GALLOWAY, N.J. – After 3-putting from off the green on the 15th hole to fall two shots off the lead in the final round of the ShopRite LPGA Classic, Lexi Thompson made it a point not to stress out over it.

The calm demeanour paid off as Thompson finished birdie-par-eagle on her last three holes Sunday, and made a 20-foot putt for the eagle at the 18th to win the $1.75 million event on the Bay Course at Seaview by one stroke over Jeongeun Lee6.

“I just really tried to find the positives in it because I knew coming in there were birdie holes,” Thompson said. “If I let it affect me, I wouldn’t have finished the way I did. At that point I didn’t know where I was, position-wise. I kind of thought I was behind for sure . a few back.”

Playing in winds that blew steadily from 20 to 30 miles per hour, Thompson had a 4-under-par 67 for a 54-hole score of 12-under 201. She posted her 11th career LPGA Tour victory – first since last year’s season-ending CME Group Tour Championship. It extended her streak to seven straight years with at least one win on the tour.

Thompson, who made her professional debut in this event in 2010 at the age of 15, set up her eagle at the 18th by needing to hit a 190-yard second shot with the wind at her back, to get it to the front of the green.

“With a jumper lie and the wind, I ended up hitting a pitching wedge, which is my 135 club,” she said. “It ended up landing 50 yards short and rolling up there.”

On the putt, she said, “I got chills, like my hair on my arms was sticking up once I made it.”

Lee6, the champion of last week’s U.S. Women’s Open who was playing two groups behind Thompson, lost her lead with three consecutive bogeys from holes 13 through 15 before bouncing back with a birdie at No. 16 to tie Thompson.

However, needing an eagle to force a playoff after reaching the green in two, she just missed a 45-foot putt to tie and had to settle for a birdie, giving her a 70 and second place at 202.

“The way I’m playing the ShopRite tournament, it’s amazing, and I’m pretty satisfied with finishing in second place,” Lee6 said through an interpreter.

Ally McDonald, seeking her first career LPGA Tour victory, challenged on the back nine and took third place at 204 following a 70. Two-time ShopRite LPGA champion Anna Nordqvist had a 69 for fourth place at 206.

Anne-Catherine Tanguay (67) and Brooke Henderson (68) were the top Canadians, tying for 11th at 4-under, while Alena Sharp (72) tied for 21st at 3-under.

Mariah Stackhouse, who began the day one stroke off the lead, fell back with a double bogey at the fifth hole and couldn’t come back. Her round of 74 left her in a three-way tie for fifth at 207 with Ariya Jutanugarn (68) and Yu Liu (72).

CHARLESTON, S.C. – Six is certainly a magic number for U.S. Women’s Open champion Jeongeun Lee.

The 23-year-old South Korean won her first major title Sunday, the first $1 million women’s winner’s check ever handed out by the USGA and her first victory as an LPGA Tour rookie. And she did by shooting 1-under 70 at Country Club of Charleston to finish at, naturally, 6-under 278.

“This is kind of really interesting how I finished 6 under at an LPGA tournament,” Lee said through an interpreter. “So, this is really lucky number to me.”

Lee has the number in her name because she was the sixth player with the name on the Korean LPGA. She has embraced the number, answering to it and writing a large “6” on her balls. Her South Korean fan club is called “Lucky 6.” Jeongeun Lee5 tied for 34th at 4 over, 10 shots behind Lee.

Lee opened a three-shot lead with three holes to play before facing some nerves with bogeys on the 16th and 18th holes to tighten things up. But when third-round co-leader Celine Boutier’s blast from a greenside bunker on the 72nd hole rolled off the green, Lee had the biggest win of her life.

“I didn’t even expect to win the tournament this fast,” Lee said. “I think this is very lucky that I won this major championship tournament.”

Brooke Henderson of Smiths Falls, Ont., tied for 39th at 5 over for the event.

Lee, playing two groups ahead of Boutier, was practicing putts when the Frenchwoman could not make the sand shot. Lee bent down in joy when her victory was secure, countrywoman and 2011 U.S. Women’s Open winner So Yeon Ryu coming over to embrace the new champion.

