Tag: Champions Golf Club

U.S. Women’s Open: Saturday pairings, tee times and TV info

Check out Saturday pairings, tee times and TV info for the third round of the U.S. Women’s Open.

Hinako Shibuno fired a 4-under 67 Friday at Champions Golf Club’s Jackrabbit Golf Course to take a three-shot lead at the U.S. Women’s Open through 36 holes.

Shibuno sits ahead of amateur Linn Grant at 4 under. Grant shot a second-straight 69 Friday on the Jackrabbit course, finishing her round with four birdies.

Amateur Kaitlyn Papp, Megan Khang and Amy Olson are T-3 at 3 under followed by a group of eight golfers T-6 at 2 under including Cristie Kerr and Stacy Lewis. Kerr, who was involved in a golf cart accident last week at Old American Golf Club, shot a bogey-free 69 Friday on the Cypress Creek course. In her post-round press conference, the 43-year-old opened up about the pain she has experienced this week following her accident.

Among notable players to miss the cut are Kelly Korda, Lexi Thompson, Maria Fassi and Angela Stanford.

Check out third-round full pairings, tee times and television/streaming information below.

All times are listed in Eastern.

U.S. Women’s Open: USWO rookies | My first USWO

Tee times

1st tee, Cypress Creek

Time Players
9:45 a.m. Jin Young Ko, Danielle Kang, Gabi Ruffels
9:56 a.m. Hye-Jin Choi, Perrine Delacour, A Lim Kim
10:07 a.m. Jennifer Kupcho, Jeongeun Lee6, Charley Hull
10:18 a.m. Jenny Shin, Maja Stark, Pauline Roussin-Bouchard
10:29 a.m. Jodi Ewart Shadoff, MinYoung2 Lee, Ingrid Lindblad
10:40 a.m. Sei Young Kim, Lydia Ko, Lizette Salas
10:51 a.m. Yealimi Noh, Azahara Munoz, Yuka Saso
11:02 a.m. Moriya Jutanugarn, Ariya Jutanugarn, Stacy Lewis
11:13 a.m. Cristie Kerr, Ashleigh Buhai, Sarah Schmelzel
11:24 a.m. Lindsey Weaver, Amy Olson, Megan Khang
11:35 a.m. Kaitlyn Papp, Linn Grant, Hinako Shibuno

10th tee, Cypress Creek

Time Players
9:45 a.m. Cheyenne Knight, Inbee Park, Seon Woo Bae
9:56 a.m. Lauren Stephenson, Linnea Strom, Mone Inami
10:07 a.m. Kana Mikashima, Mina Harigae, Pernilla Lindberg
10:18 a.m. Anna Nordqvist, Hae Ran Ryu, Nasa Kataoka
10:29 a.m. Chella Choi, Bronte Law, Na Rin An
10:40 a.m. So Oh, Eri Okayama, Mi Hyang Lee
10:51 a.m. Mamiko Higa, Jennifer Song, Brittany Lincicome
11:02 a.m. Hannah Green, Minjee Lee, Brooke Henderson
11:13 a.m. Jessica Korda, So Yeon Ryu, Sophia Popov
11:24 a.m. Gaby Lopez, Madelene Sagstrom, Ally Ewing
11:35 a.m. Ji Young2 Kim, Sayaka Takahashi, Yui Kawamoto

How to watch

Note: Times listed are ET. Peacock has exclusive streaming rights.

Saturday, Dec. 12

TV

Golf Central Pre Game, 10-11 a.m., Golf Channel

Third round, 11 a.m.-1 p.m., Golf Channel

Third round, 2:30-6 p.m., NBC

Golf Central, 6-7 p.m., Golf Channel

Streaming

Third round, 1-2:30 p.m., Peacock

Sunday, Dec. 13

TV

Golf Central Pre Game, 10-11 a.m., Golf Channel

Final round, 11 a.m.-2 p.m., Golf Channel

Final round, 2-5 p.m., NBC

Golf Central, 5-6 p.m., Golf Channel

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Cristie Kerr manages pain, meds en route to a second-round 69 at U.S. Women’s Open

Cristie Kerr has something extra she’s trying to manage during this week’s U.S. Women’s Open — the pain from last week’s golf cart accident.

