DATES: April 11-14
SITE: Ko Olina Golf Club, Oahu, Hawaii
PRIZE MONEY: $2,000,000

Round 4 - Brooke Henderson clinches Lotte victory

April 14, 2018

Canada's Brooke Henderson held her nerve to clinch the LPGA Tour Lotte Championship in Hawaii on Saturday, firing a three-under-par 69 to seal a four-shot victory.

Henderson had stumbled badly in Friday's third round, dropping three shots in the closing three holes to leave the chasing pack just one shot behind on the par-72 layout at Ko Olina Golf Club, Oahu.

But the 20-year-old from Ontario shrugged off her third-round jitters to remain ahead of the field on Saturday, stretching her lead with two birdies on the front nine to make the turn at two under, 10 under for the tournament.

There was a brief wobble with a bogey on the par-three 12th but Henderson hit back with a birdie on the 14th followed by a birdie on the par-three 16th -- where she made a double-bogey 24 hours earlier -- to close out her win with a 12-under-par aggregate 276.

It was the sixth LPGA Tour win of the Canadian youngster's career, which includes a victory as a teenager at the Women's PGA Championship in 2016.

Henderson finished four shots ahead of Spain's Azahara Munoz, who had thrust herself into contention with a five-under-par final round 67, playing flawlessly to move up the leaderboard having started the day six strokes off the pace.

The 30-year-old from Malaga began slowly with four straight pars, but grabbed her first birdie of the day on the par-five fifth hole. A further birdie at the ninth took her to five under at the turn.

However the charge began on the back nine, with consecutive birdies at the 11th and 12th before a further birdie on the 14th.

But the Spaniard was unable to add to her birdie spree in the closing holes, leaving her in the clubhouse waiting to see if Henderson would falter.

China's Feng Shanshan, Thailand's Ariya Jutanugarn and South Korea's Park In-bee were tied for third on seven under.

American Mo Martin, who had started the final round one off the pace, saw her challenge evaporate with a nightmare six-over-par 78.

The 35-year-old 2014 British Open winner from Pasadena, California, carded four bogeys and a double-bogey as her quest for a first career LPGA win in the United States continued.

More scores & prize money.

Round 3 - Henderson takes slim lead into final day

April 13, 2018

Brooke Henderson kept giving herself chances to run away from the field Friday at the Lotte Championship.

Instead, she had to be satisfied with barely hanging onto the lead.

After two nearly flawless, bogey-free days at windy Ko Olina Golf Club, the 20-year-old Canadian looked all too human in a frustrating third round that saw the wind switch directions.

Then again, so did nearly every other player.

Henderson will take a one-stroke advantage over 2014 Women's British Open champ Mo Martin, whose eagle on the 13th kept her at even-par for the day, into the final round.

The leader was 3 over on the final three holes, four-putting the 16th for double-bogey. Henderson, who has already won five times on the LPGA Tour, finished with a 1-over 73 left her at 9 under.

She led by five early on the back nine, but 35 putts - she needed just 50 the first two days combined - had her trying to focus on the fact she still led at all.

''I've been kind of struggling with my putting all year,'' Henderson acknowledged. ''The first few rounds I had it going and I felt confident with it; then on the back nine I just kept missing. I just felt like that every single putt and kind of got a little bit down. That's always a terrible way to be, especially when you're still leading the tournament.''

Japan's Nasa Hataoka, who is a year younger than Henderson, had a 68 to climb into a tie for third with third-ranked Inbee Park, two shots back.

Hataoka won the 2016 Japan Women's Open Championship, becoming the first amateur - and youngest - to win a Japan LPGA major. Friday, she was one of the few to go low at Ko Olina, putting for eagle three times.

''The wind was totally the opposite. It was really confusing,'' said Park, who shot 71. ''Some holes I was going into the wind I couldn't really judge the distances. I don't think I ever played this wind before on this course in five, six years.''

Even top-ranked Shanshan Feng struggled. Her 74 was only her second over-par round of the year. She shares fifth with Lizette Salas, three back of Henderson. Salas, who lost a playoff at Lotte in 2013, shot 70 despite breaking her driver on the second hole.

She called it a ''big oops'' on Friday the 13th.

