KAPOLEI, Hawaii – Su-Yeon Jang took the Lotte Championship lead in the completion of the third round Friday morning and opened a three-stroke cushion in the afternoon with a third-round 7-under 65.

The 22-year-old sponsor invite from South Korea had a 17-under 199 total – two strokes off the tournament record for 72 holes – at Ko Olina Golf Club. She completed her second straight 67 in the morning in the rain-delayed event.

Cristie Kerr and Alena Sharp, the 35-year-old Canadian looking for her first LPGA Tour victory, were tied for second. Kerr had a 62 to tie Lizette Salas’ tournament record. Kerr, who turns 40 this year, played the back nine in 29, with birdies on seven of her last eight holes.

“I was just kind of being myself,” said Kerr, who had eight putts on her last eight holes. “Yeah, everybody says being in the zone. I just kind of stayed out of my own way today, which is what I have to do to have a chance tomorrow.

“I stayed in the moment and started walking them in.”

Sharp stayed with Jang, birdie for birdie, until a bogey on the final hole left her with a 66. She was just one back after sinking a 15-footer from the fringe on the 16th.

Sharp has not won in 240 LPGA starts, but is coming off her best year. The only LPGA player with more starts without a win in this field is Becky Morgan (315). She is tied for 10th, seven shots back. Morgan’s last Top 10 was in 2009.

Sharp admits “It’s hard to win out here,” but has never wanted to stop trying.

“I just love playing golf, so I don’t think about it as I need to win,” she said. “I just love the competition. I love travelling to all the different places we play and the amazing courses we play. I just have a lot of passion for the game itself.”

In Gee Chun, the 2015 U.S. Women’s Open champ, was 12 under after a 65.

“I was able to hole some longer putts in my front nine, which is the back nine,” said Ko, whose 14th – and last – win came in July. “When you get to hole the putts that you don’t necessarily think they’re birdie range, it’s always nice. It’s kind of a bonus.”

Top-ranked Lydia Ko, looking for her first win since July, was tied for seventh at 9 under after a 65. She was eight strokes behind the leader, a shot behind second-ranked So Yeon Ryu (69) and two back of third-ranked Ariya Jutanugarn (70).

Jang, who doesn’t have a bogey this week, also played in the final group last year at Lotte and finished fifth.

Hawaii has thrown its share of surprises at this year’s field. For the third day in a row there was a weather delay Friday. The wind and rain, and thunder and lightening, have made Ko Olina a tropical adventure.

When darkness halted play Thursday, Jang had two holes remaining and a share of the lead at 9 under with Ariya Jutanugarn and In-Kyung Kim. Jang birdied her 17th hole early Friday to claim the second-round lead, then had “some real good food my dad cooked up” before teeing off in the third round.

After the leaders played their first hole, play was halted for an hour. Jang came back with four quick birdies and added three in a row on the back nine. She needed just 25 putts.

“Because I had to finish up the second round this morning and play another 18 I was a little bit tired,” she said through an interpreter. “But I know I’m so far away from home and I travel so long to play this tournament, so I try to tell myself just to suck if up and have a good time and play a good round today.”

She was brilliant, and has been in nearly every round she’s played at Ko Olina the last two years. The exception was last year’s final round, when a 71 in the final group wasn’t nearly enough to keep up with Minjee Lee.

Instead Jang, ranked 68th in the world, won twice on the Korean LPGA tour last year and finished third on the money list.

“Obviously I’ve gained a good amount of experience doing that,” Jang said. “Hopefully tomorrow I won’t get too nervous. I think that experience will help me play in the rest of the round tomorrow.”

The last time a sponsor invite won on the LPGA it was Lydia Ko at the 2013 CN Canadian Women’s Open. Ko turns 20 in 10 days and was born the same year Kerr debuted on the tour.

The cut came Friday morning at 1 under, with 78 golfers playing on. Michelle Wie, the 2014 Lotte champion, made the cut on the number. Lindy Duncan holed out on the 18th hole early Friday for eagle to make the cut.

Nicole Broch Larsen was also one of the 15 players who came back to finish their second round Friday morning. She had a hole-in-one on her 17th hole (No. 8).

KAPOLEI, Hawaii – Ariya Jutanugarn and In-Kyung Kim each birdied their final hole Thursday to share the lead during the suspended second round of the LPGA Lotte Championship.

Jutanugarn had a bogey-free 6-under 66, and Kim shot 64 to reach 9-under 135 at Ko Olina Golf Club. Jutanugarn won five times last season and was the LPGA Tour’s player of the year.

