ALBANY, N.Y. – Breanna Elliott (Yarrawonga, Australia) played a practice round two weeks ago at the U.S. Women’s Open with the likes of Michelle Wie, Stacy Lewis and Karrie Webb. The appearance at the Open rejuvenated her as she carded a 6-under 65 to share the lead with Volvik Race for the Card No. 9 Augusta James (Bath, Ontario) at the Fuccillo Kia Championship at Capital Hills after day one.

It was a scoreable day as 41 players finished under-par and 62 are at even-par or lower.

Elliott made seven birdies including one on her first hole, the par-5 tenth. She also posted four birdies on a six hole stretch to open her back nine.

“I think off the tee I was really strong, I hit the lines I picked out in my practice rounds and I was quite long today,” said Elliott, who hit 10 of 13 fairways and birdied three of four par-5 holes. “For a good number of the holes, I only had a 9-iron in and that made things so much more comfortable.”

Elliott, who had her best finish of the year last week at the Toyota Danielle Downey Classic (T24), said she felt no stress on the course on Friday.

“The weather was brilliant and I didn’t feel any stress, I felt happy on the golf course,” said Elliott, who ranks 78th on the Volvik Race for the Card money list. “The putter was really working, I got the pace of the greens early on and had good rhythm.”

Elliott qualified and played in the U.S. Women’s Open two weeks ago and said that she felt refreshed and excited for golf again after competing against the best in the world.

“I played the U.S Women’s Open and that really motivated me and I had some really awesome practice partners,” said Elliott. “When you play in a massive championship like that, you can’t help but enjoy golf. I had my coach there, I had my mom and dad and it just felt like a special week and it is showing in my golf now that I am in a good place.”

So, what was it like playing with Wie and Lewis and Webb and recent World Golf Hall of Fame inductee Laura Davies?

“If you were going to choose practice partners before the tournament, those would be the names,” said 23-year-old Elliott. “I got really lucky and they were all nice girls.”

Just before the Open, Elliott did something else. She died her hair green.

“I was feeling restless and I wanted to do something different,” said Elliott. “I played with it at the Open and it stood out, there aren’t many girls out there or here with green hair.”

James, who was born on the first round of The Masters in 1993, made seven birdies in her first 15 holes of the day. Her lone hiccup was on the par-4 17th hole.

“I was hitting the ball really well today and hitting it very close and that made things a lot easier,” said James, who won the Chico’s Patty Berg Memorial earlier this year. “This round sets me up for the weekend well.”

James, who played with fellow Canadian National team member Brooke Henderson, had a nice gallery of family and friends all afternoon.

“I think Canadian women out here this year have been proving themselves with some Canadian wins and a lot of top 10’s,” said James. “Golf in Canada is progressing very well and it is nice to have that camaraderie out here.”

The 22-year-old grew up playing with Henderson and used to room with her on the road. When asked if Brooke has a bright future ahead of her, James did not hesitate.

“Brooke is playing very well and I think it is clear that she has a bright future.”

After James was done with the media, Brooke addressed James and the state of Canadian women’s golf.

“Gus (Augusta) is a great girl and a great player so we had fun out there today,” said Henderson. “Golf in Canada is growing and getting a lot stronger. As you can see, every week on the Symetra Tour there is a player from Canada near or at the top. On the LPGA, we haven’t really dominated yet, but I think it is coming.”

BURLINGTON, Ont. — Canadian golf superstar Brooke Henderson successfully defended her PGA Women’s Championship of Canada title Wednesday at the Burlington Golf and Country Club.

The 17-year-old’s two-day total of 8-under-par was two shots better than American Doris Chen and Team Canada member Elizabeth Tong.

“Last year when I won it was really special because I was still an amateur, but this year I wanted to win again and host the trophy as a professional,” Henderson said.

The Smiths Falls, Ont., native started the day T2 three shots back of the first round leader Tong, but climbed the leaderboard after a trio of birdies early in her round.

“The front nine was really good because I was making a bunch of birdies,” she said about her outward nine of 3-under-par 32, which vaulted her to the top of the leaderboard into a tie with Tong. “But then on the 13th Elizabeth made birdie and I made bogey, so I was saying to myself ‘uh oh, now it’s really time to get going.’”

