MIDLAND, Mich. – Canadians Brooke Henderson and Alena Sharp shot a 5-under 65 in alternate-shot play Wednesday to take the first-round lead in the Dow Great Lakes Bay Invitational, the LPGA Tour’s first-year team event.

Henderson and Sharp had seven birdies and two bogeys at Midland Country Club.

“We really got it going, kind of fed off each other,” Henderson said. “She hit some good shots, I made some putts and vice versa. So it really worked out nice and it’s a good way to start.”

Paula Creamer and Morgan Pressel were a stroke back.

“We’re best of friends we’ve played a lot of team events together, so it’s nothing new for us to be able to come out here,” Creamer said. “We haven’t played alternate shot for a little while, and when we have played it in the past, it’s always match play and you never have to finish. Out here you actually have to shoot a score, which is a little bit different.”

The teams will play best-ball Thursday, return to alternate shot Friday and close Saturday with a best-ball round.

“It’s intense, but then we got out our tension and then we played and we were free-wheeling it,” Sharp said. “I think the first few holes we didn’t really know what to expect and we had a lot of adrenaline, and then we calmed down and played really nicely together.”

The 21-year-old Henderson won the Meijer LPGA Classic a month ago in Grand Rapids to break the Canadian record for tour victories with nine. Also the Lotte Championship winner in April in Hawaii, Henderson broke a tie with Sandra Post for the Canadian record on the LPGA Tour and also moved ahead of George Knudson and Mike Weir for the overall country mark. The 38-year-old Sharp is winless on the LPGA Tour.

The teams of Minjee Lee-Jin Young Ko, Robyn Choi-Jaclyn Lee, Jasmine Suwannapura-Cydney Clanton and Amy Yang-Mirim Lee shot 67.

“We chatted pretty much the whole way around,” Lee said. “We usually don’t get to get this opportunity to play with our friends too much, so I think that was the best part.”

The sister duo of Nelly and Jessica Korda topped the group at 68.

“Start of the round, kind of just getting used to everything, the new format,” Nelly Korda said. “Gave each other some good opportunities on the back and took advantage of a couple. Anything under par for alternate shot is good, so we’re happy with that.”

 

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@brookehendersongolf and @alenasharp07 lead through 18 holes at the @dowglbi ????

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Sisters Ariya and Moriya Jutanugarn shot 70, and Cristie Kerr and Lexi Thompson opened with a 71. Rookies Jennifer Kupcho and Maria Fassi also had a 71. They staged a memorable duel that Kupcho won at the Augusta National Women’s Amateur.

“Alternate shot’s always really hard. We knew that coming in and we didn’t really know how it was going to go because we didn’t try it,” Kupcho said. “It went better than what I thought it was going to go, so I was pretty happy.”

Suzann Pettersen, making her first tour start after a 20-month break for the birth of her first child, and European Solheim Cup captain Catriona Matthew had a 73. Pettersen will be a vice caption for the European team.

“I just really enjoyed it,” Pettersen said. “It was nice to play with Beany. Some good shots and some average shots and some that we just got out of the way. Overall, very happy to be back.”

Full scoring can be found here.

SYLVANIA, Ohio – Sei Young Kim won the Marathon Classic on Sunday for her second LPGA Tour victory of the season, making five straight birdies in a mid-round burst and shooting a 6-under 66 for a two-stroke victory over Lexi Thompson.

Brooke Henderson finished in a tie for 11th at 9 under for the tournament, while Alena Sharp finished in a tie for 46th at 4 under.

Kim began the birdie run on No. 7 and finished at a tournament-record 22-under 262 at Highland Meadows Golf Club. The 26-year-old South Korean player has nine tour titles, also winning the LPGA MEDIHEAL Championship in May in California.

“I really wanted another win, especially this week, because the last two weeks I play really bad,” Ki said.

Thompson, a stroke behind Kim entering the day, closed birdie-eagle for a 66.

“She played some amazing golf,” Thompson said. “I didn’t have my best ball-striking day, but 5 under, finished well. She played amazing. It’s very well deserved.”

Six shots ahead of Thompson after the birdie run, Kim played the final seven holes in even par, offsetting a birdie on 15 with a bogey on 1. Kim broke the event mark of 263 set by In-Kyung Kim in 2017.

She’s focused on winning her first major title, with The Evian Championship and Women’s British Open coming up.

“I haven’t had a win the major tournament yet,” Kim said. “I think I try too much when I play the major tournament. I just play the same as regular tournament, even major. … Just let it go. Let it happen.”

Stacy Lewis was third at 16 under after a 66. She was born in nearby Toledo.

