In one of the most dramatic U.S. Women's Opens in recent years, In-Gee Chun of South Korea fired a 66 on the last day to make up a four-shot deficit and nip Amy Yang of South Korea by one shot. In fact, the tournament was even more dramatic than that brief description indicates. Chun came to the last hole at 9 under par -- 5 under par for the day. But she made a bogey to finish at 8-under. That was the same score as Yang, who was just about to tee off on 18. Yang had been pretty mediocre for most of the day, but a late eagle and birdie had pulled her back into a tie with Chun. All she needed to do was par the last hole to force a playoff -- but she couldn't do it. She followed up Chun's bogey on 18 with a bogey of her own, costing her the title and giving it to Chun.
Chun is only 20 years old (she turns 21 in August) and this was her FIRST appearance in the U.S. Women's Open. It turned out to be her first LPGA Tour victory, to go with seven wins on the LPGA of Korea Tour. As far as I can tell, she is an amazing talent, and it will be interesting to see what she does now. Very few people shoot a 66 on the last day to win a USGA event.
Yang is 25, and this was her ninth appearance at the U.S. Women's Open. She has finished in the top 10 in five of the last six, and now has two second place finishes (2012 and 2015) to go with her fourth place finish last year. She is a good bet to break through eventually.
As for Stacy Lewis, she was only one shot off the lead when a double-bogey on 14 (or maybe 15) ruined her chances. To me, Lewis always gives off an air of Southern tragedy -- she has the unmistakable look of those people from the South who always expect the worst. It makes me nervous just to watch her, and I'm always expecting the worst for her. It was painful to watch her chances slip away, especially since she came in second place last year. But she was low American.
As for Inbee Park, the best women's player in the world, she played magnificently from tee to green, but her putting was never quite right, and that cost her the chance of winning her third U.S. Women's Open.
The Low Amateur was Megan Khang, a 17-year-old high schooler from Brockton, Mass. She finished at 5 over par. She doesn't know where she's going to college -- and now she may decide to go straight to the pros. Emma Talley (of Princeton) finished in a tie for 60th place, with scores of 70, 72, 74, and 75. She finished at 11 over. But she did make the cut, and she is still the number 22-ranked amateur in the world. We look forward to seeing her at the U.S. Women's Amateur, which will be held from August 10 to August 16 at the Portland Golf Club in Portland, Ore.
All in all, this was a very solid tournament. The local papers reported that the attendance set a record, and the Lancaster Country Club appeared to be both beautiful and fair. Another great moment from Pennsylvania. Next year's tournament will be at the CordeValle Golf Club near San Jose, Calif. I'm already looking forward to it:
1. I.G. Chun (KOR): -8 (68+70+68+66=272)
2. A. Yang (KOR): -7 (67+66+69+71=273)
T3. S. Lewis: -5 (69+67+69+70=275)
T3. I. Park (KOR): -5 (68+70+70+67=275)
T5. B. Henderson (CAN): -3 (70+73+68+66=277)
T5. P. Lindberg (SWE): -3 (70+70+70+67=277)
T5. S. Oyama (JPN): -3 (70+66+71+70=277)
T5. J. Park: -3 (66+72+71+68=277)
T5. M. Pressel: -3 (68+70+71+68=277)
T5. S.Y. Ryu (KOR): -3 (72+68+70+67=277)
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