Henderson converted birdie on No. 16 before watching Tong make bogey and Chen double-bogey on the 17th.

The win is Henderson’s second of the summer, with her first coming in June at the Four Winds Invitational on the Symetra Tour. Currently ranked No. 32 in the world, Henderson recently finished T5 at the U.S. Women’s Open at the Lancaster Country Club. Henderson also finished T5 at the Women’s PGA Championship—the second of the LPGA Tour’s five majors—in June.

“Everyday I’m trying to become a better person and a better golfer,” Henderson said about her development as both a professional golfer and as a person. “I think it’s really important to be a nice person, do what’s right and help others when you can. My family has really played a huge role in instilling that in me since I was a little girl.”

Kelowna, B.C.’s, Samantha Richdale finished fourth at 5-under-par, while Natalie Gleadall of Stratford, Ont., and, Americans Sydney Cox and Lauren Mielbrecht rounded out the top five.

Jennifer Jaszek of South Muskoka Curling and Golf Club took home low PGA of Canada professional honours.

The PGA Women’s Championship of Canada counted as the third and final stop on the Canadian Women’s Tour, with points awarded toward the Jocelyne Bourassa Player of the Year at the conclusion of the championship.

Similar to past years, the champion of each Canadian Women’s Tour stop and the PGA Women’s Championship of Canada will receive an exemption into the 2015 Canadian Pacific Women’s Open to be held Aug. 17-23, 2015 at the Vancouver Golf Club in Vancouver. As well, two (2) additional exemptions were awarded to the top competitors, not otherwise exempt into the Canadian Pacific Women’s Open from the 2014 Canadian Women’s Tour Order of Merit.

As well, the top five (previously the top 3) players on the Canadian Women’s Tour season-ending Order of Merit will be awarded direct entry into LPGA Stage-2 Qualifying.

Henderson captured the Jocelyne Bourassa Player of the Year award, with Mielbrecht and Suel-Ki Park earning exemptions into the CP Women’s Open.

For complete results, CLICK HERE.

The next PGA of Canada national championship takes place Aug. 12-14 at Credit Valley Golf and Country Club in Mississauga, Ont., for the Mr. Lube PGA Seniors’ Championship of Canada presented by Adams Golf.

ROCHESTER, N.Y. – In just her fourth event as a professional golfer, Annie Park (Levittown, N.Y.) gutted out her first victory by the narrowest of margins in the final round of the Toyota Danielle Downey Classic at Brook-Lea Country Club on Sunday. She posted a 4-under 68 and survived a late rally from 2011 Solheim Cup member Vicky Hurst (Melbourne, Fla.) to win at 16-under 272, one stroke ahead of Hurst.

“I’m speechless, this is my first professional win and it has been happening all so fast,” said 20-year-old Park. “For me to win this tournament is crazy right now.”

Park becomes the second native New Yorker to win in the storied history of Rochester professional golf. Dottie Pepper (Saratoga) won the 1996 Rochester Invitational.

The former NCAA national champion (2013) was challenged early and late by Hurst, who made birdie on the second hole to cut the deficit to two shots. Composed beyond her years and experience, Park responded with birdies on the third, fourth and sixth holes to get to 15-under and a four shot lead.

At the turn, Park held a four shot lead. Hurst made up ground with an eagle on the 10th hole. Park made bogey on the 13th and all of a sudden the lead was back down to two shots. On the 15th hole, Hurst rolled in a birdie to cut the deficit to one shot. Park misjudged the wind on 17 and 18 and had to make two very difficult up-and-down pars to hold off Hurst.

“I knew Vicky is a phenomenal player and I knew she was going to play great today, she was putting so well,” said Park. “I miscalculated yardages on 16, 17 and 18, but for me to make that 7-foot par putt on 17 was shocking to me. I was like ‘yes, I made it’.”

With a one shot lead, Park left her tee shot on the par-3 18th hole short and it rolled down the classic Donald Ross designed front slope. She chipped up to a foot and tapped in for par. Hurst missed a 15-foot putt that would have forced a playoff.

