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Dutch golfer Anne van Dam has powered home to claim the women's Canberra Classic by three shots after a flawless final round.

The 23-year-old finished at 17-under-par 197, three shots in front of Slovenia's Katja Pogacar to take out the $150,000 event at Royal Canberra.

After being joint overnight leader with Pogacar, van Dam carded a six-under final round on Sunday to claim her fourth Ladies European Tour (LET) title.

Van Dam put together a bogey-free last 18 holes to fend off challenges from Pogacar and defending champion Jiyai Shin.

South Korean Shin was shaping as a serious threat after entering the final round only two shots off the pace despite an average start to the tournament.

The former world No.1 hit four birdies during the first 12 holes, but slumped on the back nine with two bogeys.

Scotland's Carly Booth (202) and Sweden's Madelene Sagstrom (203) rounded out the top five.

Hannah Green was the best of the Australian continent, finishing in a tie for eighth at seven under.

Despite the challenge from Shin, who was gunning for her third win in as many starts at Royal Canberra, world No.81 van Dam said she kept her cool and trusted her game.

"Right now, I'm super relieved because it was quite exciting the whole way around and not really knowing the score," van Dam said.

"After (Saturday), even though I shot an eight-under-par, I still knew I had some shots in there and I just tried to think about that."

Van Dam had to do it the hard way during a month in Australia after her luggage was lost in transit.

She missed the cut at the Victorian Open before coming into form at last week's Australian Ladies Classic at Bonville, where she finished in a tie for 16th.

It was a breakout tournament for Pogacar - the first woman from Slovenia to qualify for the LET.

Adversity has been Zach Murray's most important ally, with the young Australian golfer surging home to clinch a maiden win as a professional at the New Zealand Open.

Murray showed fighting qualities and a maturity that concealed his tender age of 21, securing a wire-to-wire triumph at The Hills course near Queenstown by two shots.

As he did in the third round, Murray unleashed his best golf on Sunday after losing the lead, shooting an eagle on the par-5 13th to launch an unstoppable charge for victory at the tournament's 100th edition.

Murray closed with a four-under-par 68 to finish on 21-under, heading off fellow Victorian Ashley Hall and Kiwi Josh Geary.

Asian Tour money leader Jazz Janewattananond of Thailand shot a round-of-the-day 64 to place fourth.

However, the tournament belonged to Murray, who began the summer with victory at October's WA Open, weeks before switching to the pro ranks.

It all came easily in the first two rounds at the picturesque South Island venue, opening up a five-stroke advantage after carding 63 and 65.

Geary claimed the lead midway through day three but Murray recovered his poise with late birdies and he repeated the dose when Hall charged to the top of the leaderboard during a closing 65.

Trailing Hall by two shots after carding a bogey on the 11th, Murray picked up four shots from holes 13 to 15.

Three-time pro winner Hall, 35, couldn't respond. His previously flawless round faltered with a bogey on the 18th, handing his compatriot a three-stroke buffer.

Murray admitted his composure deserted him for the first time when he also bogeyed the final hole.

Adrenaline was pumping as he hit wild first and second shots before a sublime chip from a difficult position.

"I never thought I was going to get off the 18th," he said.

"I was pretty nervous. I settled down there for a while but, as soon as I stepped onto the 18th tee, I tried to calm myself down.

"I'm glad she's all done and dusted - it's been a fantastic week."

Murray banks a winner's cheque of $210,000 and becomes the seventh different Australian champion from the past eight New Zealand Opens.

He is also the first player to lead after every round since Kiwi great Bob Charles in 1954 as an amateur.

Vijay Singh's last PGA Tour victory was in 2008.

His only win at The Honda Classic was in 1999, on a course that he couldn't remember.

He arrived at PGA National a few days ago wondering if his game is still good enough for him to be competitive with the younger generation.

So far, he's got to like what he's achieved.

And he'll have a shot on Sunday at making history.

Singh - who turned 56 on February 22 - has a chance to become the oldest winner on the PGA Tour.

His round of five-under 65 on Saturday put him at six under for the week, one shot behind leader Wyndham Clark.

They'll be in the final pairing on Sunday.

Singh has been a pro longer than the 25-year-old Clark has been alive.

"It would be great," Singh said when asked what a win would mean at his age.

