CARLSBAD, Calif. – Moving day at the Kia Classic set up what should be an exciting final 18 holes at Aviara on Sunday.

Mirim Lee shot a 5-under 67 in the third round Saturday to go to 13-under and take a one shot lead over Mi Jung Hur, who made a 67-foot putt on No. 18 to card a 66.

Another South Korean, In Gee Chun, was tied at 10-under with Cristie Kerr, who was in a three-way tie for the lead after the first round and was alone atop the leaderboard after 36 holes.

The most pressure Sunday might be on Kerr, the 2015 Kia champion.

Kerr had her most erratic round of the tournament, a 1-under 71 that ended with a bogey on 18.

“I like my position,” Kerr said. “Honestly, I didn’t hit it that great today. I scrambled a lot. That last pin was really difficult. It was kind of hard to judge the speed through the shadows, and I didn’t do a very good job. I three-putted the last hole.”

She said her coach flew in on Saturday, “so I get to go do a little session with him tonight. I’m going to go work with my coach and try to hit it a little better tomorrow and give myself more opportunities to make birdies.”

Hur was energized by her long putt on 18, which she thinks was the longest she’s ever made.

“I definitely feel very, very good right now because I finish with a birdie on the last hole,” she said. “That was a huge, long putt. That helps a lot, the last putt. It put me second place. I’m getting excited to be playing tomorrow.”

Her only bogey was on the par-3 11th.

“I just want to stay positive and still be patient for those greens,” she said. “It actually was good today and my putter was good. I struggled a little bit with my iron shots.”

Brittany Lincicome made an early run with four birdies and an eagle in her first eight holes to get to 10-under before she had two bogeys on the back nine in a round of 67 that tied her with Austin Ernst and Karine Icher at 9-under. Calgary’s Jennifer Ha (76) was tied for 62nd at 1-over par.

In a group of five golfers at 8-under was Jackie Stoelting, who at 30 has earned, lost and earned back her tour card. After making the cut in an LPGA tournament for the first time since 2015, she got to 11-under through 10 holes before double-bogeying the par-4 13th and bogeying the 18th for a 70.

Two years ago at the Kia, she shot 4-under in the first round and 4-over in the second round and missed the cut by one.

“I’m not going to lie, yesterday I had a lot of nerves thinking, ‘I don’t want to do that again,”’ said Stoelting, whose husband, Travis, is her caddie. “I made a couple birdies – actually bogeyed my second hole and made a couple birdies coming in the front nine and really settled down.

“I’ve been in contention a lot on the Symetra Tour,” said Stoelting, who admitted getting nervous Saturday when the TV crew began following her.

“That really helped me settle down a little bit more, knowing that I’ve dealt with cameras before,” she said. “It’s definitely different out here. But I enjoy that feeling.”

She has only $10,398 in career LPGA earnings and is ranked 303 in the world. Her biggest paycheque has come via Big Break on the Golf Channel, when she won some $70,000 and other prizes.

Stoelting said she owes a lot to her clothing sponsor, 2GG Apparel, which is owned by former major league pitcher Russ Ortiz.

“We talked a lot last week just about playing fearless and just really believing in myself,” she said. “I think that’s the biggest difference this week.”

She said she decided last year she was either going to get her card through the Symetra Tour or Q-School, or quit. She got it through the Symetra Tour.

“A lot of people say, ‘You’re 30, you’re 30.’ But the golf ball has no clue how old I am.”

CARLSBAD, Calif. – A 10-foot putt stood between top-ranked Lydia Ko making the cut or getting a rare weekend off.

She rolled it just right.

So after taking Saturday off, she’ll be driving out to Palm Springs on Sunday to start preparing for the season’s first major.

Ko, the defending Kia champion, missed the cut for just the second time in 91 LPGA Tour starts when she bogeyed two of her final three holes Friday at the Kia Classic.

Cristie Kerr, the 2015 Kia champion, shot a 3-under 69 for a two-round total of 9-under 135, good for a one-shot lead over Mo Martin and Mirim Lee.

