeHenderson: pic.twitter.com/TOL15gY5og

— Golf Canada (@TheGolfCanada) April 15, 2018

Hamilton’s Alena Sharp, who finished in a tie for 44th place at 4 over, had posted a picture on Twitter of one of the ribbons pinned to the side of her hat on Tuesday.

Henderson, who won’t be 21 until September, won her sixth LPGA Tour title, leaving her just two short of Sandra Post for most wins by a Canadian player.

She collected $300,000, giving her nearly $500,000 this year and $4 million in her three-year career. Her final-round 3-under 69 left her at 12 under, four ahead of Azahara Munoz, whose 67 was the low round on a very difficult scoring day. With the win, Henderson jumps to No. 2 on the Race to the CME Globe.

It was Munoz’s best finish in more than four years. Henderson and sixth-ranked Ariya Jutanugarn (69) were the only other golfers to break 70 on a day that featured rain squalls and winds gusting to 30 mph.

“Crazy windy again” said Henderson, who was third in greens in regulation (52 of 72) and sixth in driving distance (288.8) for the week. “Just being able to adjust to it, kind of stay poised in it. Things aren’t going to always go perfectly, but I felt like my ball striking was probably the best it’s ever been.”

6 wins on the @lpga_tour ????

A post shared by Golf Canada (@thegolfcanada) on Apr 14, 2018 at 8:32pm PDT

Jutanugarn tied for third, five back, with top-ranked Shanshan Feng (71) and third-ranked Inbee Park (72), who bogeyed the last two holes.

Henderson came into the week ranked 14th and in a comfort zone. She has never finished worse than 11th at Ko Olina.

At the halfway point, she was 10 under, bogey-free and two shots ahead. That stretched to five at the turn Friday, before putting problems brought the field back into it.

Henderson led by just one heading into the final day. She played the first 11 holes Saturday in 2 under to carve out a three-shot advantage, then faltered again. Her only bogey came on the 12th and she missed a short birdie putt at the next hole.

This time she recovered quickly, hitting driver-driver within 20 yards of the 14th green, then sinking a short birdie putt. She drained a 10-footer for another birdie one the 16th, where she four-putted Friday.

“Mentally I was in a great spot this week,” Henderson said. “I missed a couple putts, which you could argue that mentally I wasn’t there because of a couple mishits, but I think to recover from that and kind of put it in the past and then go out and make some more birdies. And, being the leader since early Thursday, that does add a little of pressure.”

Munoz and Jutanugarn put together the only serious charges of the final round. Both came up a few holes short.

Munoz, who has struggled with illness injury the past few years, climbed 13 places the final day. She was two shots back after her fifth birdie of the day, at the 14th, but parred in.

Jutanugarn, from Thailand, secured her fifth Top 10 this year but couldn’t get the eighth victory of her career. At the turn, the 2016 Player of the Year was 3 under and three back. She parred her final 11 holes.

Hawaii’s Michelle Wie tied for 11th after shooting 71.

Alena Sharp of Hamilton, Ont., finished at 4 over par in a tie for 44th. Fellow Canadians Brittany Marchand (Orangeville, Ont.) and Maude-Aimée LeBlanc (Sherbrooke, Que.) closed with shares of 50th.

KAPOLEI, Hawaii – Canadian Brooke Henderson kept giving herself chances to run away from the field Friday at the Lotte Championship.

Instead, she had to be satisfied with barely hanging onto the lead.

After two nearly flawless, bogey-free days at windy Ko Olina Golf Club, the 20-year-old from Smiths Falls, Ont., looked all too human in a frustrating third round that saw the wind switch directions.

Then again, so did nearly every other player.

Henderson will take a one-stroke advantage over 2014 Women’s British Open champ Mo Martin, whose eagle on the 13th kept her at even-par for the day, into the final round.

The leader was 3 over on the final three holes, four-putting the 16th for double-bogey. Henderson, who has already won five times on the LPGA Tour, finished with a 1-over 73 left her at 9 under.

She led by five early on the back nine, but 35 putts – she needed just 50 the first two days combined – had her trying to focus on the fact she still led at all.

“I’ve been kind of struggling with my putting all year,” Henderson acknowledged. “The first few rounds I had it going and I felt confident with it; then on the back nine I just kept missing. I just felt like that every single putt and kind of got a little bit down. That’s always a terrible way to be, especially when you’re still leading the tournament.”

Highlights from round 3 @LPGALOTTE ?@BrookeHenderson carries a 1-stroke lead into the final round ???? pic.twitter.com/7z6eGVT37N

— Golf Canada (@TheGolfCanada) April 14, 2018

“I would’ve liked it to be a lot more, but one shot is good. I know there are still a ton of really talented players really close behind me, so I’ll have to go out and make a lot of birdies and hopefully it’s my day,” added Henderson.