“It was a lot of fun,” Lewis said. “More putts have gone in this week than in the years past. It was nice to give my family something to cheer for.”

U.S. Women’s Open champion Jeongeun Lee6 had a 69 to finish fourth at 14 under.

Jennifer Kupcho tied for fifth at 11 under after a 71, playing alongside Lewis.

“Getting to play with Stacy – and Lexi yesterday – seeing how their ball-striking is and how good their iron game is, definitely something to work on and definitely can learn and did learn from their games,” Kupcho said.

The former Wake Forest star won the inaugural Augusta National Women’s Amateur in April.

Linnea Strom (65), Tiffany Joh (67), Caroline Masson (68) and Pavarisa Yoktuan (69) also were 11 under.

Kupcho earned a spot in the Women’s British Open along with Joh, Strom, Yoktuan and Mariajo Uribe.

Full results can be found here.

SYLVANIA, Ohio – Sei Young Kim shot a 5-under 66 on Saturday in the Marathon Classic to take a one-stroke lead over Lexi Thompson into the final round.

Brooke Henderson is in a tie for seventh, but seven shots behind Kim. Alena Sharp, who held a tie for the lead after round one, is  now in a tie for 41st.

Kim had seven birdies and two bogeys in gusty conditions to reach 16-under 197 at Highland Meadows Golf Club.

“It was a little tough to judge the distance,” Kim said. “Wind very gusty, on and off.”

The South Korean player won the LPGA MEDIHEAL Championship in May in California for her eighth tour title.

“Tomorrow, I play with Lexi Thompson, one of my favourite players,” Kim said. “I’m very exciting play with her. … I’m very confident right now. Play same as last three days.”

Thompson made a 20-foot eagle putt on the par-5 18th for a 65. She won the ShopRite LPGA Classic last month in New Jersey for her 11th tour title.

“It was a lot windier today,” Thompson said. “A little bit different direction, but not a big difference. It was just gusty. … It was a little bit more to deal with and then firmer greens in the afternoon, but it was a good test.”

She’s coming off a two-week break after playing five straight events.

“I took my first week off at home and just relaxed and then I basically just played the second week,” Thompson said. “I just wanted to keep my swing in the groove because I was hitting it well before I took the break. Just really took it easy. Came into this week knowing I like this golf course and just this tournament in general, so it’s just been overall a fun week for me.”

U.S. Women’s Open champion Jeongeun Lee6 was third at 12 under after a 69.

“My tee shot was not very good, especially my iron shots,” Lee6 said. “It was so hard to control my shots. There weren’t a lot of birdies today.”

Stacy Lewis (69), Jennifer Kupcho (69) and Carlota Ciganda (68) were 11 under.

Lewis won the last of her 12 LPGA Tour titles in 2017. She was born in nearby Toledo and has an endorsement deal with Marathon Oil.

“As long as it stays windy and the golf course keeps playing hard, I think there is a good round out there,” Lewis said. “I feel like I’m getting really close. I did a good job hanging in there today. I thought it played pretty tough. Just keep inching a little closer to playing some really good golf. That’s all you can do.”

Kupcho is making her sixth tour start as a pro. The former Wake Forest star won the inaugural Augusta National Women’s Amateur in April.

“It was good,” Kupcho said. “I definitely struggled a little bit the beginning with tee shots. Got the groove going at the end and just missed a couple putts.”

Full scoring can be found here.

SYLVANIA, Ohio – Sei Young Kim shot a 7-under 64 on Friday to take a one-stroke lead over U.S. Women’s Open champion Jeongeun Lee6 in the Marathon Classic.

Kim had four straight birdies on Nos. 3-6 and also birdied the par-4 12th and 15th holes and the par-5 18th to get to 11-under 131 at Highland Meadows Golf Club. The South Korean player won the LPGA MEDIHEAL Championship in May in California for her eighth tour title.

“My play wasn’t good the last two weeks,” Kim said. “I’m just trying to do my best this week. So, I’m very happy with the (better) result than I expected.

Lee6 shot her second straight 66. The South Korean birdied two of the last three holes.

“It was pretty good,” Lee6 said. “The greens were not too soft, not too firm. It was so easy to play with my second shot in order to control my shots. Satisfied with it.”

Lexi Thompson, Stacy Lewis and Jennifer Kupcho were 9 under. Kupcho shot 66, Thompson 67, and Lewis 68, with Lewis playing alongside Kim the first two days.

Lewis won the last of her 12 LPGA Tour titles in 2017. She was born in nearby Toledo and has an endorsement deal with Marathon Oil. From Texas, she’s treated like a hometown player.