"I've worked pretty hard. I'm physically quite capable of doing it.

"Mentally, I'm going to go out there and see how my mind works.

"If I just don't let anything interfere, I think I can do it."

There have been seven players to win on the PGA Tour after their 50th birthday, the oldest Sam Snead at 52 years, 10 months, 8 days in the 1965 Greater Greensboro Open.

"He's been one of the game's best," Rickie Fowler, who was alone in fifth at 5 under after a round of 66, said.

He's a ball-striker. He's not as long as he used to be but on this golf course you don't necessarily have to be long."

Singh, half-way co-leader Keith Mitchell (70) and Kyeong-Hoon Lee (68) are all one shot behind Clark, who had five birdies in his first seven holes before he gave a few shots back as the wind started to pick up.

There are 28 players within five shots of the lead, including three-time major winner Brooks Koepka (70) and Australian Matt Jones (69, three under).

Second-round co-leader Im Sung-jae is not among them as he crashed to a seven-over 77 to be one over.

Australian golfer Minjee Lee is within touching distance of an LPGA title win at the Women's World Championship in Singapore after a solid third-round five-under 67 left her one shot off the pace.

Lee sat on 10 under overall after Saturday's third day of play, having nabbed seven birdies, including four on the front nine.

The world No.3 is clear in second place, behind only Thai star Ariya Jutanugarn. Englishwoman Jodi Ewart Shadoff is one shot behind Lee in third.

Lee is chasing her first LPGA victory in her fourth hit-out of 2019, having finished second in a Thailand event two weeks ago.

She had also sat in second after the second round on Friday.

"I've played with (world No.1 Jutanugarn) a lot. I think I played with her every single round, so it's probably going to be four in a row with tomorrow. She's fast and just good all around," Lee told reporters.

Asked if Jutanugarn had an "aura about her", Lee wasn't agreeing.

"I'm not really sure what that means, if you have an aura. I'm just going to say she's a great person and it's nice to play with her," Lee said.

Elsewhere, Kiwi star Lydia Ko is tied for 10th on five under overall, while former frontrunner Amy Olson of USA is now tied for fourth, two shots behind Lee.

Australian Sarah Jane Smith is tied for 27th and Su Oh is tied for 56th.

Dutch golfer Anne van Dam has put together a sparking second round to claim a share of the lead at the women's Canberra Classic.

Van Dam shot an eight-under-par 63 on Saturday to be joint leader with Slovenia's Katja Pogacar, heading into the final round at Royal Canberra.

The pair are level at 11-under 131, closely followed by Scotland's Carly Booth (132), while Belgium's Manon De Roey and defending champion Jiyai Shin are a further shot back.

Hannah Green is the best of the Australian contingent in a share of seventh at six under overall after recording her second 68 of the tournament.

Pogacar, the first woman from Slovenia to qualify for the Ladies European Tour, claimed the clubhouse lead with career-best round after teeing off in a morning group.

The world No.718 carded a 64 and responded from a bogey on her opening hole to record consecutive birdies before she eagled the par-5 18th.

She made another four birdies on her closing nine and sank a miracle putt on her final hole to seal the lowest score of her career.

"I played some really good shots, solid golf and I just had to wait for the putts to roll in; and I did that patiently until the end," Pogacar told reporters.

"The first hole was bad and I misread the putt but it was easy to let it go.

"I've been hitting it really solidly the whole week and I finally got my irons and drivers dialled in so it's just been a matter of time."

World No.81 van Dam enjoyed a flawless, bogey-free afternoon, highlighted by eight birdies.

"It was very easy golf today, I almost hit every shot perfectly and gave myself a lot of chances on the back nine," van Dam said.

Former world No.1 Shin will be a final-round threat after returning to her best after an average first day.

Shin had a consistent, bogey-free round to finish with 64, gives her an opportunity to claim a third career title at Royal Canberra.

To go with last year's Classic win, the South Korean won the 2013 Australian Open at the course.

Overnight leader Amelia Lewis had a horror second round, falling out of contention after a disastrous 77.

Zach Murray's five-stroke lead has evaporated to one shot at the New Zealand Open but the Australian golfer believes he's in the right mental space to claim a maiden professional crown.