“I felt pretty nervous starting on the holes 16, 17, and 18 after opening the large lead,” Lee said. “But I tried the best that I can.”

The victory came a few days after Tiger Woods’ former swing coach, Hank Haney, made disparaging remarks about women’s golf by predicting a “Korean” would win and “I’d go with Lee.”

Haney was suspended for his comments on his PGA Tour SiriusXM radio show when asked who’d win. “I’d go with Lee,” Haney said. “If I didn’t have to name a first name, I’d get a bunch of them right.” Haney was suspended for his remarks.

Haney sent Tweets on Sunday night congratulating Lee and saying his prediction was based on statistics and facts. “Korean women are absolutely dominating the LPGA Tour. If you asked me again, my answer would be the same but worded more carefully.”

Lee said her focus had been fully on the tournament. Because she hasn’t mastered English, “I didn’t really understand him that much, so I didn’t really think about it,” she said.

Boutier made a double bogey on the final hole to fall into a tie for fifth at 3 under. She shot 75. Lexi Thompson, Ryu and Angel Yin tied for second, two shots behind. Thompson shot 73, Ryu 70 and Yin 68.

Boutier tried to get on No. 18 in two. “And then if I made the putt, then it would be best,” she said. “But I missed the green, so …”

Gerina Piller, Jaye Marie Green, Mamiko Higa of Japan, and third-round co-leaders Yu Liu of China and Boutier tied for fifth. Piller was the only under par at 68. Higa and Liu shot 74s.

Boutier and Liu, the good friends and former Duke teammates, figured to fight for the title. Instead, both threw away chances early as they combined for three bogeys and a double bogey on the first three holes.

Thompson began the round a shot off the lead in search for a second career major. But she too struggled early with bogeys on the first, third and fourth holes to drop off the pace.

“It was a bit of a rough day,” Thompson said. “I got off to a pretty bad start. Just overall wasn’t as comfortable, I guess, over my shots.”

Lee is hardly a surprise winner. She came in ranked 17th in the world and has won six times on the KLPGA Tour. She tied for fifth in this event in her 2017 debut and has three top 10s on the LPGA Tour this season.

“So looking at her as a rookie to play this tournament so well, I’m really proud of her as a fellow competitor and same country girl as well,” Ryu said.

Higa faded in the final round after being a major contender at her first U.S. Women’s Open. She set the tournament mark for lowest debut with her opening 65. She was a stroke in front through 36 holes and only a shot behind when the final round began. But she had five bogeys on her first 13 holes to fall back. She finished tied for sixth after a 74.

NCAA women’s individual champion Maria Fassi started her first tournament as a pro 72-73 to make the cut on the number. She took flight on the weekend, going 68-70 to tie for 12th with a group at 1 under that included the tournament’s low amateur in Gina Kim, part of Duke’s recent NCAA team champion.

Two-time major champion Lydia Ko had a hole-in-one Sunday – the only of the week – on the difficult 11th hole. She hit a 6-iron from 172 yards and, moments later, heard cheers up near the green, but wasn’t sure why. She found out soon enough for her second career ace, the other coming at the Rio Olympics. The 11th, built with a false front and two large protective bunkers on each side, played as the hardest hole this week.

Watching the Henderson sisters – world No. 6 golfer Brooke and her caddy Brittany – was one of the best experiences of Celeste Dao’s young career. She’s hoping to put those lessons in to practice at this year’s U.S. Women’s Open.

Dao got to observe the Hendersons at last year’s event and is back in the field this week with Henderson. They’ll be joined by fellow Canadians Megan Osland and Naomi Ko at the Country Club of Charleston in South Carolina.

“Watching them around the greens, how they identify the chips or the second shots and where they could be,” said Dao of the Hendersons. “Then they work on that, finding different shots and different options. They are really focused around the greens, taking notes and finding all the angles.”

Dao, from Notre-Dame-de-l’Ile-Perrot, Que., is still an amateur and earned her way in to the second major of the LPGA Tour season in a qualifying event at TPC Boston on May 6. Osland, from Kelowna, B.C., qualified on the same day at an event at Bradenton Country Club in Florida. Ko, from Victoria, made it in at a qualifier at OGA Golf Course in Woodburn, Ore., on April 26.