“I kind of was in an OK position after halfway. Then I had a really bad finish,” said Ko, a 19-year-old New Zealander.

“I can’t do anything about it. I tried my best out there to hopefully put myself in better position going forward. But, hey, I wish I would’ve been able to be able to play on the weekend.”

Ko fell apart on the last three greens. She missed short putts on 16 and 17 for a bogey and par, and three-putted No. 18 to finish at par-72 for a 36-hole total of 2-over 146. Calgary’s Jennifer Ha (67), a Team Canada Young Pro Squad member, was tied for 18th at 3-under par and was the only Canadian to make the cut.

Hamilton’s Alena Sharp (74) and Brooke Henderson (74) of Smiths Falls, Ont., Maude-Aimee Leblanc (74) of Sherbrooke, Que., all missed the cut, which was set at 1 over.

“Ball striking wasn’t very good today,” she said. “I’m hitting my drives really well, but like the birdie opportunities I had I was missing quite a few of them. I was putting so much better today until the last few holes.”

So while there won’t be a repeat champion at the Kia, Kerr can win it for the second time in three years if she keeps up her strong play through the weekend.

“You know, I’ve hit it really well,” she said. “I hit a couple squirrely shots coming in and had some really tough up and downs in the back, but all in all, I played well today,” she said.

Kerr kept the lead despite bogeys on two of her final four holes.

To stay atop the leader board will take “making it routine, just playing my game every day and keeping it simple. Staying out of my own way.”

Kerr had been tied at 6-under 66 with Martin and In Gee Chun after the first round.

Martin shot a 70 on Friday while Lee had a 67.

“I love this week in general,” said Martin, who grew up in Pasadena and played at UCLA. “It still feels like a home game to me. I/’ve got family and friends out. The course is playing fantastic. The weather has worked out really well.

“I had a few good putting days coming into this week just practice-wise with my putting coach, Jamie Mulligan. I think we made some good progress, and it’s been showing off so far. It’s been fun. Been hitting the ball as well as I have been from last year pretty much. So hitting it well. Putting it well. Chipping it well. Good combination.”

Mi Jung Hur, Austin Ernst, Jackie Stoelting and Karine Icher were tied at 6-under 138.

CARLSBAD, Calif. – Cristie Kerr, Mo Martin and In Gee Chun each shot a 6-under 66 Thursday to share the lead after the opening round of the Kia Classic at Aviara.

Kerr, the 2015 Kia champion, and Martin, a native of Southern California, were among the first groups to tee off.

Chun was in one of the last groups on the course and made an impressive charge in the late-afternoon shadows, with birdies on five of her last seven holes. After almost hitting her drive on the par-4 18th into a pond, she had a 60-foot putt for the lead but rolled it about 15 feet past. She made that one for par and a share of the lead.

Kerr’s round would have been better if not for putts lipping out on the first two holes, including a 2-footer on No. 2 that left her with her only bogey.

“It was nice they all went in from there,” said Kerr, who closed with birdie-birdie.

Asked if she needed to make any adjustments, she said: “Just keep shooting 6 under. I don’t think I have to adjust much.”

Martin, who grew up in Pasadena and played at UCLA, had a bogey-free round on the 6,540-yard layout, part of which hugs Batiquotis Lagoon.

With a handful of family and friends wearing “Go Mo” buttons, Martin had a “really good putting day,” starting when she rolled in a downhill 15-footer on the first hole. She also birdied Nos. 5-7, draining a 35-foot putt on the par-3 sixth hole.

“I love everything about this week. It’s pretty much home territory,” Martin said. “The weather is perfect. I mean, the course in and of itself I love playing it. Love the setup. Keeps you on your toes all day. When you’re not hitting shots you’ve got beautiful scenery, wildflowers.”

Defending champion Lydia Ko struggled with her putter and had a disappointing start with a 2-over 74.