“I love it,” Lewis said. “It was pressure at first, but now it’s fun. It’s nice having the crew out there behind me and give them something to cheer about this year, which is awesome.”

Canadian Alena Sharp carded a 1-over 72 to slip into a tie for 11th after holding a share of the 18-hole lead.

Kupcho is making her sixth tour start as a pro. The former Wake Forest star won the inaugural Augusta National Women’s Amateur in April.

“I’m hitting the ball really good this week, reading the putts well, and putting good rolls on them,” Kupcho said.

She parred the par-5 17th and 18th after birdieing three of the previous four holes.

“Obviously, walking off 17 and 18, two par 5s to finish, you expect to get at least one,” Kupcho said. “Left 17 short and just pushed 18’s putt. It’s a little upsetting.”

Thompson is coming off a two-week break.

“I just took yesterday’s round and came into today with the same confidence and same mindset,” Thompson said. “Just firing at pins and focusing on one shot at a time. I feel good with where my game is at. It was perfect weather. Couldn’t ask for anything better.”

Yealimi Noh, the 17-year-old from California who tied for sixth last week in Wisconsin in her LPGA Tour debut, missing the cut with rounds of 73 and 72. She played on a sponsor exemption after Monday qualifying last week.

SYLVANIA, Ohio — La Canadienne Alena Sharp et la Sud-Coréenne Youngin Chun partagent la tête de la Classique Marathon à l’issue de la première ronde, elles qui ont inscrit des pointages de 64 (moins-7), jeudi.

Sharp, qui est âgée de 38 ans et qui est originaire de Hamilton, a réussi huit oiselets contre un seul boguey. Elle est toujours en quête d’une première victoire sur le circuit de la LPGA.

Chun, qui est âgée de 19 ans, a évité les bogueys. Elle est aussi à la recherche d’une première victoire dans la LPGA.

À leur poursuite au club de golf Highland Meadows, on retrouve notamment quatre golfeuses à moins-6. L’Américaine Stacy Lewis, dont le dernier des 12 titres de la LPGA a été acquis en 2017, l’Espagnole Azahara Munoz, l’Allemande Caroline Masson et la Suédoise Jenny Haglund ont joué des rondes de 65.

Brooke Henderson, de Smiths Falls, en Ontario, a remis une carte de 67 pour s’installer à égalité au 11e rang à moins-4. Jaclyn Lee, de Calgary, a inscrit un score de 69, tandis qu’Anne-Catherine Tanguay, de Québec, a bouclé sa ronde en 71 coups.

SYLVANIA, Ohio – Alena Sharp of Canada and Youngin Chun of South Korea shared the Marathon Classic lead at 7-under 64 on Thursday, a stroke ahead of Stacy Lewis and three others at Highland MeadowsGolf Club.

The 38-year-old Sharp, winless on the LPGA Tour, had eight birdies and a bogey to finish with a 64 – her lowest round this season.

“I played really well right from the first tee shot,” Sharp said. “I felt really calm this morning coming into this event. I always love playing here. I have great housing.”

The 19-year-old Chun, also seeking her first LPGA Tour victory, had a bogey-free round.

“I didn’t know I shot 64 today,” Chun said. “The funniest thing I finish par on the 18 and then I saw the leaderboard and there is a 7-under and I was like, ‘Who is that?’ I asked my dad. ‘I think I shot 6, right?’ He said, ‘No, you’re 7.’ So it was me.”

Lewis won the last of her 12 LPGA Tour titles in 2017. She was born in nearby Toledo and has an endorsement deal with Marathon Oil.

“It was awesome,” Lewis said. “The biggest thing is I hit 18 greens today. I’ve been working on the ball-striking a lot, so just really nice to see some results. Got a few putts to fall there on our last few holes.”

The Texan had seven birdies and a bogey.

“It’s a golf course I’m not necessarily 100% comfortable on,” Lewis said. “I just had some really good golf shots today. Had some easy tap-in birdies. I haven’t done that in the long time, in general.”

Azahara Munoz, Caroline Masson and Jenny Haglund matched Lewis at 65.

Brooke Henderson, Smiths Falls, Ont., (67) is 4 under, Calgary’s Jaclyn Lee (69) came in 2 under, Calgary while Anne-Catherine Tanguay of Quebec City shot an even-par 71.

Lexi Thompson was at 66 with U.S. Women’s Open champion Jeongeun Lee6, Carlota Ciganda and Clariss Guce.

Thompson is coming off a two-week break.

“I played five weeks straight before that and really I’ve never played five weeks in a row in my career,” Thompson said. “It was definitely different for me. But two weeks off just relaxing, hanging out with my family and friends, just making sure I get that relaxing time was much needed. I felt good about my game coming into this week.”