Henderson, the 21-year-old phenom from Smiths Falls, Ont., will compete as the winner of the 2016 Women’s PGA Championship, but could have qualified a number of different ways.

“Growing up, (Brooke) was always my idol and a great model to follow,” said the 18-year-old Dao. “I played a practice round with her last year. I learned a lot from her and her sister.”

Osland has been playing on the Symetra Tour since 2016 and the 26-year-old is targetting an LPGA card within the year. This will be her first appearance at the U.S. Women’s Open and, like Dao, she hopes it will be a learning opportunity.

“Just being around the best players in the world, seeing how they prepare, how they play the course and stuff like that is something I can learn from,” Osland said. “I think overall it’s going to be a really cool experience playing alongside everyone and seeing how my game stacks up to everyone else.”

Osland played a full practice round on Tuesday and described the fairways as firm and the greens fast – perfect for her style of play. She appreciates that winning her qualifier and playing in a major is already a new high for her career.

“It’s definitely the biggest tournament that I’ve played in so far and I would say that it’s the biggest tournament in women’s golf,” she said. “Just to play, to get out there and play at that level I’m just really excited for it. I’m happy to be here.

“This week I’m just going to go out and play my best and see what happens.”

WILLIAMSBURG, Va. – Bronte Law was scuffling, missing fairways off the tee and scrambling for pars while a host of challengers tried to play catch-up.

A 15-foot birdie putt on the 16th hole finally brought relief.

“It was definitely a relief,” she said after winning the Pure Silk Championship on Sunday for her first career LPGA Tour victory.

“I’d hit a really good putt on the previous hole before and it kind of hit a spike mark,” she said about her sixth consecutive par. “I thought it was middle centre and didn’t make that one.”

Law closed with a 3-under 67 to win by two shots.

The 24-year-old Englishwoman, a former star at UCLA, held a share of the lead after all four rounds and finished with a 17-under 267 total on the River Course at the Kingsmill Resort.

“It was a grind,” Law said.

Brooke Henderson of Smiths Falls, Ont., Madelene Sagstrom and third-round co-leader Nasa Hataoka tied for second. Sagstrom shot 66, Henderson 68 and Hataoka 69.

Law, who came from 10 shots back on the last day to get into a playoff in the LPGA Mediheal Championship three weeks ago in Daly City, California, doubled her lead with the birdie on No. 16. Two-putt pars on the last two holes capped the victory in her 56th career start.

“It feels surreal to be honest after coming so close,” she said.

It is also, she said, a nice way to finish the week leading up to the U.S. Women’s Open next week in Charleston, South Carolina.

After the close call, “to be in contention and (for it) to be that very next time out playing was really cool and shows me that I can compete at the top on a weekly basis, which is the whole goal out there,” she said. “This was the perfect way to prepare, I guess.”

Sagstrom’s approach to the par-4 18th hit the flagstick, bounced straight down and then bounded well away. She then two-putted, preserving Law’s lead.

While her ball was in flight. Sagstrom said, she was thinking, “Oh, that looks really, really good. Then I heard it hit and I was like, ‘Please don’t bounce off.’ I was like, I mean, I couldn’t hit it more perfect.

“I was excited about the shot anyway.”

Wei-Ling Hsu, who had an eagle, seven birdies, two bogeys and a double bogey in a 66, finished fifth.

Law got a nice break on the par-4 eighth hole when she hit her drive well right, but it bounced off a steep slope back into the centre of the fairway. She hit her approach to 6 feet and made it to lead by three, then hit three more drives well right, but lost just one shot.

Sagstrom, also seeking her first career victory, got within one at No. 15 with a birdie, but missed makeable birdie putts on the next two holes before the bad luck on the finishing hole.

Henderson was a non-factor for most of the day, with 14 pars and one birdie in her first 15 holes before birdies at Nos. 16 and 18.

“To shoot 3 under on a Sunday and be that close to the leaderboard and know that you left some out there is a good thing,” she said. “So definitely just looking forward to the rest of the summer.

