Kemp rebounded from a bogey on the par-4 fourth — her 13th hole of the day on the River Course— with birdies on the par-5 seventh and par-4 eighth, holing a 20-footer on No. 8 to tie Stacy Lewis for the lead at 6 under and finishing with a par on No. 9.
The 35-year-old Australian is winless in her 14-season LPGA Tour career.
"I really turned my putting around at the end of last year," Kemp said. "I worked really hard. I was annoyed because I had hit the ball great for a couple years and I just didn’t convert the opportunities."