Kim, a 28-year-old from Seoul who already has a pair of top-5 finishes here, had five consecutive birdies during one stretch for the lowest round of the day.

“It was nice to get out in the morning, definitely calmer,” Kim said. “Now the winds are picking up so it’s hard to get to the hole. I had a great putting day. Yesterday I hit the ball pretty well, just didn’t make any putts. Today the putts were dropping.”

Su-Yeon Jang, among the 15 players still on the course when play was halted due to darkness, was also at 9-under with two holes remaining. Jang doesn’t have a bogey in her first 34 holes of the tournament.

The cut will be determined after the completion of the round Friday morning.

Hamilton’s Alena Sharp (69), Stacy Lewis (68), first-round co-leader Mi Hyang Lee (70), Alena Sharp (69) and Becky Morgan, who also has two holes remaining, share fourth place at 8 under. There are five golfers at 7 under, including second-ranked So Yeon Ryu (69), coming off a victory in the major ANA Inspiration, and Olympic champion Inbee Park.

Alena Sharp has the second-most LPGA starts without a win in the field at the LOTTE Championship with 240 – only Becky Morgan (315) has more.

Play was also halted for nearly 90 minutes earlier in the day when the course was cleared due to the threat of lightning.

Paula Creamer, co-leader after an opening 66, bogeyed both par 5s on the front nine and had a double bogey on the par-3 eighth in a 74. Defending champion Minjee Lee rallied for a 68 and is six back, while top-ranked Lydia Ko moved up 45 spots, to 40th, with a 69. Hawaii’s Michelle Wie, who won here in 2014, is tied for 60th at 1 under.

For the second straight day, a morning tee time was a huge advantage. Winds began gusting up to 20 mph as the morning groups finished. When the wind stopped, thunder, lightning and rain followed.

Lewis birdied four of her first five holes to get to 8 under early. She bogeyed the 10th just before play was suspended, but got it back with her sixth birdie of the day, at the 13th. The two-time LPGA Player of the Year is winless in her last 69 starts. – and 8 under on Ko Olina’s front nine this week.

“Honestly, it’s just that I’ve had more momentum going into that side than I have when I’ve played the back,” Lewis said. “I played the back early yesterday and just wasn’t striking it very good.

“Then today, coming out after the delay, you kind of lose some of the momentum there. But I played solid for two days and still left some out there, so it’s some good golf.”

Brooke Henderson (Smiths Falls, Ont.) is at 3-under par with rounds of 70-69 to sit T17. Maude-Aimée Leblanc bounced back after an opening 75 to record a 3-under 69, pulling her to an even-par score for the tournament.

Calgary’s Jennifer Ha—a member of Team Canada’s Young Pro Squad—carded two 75s to sit at 6-over par.

Lotte announced a three-year extension this week, which will take it through 2020.

KAPOLEI, Hawaii – A funny thing happened in sunny Hawaii while waiting for someone to break away from a pack of leaders in the opening round of the LPGA Lotte Championship Wednesday.

Rain zeroed in on Ko Olina Golf Club, forcing a 45-minute delay.

Then Paula Creamer and South Korea’s Mi Hyang Lee took over, bolting into first at 6-under 66. Both had seven birdies and a bogey, with Lee’s coming on the final hole, in the dark.

“I couldn’t see the line or anything,” she said. “It was too hard.”

Play was suspended with six golfers still on the course.

Lee, 24, made the cut just once in three previous starts at Ko Olina. She is ranked 51st in the world, with a win in 2014 after earning Rookie of the Year honors on the 2012 Symetra Tour.

Canada’s Alena Sharp fired a bogey-free 67 (-5) to hold a five-way share of third place. Fellow countrywoman Brooke Henderson carded a 2-under 70 to sit T31.

Sharp, 35, is coming off her best season, finishing 41st on last year’s money list. She has played all six Lottes, with her best finish in her first, when she tied for 25th.

Two of Creamer’s 10 victories have come in Hawaii and she would surpass $12 million in career earnings with a win Saturday.

Her only bogey came on the 15th and she erased it with a tap-in birdie two holes later. She waited out the rain delay under the waterfall next to the 12th hole, sitting next to 2012 champion Ai Miyazato.

“I’m 30, I’m getting old out here,” Creamer said. “I was like, ‘Oh, gosh. I got to warmup a bit.’ I went out with a good two-putt (at No. 12) and then birdied the par-5 right afterwards.

“You know, I played solid. I putted really well. I switched back to conventional-style putting. I’ve been left-hand-low for the last three years. This is my first week back doing that and using my line, and seems to be doing pretty good so far.”