“The drive was great, but from there it was pretty average,” Ko said. “It was really hard to get anything rolling when you’re not putting that good either.”

Ko planned to spend the afternoon on the putting green.

“No matter if you’re hitting it good or not, if you can putt and you can make up and down when you’re missing the greens, that makes a huge difference,” she said.

Tied at 4 under were Marissa Steen, Alison Lee, Karine Icher, Mirim Lee, Hyo Joo Kim

Anna Nordqvist, the 2014 Kia champion who won last weekend in Phoenix, shot a 3-under 69.

Azahara Munoz hit an 8 iron for her first hole-in-one as a pro, on the par-3 No. 3, during her round of 3-under 69.

“I was pretty excited,” she said. “I actually hit a really good shot. Sometimes people say, ‘I hit it thin or whatever.’ No, I hit it really good. Bounce about that far right of the pin, went forward, and spun back in.”

Muoz gave the ball to a little girl.

“My caddie was actually telling me that I should keep it. I’m like, ‘No, I’ll give it away to a little girl.’ You never know. She could be out here with us in a few years.”

PHOENIX – Anna Nordqvist caught up with some college friends – and left everyone else behind Sunday on another hot afternoon at the Bank of Hope Founders Cup.

The 29-year-old former Arizona State player shot a 4-under 68 to hold off fellow major champions Ariya Jutanugarn, Stacy Lewis and In Gee Chun by two strokes in record 96-degree heat at Desert Ridge.

“I have so many friends and family here. They feel like family, my U.S. family,” the 6-foot Swede said. “Couldn’t think of a better place to be. I’m just so happy to be back. I wasn’t even going to play a couple weeks ago and just ended up adding it last minute. Maybe it was meant to be.”

Nordqvist won her seventh LPGA Tour title and first since successfully defending the ShopRite LPGA Classic title last June. In the U.S. Women’s Open in July, she lost a three-hole playoff to Brittany Lang after being penalized two strokes for touching the sand with her club in a fairway bunker on the second extra hole.

“Of all the wins probably this is the one that’s going to be more special,” Nordqvist said. “If it wasn’t for me getting an opportunity to come to Arizona State University about 10 years ago, I wouldn’t be here today. This truly still feels like home, even though I’m based in Florida.”

She finished at 25-under 263, two shots off the LPGA Tour record that Sei Young Kim matched last year at Desert Ridge. The Swede had a tournament-record 61 on Saturday to take a two-stroke lead into the final round.

Jutanugarn matched Nordqvist with a 68 in the final pairing, playing the back nine in 5 under. The second-ranked Thai star had a bogey-free week. She won five LPGA Tour titles last year and topped the player of the year points race and money list.

Lewis also shot 68, and Chun had a 66.

Lewis is winless in 67 events since June 2014. The 32-year-old Texan finished second for the 25th time in her career and the 12th since her last victory. She won at Desert Ridge in 2013 to reach No. 1, was second in 2014 and 2015 and tied for fourth last year.

Nordqvist made a 4-foot birdie putt on the par-4 10th to take a one-stroke lead, and pushed the margin to two with an 18-footer in the par-4 13th.

She made a 25-footer on the par-3 17th and closed with a bogey after failing to get up-and-down from the left greenside bunker on the par-4 18th.

“Saw the leaderboard on 15, but I just tried to keep my head down and do my thing,” Nordqvist said. “Felt like I played pretty solid on the front and made two good putts on 13 and 17. A little interesting at the end, but I’m so happy and proud of myself this week.”

She earned $225,000 and is projected to jump from 13th to 11th in the world ranking.

Ha Na Jang (63), Inbee Park (67) and So Yeon Ryu (69) tied for fifth at 21 under.

Top-ranked Lydia Ko also had a bogey-free week, closing with a 68 to tie for eighth at 20 under. Moria Jutanugarn, Ariya’s older sister, also was 20 under after a career-best 63.

PHOENIX – Anna Nordqvist was right at home on another hot, low-scoring day in the Valley of the Sun.