Defending champion Jasmine Suwannapura opened with a 70.

Yealimi Noh, the 17-year-old from California who tied for sixth last week in Wisconsin in her LPGA Tour debut, had a 73. Playing on a sponsor exemption after Monday qualifying last week, she had five birdies and seven bogeys.

Full scoring can be found here.

LOS ANGELES, Calif. – The trophies continue to pile up for Canadian superstar Brooke Henderson.

The 21-year-old Smiths Falls, Ont., native was honoured with an ESPY award on Wednesday night for the Best Female Golfer of 2019. Earlier this spring, Henderson collected her ninth LPGA Tour title, becoming the winningest Canadian professional golfer in history.

The Excellence in Sports Performance Yearly Awards are presented by the ABC television network and were previously put on by American sports network ESPN.

“Extremely honoured to receive Best Female Golfer at the #ESPYS!! So cool!” said Henderson from her verified Twitter account.

She was unable to attend the ESPY Awards in Los Angeles because she’s competing at the Marathon Classic at Highland Meadows Golf Club in Sylvania, Ohio, this week.

Extremely honoured to receive Best Female Golfer at the #ESPYS!! So cool! ☺️??

— Brooke Henderson (@BrookeHenderson) July 11, 2019

Henderson, a graduate of Golf Canada’s National Team program, captured the hearts of Canadians from coast-to-coast in August of 2018 when she became the first Canadian to win the National Open since 1973. 

The other nominees were Ariya Jutanugarn, Jin-Young Ko and Sung Hyun Park.

AURORA, Ont. – When she was just 10 years old, Brooke Henderson’s dad Dave took her to an LPGA event where she briefly met her idol Morgan Pressel. Pressel spoke to Henderson about her golf game, took a picture and autographed her shirt.

Weeks later, they met again at the CP Women’s– Open at the Ottawa Hunt and Golf Club. Pressel remembered Brooke Henderson’s name, a moment the young Canadian still treasures.

Now 21-years old, ranked No. 8 in the world, and with the most wins in Canadian pro golf history, Henderson sees it as her responsibility to create memories for her young fans like Pressel did for her.

“When I first met her, she spent that little bit of extra time with me, signed my shirt, took a picture with me, it was just a really incredible moment that I’ll remember forever,” said Henderson on Tuesday. “I think now I’m just trying to pay that forward to every little kid that I meet.”

Henderson will easily be the most popular player at the CP Women’s Open at Magna Golf Club in Aurora, Ont., this August, and will have plenty of opportunities to interact with her fans, most of whom are children.

“It’s really special to see those young kids, when they want my autograph or they want a picture with me it’s sort of surreal but it’s really inspiring for me,” said a beaming Henderson. “I do think that the LPGA is very approachable. We love little kids and we love spending time with them.

“I think that’s kind of what separates our tour from a lot of other major sports.”

The CP Women’s Open has not been in the Greater Toronto Area since 2001, when Annika Sorenstam won at Angus Glen Golf Club in Markham, Ont. Because of Henderson’s popularity among Canadian fans and its proximity to Canada’s largest city, it’s expected that it will be one of the best attended events on the LPGA Tour’s calendar this year.

Defending champ @BrookeHenderson leads a star-studded field of early commitments to the 2019 #CPWO ??⛳️#CloserToTheGame

➡️ https://t.co/w2G0RCHkrH pic.twitter.com/uMii5HFTVU

— CP Women's Open (@cpwomensopen) July 2, 2019

Charlottetown’s Lorie Kane, who will be playing in her 29th CP Women’s Open, thinks the timing couldn’t be better for the popularity of the sport in Canada.

“It’s time that we came back to the GTA. It’s time for women’s golf to be elevated one more level in this country,” said Kane, raising her hands for emphasis. “We all know in this room that (Henderson) is changing the way people see women’s golf in our country.

“We’ve been trending in the right direction but why do we keep saying that? We’re in a really awesome place.”

Golf Canada, the LPGA, and Canadian Pacific railways – the event’s title sponsor – announced on Tuesday that the field at the US$2.25 million tournament will include 15 of the top 20 golfers on the LPGA’s money list, and 90 of the top 100.

Henderson, the first Canadian to win the national title in 45 years, is one of seven past CP Women’s Open champions confirmed for 2019. Sung Hyun Park (2017), Ariya Jutanugarn (2016), So Yeon Ryu (2014), Katherine Kirk (2008), Cristie Kerr (2006) and three-time winner Lydia Ko (2015, 2013, 2012) are the other past winners in the field.