Lizette Salas, Su-Yeon Jang, Beth Allen and Eun-Hee Ji shot 67 in the morning, when the wind came and went. Canadian Alena Sharp joined them in the afternoon, playing her final two holes after rain drenched the course and left puddles on the greens and in bunkers.

Second-ranked So Yeon Ryu, who won the year’s first major two weeks ago, parred her last nine holes to finish with a 68. She can overtake top-ranked Lydia Ko with a win here.

Stacy Lewis also shot 68 and Hawaii’s Michelle Wie, the 2014 Lotte champion, had a 71.

Salas, who played for the U.S. in the last two Solheim Cups, has fond and frustrating memories of Ko Olina. She fired a career-low 62 in the final round of the 2013 Lotte, but lost a playoff with Suzann Pettersen. They still share the tournament record of 19-under 269.

Salas played the back nine in 29 that day. She was 4 under Wednesday and finished with seven birdies. A pair of bogeys on the front nine kept her out of the lead.

“This week we really just tried to be aggressive from the get-go,” said Salas, who broke 70 just twice in her first seven tournaments this year. “I know this course pretty well and I’ve had some good success here, so being comfortable and confident coming in just really gave me that start that we’ve been wanting.”

She was not alone. Nearly half the field broke par on a day when the tropical breeze came and went, leaving a huge dark cloud over the course that let loose just before 4 p.m.

Those near the top of the leader board will come at Thursday’s second round from different directions.

Salas’ only win came the year after she lost the playoff with Pettersen. Jang is playing on a sponsor exemption for the second time. She finished fifth last year. Ji won the 2009 U.S. Women’s Open and was third there last year, but has never been in the Top 15 at Ko Olina.

Allen, 35, has never played Ko Olina before. She was a rookie on the LPGA tour in 2005, then moved around before becoming the first American to lead the Ladies European Tour Order of Merit last year.

“It was a great year for me,” she said on TV. “I thought I’d go back to the States and see what happens. I’ve taken my experience with all those wins and being in contention more and brought it here.

“At the end of the day it’s golf. It’s the same in every country. I thought I’d try it again on the LPGA.”

RANCHO MIRAGE, Calif. – Lexi Thompson had no idea why LPGA Tour rules official Sue Witters was approaching her on the way to the 13th tee at the ANA Inspiration.

When she found out, Thompson still couldn’t believe it.

A television viewer’s email had alerted officials to a day-old rules violation by Thompson for a 1-inch ball placement error . Her three-shot lead had just been wiped out by a four-shot penalty.

“Is this a joke?” Thompson asked Witters.

After being assured it wasn’t, she responded: “This is ridiculous.”

Thompson survived the shock and tears, and she forced a playoff with three gutsy birdies that had the Dinah Shore Course crowd on its feet.

But So Yeon Ryu managed to take advantage of the break created by Thompson’s extraordinary penalty.

Ryu birdied the playoff hole to win the LPGA Tour’s first major of the year Sunday after Thompson was blindsided for an infraction she had accidentally committed 24 hours earlier.

Thompson, the 22-year-old U.S. Olympian who won here in 2014, was left stunned by the decision that stopped her from cruising to what looked like an easy victory. The ruling cost her more than a strong chance at her second major title: Ryu won $405,000 with the victory, and Thompson went home with just over $250,000 in second place.

“Every day is a learning process,” said Thompson, who still stopped to sign dozens of autographs after her heartbreak. “I wasn’t expecting what happened today, but … it happens, and I’ll learn from it and hopefully do better.”

The fateful email arrived during Sunday’s final round, alerting officials to the violation committed Saturday. Thompson marked a 1-foot putt with a coin on the 17th green during her third round, but she replaced the ball perhaps 1 inch out of position.

After an extensive video review , Thompson was penalized two strokes for an incorrect ball placement and two strokes for an incorrect scorecard. Witters regretfully explained the penalty to Thompson.

Lexi Thompson was assessed a 4-shot penalty for an incorrect marking of a ball and signing an incorrect card yesterday at #ANAInspiration pic.twitter.com/6pNJ5haql9

— Golf Channel (@GolfChannel) April 3, 2017

“I can’t go to bed tonight knowing I let a rule slide,” Witters said. “It’s a hard thing to do, and it made me sick, to be honest with you.”

Thompson fought back tears after getting the news, but she incredibly birdied the 13th hole. She battled back into a five-way tie for the lead, making three birdies and a bogey on the final six holes of regulation at Mission Hills Country Club.

