KILDEER, Ill. – Canada’s Brooke Henderson, the 2016 KPMG winner, was a stroke back with Jessica Korda, Jaye Marie Green and Brittany Altomore on Thursday after the first round of the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship.

It wasn’t looking like a good day for Brooke when she started off on the tenth tee and carded two bogeys, but the 2017 runner up recorded a birdie on the ninth hole and made the turn finishing with six more birdies.

Maude-Aimee Leblanc (68) and Alena Sharp (69) both join Brooke in the top ten.

Brittany Marchand (71) recorded a hole-in-one on the 175-yard No. 17 hole at Kemper Lakes Golf Club. She used a 5-iron. With the ace, Marchand will take home a 2019 Kia Sorento.

?Hole in One!? – #TeamCanada’s @b_marchand aces No.17 from 175 yards with a 5-iron at the @kpmgwomenspga ????

A post shared by Golf Canada (@thegolfcanada) on Jun 28, 2018 at 6:08pm PDT

Fellow Canadian, Anne-Catherine Tanguay, carded a 4-over 76.

.@BrookeHenderson cards a 5-under 67 to sit 1 back at the @KPMGWomensPGA ???? pic.twitter.com/JNTwuCyeYp

— Golf Canada (@TheGolfCanada) June 29, 2018

South Korea’s Sung Hyun Park shot a bogey-free 6-under 66 to take the first-round lead.

The 2017 U.S. Women’s Open Champion birdied three of the four par-5 holes at Kemper Lakes in the third of the LPGA Tour’s five majors.

The 24-year-old Park won the weather-shortened LPGA Texas Classic in May, but followed that with three missed cuts and a tie for 61st last week in Arkansas. After a switch in putters, she believes she is rounding back into form.

The long-hitting Park birdied the par-5 15th to reach 5 under and parred the tough final three holes, finishing with a short putt on 18.

“I felt like something little was missing, especially my putting,” Park said through an interpreter. “But this week, I (feel) comfortable.”

The course favours long hitters, and that’s just fine with Korda.

She has five tour victories and her sights set on becoming the second member of her family to capture a major championship. Her father, Petr Korda, won tennis’ Australian Open in 1998.

After tying for fourth at the ANA Inspiration this year, Korda missed the cut at the U.S. Women’s Open. But she’s off to a good start in this one.

“Oh, It was great,” said Korda, the winner in Thailand in February in her return from reconstructive jaw surgery. “Finally, a golf course that benefits the long-hitters. The last couple weeks it’s definitely been a lot of 3-woods or even 4-irons off the tees, so this is really, really nice.”

Korda birdied three of the first six holes and ended her round on a rather strong note. She birdied Nos. 14 and 15 before making pars on the final three holes.

Green closed with a birdie on No. 9.

Michelle Wie shot 71, U.S. Women’s Open champion Ariya Jutanugarn had an even-par 72, and top-ranked Inbee Park and defending champion Danielle Kang followed at 73.

Lexi Thompson also shot 72, acing the 166-yard sixth hole with an 8-iron. Brittany Marchand also had a hole-in-one with a 5-iron on the 175-yard No. 17. She shot 71.

The winner last year at Olympia Fields, Kang fought through a stomachache after she couldn’t resist the chocolate chip waffles at breakfast. She knew that was a bad idea no matter how good they looked, and it didn’t take long for her to start paying for it.

Kang was already starting to feel sick before she teed off. It bothered her throughout the round, and she even threw up after the ninth hole.

“Just that constant contraction, your stomach contracting,” said Kang, who was planning to have oatmeal and cereal for breakfast Friday. “When I’m putting and if I contract too much, I smashed one on 10. I go, ‘Oops.”’

She felt it in a double bogey on the par-4 16th. The 419-yarder is a nightmare, with water running the entire right side of the fairway before forming a pond in front of the green. There are also two fairway bunkers on the left as well as a deep one by the green. Kang’s stomach was acting up as she sent her third shot sailing over the green, just missing the water.

“I was feeling it over it, and then I just tried to hit through it and hit it way too hard,” she said.–

ROGERS, Ark. – Minjee Lee wasn’t all that concerned when she missed her first cut of the year this month at the ShopRite LPGA Classic.