“I don’t know how I converted that chip shot,” said Park with a wide smile. “I thought Vicky was going to make the putt so I was ready for a playoff, but I am just speechless.”

Park said that this round was one of the best of her life considering all the circumstances.

“Every shot was some of the shots of my life,” said the former USC Trojans golfer. “If I had to pick one shot, it was the par putt on 17, that was so nerve-racking.”

The first place payout vaults Park from 93rd on the Volvik Race for the Card money list to 17th with nine events remaining in the season.

Park is the third rookie to win on the Symetra Tour this season (Augusta James – Chico’s Patty Berg Memorial and Haruka Morita-WanyaoLu – Symetra Classic). Park is now third amongst rookies in earnings behind Morita-WanyaoLu and James, who are both inside the top 10.

Nancy Lopez, who was the honorary host of the event, addressed the packed crowd on the 18th green during the trophy ceremony. When Park spoke, she said that she wrote an autobiography on Lopez during her sophomore year of high school.

“Growing up, I looked up to Annika Sorenstam and Nancy Lopez,” said Park. “I did a lot of research on her and it was great to be able to meet her in person today.”

Hurst’s second place finish skyrockets her from 127th on the Volvik Race for the Card money list to 30th. Maude-Aimee Leblanc turned in a 4-under 68 on Sunday to finish in a tie for third at 8-under 280. She moves from 13th to eighth on the money list.

BROOKE HENDERSON TIES ROUND OF TOURNAMENT: Brooke Henderson (Smiths Falls, Ontario) wasn’t thrilled with her first three rounds of the Toyota Danielle Downey Classic. She admitted making mistakes she doesn’t normally. On Sunday, she posted a 6-under 66 to tie the low round of the tournament and finish in a tie for seventh at 7-under 281.

“It was a lot fun today, it wasn’t anything special until the back nine when I made some birdies late and I had my cousin on the bag and he gave me a lot of good reads,” said Henderson. “It is always awesome to be able to finish strong on Sunday.”

Henderson, who started on the back nine, made three birdies and an eagle on hole seven on her second nine. She started the day in a tie for 34th.

“I wasn’t super happy with the way I played this week, I made mistakes I don’t normally,” said Henderson. “I got a little more focused today and I was able to dial it in a little better and it is really good momentum moving forward.”’

Henderson will play in the Fuccillo Kia Championship at Capital Hills on the Symetra Tour next week in Albany.

“Every week, I’m trying to get a little better and improve on some things,” said Henderson, who has the RICOH Women’s British Open in two weeks. “Next week, I’ll really have to take good notes during the practice rounds and continue to gain more knowledge as the week progresses.”

Henderson is now 39th on the Volvik Race for the Card money list.

Fellow Canadian Sara-Maude Juneau finished alongside Henderson at T7 with a final round 70. Natalie Gleadall finished T10 with a final round 68.

ROCHESTER, N.Y. – Annie Park (Levittown, N.Y.) said one of her favorite hobbies is sleep. She’ll need a good night’s rest tonight as she takes a 54-hole lead into the final round of her fourth event as a professional. Park carded a 3-under 69 and stands at 12-under 204, three strokes ahead of 2011 Solheim Cup member Vicky Hurst (Melbourne, Fla.). Park is the lone player in the field with three rounds in the 60’s.

“A good finish tomorrow would mean a lot, everything really is happening so fast like I said yesterday,” explained the 20-year-old Park. “I just need to focus on me and regardless of the results if I just try my best out there I think I’ll be happy.”

Park started strong with a birdie on the second and a birdie on the seventh to get to 11-under. She hit a bump in the road with back-to-back birdies on the eighth and ninth to make the turn at even par for the day.

“The first few holes, I missed some greens, but I made 10-foot par putts so I was like ‘thank god’,” said Park. “On the back nine, I started putting better and that was key to my round.”

Park rebounded immediately with birdies on the 10th and 11th holes. Her final birdie of the day came on the 15th hole. Putting has been key all week for Park, who has attempted 28 putts or less all three rounds.

Although she has been in the lead before, she said this position feels different.

“There are so many great golfers out here,” said Park, who won five times at USC including the 2013 NCAA individual title. “It is definitely different than college golf, but I am having a lot of fun out here.”