“It’s unfortunate what happened,” Thompson said. “I did not mean that at all. I didn’t realize I did that. I felt strong through the finish, and it was great to see the fans behind me.”

Golf fans on the course and the internet reacted with bewilderment and outrage when the LPGA’s decision became understood. Tiger Woods immediately came to Thompson’s defence on Twitter.

“Viewers at home should not be officials wearing stripes,” Woods wrote . “Let’s go, Lexi, win this thing anyway.”

Most golfersweighing inon Twitter didn’t disagree with the ruling, but condemned the practice of allowing TV viewers to have their say – particularly an entire day afterward.

Even Justin Timberlake saw it : “Lexi is SO CLASSY. Handled that with grace and fight. Career defining moment.”

As awkward as the situation was, it could have been worse: If golf officials hadn’t made a rule change before last year, Thompson would have been disqualified entirely.

Ryu birdied the 18th hole in regulation and again in the playoff, but she didn’t find out she was in serious contention to win until officials informed her of Thompson’s penalty on the 16th tee.

“I just cannot believe the situation,” Ryu said. “I didn’t even check the leaderboard. I thought Lexi played really, really well. I didn’t expect what happened to Lexi.

“It’s a very unfortunate situation. I didn’t expect it. I thought I’m well behind, so all I wanted to do was play my game.”

They both finished regulation at 14-under 274, but Thompson still nearly won it in regulation after crushing her approach shot on the 18th.

With emotions visible on her face amid loud chants of her name, Thompson gathered herself – and left a 15-foot winning eagle putt inches short.

Ryu, who also won the 2011 U.S. Women’s Open in a playoff, buried a 5-foot birdie putt to claim her second major title with an excellent playoff hole after her bogey-free, final-round 68 .

Although she cried with joy on the green for what she said was the first time in a U.S. tournament, her celebration was a bit muted because of the bizarre circumstances – at least until she made the traditional leap into Poppie’s Pond with her caddie and friends.

“It definitely feels a bit weird,” said Ryu, who is expected to move to No. 2 in the world. “It was kind of a weird atmosphere, even after I won the tournament.

“But I think the most important thing is no matter what happened during the round, we ended up going to a playoff. Then I was able to handle the tough situation well.”

Brooke Henderson of Smiths Falls, Ont., shot a 68 to finish the tournament tied for 14th at 5-under 283.

Norway’s Suzann Pettersen barely missed a birdie putt on the 18th to force a three-way playoff. She finished tied for third with Inbee Park and Minjee Lee.

OTTAWA – For the fourth time, the stars of the LPGA Tour will light up the nation’s capital as Golf Canada and Canadian Pacific have announced that the 2017 CP Women’s Open will return to Ottawa Hunt and Golf Club in August of 2017 (date TBC) to coincide with Canada’s 150 year celebration.

Through its CP Has Heart campaign, CP will once again be making a significant charitable donation to the host community. In the first three years of CP’s title sponsorship of the event, more than $4.3 million has been raised in support of children’s heart health.

The 2017 edition of the CP Women’s Open will mark the championship’s fourth visit to the nation’s capital and third visit to Ottawa Hunt and Golf Club, which previously hosted in 1994 and 2008.

“We could not be more excited for the return of the CP Women’s Open to Ottawa and the Ottawa Hunt and Golf Club in 2017” said Tournament Director Brent McLaughlin. “We are proud to add to the nation’s celebration as Canada turns 150. With an outstanding atmosphere and a passionate golfing community, we are confident Ottawa will be the perfect backdrop for the 45^th playing of Canada’s National Women’s Open Championship.”

The announcement of Ottawa as the 2017 host city coincides with Canada’s 150^th birthday celebration and builds on a partnership between Ottawa Tourism and Golf Canada.

“We are thrilled to welcome the stars of the LPGA back to Ottawa in 2017,” said Dick Brown, President and CEO for Ottawa Tourism.  “The 2017 CP Women’s Open will be a pinnacle event tied to the Canada 150 celebration. In addition, together with Golf Canada, the region will welcome numerous national and international golf championships between 2015 and 2018.”

In 2008, Katherine Hull-Kirk overcame a 6-stroke deficit to claim her first LPGA Tour title during the Ottawa Hunt and Golf Club’s centennial year.

Allan Bulloch, President of the Ottawa Hunt and Golf Club recalls how the city embraced the tournament in 2008 and anticipates the Club once again rallying around Canada’s National Women’s Open Championship.