The former Arizona State player shot a tournament-record 11-under 61 on Saturday to take a two-stroke lead over Stacy Lewis and Ariya Jutanugarn into the final round of the Bank of Hope Founders Cup.

“They always say that home is where the heart is, and my heart is definitely still here,” Nordqvist said. “I always say I’m a West Coast girl and people remind me I’m from Sweden. But even though I live in Florida now, this definitely feels like home.”

Playing in record 95-degree heat at Desert Ridge, Nordqvist broke the tournament 54-hole record of 19 under set by Ai Miyazato in 2013.

Lewis and Jutanugarn each shot 66 in their third straight round together – after they played alongside Nordqvist the first two days. Lewis and Jutanugarn have had identical scores each day, with Jutanugarn getting the spot in the final twosome with Nordqvist on Sunday because she was listed first on the tee sheet Thursday.

“We both played great the last three days and kind of fed off each other,” Lewis said. “We were able to kind of club off each other on par 3s and things like that.”

Nordqvist needed to hole her second shot on the par-4 18th to shoot 59, but hit left of the pin and went through the green to the edge of the grandstand.

“Sat on a pretty good sidehill and I had a 7-iron in, so came off a little bit more left than I expected, but long is not going to be bad spot, especially with the grandstand there,” Nordqvist said.

Her putt from the fringe slid by to the left.

“Thought I had it,” Nordqvist said. “But it’s not the end of day, I still shot 61.”

The 6-foot Swede played the first 12 holes in 8 under, capping the run with an eagle on the par-5 12th. She added birdies on the par-3 14th, par-5 15th and par-3 17th.

Nordqvist successfully defended her ShopRite LPGA Classic title last season for her sixth LPGA Tour victory. She nearly won the U.S. Women’s Open for her second major, but lost a three-hole playoff to Brittany Lang after being penalized two strokes for touching the sand with her club in a fairway bunker on the second extra hole.

The 61 matched her career best set in the 2013 Mobile Bay LPGA Classic.

“I feel like I enjoyed it a little bit more today than I did that time,” Nordqvist said. “I’m in a better place.”

Lewis is winless in 66 events since June 2014 and has slipped to 14th in the world. She won at Desert Ridge in 2013 to reach No. 1, was second in 2014 and 2015 and tied for fourth last year.

“With the way this golf course is playing, two back is not a big deal,” Lewis said.

She bogeyed the par-4 14th after a short putt horseshoed out, then rebounded with birdies on 16 and 18.

“It wasn’t great, but it was good,” Lewis said. “Definitely would’ve liked to have birdied those couple par 5s on the back nine. Felt like I didn’t play those very well. But making those two birdies coming in was huge.

Jutanugarn was bogey-free for the third straight day. The second-ranked Thai star won five LPGA Tour titles last year and topped the player of the year points race and money list.

“I just really like the course,” Jutanugarn said. “The course not that easy. Some hole pretty challenging for me.”

Brooke Henderson of Smiths Falls, Ont., shot a 69 and is 11 under.

So Yeon Ryu had a 64 to get to 18 under, and In Gee Chun (66) and Angel Yin (65) were 17 under.

Top-ranked Lydia Ko had a 63 to join Inbee Park (67) Nelly Korda (64) and Vicky Hurst (68) at 16 under. Ko birdied the final six holes, closing with a 15-footer on the par-4 18th

“I just gave myself a lot of good opportunities,” Ko said. “I don’t know if I’ve had that string of birdies in a row before. … I just got to focus on my game tomorrow, and hopefully I have another low one.”

Michelle Wie, a stroke back entering the round, had a 72 to drop into a tie for 24th at 12 under. She’s winless in 62 events since the 2014 U.S. Women’s Open.

PHOENIX – Michelle Wie is healthy and confident again. She’s in contention in the Bank of Hope Founders Cup, too.–

Wie shot a 5-under 67 on Friday on another hot and low-scoring day at Desert Ridge to enter the weekend a stroke behind leaders Stacy Lewis and Ariya Jutanugarn.