Park had a chance to sleep in this morning after play was delayed until 12:00 p.m. due to nearly three inches of rain overnight. Her original tee time of 11:43 a.m. was pushed back to 2:01 p.m.

“I don’t have any special meals or routine tonight, I just need to be able to sleep,” said Park. “I woke up at 10 today and saw my phone said flash flooding so I said ‘yes, I get to sleep more’ and then I got the email that play was delayed.”

Park won’t be able to sleep in on Sunday as she’ll tee at 10:01 a.m. in the final group with Hurst and Marina Choi (-8).

Canadians Sara-Maude Juneau and Jessica Wallace both shot rounds of 70 today and are T7. Maude-Aimee Leblanc also signed for a round of 70 and currently holds the 18th spot. Natalie Gleadall fell to T22 with a round of 74. Brooke Henderson is T34 with a score of 73.

ROCHESTER, N.Y. – Annie Park of Levittown, New York was playing in the NCAA Women’s Golf Championships a month and a half ago. Now, she has the 36-hole lead at her fourth event ever as a professional golfer. She posted a 5-under 67, tied for the low round of the day, to vault to 9-under 135. Emily Talley (Napa, Calif.) and Giulia Molinaro (Treviso, Italy) are in a tie for second at 6-under 138.

“I just turned professional a month ago so this is all happening so fast,” said Park, who was surrounded by her first media scrum as a professional. “The transition was really quick, after Nationals I had the Open qualifier and then a week later I had my first professional event so I didn’t really have time to breathe.”

Her 11th round as a professional turned out to be her best so far.

“I was hitting it better than yesterday so that was an improvement,” said soft-spoken Park. “My putting wasn’t as hot as it was yesterday, but just being able to hit fairways and greens was nice.”

Park hit 13 of 14 fairways and 15 of 18 greens in regulation.

The 2013 NCAA individual champion at the University of Southern California made the turn at 1-under for the day. She kicked it into high gear with four birdies on the back nine including a 20-footer on 16.

“I was struggling with some shorter putts and that putt made me feel a lot better about myself,” said the 20-year-old Park. “My putting got better as the round went along and I’m happy that I was bogey-free.”

Since turning professional, Park has two top 20 finishes in three events including a tie for 13th two weeks ago at the Tullymore Classic.

In addition to pursing an LPGA Tour card this year, she is also going to continue her communications degree at USC starting this fall when she’ll take classes between Symetra Tour events.

“I’ll be headed into my senior year and I’ll have a year and a half left and I’d rather finish now than later,” said Park. “I’m planning on taking less classes each semester and I’ll talk to my professors and see how that works out.”

Park’s mom, who got her into golf, has been her travel companion and caddie in her rookie season on Tour.

“My mom has been my caddie basically my entire career so she knows me well on the course and I know her well,” said Park. “We work pretty well together. She got me started as a kid on the driving range when she said ‘I think you should play golf’ and I just said ‘OK’.”

Park earned Symetra Tour status by getting through stage one and two at 2014 LPGA Qualifying Tournament.

She is 93rd on the Volvik Race for the Card money list since she has only played in three events. A first place pay check of $22,500 would do wonders for her position on the money list.

Canadian Natalie Gleadall currently sits T8 with a second-round 71. Sara-Maude Juneau and Natalie Wallace are T11. Brooke Henderson signs for round of 70 to sit T19 alongside Maude-Aimee Leblanc. Brittany Henderson and Nicole Vandermade are T44.

ROCHESTER, N.Y. – The Symetra Tour, Road to the LPGA, confirmed on Monday night that 17-year-old Brooke Henderson will play in the 2015 Toyota Danielle Downey Classic. Henderson narrowly missed qualifying for the Marathon Classic by one stroke.

“Although I was hoping my 2-under 69 would qualify for the Marathon Classic, I’ve heard nothing but great things about Rochester and I’m excited to compete this week on the Symetra Tour at the Danielle Downey Classic,” said Henderson. “I enjoy playing alongside my sister, Brittany, and it’s nice that we get to do it just four hours from my home of Smiths Falls, Ontario.”