“We are delighted to have been chosen to host the prestigious 2017 CP Women’s Open. This will also be an opportunity for us to show the world class competitors our magnificently redesigned course”

The Ottawa Hunt and Golf Club has welcomed numerous notable championships throughout its 107 years, including the 1994 Du Maurier Ltd. Classic, 2008 Canadian Women’s Open, 1932 Canadian Open and three Canadian Amateur Championships in 1937, 1960 and 1970. The 18-hole championship course that will challenge the world’s best women golfers in 2017 was originally crafted by famed architect Willie Park, and recently redesigned in 2013–2014 by international course designer, Dr. Michael Hurdzan.

The CP Women’s Open consistently draws one of the strongest fields on the LPGA Tour. The 2015 CP Women’s Open saw 97 of the top 100 players on the current LPGA Tour Official Money List compete in the event, including Smiths Falls, Ontario native and recent LPGA winner, Brooke Henderson who was the top Canadian.

First conducted in 1973, Canada’s National Women’s Open Championship has allowed the brightest stars of the LPGA Tour to shine on Canadian soil and to inspire the nation’s next generation of female golfers.

Priddis Greens Golf and Country Club in Calgary hosted the 2016 edition of the CP Women’s Open, where Ariya Jutanugarn came out on top.

Information regarding tickets, volunteer opportunities and corporate hospitality for the CP Women’s Open can be found at www.cpwomensopen.com.

RANCHO MIRAGE, Calif. – One day after Lexi Thompson couldn’t even tee off until shortly before sunset, she had to get back to the Dinah Shore Course before dawn to start a 28-hole day.

Thompson is excelling under unusual conditions at the ANA Inspiration, and it has put her in prime position to play for her second major title.

Thompson claimed the tournament lead while completing her wind-delayed second round Saturday before moving two shots ahead of Norway’s Suzann Pettersen with a third-round 67 . After an extra-long day of play in wind and sun, Thompson is at 13-under 203 heading into Sunday’s final round.

“I struggled a little bit off the tee and had a few more rough shots than I wanted, but you can’t ever complain about a 5-under round,” Thompson said.

The 22-year-old Thompson’s victory here in 2014 is her only previous major victory, but the U.S. Olympian simply excels at Mission Hills Country Club. She smashed her drives and got great results from her inconsistent putter on the way to six birdies in the third round, keeping a competitive field squarely behind her.

“I just love this golf course,” Thompson said. “I get to hit a lot of drivers, and it just sets up nicely for me all over.”

Brooke Henderson of Smiths Falls, Ont., shot a 3-under 69 to get to 1-under for the tournament.

Thompson and Pettersen stayed ahead of a field posting unusually low scores, with the 2-over 146 cut matching the lowest cut score in tournament history.

They did it despite intermittent returns of the desert wind that called an early halt to Thursday’s play and forced two days of catch-up, forcing 56 golfers to complete their second rounds on Saturday morning. The field got all caught up on a postcard-perfect desert Saturday, and warm weather is expected Sunday.

“It’s definitely not a usual week, what we’re used to, but it’s a major week,” Thompson said. “We have to deal with the wind conditions and whatever weather we get.”

Pettersen shot a third-round 68 to reach 11 under, while Australia’s Minjee Lee joined a South Korean trio – Inbee Park, So Yeon Ryu and Mi Jung Hur – at 10-under 206. Michelle Wie, Cristie Kerr, world No. 2 Ariya Jutanugarn and France’s Karine Icher are five shots behind Thompson at 8 under.

“I think I’ve always said since the first time I saw this place, it really fits my eye,” said Pettersen, a two-time major champion.

“I’m driving the ball well, and that’s a major key on this golf course. I’ve got a big job to do (Sunday). The leaderboard is packed behind me as well. You’ve got to expect to go out there and shoot low. There’s a lot at stake, but I’m all in for it.”

Thompson debuted at the Dinah Shore Course as a 14-year-old amateur in 2009, and she won in 2014, the tournament’s final year as the Kraft Nabisco Championship. She has finished seventh and fifth in the two years since the major’s name change.

Thompson immediately took charge Saturday morning with back-to-back birdies, claiming the outright lead and surging to a second-round 67. After following two birdies with a bogey early in her third round, she settled in and finished the final 14 holes at 4 under.

Wie battled to a third-round 71 while struggling with a nagging back injury during her own 28-hole day. She repeatedly saved par to stay in contention.

“I just hit one shot that was a little bit out of sync and kind of threw my hips out of place,” Wie said. “I think it was just a lot of golf. The two full warmups (and then) 28 holes. Just not a young stallion anymore, I guess.”

