RANCHO MIRAGE, Calif. – Lexi Thompson birdied the final hole for a 4-under 68 and a share of the ANA Inspiration lead with Ai Miyazato on Friday.

The 21-year-old American holed a 30-foot putt on the par-5 18th to reach 7 under at Mission Hills in the LPGA Tour’s first major championship of the year. She won the event in 2014.

Miyazato, also tied for the first-round lead, followed her opening 67 with a 70. The 30-year-old Japanese player also finished with a birdie, hitting to 2 feet on the par-5 ninth.

Top-ranked Lydia Ko was a stroke back along with Suzann Pettersen, In Gee Chun, Lizette Salas, Sung Hyun Park and Lee-Anne Pace. Ko had a 68, Pettersen, Salas and Park shot 67, Chun had a 69, and Pace a 70.

Canadian Brooke Henderson had a 3-under 69 Friday to climb from a share of 60th into a tie for 25th. The Smiths Falls, Ont., native is 2-under.

Hamilton’s Alena Sharp had a 74 to drop into a tie for 40th at even par.

RANCHO MIRAGE, Calif. – Brooke Henderson had by far the most fans following her around for the first round of the ANA Inspiration on Thursday.

The 18-year-old Canadian is still getting used to the support.

“It’s super cool,” Henderson said. “Every round it seems there are more fans and not only just from Canada. Though there is a huge Canadian crowd out here this week.”

Henderson opened with a 1-over 73 and was six shots off co-leaders Azahara Munoz and Ai Miyazato. The former hockey goalie from Smiths Falls, Ont., is making her second start at Mission Hills after tying for 26th in the major championship as an amateur in 2014.

“Some holes, I played awesome and just didn’t take advantage,” Henderson said. “I had a lot of birdie putts that I missed. Then holes that I kind of messed up on, I kind of messed up big time. It was just one of those rounds. Hopefully, clean up a few things tonight and have a better day tomorrow.”

She bogeyed Nos. 6 and 7, and rebounded with birdies on Nos. 11 and 12 – with a boost from the fans.

“On 11, walking up to the green before I hit my third shot out of the bunker, they yelled, ‘Go Canada!'” Henderson said. “I kind of felt a little better about myself and I was able to make two birdies in a row. So, I definitely think it helps.”

She bogeyed 13 and parred the final five holes, chipping in on the par-5 18th after her drive struck a palm tree and went into the water.

“It was kind of an interesting par,” Henderson said. “I think it’s the best one I’ve ever made in my life. I was happy to see it go in – and the crowd seemed to enjoy it too.”

Henderson won the Portland Classic last year to become the third-youngest champion in LPGA Tour history at 17 years, 11 months, 6 days. She was second in the Coates Golf Championship in Florida in early February and has had five straight top-10 finishes to jump to No. 7 in world.

Alena Sharp of Hamilton fired a 2-under 70 to grab a share of 14th thru 18 holes.

OTTAWA – The Ottawa Hunt and Golf Club board of directors has given honorary full memberships for Smiths Falls golfing sensations, sisters Brittany Henderson and Brooke Henderson.

Eighteen-year-old Brooke is a full-time member of the LPGA Tour and currently ranks 7th in women`s world golf. Brittany, her accomplished older sister, has full-time status on the Symetra Ladies Tour and plays several LPGA events annually. She is also currently acting as Brooke’s caddie on tour.

Recently, Ottawa Hunt and Golf Club President Allan Bulloch caught up with Brooke and Brittany to personally welcome them to The Hunt.

Brooke and Brittany are excited to play the Hunt Club course and use the Club`s world class practice facility in preparation for the Canadian Pacific Women’s Open, scheduled at the Ottawa Hunt and Golf Club for August 2017.

“I am so grateful to the Hunt Club Board of Directors for welcoming us as members,” said Brooke Henderson. “I look forward to showcasing the impressive golf course and facilities to everyone on Tour at next year’s Canadian Pacific Women’s Open.”

The Henderson sisters will continue to be great golf ambassadors for years to come as the Ottawa Hunt and Golf Club intends to partner with both Brooke and Brittany to further develop junior golf in Ottawa.

When in town, we expect to see both of them around the club working on their game.

CARLSBAD, Calif. – Lydia Ko won the Kia Classic on Sunday at Aviara, reaffirming her position as the top player in the world heading into the first major championship of the season.

Ko birdied the final three holes for her third straight 5-under 67 and a four-stroke victory over second-ranked Inbee Park.

“I just kind of peeked at the leaderboard and saw Inbee was making a lot of birdies – Inbee doing her Inbee things,” Ko said. “I knew that I needed to focus up until the last moment and fortunately I made some birdies down the stretch.”

A week after finishing second in Phoenix in the Founders Cup, Ko headed to Rancho Mirage for the ANA Inspiration with her first LPGA Tour victory of the year and 11th overall. The 18-year-old New Zealander also won the Ladies European Tour’s New Zealand Women’s Open in February.

“All the work we’ve put in as a team kind of paid off,” Ko said. “A really happy moment, but I have to focus for next week. I’m really excited to go back to ANA.”

