Brooke Henderson a stroke behind leader at Women's PGA Championship

Canada's Brooke Henderson got off to a tough start at the KPMG Women's PGA Championship on Thursday after hitting bogeys on her first two holes.

But after a pep talk from her caddy and older sister, Brittany, the 20-year-old from Smiths Falls, Ont., managed to turn it around, fighting her way back to shoot a 5-under 67 to sit in a tie for second place behind South Korea's Sung Hyun Park, who shot a bogey-free 6-under 66.

"I was just trying to have a really good, solid score today, and with starting the first two holes like that, it kind of dropped your momentum a little bit, but Brit helped me through it a little bit, and we just started grinding away on my front nine, then slowly things started to turn around, started to hit it a little bit better," said Henderson.

"That's one thing about having my sister on the bag, she always knows the right thing to say. I don't really remember anything specifically, but just kind of getting me to calm down and relax a little bit and just to believe that I could finish strong."

Shot 30 on back 9

Henderson is a stroke back with Jessica Korda, Jaye Marie Green and Brittany Altomore. She managed to climb to 1-over with a birdie on her ninth hole of the day, and hit a 30 on the back nine. Maude-Aimee Leblanc of Sherbrooke, Que., is in a tie for sixth after a 4-under 68 and Hamilton's Alena Sharp shot 3-under 69.

"My front nine was a little bit rough, but I was happy to get a lot of birdies on the back nine and get myself back into it," said Henderson.

"It was a lot of fun. I just feel like I was hitting the ball great and making a lot of putts, so hopefully waking up early tomorrow morning and getting the next round started, it'll carry on."

Henderson is looking to continue her run of success at the third of the LPGA Tour's five majors. Her worst finish was also her first at the tournament, a tie for fifth in 2015. She was the runner-up last year and won in 2016.

Park, who is the 2017 U.S. Women's Open Champion, birdied three of the four par-5 holes at Kemper Lakes.

Rounding into form

The 24-year-old Park won the weather-shortened LPGA Texas Classic in May, but followed that with three missed cuts and a tie for 61st last week in Arkansas. After a switch in putters, she believes she is rounding back into form.

The long-hitting Park birdied the par-5 15th to reach 5 under and parred the tough final three holes, finishing with a short putt on 18.

"I felt like something little was missing, especially my putting," Park said through an interpreter. "But this week, I (feel) comfortable."

The course favours long hitters, and that's just fine with Korda.

She has five tour victories and her sights set on becoming the second member of her family to capture a major championship. Her father, Petr Korda, won tennis' Australian Open in 1998.

Canada's Lee moves on at amateur event

Canada's Jaclyn Lee posted two match-play victories Thursday to reach the round of 16 at the Ladies' British Open Amateur Championship.

Lee beat Pauline Roussin-Bouchard of France 4 and 3 in the opener before topping Emma Broze of France by one hole in the second round at the Hillside Golf Club.

Ottawa's Grace St-Germain was eliminated after dropping a two-hole decision to Sweden's Frida Kinhult in her opening match. Victoria's Naomi Ko and Maddie Szeryk of London, Ont., did not make the 64-player cut after two rounds of stroke play.

Lee, from Calgary, was scheduled to play Sara Kouskova of the Czech Republic in the third round Friday morning. The Canadian, who sits 40th on the women's world amateur golf ranking list, finished tied for 35th at this month's Meijer LPGA Classic.

Quarter-final play was set for Friday afternoon while the semifinals and final were on tap Saturday. The tournament shares top billing with the US Women's Amateur as the premier events in women's amateur golf.

Marlene Stewart Streit was the last Canadian to win the Ladies' British Open Amateur. She posted a 7-and-6 victory over Philomena Garvey in 1953.