“I think this was a good way to lead into the U.S. Open next week.”

Hataoka, who lost here in a playoff with Ariya Jutanugarn last year, also climbed into tie for second-place tie with a closing birdie.

Hsu at one point climbed into a share of second, but the par-5 15th, which she had eagled the last two days, ended her bid. She hit her second shot right of the green and well past _ out of bounds _ and eventually two-putted for a double bogey. She birdied Nos. 16 and 18.

Cristie Kerr, the only three-time champion, had the top round of the week, coming within one shot of the course record with a 63. She just missed a birdie putt at the par-4 18th to finish at 11 under.

DUNROBIN, Ont. – While Brooke Henderson is enjoying some time off at home, she’s ready for a busy stretch.

The Canadian golf star, who put on a clinic for youngsters at the Kevin Haime Kids to the Course Classic at Eagle Creek Golf Club on Wednesday, will play six weeks in a row starting next week. After another week off, the 21-year-old native of Smiths Falls, Ont., will play four more tournaments in a row.

Henderson also will be in Aurora, Ont., on July 2 for an appearance leading into this year’s CP Women’s Open in August, where she is the defending champion.

Although Henderson has a win this year – her eighth LPGA Tour victory at the Lotte Championship in Hawaii tied her for the all-time wins record by a Canadian – she has missed two cuts, which she admitted was “unlike” her. Earlier this year, Henderson had to drop out of two events due to illness.

Still, she said she’s been pleased with her year.

“Winning is fun,” she said. “It’s fun for me to have these goals, and they’re realistic goals. This is a big stretch and if I can get my game going, I can put myself into contention.”

Henderson and her older sister/caddie Brittany don’t return home too often these days – although their family still lives in Smiths Falls, the siblings spend more time at a home in Naples, Fla. But even when Brooke’s not in the region, her presence is felt.

Haime runs a driving range in Ottawa’s west end and has a junior golf initiative that has given many youngsters free memberships for the past 12 years. He said Henderson’s impact on junior golf in Canada is “immeasurable.”

“Kids just idolize her. It’s not just girls. It’s boys. It’s teenagers,” he said. “Everyone thinks Brooke is awesome.”

During the clinic, Henderson told stories from her time on the LPGA Tour and gave some advice to young golfers.

For her own career, Henderson said she’ll be trying to improve her short game over the next few weeks.

While her scoring average ranks fourth on the LPGA Tour, her putting has held her back this year. She’ll be switching putters for next week’s Pure Silk Championship.

 

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“If people can find that love and passion for the game, good things will happen for them.” @BrookeHendersonGolf #WeAreCanadianGolf Celebrate #CanadaGolfDay and go play! ??⛳

A post shared by CP Women’s Open (@cpwomensopen) on May 1, 2019 at 10:42am PDT

Henderson said she enjoys the River Course at Kingsmill Resort in Williamsburg, Va., where she finished fourth in 2018.

“(The course) is lush and tree-lined which I love. I’ve played OK there before, but I feel potentially I could play really well there,” she said. “I always look forward to that week.”

Henderson said she’s also excited to play in the U.S. Women’s Open, the next LPGA major, May 30-June 2 in Charleston, S.C. She competed at the U.S. Women’s Amateur in 2013 at the Country Club of Charleston, the host club for this year’s event, and said that should give her a boost.

Henderson, who withdrew after the first round of last year’s U.S. Women’s Open due to the death of her grandfather, said the tournament is special.

“You get there and the atmosphere is just so different,” she said. “The U.S. Women’s Open is a big one that hopefully I can get before my career is over.”

Henderson also has enjoyed watching some golf recently. She said seeing fellow Canadian Corey Conners win his first PGA Tour title in April was “unreal.”

The victory, Henderson said, inspired her to practise a little more and boosted her energy on the course.

“It’s hard work for sure, but it’s also my dream to be out here,” said Henderson. “When I have a chance to win, it potentially makes it even better ? it brings a smile to my face because as a little girl that’s what I dreamt of, and now I’m living that dream.”

OAKVILLE, ONT. – Canadians Céleste Dao and Megan Osland clinched their spots in the field for the 2019 U.S. Women’s Open by winning their respective qualifying events Monday.