HOUSTON — On top of windy and wet conditions, a field of hungry young guns, and Bermuda rough that will gobble a golf ball in a heartbeat, Cristie Kerr has something else she’s trying to manage during this week’s 75th U.S. Women’s Open — the pain from last week’s golf cart accident.

When is it too much? When should she take her doctor-prescribed meds? When will it most affect her golf swing? And when does she need to simply gut it out and play?

For someone facing this many questions, Kerr certainly seems on point. Through two rounds she sits in a tie for sixth place, five shots behind leader Hinako Shibuno as the field reached the tournament’s midpoint at Champions Golf Club.

But after Friday’s solid 69 — one in which she played bogey-free golf on the difficult Cypress Creek course  — Kerr said keeping her focus on the simple things might be making all the difference.

USWO: Leaderboard | Photos

Rather than worrying about the pressure of playing in a major tournament, Kerr seemed content to slide in under the radar, hoping the field is underestimating what she has at her disposal.

“I’ve definitely missed shots I would normally not miss because I’m in pain, but it’s actually, it’s kind of a nice mental place to be,” Kerr said. “I’m not happy how I got here, but maybe it’s meant to teach me a lesson, I don’t know. God moves in mysterious ways.”

On Thursday, Kerr broke into tears while discussing the crash, offering details into the incident at the Old American Golf Club. Kerr spent several hours in the emergency room that night, suffering knee, arm and hand contusions while caddie Matt Gelczis suffered from whiplash.

She’s dealing with three displaced ribs, as well, which is why she’s using doctor-prescribed meds to help cut the pain when it flares up. On Thursday, she said she took one mid-round.

On Friday, Kerr mentioned that she took one before she started play and then a half-dose while on the course. The two-time major champ said it doesn’t help her loosen up, but it does put her at ease.

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“It doesn’t do anything to your golf swing. Maybe just mentally, you know you’re not going to be … it’s not going to be hurting a ton when you hit. But that’s the best answer I can give you,” she said. “You try to time it and space it so mentally you don’t get spacey on it.”

Of course, that’s the balance she needs to strike. If the pain is so great that Kerr can’t get through the ball, her play will suffer. But if she takes too many meds, she can easily lose her focus — or worse.

“You’ve got to be careful how much you take, as well. Like it can affect your breathing. But before with a full day … when I say one pill, it’s like a half of a normal dosage. Other people like would take, it’s like a 50-milligram pill of Tramadol,” she said. “It was a non-narcotic and now I don’t know where it sits on the list, but it’s doctor-approved and everything is fine, but that’s like half of a normal dose. Some people take 100-gram, so that’s a 50-gram pill, and then I just took a half on the golf course.”

Whatever line she’s walking, it seems to be working. Kerr posted birdies on Nos. 8 and 10, but played steady par golf the rest of the way, comfortably nestling her way into an eight-way tie for sixth.

She’s well within striking distance of Shibuno, who fired a 67 on Friday, and she wouldn’t have to leapfrog too many players if Shibuno started to fall — amateur Linn Grant is in second, just two shots ahead of Kerr.

Either way, she’s simply happy to be making a stand in what she called her favorite tournament.

“I mean, it definitely has lowered my expectations,” Kerr said. “I feel like I would have taken very high expectations and not gotten in the accident, but I guess that if you’re going to take something good away from it, I guess that’s one thing.”

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Hinako Shibuno, Japan’s ‘Smiling Cinderella,’ commands three-shot lead at U.S. Women’s Open

The woman known as the “Smiling Cinderella” once again finds herself atop the board at a major, this time in her U.S. Women’s Open debut.

HOUSTON – Even with a mask on in her native Japan, Hinako Shibuno can’t go far without getting recognized. Her life quite literally changed overnight in the summer of 2019 when she won the AIG Women’s British Open while competing in her first LPGA major. It was, in fact, her first time playing anywhere outside of Japan, and she captured the hearts of British fans with her captivating smile and refreshingly quick pace-of-play.

“I turned from a normal person to a celebrity overnight,” said Shibuno, through an interpreter, of how life changed after that maiden victory.

