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Brooke Henderson, Mirim Lee share lead at KPMG Women’s PGA Championship

Mirim Lee and caddie Daryl Smith talk strategy on the seventh hole Friday during the second round of the Women¿s PGA Championship.
(Elaine Thompson / Associated Press)
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Brooke Henderson and Mirim Lee withstood a wild weather day to share the lead at two under par halfway through the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship in Sammamish, Wash.

Playing in the afternoon, Henderson and Lee fought heavy rain, wind and a significant drop in the temperature Friday at Sahalee Country Club. After six straight pars, Henderson birdied the par-three 17th, but the 18-year-old Canadian bogeyed the 18th for a two-over 73 that dropped her back into a tie with Lee.

Lee started on the back nine and surged when she got to the front, making three birdies before dropping a shot late. The South Korean player shot a 69.

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Top-ranked Lydia Ko was a stroke back along with Gerina Piller and Brittany Lincicome. Ko scrambled to a 70 in her bid to win her third straight major. Piller had a 69, and Lincicome shot 70.

Thailand’s Ariya Jutanugarn, the winner of her last three tournaments, was three over after a 75.

Inbee Park missed the cut after winning the event the past three years. A day after wrapping up an LPGA Hall of Fame spot, the South Korean followed her opening 72 with a 79. Park has been dealing with inflammation in the tendons and ligaments around her left thumb.

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Michelle Wie also dropped out, shooting 78-80.

Berger’s 64 good for lead at St. Jude

Daniel Berger shot a season-best six-under 64 on Friday to take a three-stroke lead in the FedEx St. Jude Classic in Memphis, Tenn.

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Berger had six birdies in his bogey-free morning round to reach 9-under 131 at TPC Southwind, and nobody caught him atop the leaderboard. Berger has started well, despite breaking in a new driver and three-wood after his old clubs finally cracked last week from age.

Tom Hoge, part of a three-way tie for the lead after the first round, was second after a 69. He birdied the final two holes in the next to last group.

Dustin Johnson, the 2012 champion, had a chance to catch Berger until dropping three strokes on the final two holes. Johnson finished with a 69 after wiping out four birdies and an eagle with three bogeys and a double bogey on No. 18 with what he called bad swings at the end.

That finish left Johnson tied with Phil Mickelson (65) and Brooks Koepka (65) at five under. Mickelson, winless since the 2013 British Open, matched his low round this year with six birdies and one bogey. He’s here fine-tuning his game for the U.S. Open next week, the one major that has eluded him in his career.

Langer moves into contention

Two-time defending champion Bernhard Langer pulled within a stroke of leader Brandt Jobe in the Constellation Senior Players Championship at Flourtown, Pa.

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Langer shot a two-under 68 at windy Philadelphia Cricket Club in the third of the PGA Tour Champions’ five major championships. Jobe topped the leaderboard at two under after his second straight 69.

Langer had three front-nine birdies to make the turn in 32, dropped a stroke on the par-4 10th and parred the final eight holes. The German star won in 2014 at Fox Chapel in Pittsburgh and last year at Belmont in Massachusetts. He won the Regions Tradition last month in Alabama for his sixth senior major and 27th career victory on the 50-and-over tour.

Only six players were under par after two rounds on the A.W. Tillinghast-designed Wissahickon Course. Scott Dunlap had a 69 to match Langer at one under. Vijay Singh followed his opening 69 with a 74 to drop to three over. John Daly had his second straight 76.

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