Dao was the medalist at a qualifying sectional in Boston, Mass. while Osland won her qualifying sectional in Bradenton, Fla.

Dao, an 18-year-old member of Team Canada, shot 8-over-par to best a field of 37 competitors. A native of Notre-Dame-de-l’Ile-Perrot, Que., Dao won the Canadian Junior Girls Championship last year and competed at the USGA U.S. Junior Girls Championship.

“What impresses me most about Céleste is her commitment,” said Matt Wilson, Team Canada Junior Women’s Coach. “There is a personal level of competition that she feels that lends itself to doing things at a high level of quality, which in my mind allows her to get the most out of every single day and take small steps forward towards improving on what is already a great skill set.”

Osland birdied three of her final five holes during the second of two rounds Monday to hold on to top spot in the tournament. The Kelowna, B.C. native carried a 3-stroke lead into the final round thanks to a first round 68, and withstood a strong charge from Mexican Ingrid Gutierrez Nunez.

The 2019 U.S. Women’s Open will be Osland’s first major championship appearance and she will celebrate her 26^th birthday the week before the tournament.

The U.S. Women’s Open takes place from Thursday, May 30 to Sunday, June 2 at Country Club of Charleston (S.C.).

LOS ANGELES – Minjee Lee won the Hugel-Air Premia LA Open on Sunday at Wilshire Country Club for her fifth LPGA Tour title, closing with a 3-under 68 for a four-stroke victory.

The 22-year-old Australian was projected to jump from fourth to second in the world ranking Monday after her fourth top-three finish in her last seven starts.

“Coming in, the first half of the year that I’ve had, I’ve been hitting it pretty solid and playing pretty solid,” Lee said. “I felt like it was close. I feel pretty good with this one.”

Lee made a 15-foot birdie putt on the par-3 18th to finish at 14-under 270. She led the last three days, shooting 66-69-67 to take a one-stroke advantage over Nanna Koerstz Madsen into the final round.(backslash)

Lee won a year after tying for seventh in the inaugural event.

“It’s definitely a second-shot golf course,” Lee said. “I feel like my iron play is pretty solid and usually I can be accurate with them. I think it suits me and my game. If my putter is running hot then I have a good chance.”

Sei Young Kim was second. The South Korean birdied Nos. 13-15 to pull within two strokes, but parred 16 and 17 and bogeyed the 18th for a 66.

“This golf course is not easy, even regular tournament,” Kim said. “The greens are really fast. If I miss the wrong side, it’s tough to up-and-down. Even that, I’m very satisfied with my playing. I’m very happy with my score.”

Lee easily held on after Kim’s rally stalled.

“I was just going to carry on playing my own game,” Lee said. “I had a couple birdie opportunities coming in, so I didn’t get rattled up or anything.”

Annie Park (67) and Morgan Pressel (68) tied for third at 9 under.

Koerstz Madsen shot a 76 to finish 13th at 5 under. She was trying to become the first Danish winner in LPGA Tour history.

Canada’s Brooke Henderson followed her win a week earlier with a T10 finish at 6 under par.

LOS ANGELES – Minjee Lee overcame a triple bogey Saturday to take the lead into the final round of the Hugel-Air Premia LA Open.

Lee shot a 4-under 67 to reach 11-under 202 at Wilshire Country Club. She birdied the first two holes before dropping the three strokes on the par-4 third after her second shot clipped a tree branch and her 50-yard third went over the green.

The 22-year-old Australian rallied with birdies on Nos. 5, 6, 10, 14 and 17 – all par 4s – for a one-stroke lead over Denmark’s Nanna Koerstz Madsen.

“Sort of fought my way back to my score today,” Lee said. “After that (triple) I wasn’t super nervous or anything. I just sort of tried to believe in myself and just go out there and make as many birdies as I can, try and hit as many good shots as I can.”

Ranked fourth in the world, Lee won the last of her four LPGA Tour titles in May in Michigan in the LPGA Volvik Championship. She tied for third last week in Hawaii for her third top-three finish of the season.