The woman known as the “Smiling Cinderella” once again finds herself atop the board at a major, this time in her U.S. Women’s Open debut. The 22-year-old carded a 4-under 67 over the Jackrabbit Course at Champions Golf Club to move to 7-under 135 and take a three-shot lead over amateur Linn Grant of Sweden.

There are actually two amateurs in the top three in Texas, including Longhorn standout Kaitlyn Papp, who is among a trio at 3 under, four shots back. Papp birdied three of her last five holes take a share of third with Amy Olson and Megan Khang, two American LPGA vets still trying to win for the first time.

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While the board is peppered with names who’ve never hoisted a trophy at this level, three former No. 1s lurk five shots back: Cristie Kerr (69), Stacy Lewis (68) and Ariya Jutanugarn (70).

Lewis, of course, is a member at Champions and is sleeping in her own bed this week about 40 minutes away. The two-time major champion looks and sounds especially relaxed playing a hometown major.

“I just know how hard these golf courses play,” said Lewis of keeping her patience early on. “I know that you can’t make big numbers. That’s really what I’ve avoided so far this week is the big numbers.”

Going home at night to spend time with daughter Chesnee and husband Gerrod Chadwell also helps to take her mind off what’s at stake this week.

“I go home and I’m thinking about Christmas presents I need to buy for which people and what deliveries came today,” she said.

“It just has a different feel for me this year. Doesn’t necessarily feel like a U.S. Open.”

USWO: Leaderboard | Photos

Kerr’s ascent up the board comes as surprise given how uncertain it looked at the start of the week that she would even play. A golf cart accident last Friday at the LPGA stop in Dallas left the 20-time winner battered and bruised. The 2007 USWO champ fought through to a 69 on Friday at Cypress Creek and sits in a prime position to contend for a third major.

The Jutanugarn sisters ­– Ariya and Moriya – find themselves in a share of sixth. The Thai stars missed an LPGA stop in Florida last month after testing positive for COVID-19. The Jutanugarns are two of seven sets of sisters to have competed in the same U.S. Women’s Open.

Ariya won the 2018 U.S. Women’s Open. No sister act has ever pulled off a double-win.

With the 2021 Olympics coming to Japan, a second major title for Shibuno would rocket her fame into another stratosphere. Because she didn’t take up LPGA membership last summer, she’s had to rely on sponsor exemptions to get into regular-season events this year. She missed the cut at the Women’s British and finished outside the top 50 in her other two major starts.

Earlier this year, Shibuno indicated that she had planned to go to LPGA Q-School this fall until it was canceled due to COVID-19. She decided that she wanted to compete in the U.S. after she competed alongside So Yeon Ryu and Nasa Hataoka at the Japan Women’s Open Championship last October.

“I realized that they were on totally different levels with me,” she said. “That incident made me want to go to the U.S. and compete in more high-level tournaments.”

A victory this week would give Shibuno another chance to take up membership.

When asked if she would join, she smiled and said, “By all means, yes.”

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Watch: Amateur Maja Stark holes out from fairway at U.S. Women’s Open: ‘Well, that was easy.’

The Oklahoma State product moved to 1 under for the tournament by holing out from the middle of the fairway on the 406-yard sixth hole.

HOUSTON — Ah, the innocence of youth.

Just a few strokes off the lead in her first U.S. Open, Oklahoma State’s Maja Stark jumped up the leaderboard on Friday morning in incredible fashion.

While playing the Cypress Creek course at Champions Golf Club, Stark — who hails from Abbekas, Sweden — moved to 1 under for the tournament by holing out from the middle of the fairway on the 406-yard sixth hole.

Making the moment even better. Stark turned to the few folks on hand and thanked them for their applause and then looked at her caddie Emma Whitaker before saying, “Well, that was easy.”

Stark, who is currently No. 14 on the Official World Golf Ranking’s list of women’s amateurs, had a solid opening day on the Jackrabbit course, sandwiching birdies around a single bogey. She was just one of a number of amateurs to post impressive opening-day scores.

But Stark made things more interesting on the harder Cypress Creek course early Friday, going bogey-bogey-birdie-bogey-eagle on a five-hole stretch.

Winning is nothing new to Stark, who captured a title in just her second collegiate start at Oklahoma State, winning the Hurricane Invitational.

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U.S. Women’s Open: Amy Olson aces her way to opening-round lead

A total of 23 players broke par at Champions Golf Club, where the Open is being contested over two courses for the first time in history.