''I got a little frustrated for missing a short putt, and then I tossed, quote/unquote, my putter at my bag,'' Salas said. ''I guess the head landed on the shaft and when I took it out at the next hole, it went (bending noise).''

Daniela Iacobelli and Pernilla Lindberg, fresh off a major victory at the ANA Inspiration, share seventh at 5 under. Qualifier Julieta Granada and second-year player Peiyun Chien, from Taiwan, shot 67 - low round of the day - to join a group of six another shot back.

Jeongeun Lee, a Korean LPGA player here on a sponsor exemption, also shot 67 and is at 4 under. That's one ahead of Hawaii's Michelle Wie, whose 69 moved her up 13 spots, to 18th.

After Friday's frantic finish, who knows how many are in contention Saturday?

''I would've liked it (her lead) to be a lot more, but one shot is good,'' Henderson said. ''I know there are still a ton of really talented players really close behind me, so I'll have to go out and make a lot of birdies and hopefully it's my day.''

Round 2 - Brooke Henderson posts 66, takes Lotte lead

April 12, 2018

Brooke Henderson remained bogey-free Thursday to take the second-round lead in the Lotte Championship.

Henderson, the 20-year-old Canadian ranked 14th in the world, birdied four of her first six holes to surge into the lead in relatively calm morning conditions. She finished with a 6-under 66 at Ko Olina Golf Club - the day's low round - to get to 10 under.

No one could catch the five-time LPGA Tour winner as the wind gusted to 20 mph later in the day.

Top-ranked Shanshan Feng, the first-round leader, was two strokes back with Mo Martin after a bogey-free 69. Martin, the 2014 Women's British Open, had a 67.

Pernilla Lindberg and Inbee Park were together again on the leaderboard at 6 under, two weeks after Lindberg beat Park on the eighth extra hole in the major ANA Inspiration. Lindberg shot 68 and Park had a 69. Lindy Duncan also was 6 under after a 68.

Hawaii's Michelle Wie, who has risen 100 spots to No. 13 since last March, made her 16th straight cut. She was 1 over after a 73. Defending champion Cristie Kerr also shot 73 and was another shot back.

In Gee Chun withdrew from the tournament before the second due to illness.

Round 1 - Shanshan Feng takes lead on windy opening day in Hawaii

April 11, 2018

Top-ranked Shanshan Feng birdied three of her last five holes Wednesday to take the lead halfway through a windy first round of the Lotte Championship.

The Chinese star finished at 5-under 67 at Ko Olina Golf Club. She is the first golfer from China - female or male - to reach No. 1 in the world rankings. She insists she ''gets more excited'' in the wind, which should make Ko Olina an ideal site for her this week.

''A lot of people would be like worrying, thinking 'Oh, my God, it's so windy,''' Feng said. ''I wake up and I'm like, 'Yeah, it's windy.' That's why in this kind of situation I still stay patient on the course and still stay with my routine.''

Brooke Henderson, Haeji Kang and rookie Martina Edberg are a shot back in second.

Henderson, a 20-year-old in search of her sixth victory, fired a bogey-free 68. She is ranked 14th, while the pair she shares second with are a bit farther back.

Kang, from South Korea, stands at No. 295. Edberg, from Sweden, is ranked 850th in her first LPGA start. She was a two-time Big West Conference champion during her college career at Cal State Fullerton.

Henderson and fellow Canadians Alena Sharp, Anne-Catherine Tanguay, Brittany Marchand and Maude-Aimee Leblanc wore green and gold ribbons in memory of those killed in the Saskatchewan bus crash involving the Humboldt Broncos junior hockey team.

Sharp is part of a six-way tie at 69, with third-ranked Inbee Park, qualifier Julieta Granada, Mo Martin, Lizette Salas - who lost a playoff here in 2013 - and 2018 Kia Classic winner Eun-Hee Ji.

Defending champion Cristie Kerr shot 71 and called the conditions ''an average wind for here.'' She played with Hawaii's Michelle Wie, the 2014 Lotte champ. Wie double-bogeyed her 15th hole to finish at even par.

''I feel like back in the day I was really used to the wind here because I played in it every week,'' Wie said about one of her home courses growing up. ''Now that I'm living on the mainland and come back I get a little surprised by it.''

Pernilla Lindberg shot 70 in her first start since beating Park in an eight-hole playoff in the year's first major.

Scores