“Both of us, Nanna and I, we made a lot of birdies today,” Lee said. “I think we sort of fed off each other, which was really nice. Yeah, nice confidence for tomorrow.”

The 24-year-old Koerstz Madsen also shot 67.

“I’m glad to be done,” Koerstz Madsen said. “I got the putter going on the last couple holes, but it was a little bit shaky all day kind of.”

She’s trying to become the first LPGA Tour winner from Denmark

“Do the same thing as the last two days, three days,” Koerstz Madsen said. “Really just focus on my own game. If it’s enough, that’s good and I’m happy with whatever. I mean, I’m already happy with how I’ve been emotionally this week. Just going to enjoy tomorrow I think.”

Inbee Park was 7 under after a 68. The South Korean star has 19 LPGA Tour victories – seven in majors – but is winless in more than year.

“It’s extremely hard to stay patient on these greens,” Park said. “I really feel like I should be 15-under par easily by now. These greens are just so complicated, and you can’t be aggressive or it’s either you leave it a foot short or you’re 5 feet by.”

Top-ranked Jin Young Ko and Morgan Pressel were 6 under. Ko had a 67. She’s the only player with multiple victories this year, taking the Founders Cup in Phoenix and the major ANA Inspiration in Rancho Mirage.

Pressel shot 70. She won the last her two LPGA Tour titles in 2008.

“It’s just tough to be aggressive on a lot of these putts out here, even when you’re uphill,” Pressel said. “You don’t want to be left with a downhiller coming back, especially late in the day. Poa can get a little bit bumpy.”

Brooke Henderson (69) of Smiths Falls, Ont., was tied for 12th at 3 under. Quebec City’s Anne-Catherine Tanguay (73) and Calgary’s Jaclyn Lee (76) were tied for 41st at 1 over.

LOS ANGELES – Minjee Lee took advantage of fellow Australian Hannah Green’s problems Friday to take the second-round lead in the Hugel-Air Premia LA Open.

The fourth-ranked Lee shot a 2-under 69 to reach 7-under 135 at Wilshire Country Club. She holed a wedge from 114 yards for eagle on the par-4 14th.

“Out of all the ones that I have been close to making, I think that’s the only one that I actually saw like drop into the hole,” Lee said. “It was pretty cool to see it happen for the first time.”

Green birdied three of the first six holes to get to 9 under, then played the final 12 in 5 over for a 73 that left her three strokes back at 4 under. She had a double bogey after hitting into the water on the par-4 17th – her eighth hole – and also had three bogeys.

“I just hit a really bad shot and got into the water,” Green said. “Couldn’t really get myself out of jail, but definitely did not have the putter rolling as much as I would’ve liked. Had a couple three-putts, so that was pretty disappointing.”

Lee had the eagle, two birdies and two bogeys.

“I think like it’s a second-shot golf course, so obviously it’s pretty generous off the tee,” Lee said. “If you have your irons on and you have solid iron play then it’s really going to help you. I think that’s what I’m good at, so, yeah, I think that’s what is really helping me.”

The four-time LPGA Tour winner tied for third last week in Hawaii for her third top-three finish of the season.

Denmark’s Nanna Koerstz Madsen was second after a 67.

“If you hit a good drive you get rewarded and you don’t have too far on the green, but if you’re a little bit off-line then it gets hard,” she said.

Morgan Pressel (66) and Mexico’s Gaby Lopez (68) were 5 under.

“This course kind of has its quirks to where if you get on the wrong side of the pin it can be really challenging to get it up and down and save par,” Pressel said. “I played smart and gave myself a lot of opportunities.”

She was in the first group of the day off the first tee.

“It was definitely fresh greens,” Pressel said. “Poana can definitely get bouncy, especially late in the afternoon.”

Stacy Lewis, tied with Green for the first-round lead, matched Green with a 73 to finish at 4 under with playing partner Inbee Park (70), Danielle Kang (66), Jaclyn Lee (67), Shanshan Feng (70). Calgary’s Lee had a stellar round going which included an eagle on the par-5 2nd, before giving back two strokes with consecutive bogeys to close the round. She finished the day with a 4-under 67.