HOUSTON – Amy Olson faded an 8-iron into the par-3 16th at Cypress Creek, landing the ball two paces short of the flag to a tucked hole location on the right side of the green. She could see the ball trickle into the hole from 141 yards away. Olson, 28, threw her hands in the air and screamed, “Yes!” as she walked toward her caddie.

There was a slight cheer from the few folks on hand, but even aces are celebrated low-key style in the pandemic age. Still, it was a shot to remember for the Day 1 leader at the 75th U.S. Women’s Open. Olson topped the field of 156 at 4-under 67. Yu Jin Sung delivered the day’s second ace from 169 yards on the fourth hole at Cypress. She jumped up and down with glee.

A total of 23 players broke par on a sun-splashed Champions Golf Club, where the championship is being contested over two courses for the first time in history. The Cypress Creek course (74.590) played a full stroke harder than Jackrabbit (73.462) in the first round.

“I definitely allowed myself to celebrate there and enjoy the moment,” said Olson. “Honestly, pace of play was really slow out there today, so I had some time to kind of calm myself and come back to it.”

USWO: Leaderboard | Photos | TV info

A trio of players trails Olson by one stroke, including 2019 AIG Women’s British Open winner Hinako Shibuno, Moriya Jutanugarn and A Lim Kim.

Amateur Linn Grant of Sweden is among those in a share of fifth at 2 under, along with 2020 AIG Women’s British Open winner Sophia Popov, Charley Hull, Gerina Piller and 19-year-old Yuka Saso of the Philippines.

Piller finished T-5 at last year’s U.S. Women’s Open but has struggled for much of the 2020 season. The Texas resident took time away from the tour in 2018 after giving birth to son A.J.

“After coming back from having the baby, I think my body, you may not see it physically, but I know it’s changed and my swing has changed, and it’s taken me a while to kind of get comfortable in that,” said Piller, who played the Jackrabbit course, “and I’m 35 years old, there’s no need to try to reinvent the wheel here.”

Champions founder Jack Burke Jr., the oldest living Masters champion, was on the first tee to watch Texas native Angela Stanford hit the opening tee shot on the Cypress Creek. Stanford won the LPGA stop in Dallas last week but struggled mightily on Thursday, making two double-bogeys in her first four holes. She opened with a 9-over 80.

Stacy Lewis, a Houston resident who grew up playing tournaments at Champions as a kid and is now a member, shot 1-over 72 at Cypress Creek.

“I know I’m not out of this thing by any means,” said the former No. 1, “but I do need to play a good round tomorrow.”

Lewis planned to grill hamburgers or steak at home with her family and try to get her daughter, Chesnee, to bed on time. She can’t get over the simplicity of playing a major at home.

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Olson is here on her own this week. Her husband, Grant, and parents plan to join her at next week’s CME Group Tour Championship. Grant is a linebackers coach at their alma mater, North Dakota State, where Olson won an NCAA record-tying 20 times. With football season being pushed to the spring, Grant wanted to get in a little hunting. If it weren’t for COVID-19 testing protocols, he would most likely have come on the weekend.

Being on top of the board at a USWO isn’t entirely new to Olson, who led a rain-delayed Round 1 at the 2011 championship at The Broadmoor when she was a junior in college. The 2009 U.S. Girls’ Junior champion said she had a carefree attitude back then and likely didn’t think much about it.

While she has contended in several majors in her time on tour, most notably finishing runner-up to Stanford at the 2018 Evian Championship. Olson admits that given how easy the wins came in her amateur career that expected to hoist a trophy early on in her LPGA career.

Lewis said Champions’ courses suit Olson in particular because her high ball-flight presents a distinct advantage. Past experience helps, too.

“It has been, I think, a test of my patience,” she said. “But the biggest thing I’ve learned is just perspective and what do I consider success, and at the end of my life it’s not going to be a number of tournaments that I’ve won, it’s how I live my life, so trying to maintain that perspective, I think, is really important for me.”

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Weather is about to become a factor at the 75th U.S. Women’s Open

Thunderstorms are expected to roll into the area on Friday afternoon, and the USGA moved up tee times by about 90 minutes.