Ko finished at 19-under 269.

Park closed with a 67. The 2013 winner at Rancho Mirage, the South Korean player appears to be over the back problem that forced her to withdraw from the first event of the season.

“We have a really important tournament coming up next week, so I really needed to push myself a little faster to get ready,” Park said. “This is a great finish for me and it’s going to be a good confidence week for me.”

She tied for 30th in Thailand and Singapore in her first events back and missed the cut in Phoenix.

“I have been struggling with ball-striking to putting and everything until probably last week,” Park said. “This week, everything started clicking together. Started to hit the ball a lot straighter and started to get a lot of confidence and, obviously, dropping a few putts gave me a lot of confidence.”

Playing two groups ahead of Ko, Park pulled within two shots with birdies on the par-4 16th and par-5 17th. Ko pushed the lead back to two with a birdie on the short par-4 16th, holing a 10-foot putt after driving the green and racing her first putt past the hole.

Ko made an 8-foot birdie putt on 17, and finished with a 15-footer on 18.

She bogeyed the par-5 10th after double-hitting a putt from the fringe. The ball popped out of a divot and caught her club in the follow-through, costing her a one-stroke penalty.

Japan’s Ai Miyazato was third at 12 under after a 66. The nine-time LPGA Tour winner had her first top-10 finish since 2013.

“I’ve been struggling with my putting since a couple years ago,” Miyazato said. “That’s why my game wasn’t really there. But I had really good patience and I know I can get through it. Right now, I’m in the process, but just the difference is it’s just I’m having fun more with my game.”

South Koreans Sung Hyun Park and Jenny Shin each shot 72 to tie for fourth at 11 under. Sung Hyun Park received a sponsor exemption.

Brittany Lang closed with a bogey on 17 and a double bogey on 18 – hitting into the water twice – for a 74 that dropped her into a tie for 10th at 9 under.

Brooke Henderson tallied six birdies and an eagle en route to a 6-under 66. The Smiths Falls, Ont., native finished in a tie for 10th at a combined 9-under par.

CARLSBAD, Calif. – Top-ranked Lydia Ko made three straight birdies early on the back nine Saturday in the Kia Classic and finished with a 5-under 67 to take a three-stroke lead.

Ko birdied Nos. 11-13 and closed with five straight pars to reach 14-under 202 at Aviara in the final event before the major ANA Inspiration next week in Rancho Mirage.

“I’d rather be a couple shots ahead than a couple shots behind,” Ko said. “But the girls are playing great golf. The course is tough, but still, the scores are out there. So I’ve just got to focus on my game. Anything can happen.”

The 18-year-old New Zealander saved par with a 10-foot putt on the par-4 18th, and has played bogey-free since her second hole in the first round. She won five times last season and is coming off second-place finish last week in Phoenix in the Founders Cup.

“I struck the ball really well,” Ko said. “I think almost the harder part was that because I was giving myself a lot of opportunities, it almost felt like I wasn’t putting good, but I was stroking good and holing a few putts here and there. I’m really proud with the way I played today. Obviously, I’ve got to take the positives and the confidence going into tomorrow.”

Sung Hyun Park, Brittany Lang and second-round leader Jenny Shin were tied for second.

Park had five straight birdies on Nos. 12-16, made a double bogey on par-5 17th, and closed with a birdie for a 68. Lang had a 70, making three birdies and four bogeys on the back nine. Shin shot 71.

“A lot of up-and-downs on the back nine, which I don’t like doing that,” Lang said. “I wasn’t quite as sharp on the back nine. I don’t know if I got a little tired or a little out of what I was doing. … But to come out with 2 under and still be right there, I’m very happy and excited for tomorrow.”

Second-ranked Inbee Park was 10-under after a 70.

Smiths Falls, Ont., native Brooke Henderson also carded a 70 and sits tied for 30th at 3-under.

CARLSBAD, Calif. – Jenny Shin took the lead Friday in the LPGA Tour’s Kia Classic, a stroke ahead of top-ranked Lydia Ko and Brittany Lang.

Shin birdied five of her first eight holes and had a 7-under 65 to reach 10-under 134 at Aviara in the final event before the major ANA Inspiration next week in Rancho Mirage. The 23-year-old South Korean player is winless on the LPGA Tour.

Ko shot a 67, and Lang had a 68. The 18-year-old Ko was second Sunday in Phoenix in the Founders Cup.

Second-ranked Inbee Park and fellow South Korean player Hyo Joo Kim were 8 under. Park had a 69, and Kim shot a 66.

Canadian Brooke Henderson shot up the leaderboard and is tied for 29th after shooting a 70. The Smiths Falls, Ont., native is 1 under for the tournament.

Hamilton’s Alena Sharp and Maude-Aimee Leblanc, of Sherbrooke, Que., missed the cut.

CARLSBAD, Calif. – Inbee Park shot a 5-under 67 on Thursday afternoon for a share of the lead in the LPGA Tour’s Kia Classic, the final event before the major ANA Inspiration next week in Rancho Mirage.