“I think being in contention is definitely a spot where I feel comfortable at. Feels like home to me,” Wie said. “It’s nice being in this position again. I’m really proud of the way I’ve played the last two days.”

Lewis and Jutanugarn played together, each following an opening 64 with a 67 to reach 13 under in the tournament that broke the LPGA Tour record for the lowest 36-hole cut at 5 under. The previous mark of 4 under came in the 2015 Manulife LPGA Classic in Canada. The event record was 3 under last year.

“Sometimes birdies are pars out here,” Wie said. “Certain holes you have to make birdie to stay with the competition. It’s just kind of the nature of the game out here.”

Jeong Eun Lee shot a 64 to join Wie, Mi Jung Hur (66) and Vicky Hurst (67) at 12 under.

Inbee Park (66) was another stroke back with In Gee Chun (69), Jessica Korda (66), Karine Icher (65), Chella Choi (66) and Sung Hyun Park (66). Finally over a left thumb injury, Inbee Park won in Singapore two weeks ago in her second start since winning the Rio Olympics.

Wie is winless in 62 events since the 2014 U.S. Women’s Open. She’s coming off a fourth-place tie in Singapore after struggling with injuries and her game.

“It definitely makes it a lot sweeter,” Wie said. “Struggling to make the cut on Fridays, coming down the stretch and trying to make the cut is a whole different feeling than making birdies to stay in contention.”

Wie had six birdies in a nine-hole stretch, a run she capped with a 30-foot birdie putt on the par-4 ninth and a curling 8-footer on the par-4 10th. She bogeyed the par-4 13th after driving into the left rough and failing to get her approach to hold the green, and missed a 5-foot birdie try on the par-5 15th

Lewis is winless in 66 events since June 2014 and has slipped to 14th in the world. She won at Desert Ridge in 2013 to reach No. 1, was second in 2014 and 2015 and tied for fourth last year. After playing the first 11 holes Thursday in 9 under, she has fought to control her wedges in the thin, hot desert air.

“Didn’t have the distance control with my wedges quite dialed in the way I would’ve liked, but still made a bunch of birdies and shot a good round,” Lewis said. “It’s always hard to follow up a round like yesterday, so happy with the day.”

The 32-year-old Texan has played the Arnold Palmer-designed front nine at Wildfire in 10 under and the Nick Faldo-designed back nine in 3 under.

“Going into this weekend I’m going to be playing later,” Lewis said. “It’s going to be hotter, going to be this temperature. I just need to get that distance control dialed in because that is where you’re going to make birdies on this golf course, is with the wedges.”

The second-ranked Jutanugarn birdied four of the last six holes. Playing without a driver, the long-hitter is bogey-free after two days.

“I feel like every hole everybody have chance to make birdie,” Jutanugarn said. “I just try to play my own game and have fun. … I’m not really worry who going to be in the leaderboard. I just really wasn’t to focus on what is under my control.”

The 21-year-old Thai star won five LPGA Tour titles last year and topped the player of the year points race and money list. She’s coming off a second-place finish in Singapore.

Ha Na Jang won a Kia Cadenza SXL with a hole-in-one on No. 17. She used a 9-iron on the 140-yard shot, and finished with a 68 to get to 9 under.

“I’m so happy, more than happy, and I have a car,” Jang said. “Oh, my God, that one is mine.”

Nickamed “Lucky” and “Clover” because of her good fortune, Jang accomplished the feat on St. Patrick’s Day.

“I have the green glove today, so probably lucky,” said Jang, the Women’s Australian Open winner last month for her fourth tour title.

Top-ranked Lydia Ko (69) and defending champion Sei Young Kim (70) were 7 under. Last year, Kim matched Annika Sorenstam’s tour scoring record of 27 under in a five-stroke victory over Ko.

Juli Inkster followed her opening 65 with a 73 to make the cut by a stroke at 6 under. The 56-year-old U.S. Solheim Cup captain won a Legends Tour event two weeks ago at Sun City West.

