Lee third as Henderson wins LPGA event in Hawaii

AUSTRALIA’S Minjee Lee has shared third place as Canada’s Brooke Henderson defended the LPGA Tour’s Lotte Championship title, winning by four strokes.

Henderson, 21, shot a closing two-under 70 in windy conditions at Ko Olina Golf Club in Hawaii to triumph at 16-under 272, with South Korea’s Eun-Hee Ji second after a 73. World No.4 Lee battled to a final-round 74, with two birdies and four bogeys, as she finished a shot further back and tied with Thai star Ariya Jutanugarn (73).

“Obviously, the wind was pretty tough today,” Lee said. “Probably the windiest out of all the days.”

World No.12 Henderson tied Sandra Post’s record for LPGA Tour victories by a Canadian with eight.

“When I was younger it was just a goal to be on the LPGA Tour, to win my first event,” she said.

“And when that happened and I won my first major the year after, things kind of just started to fall into place.”

Women’s Australian Open champion Nelly Korda was tied with Henderson for the third-round lead but had a horror finish.

Korda made a quadruplebogey eight on the final hole for a 77 that left her seven strokes back at nine under.

She hit into the water twice on 18, then threw her ball in after finishing. The 20-yearold American also had a double bogey on the par-4 seventh. “Pretty bad,” Korda said.

“I mean, it was a tough day, but I ended really poorly and I’m pretty disappointed in that. … It was an unfortunate final round, but there is nothing I can do about it any more.”