The ninth-ranked Australian has certainly looked at ease and back in form at Pinnacle Country Club in her first event since then.

Lee and Japan’s Nasa Hataoka each shot 6-under 65 on Saturday to share the second-round lead in the NW Arkansas Championship 13-under 129. Lee is chasing her fifth victory since turning pro three years ago. It’s also an opportunity to put any lingering frustration over that missed cut two weeks ago behind her for good.

“I didn’t particularly hit it bad, even though I missed the cut at ShopRite, I just didn’t really hole any putts,” Lee said. “I’d been hitting it pretty solid going into that tournament and even into this tournament, too. Just to see a couple putts roll in has been nice.”

The 22-year-old Lee needed only 24 putts during her opening 64 on Friday, helping her to match the low round of her career. Despite needing 28 putts Saturday, she still briefly took the outright lead after reaching as low as 14 under after a birdie on the par-5 seventh.

Lee missed the green on the par-4 ninth soon thereafter to lead to her only bogey of the day and a tie with the 19-year-old Hataoka, who is in pursuit of her first career win.

Hataoka birdied six of eight holes midway through her bogey-free round on Saturday. It was yet another stellar performance from the Japanese teenager, who has finished in the top 10 in four of her last five tournaments and will be a part of Sunday’s final pairing.

“I try to make birdies and try to be under par, that’s really the key for me to get a top ten,” Hataoka said. “Golf is just trying to be in the top 10 every single week, so that’s the key.”

Third-ranked Lexi Thompson matched the low round of the day with a 64 to get to 11 under. She hit 17 of 18 fairways and shot a 5-under 30 on her opening nine, The American is in search of her first win since September in the Indy Women in Tech Championship.

Ariya Jutanugarn and Celine Boutier were 10 under.

First-round leader Gaby Lopez followed her opening 63 with a 75 to drop to 4 under. Fellow former Arkansas star Stacy Lewis also was 4 under after a 72.

Brittany Marchand will be the sole Canadian making the cut into Sunday’s final round at 4 under.

ROGERS, Ark. — Since its first year on the LPGA Tour in 2007, the crowds at the NW Arkansas Championship have belonged to Stacy Lewis.

Another former University of Arkansas star staked her claim as the hometown favourite Friday when Gaby Lopez shot a career-low 8-under 63 to take the first-round lead at Pinnacle Country Club.

Like Lewis, the two-time winner of the tournament, Lopez starred as a three-time All-American for the Razorbacks before joining the LPGA Tour in 2016. Despite flashes of potential, Lopez had yet to join Lewis among the ranks of the world’s best — missing the cut in her last two tournaments and entering this week ranked 136th in the world.

For a day, at least, the Mexican standout felt right at home atop the leaderboard in her adopted home state.

“I feel like home,” Lopez said. “I feel so, so comfortable out here, because I feel that everyone and every single person out here is just rooting for us.”

Brittany Marchand of Orangeville, Ont., was just two shots back to tie for ninth after firing a 6-under 65 for her best round on the LPGA Tour this year. She bogeyed on No. 16 but recovered with an eagle on the 18th hole. Her previous best was a second round 3-under 68 at the Kingsmill Championship in mid May.

Moriya Jutanugarn was a stroke back along with Minjee Lee, Catriona Matthew, Nasa Hataoka, Lizette Salas, Mirim Lee and Aditi Ashok. Six others finished at 6 under on a day when only 26 of the 144 players finished over par, thanks to some mid-week rain that softened the greens and calm skies throughout the day.

Jutanugarn finished second at the tournament last year and is trying to win for the second time on the LPGA Tour this year. Her younger sister, Ariya, is already a two-time winner this year and shot an opening-round 66.

Lewis, the former world No. 1 who won the event in 2007 in 2014, finished with a 66. She’s expecting her first child in early November

Defending champion So Yeon Ryu, coming off a victory Sunday in Michigan, shot a 67.

Quebec City’s Anne-Catherine Tanguay shot a 1-under 70 to tie for 79th, Hamilton’s Alena Sharp was 2-over 73 to tie for 128th and Maude-Aimee Leblanc of Sherbrooke, Que., was 3-over 74.