PHOENIX – Stacy Lewis was 9-under par after 11 holes Thursday in the Bank of Hope Founders Cup, putting herself in position to make a run at the second sub-60 round in LPGA Tour history. Then her ball stopped behaving in the thin, hot desert air.

“The ball started going really far,” Lewis said. “Maybe some adrenaline, I’m not really sure. Or just the dry air.”

Needing to play the final seven holes in 4 under to shoot 59, Lewis parred the next six and closed with a bogey after hitting into the deep left greenside bunker on the par-4 18th. She settled for an 8-under 64 and a share of the first-round lead with playing partner Ariya Jutanugarn and other afternoon starters In Gee Chun, Katie Burnett and Sandra Changkija.

Michelle Wie and 56-year-old Juli Inkster were a stroke with Jane Park, Vicky Hurst and Sherman Santiwiwatthanaphong on the hot day when 103 of the 144 players broke par.

Canada’s Brooke Henderson (69) was five shots back. Augusta James (72), Jennifer Ha (72), Alena Sharp (73) and Maude-Aimee Leblanc (77) are the other Canadians in the field.

Lewis holed out from 136 yards for eagle on the par-4 ninth to make the turn in 7-under 27.

“You kind of start thinking a little bit about what you’re shooting at that point, but just tried to keep hitting good shots,” Lewis said. “I did that for the most part most of the day. If you’d tell me at the beginning of the day I would shoot 8 under, I would take it any time.”

She birdied 10 and 11 and made a series of par saves before dropping the stroke on the last after short-siding herself and finding a bad lie in the bunker.

“It was pretty bad,” Lewis said. “It was kind of back up against a rake mark, so ton of sand behind the ball. Didn’t have a shot at it. Just trying to make bogey at that point.”

The 32-year-old Texan was trying to join Annika Sorenstam as the only LPGA Tour players to break 60. Sorenstam did it 16 years ago to the day, shooting a 13-under 59 at nearby Moon Valley.

Lewis won the event in 2013 to reach No. 1 in the world, was second in 2014 and 2015 and tied for fourth last year. The 11-tour champion is winless in 66 events since June 2014 and has slipped to 14th in the world.

The second-ranked Jutanugarn eagled the par-5 15th, holing a 20-footer. She’s playing without a driver.

“I don’t think I need it,” the long-hitter said.

Wie eagled the par-5 fifth. Winless in 62 events since the 2014 U.S. Women’s Open, she’s coming off a fourth-place tie two weeks ago in Singapore. She took a two-stroke lead into the final round, but closed with a 72 to finish five strokes behind winner Inbee Park.

“I was so proud of myself for putting myself there,” Wie said. “I was so confident all week and it felt great to be confident again, in contention. I was really disappointed on Sunday. I was sad. It definitely stung. You always want to win. At the same time, I played great on Sunday. Just couple putts didn’t go in, and I forgot you hit it farther when you get adrenaline going.”

Inkster is coming off a Legends Tour victory two weeks ago at Sun City West.

“I’ve been working hard on my game and it’s nice to see some results,” the U.S. Solheim Cup captain said.

Inbee Park opened with a 67. Finally over a left thumb injury, she won in Singapore in only her second start since winning the Rio Olympics in August.

“I made couple of mistakes, but felt pretty good over the putter,” she said

She three-putted the par-3 17th for a bogey, lipping out a short putt.

“It can happen,” she said. “About 2, 3 feet. Just unlucky.”

Wie has fought a series of injuries, and joked when asked if she was 100 per cent healthy.

“I’m not going to say that because every time I say that something happens,” Wie said. “No comment.”

She also drew laughs when asked to describe her modified claw putting grip.

“I have no idea,” Wie said. “At this point, I can’t describe anything I do while I putt.”

Defending champion Sei Young Kim overcame a bee sting on the palm of her right hand on the first hole – her 10th of the day – to shoot 67.