HOUSTON — As Mark Gillman stood on the first tee at Champions Golf Club’s Jackrabbit course, waiting for his daughter Kristen to start her round, he lamented the picture-perfect conditions that greeted those in attendance.

“We’d hoped it would be hotter than heck,” he said.

Gillman, who lives a few hours west in Austin, assumed his daughter — who struggled in shooting a first-round 79 — would have held a greater advantage if the event was played in the June calendar slot it originally owned. But instead of suffocating, late-spring Texas heat, Thursday brought vivid blue skies and comfortable temperatures to Champions, making the opening round of the 2020 U.S. Women’s Open feel like a vacation for the few who were on-site.

Weather is likely to become a factor, however. Even if it’s not in the way Mark Gillman had hoped.

Thunderstorms are expected to roll into the area on Friday afternoon, and USGA organizers have taken note, moving tee times for the second round up about 90 minutes. The first groups will go off now at 9 a.m. CT.

USWO: Leaderboard | Photos | TV info

And while the rains will likely be a nuisance, the real issue could be winds gusting up over 20 miles per hour. Because of the smaller daylight window, the opening two rounds of this U.S. Open are being held on both of the courses at Champions, the first time this tournament has ever been played on multiple courses.

But of the 37 players who finished at even 71 or better, 23 played on the Jackrabbit course, which is a shorter track than neighboring Cypress Creek, but has smaller greens.

If the winds pick up on Friday that might give an advantage to those who played Jackrabbit first, if only because it won’t allow second-round players to take advantage of the “easier” of the two courses.

But Stacy Lewis, who is a member at Champions, said she doesn’t think there is an advantage one way or the other.

“I don’t think so. I mean, I think it’s going to be more the difference of playing one golf course wet and not wet, and I don’t know if there is or if there isn’t an advantage there,” said Lewis, who shot a 1-over 72 on Cypress Creen on Thursday. “I guess we’ll find out tomorrow.”

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The weather might continue to hog the spotlight through the weekend. Sunday’s forecast also includes plenty of rain, the chance of precipitation for the scheduled final round is 70 percent.

For some, like Brittany Lincicome, any sign of wet weather is an impediment.

“Obviously, rain is not going to be helpful. At least it should be warm, which is nice, but the rain really like screws with me,” said Lincicome, who was near the top of the leaderboard before making double-bogey on the 18th hole. “One little drop of rain on my club it like drives me crazy. So Missy, my caddie, is going to have to do a really good job of keeping everything dry.”

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The amateurs made a U.S. Women’s Open statement. Amelia Garvey is ready to ‘smash it’ again Friday

Amelia Garvey and Pauline Roussin-Bouchard were among the players to make big opening statements at the U.S. Women’s Open in Houston.

In Thursday’s opening round of the U.S. Women’s Open, the amateur highlights were plenty. Then again, they were coming from 24 different directions.

Pauline Roussin-Bouchard’s near slam-dunk at the par-3 16th on the Cypress Creek course ranked highly on the list. The South Carolina player, who spent time in 2020 as the top-ranked amateur in the world, was in the second group off Cypress Creek’s No. 1 tee on Thursday morning. Her birdie at 16 was her second consecutive. It helped her put the finishing touches on a round of 1-under 71, good for a tie for 12th.

The day felt much longer than it actually was. Roussin-Bouchard, a native of France, played the golf course in her head all night. On Thursday, she played the first 10 holes without a bogey.

Consider it revenge. Roussin-Bouchard played the Evian Championship last year, another LPGA major. She opened with 87 and still has a bad taste in her mouth about it.

“I’m happy because I really played the golf I wanted to play and I had the behavior I wanted to have, so really satisfied from this round,” she said.

USWO: Leaderboard | Photos | TV info

Roussin-Bouchard is No. 3 in the World Amateur Golf Ranking – a position she gained on the strength of victories at the 2019 Portuguese Ladies Amateur and Italian Ladies Amateur – and it got her into this championship. The USGA selected the top 20 players in that ranking to compete at Champions

Ranking also would have also easily gotten her into the U.S. Women’s Amateur, but four months ago, Roussin-Bouchard was still at home in France. With quarantines still a reality for international travelers, she ended up remaining in Europe until the start of the college season.