Friday was Lopez’s long-awaited day to standout, though, much to the delight of the pro-Arkansas crowd.

After missing the cut her last two times out, Lopez took some time off and returned home to Mexico City to rest her mind and work on her game. The work paid off with two straight birdies to open her round and a 6-under 30 on her front nine.

Lopez needed only 25 putts and finished two shots off the course record of 61, and she overcame a poor drive on the par-5 18th to finish with a par and keep her place at the top of the leaderboard. Her previous low score was a 64 last year, and she matched her career best by finishing at 8 under.

“(Rest) is a key that no one really truly understands until you’re out here,” Lopez said. “… Sometimes resting is actually the part you’ve got to work on.”

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – So Yeon Ryu found her winning touch at Blythefield Country Club

Ryu won the Meijer LPGA Classic on Sunday, closing with a 5-under 67 for a two-stroke victory over Caroline Masson. The 29-year-old South Korean player has six LPGA Tour victories, winning twice last year.

“I’ve been working really hard with my coach and my psychologist, trainer, whole my team,” Ryu said. “Finally I was able to find the last piece to put everything together, so it’s really, really meaningful to me.”

The two-time major champion birdied the par-5 16th and par-4 17th and parred the par-4 18th to finish at 21-under 267.

“I’ve been really, really struggling. I had a lot of crazy moments,” Ryu said. “I had some good rounds, I had some really bad rounds, so I couldn’t even really finish top-10 compared to any other season. So, all those reasons just drove me crazy.”

Two strokes behind Anna Nordqvist and Lee-Anne Pace entering the round, Ryu had six birdies and bogey in the final round.

“I was really calm today,” said Ryu, set to open her NW Arkansas Championship title defence Friday. “Of course I prayed like thousand times, but I was really calm. I was able to focus on my game instead of think about other players.”

Masson closed with a 70-foot birdie putt for a 68.

“Super happy about the finish today. Second place is great,” Masson said. “I was trying to win it today, but it just wasn’t quite enough. I think I made a couple good putts and I missed a few very makeable ones, too, so I guess you just have to make those if you really want to win.”

Lydia Ko shot a 67 to finish third at 18 under.

“I don’t remember this course being this easy and I don’t think it was easy, but it just shows the amount of talent that’s on our tour,” Ko said, “It’s just good to have a great week. This is a tournament I really love playing.”

Nordqvist and Pace each shot 73 – after each had a 64 on Saturday – to tie for fourth at 17 under with Jacqui Concolino (66), Azahara Munoz (68) and Angela Stanford (70).

U.S. Women’s Open winner Ariya Jutanugarn shot a
tournament-record 62. She birdied five of the first seven holes,
eagled No. 8 and added three more birdies to finish 12th at 15
under.

“I just like really want to go out and have fun, especially play with like Emily (Tubert) like one of my best friends,” Jutanugarn said. “And have so much fun today.”

Team Canada player and Amateur, Jaclyn Lee, was the top ranked Canadian. She recorded a 69 on Sunday to finish the tournament 10-under T35. Anne-Catherine Tanguay (69), Brooke M. Henderson (73) and Alena Sharp (75) shared the 44th.

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – Amateur, and Team Canada member, Jaclyn Lee, from Calgary Alta., is T10 after firing a 4-under 68 on Thursday in the Meijer LPGA Classic.

Maude-Aimée Leblanc from Sherbrooke (70) was one stroke less than Alena Sharp from Hamilton, Ont. Anne-Catherine Tanguay of Quebec City and Brittany Marchand of Orangeville, Ont.,  all recorded 73.

After the first round, defending champion Brooke Henderson is T25 at 3-under par.

Kelly Shon played her last six holes in 6 under for an 8-under 64 and a share of the lead with So Yeon Ryu.

Shon had a 7-under 29 on her final nine, the front nine at Blythefield Country Club. The former Princeton star played the five par-5 holes in 5 under with an eagle on No. 8.

“Honestly, going into the round, I was thinking maybe the front nine was kind of going to be the tougher nine,” Shon said. “So I just was pacing myself, trying to stay in the moment and hit every shot the best as I could. I don’t know, the back side, my putter started getting hot.”

