Hee Kyung Seo has done plenty of waiting at the Broadmoor over the last several days, so what’s another 13 hours or so?
The South Korean may have done enough Sunday to win the U.S. Women’s Open, but because her closest pursuers couldn’t finish before dark — due to yet another weather delay — she’ll have to wait until Monday morning to see if indeed the most prestigious title in women’s golf is hers.
After starting Sunday’s marathon session eight strokes out of the lead, Seo (pictured in a USGA photo) was one ahead when she completed her final round 13 hours and 10 minutes later.
Some would be fatigued — physically and mentally — by playing 36 holes on Sunday, with a 2-hour, 40-minute weather delay thrown in. But you’d never know it by Seo’s Sunday scores of 68-68. Her 5-under-par 31 on the front nine in the final round — where she made four consecutive birdies — was particularly impressive.
Seo finished shortly before play was suspended due to darkness at about 8 p.m. Action is scheduled to resume at 8 a.m. on Monday, with ESPN2 televising the remaining holes. “I can’t believe it now,” Seo said. “I feel like I’m in a dream.”
But three players have a realistic chance to catch Seo and force a three-hole playoff, or even win outright. With Seo in at 3-under-par 281, fellow Korean So-Yeon Ryu is 2 under with three holes left, American Cristie Kerr is 1 under with two left, and American Angela Stanford is even with four remaining.
“I think she’s over there celebrating,” Kerr said of Seo, who has just one LPGA Tour victory to her credit. “We all still have a chance. There’s two accessible pins on 17 and 18 and I’m playing great ,so I’m going to go out swinging for the fences and hopefully tie it up. “¦ It’s not over yet.”
Kerr, the 2007 Women’s Open champ, shared the 54-hole lead, but she stayed 1 or 2 under par overall through the first 16 holes of the final round. And she may pay the price for a three-putt at No. 11.
Meanwhile, Stanford was actually tied for the lead with eight holes left, but the 33-year-old Texan struggled on a tough part of the course. In a four-hole stretch, she went double bogey, par, bogey, bogey.
After being rock solid during much of the final day, Seo opened the door by three-putting the par-5 17th, lipping out a 2½-foot par putt, which cut her lead to one. But a routine par on 18 means her competitors will need to still play catch-up.
Her competitors, however, are hoping the usually ideal early-morning conditions play to their favor.
“Now there is a really strong breeze, but maybe tomorrow morning is really great weather and the greens are a little more soft,” said Ryu, who’s playing in her first U.S. Women”˜s Open. “So I think it’s good for me. (Plus) now I”˜m a little bit tired because I had 33 holes (Sunday).”
Added Stanford: “It’s good to know exactly what I have to do. The good news is I’m playing a stretch of holes that you can make three birdies on. When I get out there, I’ll be ready to attack them. I’m looking forward to it.”
Kerr, who has posted four straight top-three finishes on the LPGA Tour, looks to be in line for more of the same.
“It’s been a very long week, but I’m excited I get to come out and finish it tomorrow because playing the last two holes in the dark probably wouldn’t have been fun,” she said. “And I’ll come out fresh tomorrow and rested.”
Meanwhile, Seo will just be forced to wait and watch.
“Well, nobody knows what’s going to happen tomorrow,” said Seo, who had to go through qualifying just to get into the U.S. Women’s Open. “I think there’s no wind in the morning, so I’ll just pray and wait.”
And even if she doesn’t end up winning, Seo said she’ll be satisfied.
“I did my best,” said the woman who just turned 25 on Friday. “Even if I cannot be the winner I don’t mind.”
In all, 30 players will have to complete the tournament on Monday. That’s because for the fourth consecutive day of championship play at the Broadmoor, weather interrupted the action. And given that a 36-hole day was scheduled for the leaders on Sunday, the 2-hour, 40-minute stoppage of action meant a Monday finish was inevitable.
Free Admission on Monday: With just a few holes of competition left, spectators will get in free for Monday’s concluding action at the U.S. Women’s Open. Shuttles will begin running at 6:30 a.m., gates will open at 7 a.m., and the final round will resume at 8 a.m.
Stanford’s “Weird” Week: By all accounts this has been an unusual week at the U.S. Women’s Open, with weather interruptions all four scheduled rounds of championship play. But among the leaders, Angela Stanford’s schedule at the Broadmoor has been particularly bizarre.
She played zero holes on Thursday, 36 on Friday, zero on Saturday, 32 on Sunday and the final four coming up on Monday.
“It’s weird,” she said. “You wouldn’t expect anything like that. It’s sad because it’s been a great event. The fans have been awesome. To end on Monday is tough, and so is not being in the correct order (on Sunday evening as groups weren’t re-paired after round 3). It’s going to be a tough end to a great event.”
Koreans Eye a Breakthrough: Roughly halfway through the LPGA Tour season, no Koreans have won yet in 2011. For many nations, there would be no shame in that. But for South Korea, which has had LPGA Tour champions every year since 1998, this is a big deal.
But help may be on the way. Hee Kyung Seo leads going into Monday at the U.S. Women’s Open, and countrywoman So-Yeon Ryu is second. If Seo or Ryu wins, she’d be the fifth Korean champion at the Women’s Open since 1998, joining Se Ri Pak, Birdie Kim (at Cherry Hills in Colorado), Inbee Park and Eun-Hee Ji.
According to Golf World magazine, South Koreans have averaged almost seven LPGA Tour victories since 1998, and own 29 wins from 2008-10.
Tseng’s Career Slam Put on Hold: Yani Tseng’s bid for a career grand slam will have to wait at least a year. The 22-year-old from Taiwan, who needs the U.S. Women’s Open title to have won all four women’s major championships, was 17th for the tournament after Sunday rounds of 71-73 left her at 6-over-par 290.
That showing was uncharacteristic of the No. 1-ranked Tseng, who has placed first, 19th, 10th, first, second and first in her previous six majors.
“I’ll come back next year and do my best again,” she said of the Women’s Open.
16-Year-Old Wins Low Amateur Title: Moriya Jutanugarn, a 16-year-old from Thailand, ran away with low-amateur honors while competing in her first U.S. Women’s Open.
With a 10-over-par 294 total, Jutanugarn will win the amateur competition by six strokes.
“I’m really proud of it,” she said of her accomplishment.
Roster Change for Solheim Cup Event: Despite some of the scheduled participants still finishing up their U.S. Women’s Open on Monday, Colorado Golf Club in Parker is going on with its Monday morning event to promote the 2013 Solheim Cup matches between the U.S. and Europe that will be held at the club.
Rosie Jones, the 2011 U.S. team captain, along with Juli Inkster, Morgan Pressel, Kristy McPherson and Vicky Hurst are scheduled to attend. But three players on the original list of participants — Paula Creamer, Angela Stanford and Michelle Wie — can’t make it because they still have holes to play at the Broadmoor Monday morning.
Sunday Tidbits: NBC was originally scheduled to televise Sunday’s play from 1 to 4 p.m., but the network came back on at 6 p.m. — just after play resumed following a weather delay — to show the rest of the day’s action. ESPN2 will handle Monday’s wrapup starting at 8 a.m. “¦ Canadian Sue Kim, who played one semester of college golf at the University of Denver before turning pro in 2010, made the cut at the U.S. Women’s Open and stands in 52nd place at 14-over-par 298. “¦ The top 10 finishers and ties are exempt into the 2012 U.S. Women’s Open.
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