Roussin-Bouchard is playing this week with her college golf coach Kalen Anderson on the bag. The two are keeping the routine they’d usually go through in a college tournament, Roussin-Bouchard said.

Anderson is one of a handful of college coaches with a caddie bib in Houston this week. Georgia head coach Josh Brewer is carrying Bulldog sophomore Caterina Don’s (77, T-126) bag and USC head coach Justin Silverstein is on the bag for 2019 U.S. Women’s Amateur champ Gabriela Ruffels (71, T-25). Texas assistant Kate Golden is caddying for Kaitlyn Papp (71, T-25)

Six of the 24 amateurs are at par or better. Arizona State’s Linn Grant, with a 2-under 69 at Cypress Creek, is in the best shape at T-6 on the leaderboard. That’s the same number she fired to open the 2018 U.S. Women’s Open, her only other U.S. Women’s Open start.

Ruffels, of Australia, is one of three USC players in the field. Teammate Amelia Garvey, a New Zealander, fired a 1-under 70 at Cypress Creek and is T-12. After a birdie on her first hole, it went through Garvey’s mind that she might be the early leader at the U.S. Women’s Open.

Not a bad thought process for her first major.

In 2015, Garvey became the second-youngest player, behind Lydia Ko, to win a pro event in New Zealand. Early week at Champions, Garvey played with Ko. The LPGA veteran raved about the state of Garvey’s game since the two saw each other three years ago – another confidence boost.

“Actually I said to my caddie when we were walking off the green, I actually thought to myself this morning, I have the game to win this thing,” Garvey said, “and then coming down 18, which was my ninth hole today, it was nice to see Garvey up on the leaderboard.”

Second-round tee times were moved up an hour and half because of expected weather on Friday afternoon, so there won’t be much time for Garvey to think overnight.

“Refocus, I guess,” she said of facing Champions’ Jackrabbit golf course in the next round, “set some new goals and go out there tomorrow and smash it.”

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U.S. Women’s Open: Friday pairings, tee times and TV info

Check out the pairings and tee times for the second round of the U.S. Women’s Open at Champions Golf Club in Houston.

Amy Olson shot a 4-under 67 Thursday at Champions Golf Club’s Cypress Creek course to lead the U.S. Women’s Open through 18 holes.

Moriya Jutanugarn, A Lim Kim and Hinako Shibuno sit in second at 3 under, after carding 68s. Charley Hull, Sophia Popov and Patty Tavatanakit are among seven players T-5 at 2 under.

Other notable performances Thursday were from Cristie Kerr, who is coming off a golf cart accident at Old American Golf Club, with an even-par 71 to sit T-24, four shots back, and amateur Linn Grant who is T-5 after finishing the day with four birdies and two bogeys on Cypress Creek.

Second-round tee times were pushed up 80 minutes from 10:20 a.m. ET to 9 a.m. ET on Thursday afternoon because of expected inclement weather on Friday afternoon.

Check out second-round full pairings, tee times and television/streaming information below.

All times are listed in Eastern.

U.S. Women’s Open: USWO rookies | My first USWO

Tee times

1st tee, Cypress Creek

Time Players
9 a.m. Kaitlyn Papp (a), Marianne Skarpnord, Pornanong Phatlum
9:11 a.m. Caroline Masson, Mone Inami, Yuna Nishimura
9:22 a.m. Linnea Strom, Janie Jackson, Lily May Humphreys (a)
9:33 a.m. Chella Choi, Caroline Hedwall, Mina Harigae
9:44 a.m. Sakura Koiwai, Mi-Jeong Jeon, Teresa Lu
9:55 a.m. Maja Stark (a), Eri Okayama, Asuka Kashiwabara
10:06 a.m. Nasa Hataoka, Rose Zhang (a), Celine Boutier
10:17 a.m. Brooke Henderson, Heyjin Choi, Lizette Salas
10:28 a.m. Lydia Ko, Sei Young Kim, Brittany Altomare
10:39 a.m. Inbee Park, Ariya Jutanugarn, So Yeon Ryu
10:50 p.m. Bianca Pagdanganan, Anne van Dam, Maria Fassi
11:01 a.m. Yui Kawamoto, Ho-Yu An (a), A Lim Kim
11:12 a.m. Erika Hara, Saki Asai, Beatrice Wallin (a)