Born in South Korea, the 26-year-old American is winless in four seasons on the LPGA Tour. She began the final-nine run with a birdie on the par-5 first, birdied the par-3 fourth, par-5 fifth and par-7 seventh, eagled No. 8 and closed with a birdie on the par-4 ninth.

“I haven’t liked this golf course, but to be honest, it’s playing a little bit different than it has in the past,” Shon said. “A couple of the tee boxes have changed and the course itself. The weather’s just perfect, which is also something we’re not used to all the time so far this year.”

The sixth-ranked Ryu birdied four of the par 5s in a bogey-free round.

“It’s more about the putting instead of score,” Ryu said. “Obviously, when you’re putting really well you have a chance for a really low round, but I just really wanted to have like confidence on the putting green. Like I don’t think I have enough confidence on the putting green, that’s why I always struggle. So from now on, hopefully, I can get fully confident when I’m putting.”

She winless this season after taking the major ANA Inspiration and Walmart NW Arkansas Championship last year. She also won the 2011 U.S. Women’s Open.

“Like to be honest, if I talk about this season, I’m not really fully satisfied with it,” Ryu said. “Hopefully, this week I’m going to start playing really well and hopefully I can win this tournament.”

Anna Nordqvist, Su Oh and Celine Herbin shot 66.

“I’ve had a really rough start to the year,” Nordqvist said. “Haven’t really felt like myself, but just trying to make a few changes the last couple weeks and get on a better bit of a roll. I know good golf is ahead of me, but it’s definitely been frustrating.”

Sophia Popov, Caroline Masson and Lee-Anne Pace shot 67, and Lexi Thompson, the 2015 winner, had a 68.

“The weather couldn’t have been any better for us out here,” Thompson said. “The course is in great shape. The last few days it’s actually been pretty windy out here, but today there was like nothing.”

Ariya Jutanugarn, making her first start since winning the U.S. Women’s Open, matched defending champion Brooke Henderson, Michelle Wie and Lydia Ko at 69. Annie Park, the ShopRite LPGA Classic winner last week in New Jersey, had a 76.

GALLOWAY, N.J.–Annie Park won the ShopRite LPGA Classic for her first LPGA Tour victory, closing with an 8-under 63 on Sunday for a one-stroke victory over Sakura Yokomine.

The 23-year-old Park, from Levittown, New York, had an eagle and six birdies on a cloudy day over the Bay Course at Stockton Seaview to complete 54 holes at 16-under 197, a stroke off the tournament record.

Yokomine, the winner of 23 events on the Japan LPGA Tour, flirted with a 59 but parred the par-5 18th for a 61 to tie the course record.

New Jersey native Marina Alex was third at 14 under after a 64. She made a hole-in-one at the par-3 17th. Sei Young Kim, who broke the course record Sunday morning when she finished her second round with back-to-back birdies for a 61, had a 70 to finish fourth at 13 under.

Park earned $262,500, topping her total of $261,096 for her first 49 LPGA Tour events. She won the 2013 NCAA individual title as a freshman at Southern California and helped the Trojans take the team crown.

Brooke Henderson had the best Canadian result, scoring 28th in a 69-round.  Anne-Catherine Tanguay finished eight places down, despite a score of 67.

GALLOWAY, N.J. – Two-time champion Anna Nordqvist shot a 5-under 66 on Friday for a share of the first-round lead with Laura Diaz and Celine Herbin in the ShopRite LPGA Classic.

Nordqvist won the 54-hole event in 2015 and 2016 on Stockton Seaview’s Bay Course and finished second last year. Teeing off Friday in the afternoon when the wind was stronger, the 30-year-old Swede closed her bogey-free round with a birdie on the par-5 ninth.

“Honestly, I have a lot of good memories from here,” Nordqvist said. “It’s a place that makes me happy. I seemed to be striking the ball better today than for most of the year, so I was very consistent, gave myself a lot of chances. I was trying to stay patient out there and I’m very happy to post a good round.”

Brittany Marchand (69) of Orangeville, Ont., was the low Canadian was tied for 28th at 2 under, while Maude-Aimee Leblanc (70) of Sherbrooke, Que., was tied for 49th at 1 under. Quebec City’s Anne-Catherine Tanguay and Brooke Henderson of Smiths Falls, Ont., were tied for 66th after shooting identical even-par 71s.