“They gave me medicine and it was better,” Kim said.

Playing partner Lydia Ko helped her seek treatment, and Kim played the final nine bogey-free with four birdies.

“I’m like, ‘What?’ You need to tell someone and get some ointment on it,”’ Ko said.

Last year at Desert Ridge, Kim matched Sorenstam’s tour scoring record of 27 under.

Ko shot 68. The top-ranked New Zealander has a new instructor, caddie and equipment company. She tied for second in 2014, tied for sixth in 201 and was second behind Kim last year.

SINGAPORE – Inbee Park won the HSBC Women’s Champions tournament by one stroke on Sunday after closing with a round of 8-under 64.

The South Korean finished on 19-under 269 at the Sentosa Golf Club, one shot clear of her playing partner Ariya Jutanugarn, who was second after a 66.

Sung Hyun Park (68) was third, a further shot back, while overnight leader Michelle Wie dropped back into a tie for fourth after a 72.

Wie was two in front after making birdies on the second and third holes before her round unraveled when she four-putted for a double-bogey on the par-5 fifth.

The American finished alongside Canadian Brooke Henderson (66) and last year’s Singapore champion Jang Ha Na (69).

Inbee made her first birdie of the day on the same hole that Wie’s charge started to falter, then proceeded to reel off another eight birdies to the 17th hole, draining a series of long putts in a near-flawless display on the greens.

“My putting was amazing today, obviously,” she said. “I couldn’t make any putts yesterday and obviously I made up for it today.

“Pretty much everything I looked at, it wanted to drop in. It was very consistent ball-striking all week, and obviously there is a lot of birdie opportunities out there and I was able to convert the birdies.”

Despite being a seven-time major winner, Inbee Park said she surprised herself by winning so soon. The 28-year-old took six months off shortly after winning the gold medal at the Rio Olympics last year to recover from a thumb injury and was playing only her second event.

“I thought it may take maybe a couple months to kind of get back out on the tour and to get my rhythm back,” she said. “I thought I was going to be just a little bit rusty. That’s how I felt exactly last week. This week was totally different. Especially the final round was just what I wanted.”

Jutanugarn was tied with Park after 10 holes and was left in awe at her playing partner’s performance.

“I had so much fun playing playing with Inbee. She’s awesome. She’s the best player,” said Jutanugarn. “I learned a lot from her. She’s very calm. I feel like she makes every putt. I don’t think she missed one today.”

There was some drama even after Inbee Park clinched the title when play was halted because of an electrical storm, with Sung Hyun Park , Wie and Ko still on the course, within a wedge shot off the 18th.

When the weather cleared and play resumed, the trio finished off their rounds and Park received her winner’s trophy.

Ko shot a final-round 72 and finished at 12-under, seven behind.

SINGAPORE – Michelle Wie shot a 5-under 67 Saturday to lead the LPGA’s Women’s Champions tournament by two strokes after the third round.

The American followed up her previous rounds of 66 and 69 to reach 14-under 202 and lead an LPGA event after 54 holes for the first time since she won the 2014 U.S. Open.

No. 1-ranked Lydia Ko birdied the last hole for a 67 to end the day in a three-way tie for second. She was joined by last year’s British Open champion Ariya Jutanugarn (69) and the big-hitting Park Sung-Hyun (68).

Rio Olympic gold medallist Inbee Park shot a 71 to finish three shots behind Wie and level with the defending champion Ha Na Jang (68).

Canada’s Brooke Henderson also shot a 71, which put the Smith Falls, Ont. native at 8-under 208 after 54 holes.

Plagued by injuries and a loss of form, Wie needed a sponsor’s invitation just to get a start in the $1.5 million tournament but has been in vintage touch since arriving in Singapore.

She took just 32 shots to reach the turn and despite making her first bogey in 35 holes on the tricky par-3 15th, she made her sixth birdie of the day on the next hole to put herself in a great position to end her three-year title drought.