RANCHO MIRAGE, Calif. – While the entire field at the ANA Inspiration spent the whole day playing catch-up, Norway’s Suzann Pettersen and the Korda sisters managed to get ahead.

Pettersen finished her wind-delayed first round with a 4-under 68 and added a second-round 69 Friday, taking a one-shot lead over rookie Nelly Korda and five other players after two shortened days at the LPGA Tour’s first major of the year.

After an early end to Thursday’s play and a late start on Friday for cleanup from the windstorm, play was halted by darkness with 56 players still on the course. They will complete their second rounds Saturday morning.

“Towards the end of my second round, I was getting a little tired,” said world No. 1 Lydia Ko, who sat three shots off the lead at 4-under 140 after playing 31 holes Friday. “I played 31 holes in Thailand a few weeks ago, so compared to that, this is nothing. That week was a lot of undulation plus a lot of heat. … But it’s been such a long day, and I’m craving some sleep.”

Korda, Inbee Park, Michelle Wie, Cristie Kerr, France’s Karine Icher and Minjee Lee were all one stroke behind Pettersen when play was halted, but Wie and Icher hadn’t completed their second round.

Nelly Korda shot a pair of 69s to climb onto the leaderboard in her first major as a professional. The 18-year-old’s big sister, 24-year-old Jessica, also is in the hunt at 3-under 141.

Pettersen, a two-time major champion, capped her impressive day with a long putt for birdie on her final hole. She is feasting on the Mission Hills Country Club’s par-5s, getting three birdies on the course’s three longest holes in each of her rounds.

“I played fantastic golf all day,” Pettersen said. “You’ve got to be in the mood to fight if you’re a little bit out of position, so I did.”

The first round on Thursday was halted several hours early by 40-mph winds that whipped across the Coachella Valley until midnight. Bulldozers and trucks hit the Dinah Shore Course at dawn, removing a fallen tree and countless branches and leaves from the desert course.

Workers were quick, but the cleanup forced a 90-minute delay to the planned start of Friday’s play. At least the wind largely calmed down and left cooler temperatures at a tournament frequently played in a stifling dry heat.

Jessica and Nelly Korda are the daughters of former Czech tennis stars Petr Korda and Regina Rajchrtova. Their younger brother, 16-year-old Sebastian, is a promising teenage tennis player who just reached the semifinals of the Easter Bowl USTA Junior National Spring Championship just down the road at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden.

The Florida-based family is living in a house in the Palm Springs area for the week, relishing a rare chance for togetherness. While their parents drive between the tennis court and the golf course, the sisters have spent their down time playing with the family’s new Pomeranian – a future gift for their grandparents – and rooting loudly for their favourite players while they watch the Miami Open tennis on television.

“It’s really relaxing, to be completely honest,” Nelly Korda said. “Just chilling and hanging in my room, talking about our tournaments and catching up.”

Jessica Korda is extraordinarily proud of her kid sister’s strong start, but she’s also worried about their season-long bet: Whoever finishes lower on the money list this year has to buy an expensive purse for the other.

“I’m like, ‘Man, one day, I wish I was as good as her,”’ Jessica Korda said with a laugh.

Ko and world No. 2 Ariya Jutanugarn are both at 4 under, along with Lexi Thompson and Paula Creamer.

Hamilton’s Alena Sharp was the only Canadian to complete 36 holes. She shot a 4-over 76 and is 6 over. Maude-Aimee Leblanc of Sherbrooke, Que., is 8 over and Brooke Henderson of Smiths Falls, Ont., is 3 over, but both golfers have to finish their second round.

Icher left the course Thursday with the first-round lead, but when first-round play finished near lunchtime Friday, she had been joined by Kerr and Germany’s Caroline Masson at 5 under.

Park charged into the lead with two birdies and an eagle on the first six holes of her second round. The seven-time major champion and 2013 winner of this event finished with a pair of 69s.

Park took six months off from golf after winning a gold medal at the Rio de Janeiro Olympics last summer, healing her injured thumb. While some wondered whether her career was over, she has returned in outstanding form, winning the HSBC Women’s Champions in Singapore four weeks ago.

“Just looking at the scores, everybody can think it was a good round, but actually (it was) really a nightmare for me on the greens,” Park said. “I struck the ball great. I’m really happy the way I’m hitting the ball, but just putting was very disappointing.”

RANCHO MIRAGE, Calif. – Michelle Wie was the teenage prodigy on this same desert course 14 years ago, showing off her precocious skills and a seemingly limitless future.

