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TSN Senior Reporter

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Brooke Henderson didn’t drive it all that well and she missed a few key putts. But at the end of the day, she was at the top of the leaderboard and is 18 holes away from her second win of the season.

“I didn't hit it how I normally hit it, so I kind of grinded it out as best I could, and that's good,” said Henderson, still smiling. “That's a good sign when you can still shoot under par and not hit it very well.”

Henderson shot a two-under 69 on the strength of five birdies. Unlike a day earlier when she was three shots better, it seemed she spent a number of holes scrambling. She only hit 12 greens in regulation compared to five in Round Two.

Some of that, she said, was due to the change in conditions on the Highland Meadows golf course. The first two rounds played hard and fast while Saturday featured softer conditions with balls holding on the greens. Adjustment, Henderson admitted, took some time and she and sister/caddie Brittany tried to alter the game plan on the go.

Her putter, which has been hot and cold this season, was also that in this round. While she rolled in some nice ones, such as from off the green on the seventh, she also missed some shorter ones including a seven-footer on the 14th.

There was also some uncharacteristically poor driving from Henderson including one tee shot on 16 that ended up behind a tree. The Smiths Falls, Ont., product slapped her second shot around the tree and onto the front of the green, where two putts later she had a scrambling par.

The score pushed her three-round total to 11 under, one shot ahead of veterans Brittany Lincicomme and Angela Stanford. Jacqui Concolino is one stroke further back.

Henderson said that the course does give up birdies to those who hit it well, a point illustrated by the fact that on Saturday just 16 of the 70 golfers had over-par rounds.

“I think this course, when you're hitting it really well, there are a lot of birdie opportunities,” the Canadian stated. “When you don't hit it so great, you're kind of fighting for pars, and I know that. So hopefully tomorrow I can go out and play a little bit better and give myself a lot of birdie looks.”

Henderson, currently ranked 16th in the world, would become just the third multi-even winner on the LPGA Tour this season. She captured the Lotte Championship in April for her sixth career victory. She is also chasing Canadian golf history. Sandra Post, George Knudson and Mike Weir each won eight times in their career and a win on Sunday would move her one behind that number.