Henderson is coming off a tie for fifth at the U.S. Women’s Open on Sunday. She moved up 13 spots on the Rolex Women’s World Golf Rankings to No. 32. She also finished in a tie for fifth at the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship.

The Smiths Falls, Ontario native has accumulated $458,866 as a non-member in just eight LPGA Tour starts, the equivalent of 17th on the money list.

Henderson petitioned for Symetra Tour membership after winning the Four Winds Invitational as a non-member and commissioner Mike Whan accepted. She has played in one event, the Island Resort Championship, as a member and finished solo third. Henderson finished in a tie for second at her first Symetra Tour tournament, the Florida’s Natural Charity Classic. She currently ranks 49th on the Volvik Race for the Card money list.

“We have known about the possibility of Brooke and Brittany Henderson playing here for some time, but did not want to get the community excited or even rooting against any offsetting successes that they may have had in the U.S. Open or in Toledo,” said tournament chair Mike Vadala. “As a committee, we decided to do what was in the best interest of the players and to keep a low profile until we knew. That said, Brooke is the most exciting young player in golf this year, and her sister Brittany, who recently spent a summer in Rochester working at CCR, has also done well on the Symetra Tour (28th on Volvik Race for the Card money list). We are pleased and excited that these two fine young ladies will be part of our field. I know they will feel the support of Rochester’s huge golf fan base.”

The Henderson’s will be two of 13 Canadians competing in the 144-player field for a total tournament purse of $150,000. The winner will earn $22,500.

With a final round of 4-under par 66 this past Sunday, Brooke Henderson managed to climb up the U.S. Women’s Open leaderboard and finish in a tie for fifth place. She began the day in a tie for 18^th but made a charge recording five birdies on the card and a single bogey.

Her performance at Lancaster Country Club in Lancaster, Pa., earned her $141, 396 in prize money and a spot in next year’s U.S. Women’s Open to be hosted by CordeValle in San Jose, Calif. It also pushed her closer to the possibility of having full status on the LPGA Tour in 2016.

The Smiths Falls, Ont., product also recorded a T5 finish earlier this season at the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship with a 10-under par score earning her $132,725.

These two T5 finishes in major championships have significantly contributed to the 17-year-olds 2015 LPGA earnings, currently sitting just below $459, 000.

This places her in a good position to earn status on the LPGA Tour next season. If Henderson’s earnings land within the equivalent of the top 40 on the LPGA money list, she will earn her 2016 tour card. In 2014, the 40^th-place finisher on the LPGA Tour earned $447, 658. With her T5 finish this past weekend she has surpassed this number to date. Although this is a fluctuating number, Henderson appears to be right on track.

Brooke Henderson’s season continues today as she attempts to Monday qualify for the LPGA’s Marathon Classic Presented by Owens Corning and O-I. If she does not make it into the field, she will compete in the Symetra Tour’s Toyota Danielle Downey Classic in Rochester, N.Y.

Among the remaining tournaments on the LPGA calendar, Henderson has exemptions into both the Ricoh Women’s British Open and the Canadian Pacific Women’s Open where she will look to solidify her 2016 LPGA Tour card.

LANCASTER, Pa. – In Gee Chun’s modest goal for her first U.S. Women’s Open was to enjoy every new experience.

Boy, did she enjoy herself.

The 20-year-old South Korean stormed from behind, posting birdies on four of the last seven holes to rally for an unlikely one-stroke victory Sunday.

Chun shot a 4-under 66 in the final round and finished at 8 under, becoming the first player to win her U.S. Open debut since Birdie Kim in 2005.

“Everything I faced and I did here was completely new,” Chun said. “So all I did was enjoy the new stuff … I enjoyed it and had a lot of fun. Even though I’m Korean, here American fans supported me a lot and they gave a lot of claps. That has put me in the great rhythm of play, and I enjoyed that tournament rhythm.”

A bright smile rarely left Chun’s face, and that was part of the plan.

“Without thinking any negatively, all I could do was just enjoy the game,” she said. “That’s what has brought me to the U.S. Open win, I believe.”

The win was Chun’s fifth of the year after three in Korea and one in Japan. She credited her experience in four LPGA Tour events earlier this season for her success in the other events and preparing her for the rigors of the U.S. Open.