10th tee, Cypress Creek

Time Players
9 a.m. Kristen Gillman, Bronte Law, Yu Liu
9:11 a.m. Olivia Mehaffey (a), Lindsey Weaver, Annie Park
9:22 a.m. Lauren Stephenson, Austin Kim (a), Cydney Clanton
9:33 a.m. Mi Hyang Lee, Nanna Koerstz Madsen, Momoko Ueda
9:44 a.m. Patty Tavatanakit, Fatima Fernandez Cano, Alessia Nobilio (a)
9:55 a.m. Megan Khang, Emilia Migliaccio (a), Eun-Hee Ji
10:06 a.m. Brittany Lincicome, Cristie Kerr, Gerina Piller
10:17 a.m. Charley Hull, Minjee Lee, Hae Ran Ryu
10:28 a.m. Sung Hyun Park, Austin Ernst, Mirim Lee
10:39 a.m. Jennifer Kupcho, In Gee Chun, Moriya Jutanugarn
10:50 a.m. Ally Ewing, Mel Reid, Madelene Sagstrom
11:01 a.m. Nuria Iturrioz, Sayaka Takahashi, Ina Kim-Schaad (a)
11:12 a.m. Emma Spitz (a), Christine Wolf, Frida Kinhult

1st tee, Jackrabbit

Time Players
9 a.m. Cheyenne Knight, Agathe Laisne (a), Minyoung2 Lee
9:11 a.m. Pajaree Anannarukarn, Perrine Delacour, Kelly Tan
9:22 a.m. Brittany Lang, Pernilla Lindberg, Esther Henseleit
9:33 a.m. Sarah Jane Smith, Jeongeun Lee, Linn Grant (a)
9:44 a.m. Kana Mikashima, Amelia Garvey (a), Kim Kaufman
9:55 a.m. Yealimi Noh, Jenny Shin, Lei Ye (a)
10:06 a.m. Amy Olson, Jennifer Song, Morgan Pressel
10:17 a.m. Jeongeun Lee6, Gabriela Ruffels (a), Hinako Shibuno
10:28 a.m. Stacy Lewis, Seon Woo Bae, Hannah Green
10:39 a.m. Jessica Korda, Amy Yang, Georgia Hall
10:50 a.m. Lala Anai, Maria Fernanez Torres, Ryann O’Toole
11:01 a.m. Yu Jin Sung, Lucie Malchirand (a), Ana Belac
11:12 a.m. Emily Toy (a), Ayaka Watanabe, Seung Yeon Lee

10th tee, Jackrabbit

Time Players
9 a.m. Angela Stanford, Jodi Ewart Shadoff, Nicole Broch Larsen
9:11 a.m. Pauline Roussin-Bouchard (a), Christina Kim, Meghan MacLaren
9:22 a.m. Jaye Marie Green, Jing Yan, Benedetta Moresco (a)
9:33 a.m. Katherine Kirk, Azahara Munoz, Minami Katsu
9:44 a.m. Sarah Schmelzel, Emily Kristine Pedersen, Caterina Don (a)
9:55 a.m. Ashleigh Buhai, Xiyu Lin, Su Oh
10:06 a.m. Ayaka Furue, Angel Yin, Mamiko Higa
10:17 a.m. Danielle Kang, Anna Nordqvist, Jin Young Ko
10:28 a.m. Sophia Popov, Mi Jung Hur, Carlota Ciganda
10:39 a.m. Lexi Thompson, Nelly Korda, Heejeong Lim
10:50 a.m. Gaby Lopez, Jasmine Suwannapura, Narin An
11:01 a.m. Alena Sharp, Ji Yeong Kim2, Ingrid Lindblad (a)
11:12 a.m. Yuka Saso, Allisen Corpuz (a), Heeyoung Park

How to watch

Note: Times listed are ET. Peacock has exclusive streaming rights.

