In a strange, storm-infested US Open, Seo Hee-kyung did just about everything she could on Sunday to win her first major except control the weather.
She shot a pair of three-under 68s on Sunday to finish at three-under 281 for a one-shot lead over fellow South Korean Ryu So-yeon, who had three holes left to play when darkness halted play.
Cristie Kerr was another shot back with two holes left.
Photo: Reuters
Seo slept on the lead — though not as comfortably as she could have after missing a three-foot par putt on No. 17 — and then had the chance to wake up, travel to the course, not hit a ball and walk away with the trophy.
“I can sleep very well, so I don’t worry about that,” she said.
Rain delayed play for the fourth time in four days — this time for 2 hours, 37 minutes — and left 28 players still on the course, three of whom are still in contention.
There’s Ryu, who shot a 69 on Sunday morning in her third round and has at least one decent birdie opportunity — the par-five 17th — awaiting.
“Right now, it’s kind of breezy out there,” Ryu said. “Tomorrow, it might be good weather and the greens might be soft. So, it’s good for me, yeah.”
There’s also Kerr, a two-time major winner who was not conceding anything. She was getting ready to do an interview after darkness fell when she saw Seo hugging friends and family.
“The tournament is not decided yet,” Kerr said. “I think she’s over there celebrating. We all have a chance.”
Taiwan’s Yani Tseng had no luck.
The world No. 1 never figured out the breaks that run away from the mountains on the Broadmoor’s greens and finished six-over after four exhausting days.
“It’s tough to play on and off,” Tseng said. “Sometimes you just want to try to get rhythm and it’s really tough.”
Tseng shot three birdies en route to a score of 33 on the front nine of her final round and for a short time she was within striking distance of second place, three shots behind, and five off the lead, but she fell back on the back nine.
Taiwan’s Candie Kung shot a 73 to finish a shot better than Tseng on five-over, tied for 14th.
Most of the players arrived at the course at about 5am and when they got there, they were looking at two of Japan’s best players — Mika and Ai Miyazato — in the lead.
Fifteen hours later, and thanks to a pair of third-round 76s from the Miyazatos, Japan’s flag had been replaced by South Korea’s at the top of the leaderboard and the Miyazatos were three-over with five holes left.
Seo and Ryu are part of a half dozen or so South Koreans fondly known as the Seoul Sisters, who are trying to take over where five-time major winner Pak Se-ri left off.
With an eye trained for fashion and a swing built for winning, Seo has also earned another nickname — “Supermodel of the Fairways.”
If nobody catches her, the title US Open champion will work fine, too.
“Nobody knows what’s going to happen tomorrow,” she said. “I think there’s not going to be any wind in the morning, so I will just pray and wait.”
Additional reporting by staff writer, with CNA
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