“With all those four wins this year, I got a lot of confidence coming into this tournament,” Chun said. “And that’s why I could enjoy every moment of the tournament.”

Third-round leader Amy Yang struggled in the middle of her round and then pulled within one by going eagle-birdie at Nos. 16 and 17. But she bogeyed the 18th and fell a stroke short.

Playing in the final group on the last day of the championship for the third time in four years, Yang squandered a three-stroke lead and settled for a 1-over 71 and second at 273.

Two-time champion and top-ranked Inbee Park (67) overcame putting woes and rallied late, tying for third with Stacy Lewis (70) at 5-under 275. Lewis was three back at the start of the round.

Defending champion Michelle Wie battled hip and leg injuries and limped in with an even-par 70, placing 11th at 2-under 278.

As Yang and Lewis drew most of the focus as the last grouping, Chun went about picking up strokes on the leaders. At 4 under heading into the final round at Lancaster Country Club, Chun picked up two strokes on the front nine, closing within two of the lead.

“I knew it wasn’t going to come down to the two of us,” Lewis said. “I knew somebody was going to shoot a number to get up there.”

Chun got within a stroke with a birdie at the 12th, and then rolled in a nine-foot putt at No. 15 for the first of three straight birdies. She moved into the lead with a birdie at 16 as Yang and Lewis struggled. She added another birdie at the 17th to stretch her lead to two strokes.

At the troublesome 421-yard, uphill closing hole, Chun drove into the rough, chipped short and went on to make bogey, falling into a tie for the lead with Yang, who birdied 17.

But Yang failed again in her bid to claim the biggest prize in women’s golf. She also drove into the rough at the last hole, chipped short of the green and failed to get up-and-down for par, giving Chun the win.

“I did my best out there today,” Yang said.

Yang was tied for the lead heading into the final round of 2014 and second after 54 holes in 2012. She tried to put another failed final round into perspective.

“It was another good experience,” she said. “It just didn’t go as well as I thought, but I learned another great lesson here. And it’s going to make me better player, improve my game.”

Lewis’ bid for her first U.S. Open title was foiled by a pair of double-bogeys, with the most costly one coming at 15, a hole after she had moved into a tie for the lead. At the 15th, she drove into the rough, hit her second shot through the fairway, and then dumped her third shot into a greenside bunker before taking a 6 and falling out of contention.

“I think anytime you have a championship like this, you want to have somebody go out there and win it, and that’s definitely what happened there at the end,” Lewis said.

But, the two-time major winner admitted the loss stung.

“I’ll get over this eventually, but it will take a day or two,” Lewis said.

Park had three birdies on the back nine. Within two shots of the lead through 16 holes, the putting woes that dogged the 2008 and 2013 winner returned and her bid ended with a three-putt bogey at the 17th.

Wie grimaced in pain throughout the round. The nagging left hip and leg issues that have made this a forgettable season for the 25-year-old four-time LPGA Tour winner seemed to intensify in the final round. She repeatedly cringed and tried to take weight off her right side after drives. Her round did have one highlight, with her drive at the 234-yard, par-4 16th hitting the flagstick before she rolled in the short eagle putt.

Megan Khang was the championship’s low amateur. The 17-year-old from Rockland, Massachusetts, closed with a 1-over 71 and finished at 5-over 285.

Fan favorite Laura Davies, who is to be inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame at St. Andrews on Monday, closed with her worst round of the championship, a 5-over 75. The 1987 champion, who was the oldest player in the field at 51, finished at 287.

The event set a U.S. Women’s Open attendance record with 134,016 spectators for the week, the USGA said, surpassing the 131,298 in 2005 at Cherry Hills outside Denver.

Canadian teenager Brooke Henderson helped her bid to lock up LPGA Tour playing privileges for next season. The 17-year-old had a closing 4-under 66 and rocketed up the leaderboard, tying for fifth at 3-under 277.

LANCASTER, Pa. – Amy Yang is back in the final pairing at the U.S. Women’s Open, and this time she’s prepared for the daunting challenge ahead.