Now a wizened veteran of the LPGA Tour, the 27-year-old Wie saw reflections of her own journey Thursday while she played alongside 14-year-old Lucy Li, the newest wunderkind with a chance to dazzle the golf world at the ANA Inspiration.

“For sure, very mature for her age,” Wie said. “The way she played out there, her game did not seem 14. I was really impressed with her game and how she handles herself out there. She’s very calm and collected.”

Wie’s young playing partner still has things to learn from the pro, however. While Li opened with a 71, Wie shot a 4-under 68 to move one stroke behind leader Karine Icher of France before 35-mph winds shortened the opening day of competition at the first major of the year.

Four players were one shot behind Icher, including 17-year-old amateur Eun Jeong Seong, who had an early hole-in-one .

Half of the field in the LPGA Tour’s first major of the year was still on the course when play was stopped. The first round will resume Friday morning when the Coachella Valley calms down.

Brooke Henderson of Smiths Falls, Ont., shot a 1-over 73 while Maude-Aimee Leblanc of Sherbrooke, Que., had a 7-over 79. Hamilton’s Alena Sharp was 3 over through 12 holes.

But an early tee time allowed Wie and Li to log their first round together. Li has known about Wie for her whole life, since she grew up in the San Francisco suburbs while Wie was attending Stanford and playing on the tour.

“I was really excited to play with her,” Li said. “She’s super nice, and we just had a lot of fun today. She played really well.”

Wie was only 13 when she debuted at this tournament, then called the Kraft Nabisco Championship, in 2003 as one of the most touted teenagers in golf history. She became the youngest player ever to make an LPGA cut on the Dinah Shore Course, finishing tied for ninth in her first major.

Li was almost six months old at the time.

While Wie has never dominated the tour as some anticipated, she won the U.S. Women’s Open at Pinehurst in 2014. That’s also where Wie met Li, then an 11-year-old who had just become the youngest person to qualify for the Open.

After missing the cut at Pinehurst, Li stayed for the weekend to watch Wie’s victory. Li then cracked the field of her second major last week by winning the ANA Junior Inspiration.

Wie hasn’t won an LPGA tournament since that U.S. Women’s Open breakthrough, and she missed the cut in three majors last year. Playing alongside the precocious teen caused Wie to reflect on her own beginnings in surprising ways.

“I feel like no one really called me cute back then,” the 6-foot Wie said with a laugh. “They were just like, ‘Damn, she’s big.’ You know? I was walking behind her today, and I was like, ‘You know, she’s really cute.’ No one really called me that when I was 13. ‘Damn, she’s tall.’ That’s all I got.”

Li is almost a foot shorter than Wie, and she’s already a junior in high school. She’s working on her Algebra II homework this weekend when she isn’t playing, and she recently indulged her interests in politics and history by reading Doris Kearns Goodwin’s “Team of Rivals,” a 944-page examination of Abraham Lincoln and his cabinet.

“I’m probably a little more experienced than the last time (in a major), but it’s still very exciting,” Li said.

Lydia Ko, the defending ANA Inspiration champion and world No. 1, was 2 under through five holes in vicious wind before play was suspended.

Playing in her second major, the 17-year-old Seong aced the par-3 fifth, celebrating in disbelief after she put a 6-iron into the cup for this tournament’s first hole-in-one in five years. Although she plays sparingly on this side of the Pacific, Seong won the U.S. Women’s Amateur and the U.S. Girls’ Junior tournaments last year.

“I couldn’t see the hole, and then I just said, ‘Oh my God!”’ Seong said after the second hole-in-one of her career. “I don’t think about being one of the leaders. I’m just happy that I’m playing.”

Icher had seven birdies in an outstanding opening round.

RANCHO MIRAGE, Calif. — The members of the Canadian contingent at the ANA Inspiration got a little bit more time to prepare for the first major of the golf season than they would have liked.

Brooke Henderson of Smiths Falls, Ont, ranked 13th in the world, Alena Sharp of Hamilton and Maude-Aimee Leblanc, a native of Sherbrooke, Que., all missed the cut at last week’s LPGA Tour stop, the Kia Classic in Carlsbad, Calif.

But they chose to look at the opportunity to arrive at Mission Hills Country Club a couple of days early as a bonus.

“Sometimes having a weekend off before a major is good because it is more taxing on the mind,” said Sharp, who finished a career best 41st on the LPGA money list in 2016. “As the week goes on it gets firmer, the rough gets longer, we’re going to deal with wind. It’s going to be a test of the fittest, for sure, not so much physical, but mental. 