Friday, Dec. 11

TV

Golf Central Pre Game, 10-11 a.m., Golf Channel

Second round, 3-6 p.m., Golf Channel

Golf Central, 6-7 p.m., Golf Channel

Streaming

Second round, 10 a.m., Peacock

Saturday, Dec. 12

TV

Golf Central Pre Game, 10-11 a.m., Golf Channel

Third round, 11 a.m.-1 p.m., Golf Channel

Third round, 2:30-6 p.m., NBC

Golf Central, 6-7 p.m., Golf Channel

Streaming

Third round, 1-2:30 p.m., Peacock

Sunday, Dec. 13

TV

Golf Central Pre Game, 10-11 a.m., Golf Channel

Final round, 11 a.m.-2 p.m., Golf Channel

Final round, 2-5 p.m., NBC

Golf Central, 5-6 p.m., Golf Channel

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Player shows up late for U.S. Women’s Open tee time, takes two-stroke penalty on first hole

The University of Washington product was shown running to the first tee at the Cypress Creek course, but she failed to make it on time. 

HOUSTON — We’ve all had that feeling in the pit of our stomachs when we check the clock, do some rudimentary math and try to calculate if we’ll make it for a tee time.

Imagine if that tee time happened to be at the U.S. Women’s Open.

In keeping with 2020, the first story line of this week’s tournament at Champions Golf Club was of Jing Yan rushing to the first tee at the Cypress Creek course, a moment captured on the Peacock livestream. She failed to make it by her 9:42 a.m. start time.

In accordance with the rules, Yan was given a two-stroke penalty. She walked to the tee, drilled a drive and later made what would have been a birdie putt. Instead, her card listed a bogey 5.

Yan, who played at the University of Washington, now lives in the Dallas area. Confusion might have been caused by the tournament’s configuration — players went off the first and 10th tees on two different courses on Thursday morning.

Yan made the cut at last week’s Volunteers of America Classic in Dallas, but she missed the cut in five of her previous six starts. This is her fifth U.S. Women’s Open start.

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Stacy Lewis challenges Houston-area businesses: ‘Let’s have a tournament here every year’

Lewis wonders how the nation’s fifth-largest metro area doesn’t have a consistent spot on the LPGA schedule.

Stacy Lewis is ecstatic about the opportunity to compete for a U.S. Women’s Open title in her own backyard.

She graduated from The Woodlands High School, which sits roughly 30 minutes from Champions Golf Club, the site of this week’s tournament. And she’s been a member at Champions, nestled in the northwest suburbs of Houston, for about four years.

In fact, the 13-time LPGA Tour winner and two-time major champ openly admitted that when she had yet to qualify for this event it weighed heavily on her, knowing full well the chances to play in front of friends are family are few and far between.

And while she’s eager to show off her skills and her town this week, she’s also wondering how the nation’s fifth-largest metro area doesn’t have a consistent spot on the LPGA schedule. Events have rolled through on occasion — like the short-lived LPGA Tour Championship, which was played at the Houstonian Golf & Country Club in 2009 — but the last regularly scheduled LPGA Tour event in Space City ceased to exist after 1986.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CIjL7j3HbcX/

Lewis is at a loss to explain how this has come to pass.

“Houston is one of the biggest cities in the world, and there’s so many companies that are headquartered here, and I kind of throw it out to them to say, ‘Hey, let’s get us here more often. Let’s have a tournament here every year, because there’s plenty of good golf courses that are able to do that’,” she said. “In general, we don’t play a lot in Texas. The Dallas event has only been here recently. Like I said before, just having the kids to be able to come and have role models and have aspirations, to want to be in this tournament one day, that’s what we’re missing this week.

“From that aspect, I think it’s kind of sad for the kids in the area. But hopefully, this will maybe spark an interest and get us coming back.”

Lewis understands the pandemic has thrown a wrench into many plans, but she still sees Houston as a viable long-term candidate for an LPGA event.

“I think the way things are going right now, who knows, with what companies want to do,” she said. “But you’ve got all these energy companies in this area, and I just make a pitch to anybody that is supporting women in their organization and in their company to want to come out and to see this and to see the best in the world.”

So she’s hopeful someone steps up. As was the case with the Vivint Houston Open, in which Astros owner Jim Crane helped take the municipal Memorial Park Golf Course and turn into a PGA Tour home, she’s hoping another community leader will take a similar chance on the LPGA.

“Maybe they can do something to help within the tournament to help their business, so it’s a win-win for both,” Lewis said. “It usually just takes one person believing in us and having the idea.”

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