The 25-year-old South Korean beat back all of Stacy Lewis’ challenges in the third round at Lancaster Country Club on Saturday, and the day ended as it started: with Yang three strokes ahead of Lewis.

On Sunday, for the third time in four years and fourth time in six, she’ll be in the final group at a U.S. Open. This time, she’ll have a three-stroke cushion over her nearest competitor and plenty of experience to draw on.

“It was good experience, the last two – the final group experience,” she said. “Me and my coach, we prepared. We practiced hard. I’ll go out there and I’ll just do my best, like what I practice.”

Yang shot a 1-under 69 Saturday, the same as Lewis, as the last pair off went toe-to-toe, giving the pairing a match-play feel.

Yang pushed her lead to four strokes at the 13th before Lewis capitalized on a two-stroke swing at the 14th, closing within two. But Lewis’ struggles with putting carried over to the 17th, where she made a three-putt bogey, sending Yang’s advantage back to three.

Yang’s three-day total of 8-under 202 is the second-lowest in championship history behind Julie Inkster’s 201 in 1999. Lewis was at 5-under 205.

On “moving day,” all the action was outside the top two spots.

In Gee Chun, playing in her first U.S. Open, shot a second 2-under 68. The 20-year-old from South Korea is alone in third place at 4-under 206. Japan’s Shiho Oyama is fourth at 3 under after a 71.

Defending champion Michelle Wie played with nagging hip and ankle pain, firing a 68. She is in a four-way tie for fifth at 2-under 208, along with two-time winner Inbee Park (70).

History was made in the third round when South Korea’s Chella Choi shot the first nine-hole score of 29 for the championship. But the 24-year-old missed a three-foot putt on her final hole that would have tied the championship’s single-round scoring record. She settled for a 6-under 64, shooting up the leaderboard into the pack at 2 under.

On Sunday, Yang will again be one of the last to tee off in the U.S. Open. She has been in the last grouping two of the last three years, and in 2010. At Pinehurst No. 2 in 2014, she played with Wie, was overtaken by eventual runner-up Lewis and settled for fourth. In 2012, she finished second to Na Yeon Choi, and placed fifth in 2010.

Lewis, a two-time major winner, figures she needs to solve the slippery, sloping greens of Lancaster Country Club if she’s to overtake Yang.

“It’s just the severity of these greens,” said Lewis, who is tied for 26th with 96 putts over three rounds. “And the moment you do try to hit one of those down the hill, that’s when you knock it five feet by. I don’t think the speed of the greens is that inconsistent; I just think it’s the slope within the greens.”

Chun is enjoying her run through her first U.S. Open. She was paired with two-time champion Karrie Webb on Saturday, saying she was 4 years old when the seven-time major winner turned pro. She offset three bogeys with five birdies in her round to stay in contention, albeit four strokes off the lead.

“Everything I experience here, it is new, completely new,” she said. “So this is an adventure to me. So tomorrow it’s going to be the same thing. Everything is going to be very fun. I just want to be enjoying every bit of the time.”

The hilly course in the heart of Amish country is taking its toll on the hobbled Wie. At one point Saturday, the 25-year-old, four-time winner was kneading her hip and thigh, trying to loosen her muscles.

“I just feel like there’s a knot in it sometimes and just trying to get it to go,” she said.

“Unfortunately it does get a little bit worse. It’s just a pretty hilly golf course. On flat lies, it’s OK. It’s just on the uphill shots,” she said.

Wie, 57th after the opening round, finally got into red numbers with a birdie at the second, but struggled to stay below par on the front nine. She gave a stroke back at the fourth before following consecutive birdies at the sixth and seventh with back-to-back bogeys closing out the side.

She finally got on track on the back side, posting birdies on the 10th, 12th and 13th to reach 3 under. But she gave another stroke back at the 16th and limped in with pars.

Wie is refusing to let the injuries that forced her to withdraw from Kingsmill earlier this year hamper the defense of her major title.

“It was a long day today,” Wie acknowledged. “I’m glad to be done … I’ve played with the pain for a while. I know what to expect, nothing is unexpected.

“I just feel like it’s coming together. I just want to keep the good feelings going and keep improving on them, gaining confidence in my good shots and learn from the bad ones.”

