Henderson near lead in Portland

PORTLAND, Oregon — In Gee Chun shot a 6-under 66 on Thursday in the Cambia Portland Classic to take a one-stroke lead over twotime defending champion Brooke Henderson and five others.

Playing the event for the first time, the sixth-ranked Chun had seven birdies and a bogey at tree-lined Columbia Edgewater.

“Before coming here everyone said the course is really good,” Chun said. “I agreed. I like big trees. It’s amazing. And the greens are very consistent and really good condition.”

The South Korean player tied for third last week in the Canadian Pacific Women’s Open and has four runner-up finishes this season. Both of her LPGA Tour victories have come in majors — the 2015 U.S. Women’s Open and the 2016 Evian Championship.

“I have not been able to win, but I think it was a strong finish,” Chun said. “Sometimes I had small stress from that part . ... Just keep going, enjoying the process.”

Henderson of Smiths Falls, Ont., had six birdies and a bogey to match Cheyenne Woods, Cindy LaCrosse, Moriya Jutanugarn, Nicole Broch Larsen and Nasa Hataoka at 67.

“I think it just suits my eye,” Henderson said. “I love tree-lined courses and I love when it’s so green everywhere you look. The grass is very lush, and I love that. Just playing here I have so many incredible memories from two years ago, last year, and I just try to feed off the energy and adrenalin that I felt over the past couple years.”

After bogeying the par-4 eighth, the 19-year-old Canadian got up-and-down from a fairway bunker on the par-4 ninth, hitting a 7-iron from 157 yards to inches for a closing birdie.