Japan’s Nasa Hataoka, who is a year younger than Henderson, had a 68 to climb into a tie for third with third-ranked Inbee Park, two shots back.

Hataoka won the 2016 Japan Women’s Open Championship, becoming the first amateur – and youngest – to win a Japan LPGA major. Friday, she was one of the few to go low at Ko Olina, putting for eagle three times.

“The wind was totally the opposite. It was really confusing,” said Park, who shot 71. “Some holes I was going into the wind I couldn’t really judge the distances. I don’t think I ever played this wind before on this course in five, six years.”

Even top-ranked Shanshan Feng struggled. Her 74 was only her second over-par round of the year. She shares fifth with Lizette Salas, three back of Henderson. Salas, who lost a playoff at Lotte in 2013, shot 70 despite breaking her driver on the second hole.

She called it a “big oops” on Friday the 13th.

“I got a little frustrated for missing a short putt, and then I tossed, quote/unquote, my putter at my bag,” Salas said. “I guess the head landed on the shaft and when I took it out at the next hole, it went (bending noise).”

Daniela Iacobelli and Pernilla Lindberg, fresh off a major victory at the ANA Inspiration, share seventh at 5 under. Qualifier Julieta Granada and second-year player Peiyun Chien, from Taiwan, shot 67 – low round of the day – to join a group of six another shot back.

Jeongeun Lee, a Korean LPGA player here on a sponsor exemption, also shot 67 and is at 4 under. That’s one ahead of Hawaii’s Michelle Wie, whose 69 moved her up 13 spots, to 18th.

After Friday’s frantic finish, who knows how many are in contention Saturday?

“I would’ve liked it (her lead) to be a lot more, but one shot is good,” Henderson said. “I know there are still a ton of really talented players really close behind me, so I’ll have to go out and make a lot of birdies and hopefully it’s my day.”

Brittany Marchand of Orangeville, Ont., was 2 over after a 74, Hamilton’s Alena Sharp (73) was 4 over and Maude-Aimee Leblanc (76) of Sherbrooke, Que., was 5 over.

KAPOLEI, Hawaii – Canada’s Brooke Henderson remained bogey-free Thursday to take the second-round lead in the Lotte Championship.

Henderson, the 20-year-old from Smiths Falls, Ont., ranked 14th in the world, birdied four of her first six holes to surge into the lead in relatively calm morning conditions. She finished with a 6-under 66 at Ko Olina Golf Club – the day’s low round – to get to 10 under.

No one could catch the five-time LPGA Tour winner as the wind gusted to 20 mph later in the day.

“I think going birdie-birdie to start allowed me to be kind of more aggressive, knowing that I already made up two shots, which is good,” Henderson said. “On my back nine I started to not be as aggressive, kind of laid back a little bit. I kind of got into more trouble, so I went back to my aggressive ways.”

Catching up with 36-hole @LPGALOTTE leader @BrookeHenderson ???? pic.twitter.com/aSI4ifLdLa

— Golf Canada (@TheGolfCanada) April 13, 2018

“I feel like I’m in a great spot obviously at the top,” said Henderson, who has held the 36-hole lead during four of her five career LPGA wins, including at the 2016 KPMG Women’s PGA Championship. “I feel like I’m hitting the ball really well and I can depend on my putting right now, which is a big key for me when I’m playing well.”

Highlights from @BrookeHenderson’s bogey-free, 6-under 66 ? pic.twitter.com/Ps30Ykm9nA

— Golf Canada (@TheGolfCanada) April 13, 2018

Top-ranked Shanshan Feng, the first-round leader, was two strokes back with Mo Martin after a bogey-free 69. Martin, the 2014 Women’s British Open, had a 67.

Pernilla Lindberg and Inbee Park were together again on the leaderboard at 6 under, two weeks after Lindberg beat Park on the eighth extra hole in the major ANA Inspiration. Lindberg shot 68 and Park had a 69. Lindy Duncan also was 6 under after a 68.

Hawaii’s Michelle Wie, who has risen 100 spots to No. 13 since last March, made her 16th straight cut. She was 1 over after a 73. Defending champion Cristie Kerr also shot 73 and was another shot back.

Brittany Marchand of Orangeville, Ont., carded steady rounds of 72 in her first LPGA event of 2018 – the Team Canada Young Pro Squad member sits tied for 24th at even par.

Maude-Aimee Leblanc of Sherbrooke, Que., shot 72 and Hamilton’s Alena Sharp struggled with a 78 to make the cut on the mark at 3 over par.

The $2 million LPGA Tour event ends Saturday.