Victorian Murray birdied the final two holes of Saturday's third round at The Hills course near Queenstown to reclaim the lead on 17 under par and set him up for a possible wire-to-wire win.

He had ceded top spot late in the afternoon to New Zealand's Josh Geary, who fired eight birdies and an eagle in a sizzling nine-under 63.

That was enough to spur Murray's strong finish to a patchy round of 70, which lacked the precision of his earlier 63 and 65.

A snaking putt on the 18th hole for birdie put the Wodonga 21-year-old back in front and left him feeling momentum was still on his side.

"It was good to be a couple back going into those last few holes because it helped me get back that aggressive mindset," Murray said.

"I was battling my way through and felt a little frustrated but I just calmed down and finished nice. I'll definitely take a one-shot lead and I'm really excited. Tomorrow should be fun."

Murray's putting was astray in the first half of his round, losing ground to his rivals on a day of low scoring.

Japanese pair Kodai Ichihara and Ryuko Tokimatsu share third place alongside Kiwi Harry Bateman, two strokes behind Geary.

A handful of Australians remains in contention, with Aaron Pike and Dimitrius Papadatos sharing sixth on 13 under, one stroke clear of former champions Brad Kennedy and Matthew Griffin.

Murray will find it hard to shake off Geary on Sunday, with the 34-year-old desperate to make it a home-town win in the 100th edition of the tournament.

"Obviously, the home Open is the subject of dreams," said Geary, playing his first tournament of the year.

"I was watching it as a kid and I wouldn't have believed I'd play in one, let alone lead it or possibly win it.

"This would be a huge one off the bucket list."

Australian golfer Minjee Lee is tied for second at the halfway stage of the Women's World Championship in Singapore.

Lee carded a one-under-par 71 on Friday at the Sentosa Golf Club to be in a five-way tie for second at five-under 139.

American Amy Olson leads by two shots after shooting a 69 on Friday in the last event of the LPGA's month-long swing through Australia and southeast Asia.

Tied for second with Lee are South Korean Inbee Park, Thai superstar Ariya Jutanugarn, Spain's Azahara Munoz and Jodi Ewart Shadoff from England.

Australian Sarah Jane Smith improved on her opening-round effort by seven shots on Friday, carding a three-under 69 to move up into a tie for 24th at 145.

China's Yu Liu went the other way, plummeting all the way from a tie for the round-one lead to 33rd after a horror second round of six-over 78.

After an eagle on Thursday on the par-5 eighth, Olson did the same on the par-5 fifth in the second round.

"I've made some pretty good shots on both those par fives to set them up," Olson said.

No. 4 Park, making her first start of the LPGA season, said she was "feeling kind of rusty, but happy where I am at the moment".

Former No.1 Lydia Ko shot 70 and was two under. Nelly Korda, who won the Women's Australian Open two weeks ago, shot 70 and was at even par.

Korda had a painful 74 in her opening round, and tweeted about it later.

"Well, I tried to get out of some trouble by punching out ... I proceeded to hit a tree ... and slammed the grip end of the club in the ground, little did I know it was going to bounce up and hit me full force in my lip," she said on Twitter. "That's what we call Karma."

AP

Women's world No.452 golfer Amelia Lewis is the surprise outright leader of the Canberra Classic after a scintillating opening round.

The American carded a six-under-par 65 on Friday at Royal Canberra to upstage pre-tournament favourites, Australian Hannah Green and defending champion Jiyai Shin.

Lewis put together a bogey-free round to take a one-shot lead into Saturday's second round over Sweden's Caroline Hedwall, Finland's Noora Komulainen and Germany's Manon De Roey.

The 28-year-old revealed she took a break after finishing 45th last week in the Australian Ladies Classic on the NSW north coast.

She found her rhythm at the Yarralumla course after hitting her first birdie on the eighth hole.

"After Bonville, I took a few days off and went to Sydney and relaxed," Lewis told reporters.

"Coming here, I've just been working on putting and played a few practice rounds and just took it easy so it was a very stress-free day out there.

"I did very well and gave myself a lot of chances, I started off a bit slow with all pars and missed some putts."

France's Celine Herbin is tied for fifth alongside Austria's Sarah Schober and Scotland's Carly Booth after shooting 67s.

Green is another shot back at three under tied with 10 others, including Esther Henseleit, Madelene Sagstrom, Anne van Dam and Christine Wolf.