We see you, @JaclynLee57! 6 under thru 11 with the share of the lead at @lpga_la ??@BrookeHenderson and @ACTanguay both inside top 10 ?? pic.twitter.com/PztaPU33hD

— Golf Canada (@GolfCanada) April 26, 2019

Lewis had six bogeys, three on the first four holes.

“I really hit it good all day,” she said. “Hit a couple squirrely shots, but it was harder, I thought, with the wind this afternoon.”

Top-ranked Jin Young Ko was 2 under after her second straight 70, playing alongside third-ranked Ariya Jutanugarn and No. 7 Brooke Henderson.

Henderson, the winner in Hawaii, was 1 under after a 73. Jutanugarn was another shot back after a 71.

Second-ranked Sung Hyun Park, No. 6 Lexi Thompson and No. 10 Nelly Korda missed the cut. Sung Hyun Park shot 76-71, Thomson 75-72 and Korda 73-77.

LOS ANGELES – Worn out after two long nights with infant daughter Chesnee, Stacy Lewis shot a 6-under 65 on Thursday for a share of the lead with Hannah Green halfway through the first round of the Hugel-Air Premia LA Open.

“I’m looking forward to get a little rest,” Lewis said. “Really with the baby it’s different every day. She could be in a great mood and all of a sudden she’s screaming and you don’t know why. And we’re getting teeth, so it’s just the age that she is.”

The 34-year-old Texan is making her sixth LPGA Tour start since Chesnee’s birth in late October.

“My mom was here. She left on Monday,” Lewis said. “My husband (University of Houston women’s golf coach Gerrod Chadwell) is coming in tonight. I wanted to just kind of see how was it by myself for a couple days, and she chose to have her worst night in months right after my mom leaves.”

She birdied four of her last six holes in the bogey-free round at Wilshire Country Club.

“I hit it good and putted well,” Lewis said. “That’s kind of the combination that’s been missing, is just putting both of them together. Finally did it on the same day.”

She missed the cut last year, shooting 75-73.

“Last year it was super firm and so I did not like the golf course,” Lewis said. “Just felt like you didn’t get rewarded with good shots, and it was a little bit of goofy golf. Now the greens are much more receptive and you can just hit a lot better golf shots. They’re still difficult to putt, but I just feel like you get rewarded more for good shots.”

The 12-time tour winner played alongside Inbee Park and Sung Hyun Park.

“It was nice playing with Inbee,” Lewis said. “I hadn’t played with her in a while. I love playing with her because she hits so many good putts. Kind of get some confidence just seeing the ball roll really well.”

Inbee Park had a 68. The second-ranked Sung Hyun Park shot 76.

Green also had a bogey-free round.

“My ball-striking was great, but also my putter was really hot,” Green said. “I was really happy with how I rolled it. … I think whoever wins this week will have the least amount of putts.”

Fellow Australian Minjee Lee was a stroke back, also playing bogey-free.

“It was pretty solid all round,” said Lee, ranked fourth. “I just hit the greens and then if I was close, I would try and take opportunity of my birdie chances. If not, then I would be able to have a par.”

Canada’s Anne-Catherine Tanguay followed at 67.

Anne-Catherine Tanguay (Getty Images)

Top-ranked Jin Young Ko played in the afternoon. She’s the only player with multiple victories this year, taking the Founders Cup in Phoenix and the major ANA Inspiration in Rancho Mirage.

Ko was group with Brooke Henderson, the Lotte Championship winner last week in Hawaii, and third-ranked Ariya Jutanugarn.

All smiles for last week’s champ, @BrookeHenderson. She’s back in contention with 3-under 68 to share 5th place @lpga_LA ????

Fellow Canadian @ACTanguay leads the way at 4 under par ? pic.twitter.com/6moYE6eRHu

— Golf Canada (@GolfCanada) April 26, 2019

Defending champion Moriya Jutanugarn, Ariya’s older sister, opened with a 71.

Jessica Kordahad a 74, playing a four-hole stretch in 5 over with three straight bogeys and a double bogey.

Sixth-ranked Lexi Thompson also struggled, shooting 75. She was 5 over in a five-span, also making three bogeys and a double bogey.