Canadian trio within striking distance at Manulife LPGA Classic

The wind picked up at the Manulife LPGA Classic on Saturday. So did the chances of a strong Canadian finish at the LPGA Tour event.

• Leaderboard: Manulife LPGA Classic

Second-round co-leader Alena Sharp was three shots behind leader Lexi Thompson after a 70, Symetra Tour player Brittany Marchand was five shots back after a 67, and Brooke Henderson was seven strokes behind after a 68.

With 10 players within five shots of the lead, it could be a wild Sunday finish at Whistle Bear Golf Club.

Thompson closed with a birdie for a 67 and a one-shot lead at 17-under-par 199. Fellow American Lindy Duncan was one stroke behind and South Korea's In Gee Chun was two shots back.

Sharp eyes 1st career LPGA tour title

Sharp said she had to play a more defensive style due to the firmer greens and breezy conditions.

"It was good to get through this round," Sharp said. "I didn't hit it as great as I would have liked to but my putter saved me. I had a lot of up and downs."

It was the first time in her 12-year LPGA Tour career that she was the leader or co-leader after 36 holes — a span of 246 starts. Sharp, from nearby Hamilton, birdied No. 9 and No. 12 on her bogey-free round.

She'll have plenty of friends and family members on hand to watch her go for her first career LPGA Tour title.

"I feel like if I can get out there and get hot early and post the round, you never know what happens," she said. "All the wins I've ever had when I was a kid I was always coming from behind. I like the position."

Sharp, the world No. 68, has one top-five finish this season. She posted a career-best fourth-place result at last year's CP Women's Open.

Marchand feels no nerves

Marchand, who made the cut at an LPGA Tour event for the first time, wasn't intimidated despite playing with world No. 2 Ariya Jutanugarn of Thailand, who was tied with Sharp at 14-under 202 after a 65.

"I felt like I would probably be nervous today and I actually felt a lot more comfortable than I expected," Marchand said. "I think that's a good sign for tomorrow."

Five early birdies helped Marchand to a blistering 31 on the front nine. On the back, she bogeyed No. 10 but got the stroke back with a birdie on the 13th hole.

The performance left Jutanugarn more than impressed.

"She hit it great and her putting is like — perfect," she said.

Huge payday ahead?

Marchand, who's playing on a sponsor exemption, earned just US$1,749 for a season-best 15th-place result at last week's Fuccillo Kia Classic of New York.

In order to save a buck on the lower-level Symetra Tour, she'll often use volunteer caddies and eat meals with host families. She keeps a push cart in her car trunk just in case.

A significant and welcome payday could be ahead for the 24-year-old from Orangeville, Ont.

"You're not just grinding to break even out here," she said. "So yeah, that makes a huge difference."

If she managed to pull out a victory, it would give her Category 7 status on the LPGA Tour and a likely spot in the Walmart NW Arkansas Championship later this month.

Henderson remains in the mix

Henderson, from Smiths Falls, Ont., kept herself in the mix despite opening with a bogey. She followed that hiccup with two straight birdies and played bogey-free golf from there.

"I started out a little bit shaky and got a little bit shaky in the middle," she said. "I made a lot of birdies to compensate."

The winner of the $1.7-million tournament will earn $255,000. The last Canadian player to win on home soil was Jocelyne Bourassa at the 1973 La Canadienne Golf Championship.