Green is gunning for her first professional win in Australia after the rising 22-year-old's second-placed finish in the $350,000 Australian Classic.

After starting her Yarralumla first round with two birdies, Green had a horror fourth-hole double bogey.

"I need to be a bit more consistent with my driver (in round two)," Green told reporters.

"I hit the ball really good in the pro-am but I had a few go left on me today, which is unusual so I'll go and hit some balls."

South Korean World No.25 Shin is tied for 19th after carding a 69.

Australian golfer Zach Murray has been unperturbed by a change of course and contrasting conditions, opening up a five-stroke lead at the midway point of the New Zealand Open near Queenstown.

Murray signed off on a seven-under-par 63 on Friday at The Hills course, complementing his sizzling eight-under 63 a day earlier in chilly morning conditions at the Millbrook Resort.

The 21-year-old Victorian has been a cut above his rivals at the 100th edition of the $1.2 million tournament.

Beginning the day in a three-way share of the lead, he opened with an eagle on the par-5 first hole, before sinking six birdies and signing for his first bogey of the tournament.

Murray, having won October's WA Open in one of his last tournaments as an amateur, has breathing space but there is quality in the group behind him.

Second-placed Ryuko Tokimatsu, level overnight with Murray and Kiwi Harry Bateman, is a three-time winner on the Japan Tour.

Tokimatsu is second on 10 under, while tournament favourite Ryan Fox of New Zealand is among five golfers a further shot back.

Level with Fox are two Australians seeking to become the first two-time winners of the tournament in more than 20 years.

Queenslander Brad Kennedy, the 2011 champion, shot the round of the day with an eight-under 63 at Milbrook, while 2014 winner Dimitrios Papadatos battled wrist pain to record 66 at the same course.

Kennedy credited his improved short game for the sort of form that took him to within a shot of victory at last month's Vic Open.

"A little bit scrappy with my driver, but I putted brilliantly today," he said.

"I gave myself a talking to last night, said it wasn't good enough and, if I wanted to get myself back in contention, I had to do something."

Another Australian to make a big move was PGA Tour veteran Geoff Ogilvy, whose six-under 65 at Millbrook left him in a share of 22nd.

Kiwi great Michael Campbell - like Ogilvy a former US Open champion - missed the cut by five shots after finishing two over in his first tournament appearance for six years.

Defending champion Daniel Nisbet also won't the play the weekend, the Queenslander finishing one under.

Australian Minjee Lee continued her recent hot form to be in a five-way share of the first-round lead at the HSBC Women's World Championship in Singapore on Thursday.

Lee was runner-up at last week's LPGA Thailand, going down to the last hole with eventual winner Amy Yang before finishing a shot short of a playoff.

Tied with Lee at four-under 68 were No. 1-ranked Ariya Jutanugarn, Amy Olson, Yu Liu and Celine Boutier, who won her first LPGA tournament three weeks ago at the Vic Open.

No. 2 Sun Hyun Park bogeyed 18 after hitting her approach into a bunker for a 69 to drop into a seven-way tie for sixth, one stroke behind the leaders.

After an eagle on the eighth, her second-last hole, Olson just missed a 30-foot birdie putt on the ninth hole.

"I made a nice shot in, just perfect," the American said of her second shot into the eighth.

Scoring conditions on Sentosa Golf Club's Tanjong layout were difficult most of the day Thursday due to gusty winds and slick greens.

Former No. 1 Lydia Ko shot 72, as did Lexi Thompson and Cristie Kerr. Nelly Korda, who won the Women's Australian Open two weeks ago, had 74. Brooke Henderson dropped four shots in two holes on the eighth and ninth and had a 75.

Defending champion Michelle Wie was forced to withdraw with a recurrence of a right hand injury.

Wie, making her second start of the season after surgery on her right hand earlier this month, was 10-over after 14 holes when she withdrew while playing the 15th. She was holding her right wrist and hand as she walked up the fairway.

Wie fractured her hand and sustained extensive neck injuries in a car accident two years ago.

The original 63-player field has no cut. The top 12 players in the world went off in the final four groups on Thursday.

Yang pulled out with an undisclosed illness after three holes and three-over. Sei Young Kim also withdrew with a back injury after 12 holes.