“I just want to have all the game physically and mentally,” Park said. “You want your game to be ready for next week. It’s just the last test before the majors, just trying to test out some shots and try to get some confidence.”

The second-ranked South Korean player withdrew because of a back pain after a first-round 80 in the opener in the Bahamas and has struggled to regain that form that carried her to two major titles and five victories last year. She tied for 30th in Thailand and Singapore and missed the cut last week in the Founders Cup in Phoenix.

“Everything went really well out there, Park said. “Especially, I dropped some good putts today. I was able to shoot a low round and it’s always good to have a good round like this before going into a major.”

Morning starters Brittany Lang, Jodi Ewart Shadoff and Ai Miyazato matched Park at 67, and top-ranked Lydia Ko was another stroke back.

Park played the back nine at Aviara in 4 under, making her final birdie on the par-5 17th. She hit 11 of 14 fairways in regulation, 14 of 18 greens, and had 27 putts.

“The greens weren’t as bumpy as what I thought it would be,” Park said. “The greens are actually in much better shape than in previous years. So, I was quite comfortable on the greens today. Obviously, getting some confidence on the greens was huge.”

Lang holed out from the fairway for eagle on the par-4 first hole and had five birdies and two bogeys.

“I saw it hit, I’m like, ‘OK, it’s going to hit soft, good,” Lang said about the eagle. “And then I was like, ‘Oh, my gosh, that looks good. … That always makes you pretty comfortable.”

Lang opened with a 63 last week in Phoenix and ended up tying for ninth.

“I played great last week,” Lang said. “I’ve been hitting it really well. These greens can definitely be tough, the speed. They are really slow, really quick. They can be difficult. So you’ve got to be a little cautious.”

Miyazato eagled the par-5 10th in her bogey-free round. Shadoff had seven birdies and two bogeys.

Ko birdied five of her final nine holes in her morning round. The 18-year-old New Zealander was second in Phoenix.

“I was striking the ball really well, even in my front nine, which was the back nine,” Ko said. “But I just couldn’t get any putts rolling. It was good to see a couple drop on my back nine.

“The weather, it’s perfect. Obviously, in the morning, it’s a little cooler, so you’ve got a couple layers on, but this is as perfect as it gets. Carlsbad is so beautiful.”

Jane Park and Mi Jung Hur joined Ko at 68.

Michelle Wie shot a 70 after missing the cut in Phoenix. She had six birdies and four bogeys.

Ha Na Jang opened with a 71. She won this year in Florida and Singapore.

Phoenix winner Sei Young Kim parred the final 13 holes in a 72. On Sunday, she matched Annika Sorenstam’s LPGA Tour scoring record of 27 under, closing with a 10-under 62 for a five-stroke victory.

Fourth-ranked Stacy Lewis also shot 72. She has a 44-event victory drought that dates to June 2014.

Canadian Brooke Henderson, of Smiths Falls, Ont., is tied for 56th after an opening round 73. Fellow Canadian Maude-Aimee Leblanc, of Sherbrooke, Que., was 3 over while Hamilton’s Alena Sharp shot a 77.

Defending champion Cristie Kerr had a 73, and Lexi Thompson struggled to a 77. The third-ranked Thompson won last month in Thailand.

PHOENIX – Brooke Henderson of Smiths Falls, Ont., finished in a tie for fourth place at the JTBC Founders Cup in Scottsdale, Ariz., shooting 67 in the final round on Sunday.

PHOENIX – Sei Young Kim stumbled late Saturday afternoon in the JTBC Founders Cup, handing the lead to Eun-Hee Ji and putting Stacy Lewis, Lydia Ko, Brooke Henderson and many others in far better position than they expected.

Three strokes ahead after an eagle on the par-4 13th, Kim failed to birdie the par-5 15th and bogeyed the par-4 16th and par-3 17th. Her 2-under 70 dropped her into a tie for second with Lewis, a stroke behind Ji.

“It’s OK. I have one day, tomorrow,” said Kim, the 23-year-old South Korean player who won three times last season and was the LPGA Tour’s rookie of the year.

Ji made a 12-foot birdie putt on 17 and finished with a 65 to reach 18-under 198 on another perfect day at Desert Ridge’s Wildfire Golf Club. She is winless since the 2009 U.S. Women’s Open.

“My putting was really good,” Ji said. “My iron shot was really good, too. I was really struggling with my irons the last couple of weeks, but it’s getting better this week.”

Lewis had a 64, closing with a 4-foot birdie putt on the par-4 18th.

“These scores are just ridiculous,” Lewis said. “You just can’t look at a leaderboard. You just go out there and make as many birdies as you can.”

The Texan won the event in 2013 and finished second the last two years. She has nine runner-up finishes in a 43-event victory drought that dates to June 2014.

“I’m just really happy to see some good scores going up,” Lewis said.

Jacqui Concolino was two strokes back after a 68. The top-ranked Ko, Carlota Ciganda and Paula Creamer were another shot behind. Ko and Ciganda shot 64, and Paula Creamer had a 67.

Another shot back is Brooke Henderson. The Smiths Falls, Ont., native carded a 65 Saturday to climb into a tie for 8th at 14-under 202.