“There definitely is some butterflies out there, but it’s exciting getting that feeling again and being in this position,” Wie said.

“It doesn’t feel that long ago, but I guess it is. I’m just going to not really think about that. It doesn’t matter how long it’s been since I’ve been in contention or anything.”

Ko is also in a drought, albeit by her own lofty standards. The 19-year-old, who has not won an LPGA title since July last year, birdied the last hole with a long putt from the fringe of the green.

“I’ve been having a really good finish on the 18th hole, so it’s always nice to come off with a birdie,” Ko said. “I started off really hot today. I didn’t really continue the momentum after the 10th hole, but I tried to hang in there. I made a clumsy bogey on 17, but it was nice to bounce back with the birdie on the last.”

Inbee Park, playing only her second tournament in six months because of a thumb injury, led by a shot overnight but made an early bogey to lose her place at the top of the leaderboard and never really got going.

“My ball-striking was consistent, but I just could not hole like one putt out there,” she said.

“But I’m not far back, and obviously at this golf course, if you can drop some putts, there are a few birdies out there. I’m just going to go out there tomorrow and just play aggressively and hopefully the putts can drop.”

SINGAPORE – Inbee Park made a birdie on the last hole Friday to take a one-stroke lead over Michelle Wie and two others after two rounds of the LPGA’s Women’s Champions tournament.

Park lost her place atop the leaderboard when she made a double-bogey on the 12th hole, her only blemish in two rounds at the Sentosa Golf Club, but regained her composure with birdies on the 14th and 18th holes.

The Olympic gold medallist had a second consecutive five-under-par 67 to lead the $1.5 million event at 10-under 134.

Wie, who led overnight after an opening round of 66, shot a bogey-free 69 to join Hur Mi-Jung (67) and Ariya Jutanugarn (68) in a three-way tie for second.

Suzann Pettersen (67) and Park Sung-Hyun (68) reached the halfway stage at 8 under, tied for fifth.

Brooke Henderson of Smiths Falls, Ont., who opened with 5-under for a share of second place, slipped back with a round of 70 and now sits at 7-under 137. Henderson and five others, including No.1-ranked Lydia Ko, who shot 68 Friday, trail Park by three strokes.

Alena Sharp of Hamilton was at plus-5 after her round of 2-over.

With the greens soft after a morning rain shower, Park birdied five of her first nine holes to go out in 31 before an unlucky break at the 12th when she got mud on her ball.

“I hit a good shot but it’s that unlucky bounce. Making double-bogey was a mistake,” she said. “I didn’t want to ruin the day with one bad hole with an unlucky shot. I think it’s just trying to keep the calm emotions going. Obviously there were a few birdie holes coming in, so I was trying to get a couple from there.”

Wie made a flying start when she sank two long birdie putts, but managed just two more for the rest of the round.

“I hit it in the bunker on 2, and then I hit it to about 25 feet and made that putt, which is a nice one to make on the second hole,” she said.

“And then the next hole I made a 15-footer. It was just one of those days where after that, it looked like every putt was going to go in, but just didn’t go in.”

Ko’s putter was running hot at the end of her round as the New Zealander knocked in three long birdie putts at the 16th, 17th and 18th on the new Tanjong course at Sentosa.

The Olympic silver medallist has not won a title since July _ a barren run by the 19-year-old Ko’s standards _ but she produced the shot of the day when she hit a fairway wood within inches of making a double-eagle at the 534-yard 5th hole.

“I just kind of gripped my 5-wood and ended up being like a foot by the hole,” she said. “Because the hole was kind of behind this little slope, I didn’t know how long it was, because I thought it had kind of gone off the green. But it ended up being perfect.”

Pettersen also made a strong start, making seven birdies in her first 13 holes, before she slipped back into a tie for fifth with two late bogeys.

“Eight-under through two rounds, yeah, it’s good,” Pettersen said. “I wish I could have taken back a couple of those dropped shots, but I’m going to have more opportunities coming my way on the weekend.”