Henderson welcomes the stiff competition.

“I love it. Being able to beat the best in the world is one of the best things about this sport,” said Henderson. “To tee it up and know that you are playing the best and that you have to play really, really, well and hit shots that you’ve never hit before and shoot low scores, make a ton of birdies, that’s really exciting.”

ROGERS, Ark. – Sung Hyun Park two-putted for birdie on the par-5 18th to win the Walmart NW Arkansas Championship on Sunday for her second LPGA Tour victory of the season and seventh overall.

The 25-year-old Park is projected to move from second to first in the world ranking Monday. She will take the top spot from friend Jin Young Ko, the fellow South Korean player who poured water over Park’s head on the 18th green.

“It would definitely be good to be back on the top, but to be honest, there was a lot of pressure when I was the No. 1,” Park said through a translator. “But I wouldn’t want to sort of keep that in mind, because I would be under pressure. But then again, it would feel nice to be the No. 1.”

Park closed with a 5-under 66 to finish at 18-under 195 at Pinnacle Country Club. She tapped in a putt not much more than a foot on the 18th to beat Danielle Kang, Hyo Joo Kim and Inbee Park by a stroke.

“To be honest, my round today didn’t go as well as I thought it would,” Sung Hyun Park said. “I knew that it was important to make a lot of birdies on the front nine, but there were a lot of opportunities. … But I talked with my caddie, and we both said there’s still a lot of hope left. Every single shot was really important.”

Kang, Kim and Inbee Park each shot 65, with Kang playing the final five holes in 5 under with an eagle on the par-5 14th and birdies on the last three.

“I definitely finished well,” Kang said. “I gave everything I got the last nine holes, so came up one shot short. Wish we could have gone to playoff, but I knew that Sung Hyun was going to have an iron in on the last hole.”

She did, and from only 164 yards. She hit about 30 feet left of the flag to set up the two-putt birdie

Sung Hyun Park birdied all four par-5 holes in the final round. She played the 18th in 4 under for the three rounds, making an eagle Friday and a birdie Saturday for a share of the second-round lead with Carlota Ciganda.

She won the HSBC Women’s World Championship in Singapore in early March and was second last week in Minnesota in the major KPMG Women’s PGA Championship.

Brooke Henderson of Smiths Falls, Ont., the lone Canadian to make the cut, shot 66 to finish 9-under.

Inbee Park missed a chance for 20th LPGA Tour title and first since early last season.

“I had a lot of birdie opportunities, but I wasn’t able to convert enough,” she said. “My putting was just a little bit weak compared to other parts of the game today.”

Brittany Altomare was fifth at 16 under after a 66. Ciganda had a 69 to finish at 15 under with Ryann O’Toole (64), Mi Jung Hur (64) and Daniela Darquea (67).

ROGERS, Ark. – Sung Hyun Park birdied the final two holes for an 8-under 63 and a share of lead with Carlota Ciganda on Saturday after the second round of the Walmart NW Arkansas Championship.

Park, the second-ranked South Korean star who won the HSBC Women’s World Championship in Singapore in early March for her sixth LPGA Tour title, is coming off a second-place finish last week in Minnesota in the major KPMG Women’s PGA Championship.

“I only have one win this season, but overall I think I have been doing a good job,” Park said through a translator. “Last week I did pretty well, too. Tomorrow, I hope to focus on each shot.”

Ciganda shot a 66 in hot conditions to match Park at 13-under 129 at Pinnacle Country Club. The Spanish player chipped in from 60 yards for eagle on the par-4 first hole and closed with a birdie on the par-5 18th.

“There’s still lots of golf to play tomorrow and it can go very low here,” Ciganda said. “I think it’s nice to be up there, but I think there are some great players there.”

Park rebounded from a bogey on the par-4 16th with the closing birdies.

“I wasn’t really worried when I made that bogey,” Park said. “I like the 17th and 18th holes, and I made a birdie on the last hole yesterday, too, so I knew that I won’t have to worry after that bogey.”

First-round leader Inbee Park was tied for third at 11 under, following her opening 62 with a 69. Top-ranked Hyo Joo Kim (64) also was 11 under with Danielle Kang (63), Linnea Strom (65), Brittany Altomare (65) and Daniela Darquea (65).

“I feel good, but it was definitely a hot round,” Kang said. “This golf course is very score-able, so all I need to do is keep giving myself opportunities. We were just matching birdies back and forth, so it was a lot of fun.”

Brooke Henderson is in a tie 52nd at 4 under. Fellow Canadians Jaclyn Lee and Brittany Marchand failed to make the cut.