The eight-time LPGA Tour winner is seeking her ninth career victory, has missed the cut in three of her last five events. She is currently 54th on the LPGA money list with more than $132,000 in earnings.

The 43-year-old Diaz made the field as an alternate. She played in the morning when the greens were smoother and the wind more benign and carded five birdies.

Her 12-year-old son, Cooper, was on the bag for her first competitive LPGA Tour round of the year.

“It’s more special because I have my son with me,” Diaz said. “It was great. He wasn’t nervous. He was perfect. So it’s a calming influence. I think I spent more time worrying about him.”

Herbin, 35, birdied the final two holes.

Lydia Ko, In-Gee Chun and ANA Inspiration winner Pernilla Lindberg were at 67 with Sandra Gal, Su Oh, Beatriz Recari, Amy Yang and Wayne, New Jersey native Marina Alex. Defending champion I.K. Kim had a 68.

Shanshan Feng, at No. 4 the top-ranked player in the field, shot 69.

Leona Maguire, the former Duke star from Ireland, had a 69 in pro debut.

Canadian Brittany Marchand sits T28.

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – In some of the bleakest moments during Ariya Jutanugarn’s back-nine collapse at the U.S. Women’s Open, the 22-year-old from Thailand would take a deep breath, smile to herself and think happy thoughts.

The mind tricks weren’t working, but she wasn’t going to stop trying.

Finally, after an excruciating few hours of golf, the positive vibes came true.

Jutanugarn lost a seven-shot lead on the back nine before prevailing on the fourth hole of a playoff to win at Shoal Creek on Sunday for her second major championship.

She made a nearly perfect bunker shot to within a foot of the cup on the tournament-clinching hole, beating South Korea’s Hyo-Joo Kim, who shot a 5-under 67 in the final round to force the playoff.

It was not an easy up-and-down for Jutanugarn, who said she didn’t have a particularly good lie in the sand. Somehow, she kept her cool.

“I felt pretty good,” Jutanugarn said about her mood before the shot. “I don’t know why.”

She felt even better when the ball rolled close enough for an easy putt. A collapse that would have gone down in U.S. Women’s Open lore was about to be averted.

Jutanugarn said support from her family and coaches helped her stay positive and come through with her ninth LPGA Tour win.

“I know everything’s going to be the same and they’re going to love me the same,” Jutanugarn said.

Jutanugarn started the day with a four-shot lead over Australia’s Sarah Jane Smith and looked like she might win easily after opening with a 4 under on the front nine to stretch her lead to seven shots.

But a triple bogey on No. 10 cut the lead to four and rocked her confidence, especially with her 3-wood. She still had a two-shot lead with two holes remaining, but closed with back-to-back bogeys to fall into a playoff after shooting 73.

Jutanugarn and Kim shot 11-under 277 in regulation.

In the end, Jutanugarn’s slow-motion collapse set up an emotional victory and her second major win. She also won the Women’s British Open in 2016.

The format for the playoff was a two-hole aggregate on 14 and 18, but the players were still tied after the two holes. The format then switched to sudden death, alternating between the same holes.

Kim looked like she might win the two-hole aggregate after making a long birdie putt on 14 while Jutanugarn settled for par. But Kim made bogey – her first of the day – on 18 while Jutanugarn made par again to send the format to sudden death.

On the fourth playoff hole at 18, both players went into greenside bunkers. Kim’s shot out of the bunker was decent, but Jutanugarn’s was phenomenal, rolling right next to cup and setting up an easy par putt.

Kim missed her putt for par and Jutanugarn tapped in for the win, turning toward her caddie and family for a happy, tearful embrace.

Jutanugarn looked nearly invincible during Saturday’s third round when she made her move into the lead with a 67, powering through the soggy Shoal Creek course with ease. It was more of the same for a while Sunday when she extended her lead to seven shots.

But things were about to get rough in a hurry.

Jutanugarn hit her tee shot into the hazard on the 10th and then had a three-putt for a triple bogey. Her confidence shaken, she had another bogey on 12 and the tournament was suddenly much closer than anyone expected.