Of the five amateurs who made the cut, Megan Khang has the lowest score at 4-over 214, good for a tie for 37th.

There was a hole-in-one Saturday. Lee Lopez used a 6-iron to ace the 156-yard sixth hole, the 23rd hole-in-one in U.S. Women’s Open history.

LANCASTER, Pa. – Amy Yang has experienced success at the U.S. Women’s Open. Now, she wants the ultimate prize.

The 25-year-old South Korean went on a four-birdie run Friday, charging to a three-stroke lead after two rounds at Lancaster Country Club and putting her in position – again – to make a run at her first major championship.

The day started early for 55 players, who resumed their opening round after play was suspended late Thursday due to a powerful storm. The second round ended with the bulk of the field still trying to solve the speedy and sloping greens of the hilly William Flynn layout in the heart of Amish country.

Ultimately, the day belonged to Yang.

She took control on her inward nine with birdies on the 11th, 12th, 13th. She hit her approach to within a foot on No. 14 and punctuated the 4-under-par run. She was at 7-under 133.

“I just enjoy it out here,” Yang said. “And I know the golf courses are very tough; I just enjoy the tough condition of the golf courses.”

Stacy Lewis, last year’s runner-up, and Japan’s Shiho Oyama were tied for second at 4-under 136.

Yang has had her share of success on the LPGA Tour, earning two victories since turning pro in 2006. But some of her finest golf has been played in the U.S. Open, where she has finished in the top 10 four times in the last five years.

She tied for fifth in 2010, shared 10th place the following year and placed second in 2012. Last year at Pinehurst No. 2, she was third after 36 holes and first after 54 before closing with a 74 and finishing fourth.

She was paired with eventual winner Michelle Wie in the final round at Pinehurst and believes that experience can only help over the final two rounds.

“It’s better to have that experience than never experience that before,” Yang said. “It’s different out there and I know what kind of pressure that is like. It will be tough, but I will be patient and work on it.”

Lewis birdied four of eight holes in the middle of her round, but bogeyed her last and settled for a 3-under 67.

Lewis’ patience was tested early in the first round as she struggled with four bogeys and two birdies before breaking out of her funk. That carried over into the second round and she went on a tear that propelled her near the top of the leaderboard – again – in the biggest event in women’s golf.

“I just started playing golf, is really what it was,” Lewis said, “I was thinking a lot those first 10, 11 holes, thinking a lot about my golf swing and just not playing. So I got to just playing golf … and it’s what you’re seeing in the scores.”

The 38-year-old Oyama had an opening 70 and was 2 over early in her second round before shooting up the leaderboard. She made six birdies in a 12-hole stretch, including four on her second nine on the way to a 4-under 66.

She has a total of nine victories in Japan. She played in the 2007 and 2009 U.S. Opens, but said surgery kept her from playing golf for a year. She’s thrilled to be back in the championship.

“I feel really great. … I’m so excited to play two more days,” she said.

Marina Alex, part of a three-way tie for the lead after one round, carded a 1-over 71 and was in fourth place at 3-under 137.

Karrie Webb, also first-round co-leader, had a 2-over 72 and was in a large group at 2-under 138. That group includes top-ranked and two-time champion Inbee Park (70), first-round co-leader Jane Park (72) and Morgan Pressel (70).

Inbee Park and Jane Park were among the players forced to finish their first rounds early Friday.

Jane Park, the 2004 U.S. Women’s Amateur champion, used a birdie and four pars to earn a share of the lead after one round.

“It wasn’t exactly a day where I could be very aggressive with my putts because the pin placements were very difficult,” she said.

Inbee Park, a two-time U.S. Open winner with titles in 2008 and 2013, played 22 holes Friday. She said her patience was tested by her poor putting.

“I hit probably every putt short, I missed it short,” she said. “It’s hard to think that you have to smash the putts at a U.S. Open. That’s where putts are, really, really slow. It’s a little bit disappointing. “

Wie rebounded from an opening 72 with a 2-under 68 and was seven shots off the lead.

Team Canada Young Pro Brooke Henderson signed for a round of 73 today and sits T44 heading into the weekend. Christina Foster missed the cut after a round of 82 to follow a round of 71 yesterday.