“Not playing last weekend, maybe getting some rest it will help me for this week, but I feel like my game is in good shape. I love the golf course. I’ve always loved coming to play here. I love how the course is playing. I had some good practice rounds so I’m just ready to get going.”

Henderson arrived on Saturday and has played a few holes each day “so I have a great feel for the golf course. This is one of my favourite tournaments all year. You know, coming here as an amateur in 2014, I got to witness and experience an amazing atmosphere out here and Poppy’s Pond, Dinah Shore, it’s such an amazing tradition.

“I’m excited to go out and hopefully get off to a fast start Thursday and Friday and put myself into contention on Sunday.”

@BrookeHenderson tuning up for @ANAinspiration, golf’s first major of the year. Hammered this one through wind on 4th hole @MissionHillsCC1 pic.twitter.com/hTsY0IK4gL

— Chris Stevenson (@CJ_Stevenson) March 28, 2017

Henderson said driving the ball will be a key this week and that should give her an advantage.

“You’ve got to hit fairways and I think if I can get my driver out there a good distance, there’s a lot of corners and a lot of trouble you need to carry it 250, so if I can do that, I think I can take out a lot of the field that way,” she said. “The rough is very long, so hitting fairways and being consistent is also very important.

“The greens are always fast and firm out there, so making sure you’re hitting fairways and giving yourself a great angle for approach shots will be really important the next few days.”

Neither Henderson nor Sharp have had the results they would have liked so far in 2017. 

Henderson’s best finish was a tie for fourth at the HSBC Women’s Champions, her only top 10 finish in 2017. She’s 18th on the LPGA money list.

“So far into the year 2017 I have necessarily performed or gotten the results I necessarily want, but I feel my game is really close and hopefully if I can just tune up a little bit mentally and get focused on what I actually have to do, I think my game is right there that I can win a few more times and I think that starts this week,” she said. “Having played the golf course the last few days, I think it suits my game really well, so if I can get my mental attitude the way it should be, I think I’ll be right there on Sunday.”

Sharp, who enters the week 61st on the money list, said her scores haven’t reflected the quality of her play.

“I’ve been playing much better than I’ve been scoring,” said the 36-year-old. “It’s one of those things you have to be patient, keep trusting the process and stay positive.”

Leblanc, 28, had a tie for seventh at the ISPS Women’s Australian Open in February, her first top 10 on the LPGA Tour. The long hitter (sixth on Tour with an average of 270.75 yards) is 50th on the money list and, like Sharp, has been playing the best golf of her career over the last year.

CARLSBAD, Calif. – Mirim Lee took the lead into the final round of the Kia Classic two years ago and was overhauled by Cristie Kerr, who won with a tournament record of 20-under.

Lee had the 54-hole lead again this year, and she wasn’t about to let anyone catch her.

Lee, of South Korea, shot a 7-under 65 to win by six strokes Sunday and tie Kerr’s tournament record.

It was her third LPGA Tour victory and first since winning two titles in 2014, her rookie year.

She played a bogey-free round at Aviara, with birdies on each of the odd-numbered holes on the front nine to reach 18-under.

Lee twice just missed putts that would have put her at 21-under. She left an eagle putt short on 16 and then rolled a 40-foot birdie putt even with the hole on 18.

She was so far ahead, she wasn’t tempted to think about the lead she lost in 2015.

“I just thought I didn’t play very well at that time. Today, I tried not to think about it,” she said.

Lee was doused with water by fellow South Koreans Mi Jung Hur and In Gee Chun.

“Only the winner can enjoy the moment so it was very special,” said Lee, who came into the final hole with a one-shot lead over Hur.

If Lee wins the season’s first major next weekend, the ANA Inspiration at Mission Hills in Rancho Mirage, she can get another wet celebration – by jumping into Poppie’s Pond.

Ryu (66) and Austin Ernst (67) of Greenville, South Carolina, tied for second at 14-under.

Kerr (70) was in a group of five at 12-under. Calgary’s Jennifer Ha (69) tied for 49th at 2 under.

Lee “was at 20-under. I knew at that point you’re basically playing for second place unless she does something coming down the stretch,” Ernst said. “I think Mirim had a good lead all day. She played really good golf. Your entire game needs to be solid here.”

Said Ryu: “It’s really great to see Korean players keep playing well. Also, I always feel very proud to see many Korean companies sponsoring the LPGA tournament. We just have a kind of like responsibility to play well on the LPGA. Hopefully a lot of fans are having a lot fun to watch her play. Yeah, if another Korean girl is going to win the tournament, hopefully next one is going to be me.”