While Jutanugarn was fading, the 22-year-old Kim was rolling. She made putt after putt to put pressure on Jutanugarn, including a 50-footer on 15 that pulled her within one shot of the lead. Like everyone else, she was shocked she was still in contention.

“Honestly, I didn’t really worry too much about it because I just focused on how I was going to play,” Kim said through a translator. “It did not really enter my mind that I was going to come that close.”

She couldn’t quite complete the comeback, which would have been the biggest in the final round in U.S. Women’s Open history.

Smith, a 33-year-old from Australia, had a three-shot lead going into the weekend after back-to-back 67s, but finished the tournament with two straight disappointing rounds. She was in the final group with Jutanugarn, but had a 78 on Sunday to fall into a tie for fifth.

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Sarah Jane Smith outpaced the thunderstorms and the rest of the field at the U.S. Women’s Open.

The Australian extended her lead to four strokes after a second straight 5-under 67 Friday at Shoal Creek. Smith got her round in before a 2-hour, 49-minute delay caused by thunderstorms, weather that ultimately forced play to be halted with a little daylight left.

Now, she enters the weekend leading a major championship, unfamiliar territory, but also with 36 holes down. Other contenders like Thailand’s Ariya Jutanugarn still must finish Round 2, which will be completed on Saturday with the low 60 scorers plus ties making the cut. Half the field didn’t finish the round.

Smith is at 10-under 134 heading into the weekend after failing to make the cut in five of her previous six U.S. Women’s Open tries.

“I haven’t been in the position before, I but I hope to show up like it’s another day,” Smith said. “I’m happy with the way I’m playing. I feel comfortable on the greens which has been something that has been a little bit off lately. So it’s nice to be able to feel like I’m seeing the greens really well and seeing some putts go in. Hopefully that keeps going.”

Smith has staged a strong comeback after having missed the cut in five straight LPGA Tour events this year, even switching back to an old set of clubs

She opened the day in a three-way tie atop the leaderboard with Jutanugarn and Korean Jeongeun6 Lee.

Jutanugarn had an opening birdie to move to 6 under through eight holes. Lee fell back to 2 under with a second-day 75. Korean-born Su-Hyun Oh shot 68 and is also 6 under.

Hamilton’s Alena Sharp was tied for 60th at 4-over par through seven holes when play was suspended. Celeste Dao of Notre-Dame-de-l’Ile-Perrot, Que., will miss the cut after shooting an 8-over 80.

Brooke Henderson of Smiths Falls, Ont., withdrew from the tournament early Friday morning to attend to a family emergency.

Smith has played 5-under on the back nine holes each of the first two days and settled for par on the front. She had a 29-hole bogey-free streak end with a three-putt on No. 8 – she started on the 10th tee – a rare mistake for her at the midway point.

Duane Smith, his wife’s caddie since qualifying school, could only compare her current play with a clutch Futures Tour performance to earn her Tour card a decade ago.

“She’s playing so good,” Duane Smith said. “Maybe years ago when she won the last event on the Futures Tour to get a card at the end of 2008. She had to win to get her card and she did and she opened up that nine holes, I think, 7-under on the front nine and then led the whole way. She played great that whole week but this is something totally different.”

Oh, who was born in Korea but moved to Australia at age 8, had an eagle on the par-4 15th hole. She is still chasing Smith, along with everyone else.

“We were looking at the leaderboard saying Sarah is very greedy, just taking all the birdies,” Oh said.

The course had taken heavy rains during the week, raising concerns about the course’s condition, but the sun held out for most of the tournament’s first two days. Play only continued for about an hour after the delay.

“It’s weird because it’s playing longer because it’s so soft but so hot so the irons are going really far,” Oh said. “So it’s just hard to guess and it swirls a lot within the trees so it’s just really difficult clubbing.”

Seven players are at 3 under, including amateur Linn Grant of Sweden and No. 1-ranked Inbee Park. Grant shot 72 and Park 71.

Defending champion Sung Hyun Park finished 9 over after a 76 and 77, which would be well below the projected cut line. Stacy Lewis, the 2012 player of the year, is among a big group just above the cut line at 4 over (through eight holes).

