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HOUSTON – The last US Women’s Open on the calendar will last another day due to the incessant rain that soaked the Champions Golf Club and forced the USGA to suspend the final round until Monday.
Japan’s Hinako Shibuno, who had a one-shot lead while looking for a second major, never started.
The USGA increased tee times as early as possible on Sunday (Monday Manila time) due to the forecast, and the final round was just over an hour old when thunderstorms in the area brought play to a halt. It never resumed, with about three-quarters of an inch of rain falling before there was no point trying to restart.
Lawn in December weather does not dry out as quickly. Also, heavy rains soaked the field on Friday after the second round. There was standing water in Champions even during spells where the rain subsided.
The US Women’s Open has been postponed since early June due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
It will be Monday’s first final for the US Women’s Open since So Yeon Ryu won at The Broadmoor in Colorado in 2011.
Shibuno won the Women’s British Open last year in her major championship debut, and her first tournament outside of Japan, and aims to become the third woman to win two majors the first time she plays them. Se Ri Pak was the most recent in 1998 at the LPGA Championship and the US Women’s Open.
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She was 4-under-209, a shot ahead of Amy Olson, the 28-year-old from North Dakota who has not won in her seven years on the LPGA Tour. Only two other players, Moriya Jutanugarn and Ji Yeong Kim2, were below par.
Ariya Jutanugarn, a two-time Major champion and former world number one player, birdied her first hole before play was stopped. That put her five shots off the lead.
Forty-two players of the 66 who made the cut had completed at least one hole. The most that was played was six holes. They will pick up where they left off on Monday; the USGA decided not to terminate the final round and start over.
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