Sitting at 3 under after a 68, Spain’s Carlotta Ciganda said she was surprised to see any one at double-digits under par like Smith.

“I think at the end of the four days not many people will be there because it always happen in the U.S. Open,” Ciganda said. “I’m not too worried. I’m just trying to play my game, follow my strategy and try to hit fairways and greens and I think there can be a few good scores but not many.”

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Brooke Henderson recorded a 1-over 73 after the first round of the US Women’s Open. She struggled coming out of the gate recording birdies on holes 1, 2 and 4. She finished T44 while Canadian Alina Sharp finished 3-over 75 and Team Canada member, Celeste Dao, finished 11-over 83.

The sun shone brightly at rain-soaked Shoal Creek. So did Ariya Jutanugarn, Sarah Jane Smith and Jeongeun6 Lee.

Jutanugarn, Smith and Lee each shot a 5-under 67 to share the first-round lead, where the course held up better than some feared after heavy rains in recent days.

Thailand’s Jutanugarn spent hours in front before Smith and Lee caught her in the evening.

Jutanugarn is coming off a Kingsmill Championship win and kept up the momentum, including an eagle on No. 6. She said she started focusing more on each shot instead of worrying about the big picture.

“At Kingsmill, I started (saying) I’m not going to think about the outcome,” the eight-time LPGA Tour winner said. “I’m not going to think about winning the tournament.”

Jutanugarn and the Australian Smith each had an eagle, five birdies and two bogeys. The Korean Lee, meanwhile, had five birdies on a course that has been drenched in recent weeks, forcing the cancellation of Tuesday’s practice round and limiting course time on the eve of the tournament.

Danielle Kang, 2014 winner Michelle Wie, Korean Ji-Hyun Kim and Swedish amateur Linn Grant were 3 under. Brooke Henderson of Smiths Falls, Ont., was tied for 44th at 1-over 73 and Hamilton’s Alena Sharp was 3-over 75.

Smith and Lee have never won on the LPGA Tour.

Now, they find themselves in the unfamiliar position of holding a share of the lead at a major championship _ and trying not to get caught up in it.

“It’s pretty early,” Smith said. “I think later on in the week it might be easier to get ahead of yourself. (Friday) morning I have got to make sure that it’s just a new day and not worry too much about where I am. Whether that’s possible, I don’t know. I would like to say that.”

Lee wasn’t getting carried away either. “Well, it’s just the first round, just started it,” she said.

There were doubts about the state of the picturesque course and whether USGA officials would have to play lift, clean and place for the first time at a championship thanks to nearly five inches of rain on the week.

So far, so good.

Jutanugarn said it was the only time she can remember as a pro when she wasn’t able to see the entire course before a tournament, having played only the first nine holes in practice. It wasn’t just the rain but her golf clubs arrived late.

She might as well have left the driver at home, so far.

“I hit 3-wood almost every hole,” Jutanugarn said. “I hit 2-iron maybe twice off the tee.”

Lee parred the first five holes before heating up. She arrived last Wednesday from Korea and played nine holes several times.

“My main strategy today was not to have a bogey and I think that worked and also when I went to a more difficult situation I try not to get into trouble,” she said. “I stay out of it.”

Top-ranked Inbee Park shot 70. No. 3 Lexi Thompson is 1 under. Defending champion Sung Hyun Park shot 76.

Kang had four birdies and a bogey. Her brother Alex, also a professional golfer, got her to start practising with mud balls as a teenager.

“It actually gave me a sense of calm,” Kang said. “It wasn’t, oh, crap, there is mud.

“You have to adjust, what is this mud going to do, how is it going to affect the shot.”

England’s Mel Reid is in a group at 2 under, a few weeks after hiring a new coach. She had missed eight of nine cuts on the LPGA Tour this year.

Reid said she decided to play the ball down in the wet conditions Wednesday.

“Let’s get the mud balls and just kind of deal with it,” she said. “And I honestly think that’s one of best things we could have done. It wasn’t a surprise to us today.

“You are going to get mud balls. You have got to accept it. It’s going to cost you one shot. But it’s going to be the same for everybody. Whoever deals with it the best is going to have the better outcome.”