U.S. Women's Open Sunday: The Home Stretch

With the leaders on the back 9 and Japanese tv coverage about to start, Kerr and Ochoa are neck and neck at -4, Angela Park is 1 back, Ji Yai Shin and Morgan Pressel are 2 back, and In-Bee Park is 3 shots back.

The round of the day belongs to Ai Miyazato, but by bogeying the 14th and 18th and failing to birdie the par-5 10th or 15th, her 69 is clearly too little too late, even if it does make her the leader in the clubhouse (thanks to a double on the 9th by Jimin Kang, who with a par or birdie would have tied or passed Ai-chan), give her a chance for a top 10 (at +3, she's currently T13), give her a shot at low Japanese player in the field (Shiho Oyama is +1 through 13 and tied with her) and perhaps even second-low Super Soph (if Kyeong Bae, who's -2 through 16 and 1 shot ahead of her, falters down the stretch).

What's surprising to me is that no one else has made a major move on the leaders. True, Mi Hyun Kim and Brittany Lincicome are -1 on the day through 14 and 1 ahead of Miyazato at +2, and Se Ri Pak is E through 11 and 1 ahead of them, but Jeong Jang, Jee Young Lee and Hye Jung Choi, who have been among the hottest players in the field on Friday and Saturday, are going in the wrong direction fast. And they are not alone. Just scroll down the leaderboard.

[Update 1 (5:19 am): Just saw Ai-chan miss what looked to be a 9-foot birdie putt on 15--low side. So Japanese tv is about an hour behind the actual action.]

[Update 2 (5:32 am): Bae did falter--she and Miyazato are T10 at +3.]

[Update 3 (6:06 am): Ouch, just saw that after a great bunker shot on 18, Ai-chan pulled a 4-footer--tough way to make that final bogey. With Jee Young Lee more likely to join Mi Hyun Kim at +2 than bogey the 18th, Ai-chan will likely finish third Super Soph and T11. Watching the final group butcher 10 but make great par saves and a birdie was pretty cool. Even cooler is seeing that Se Ri Pak has gotten under par for the tournament with a great birdie on 17. Not bad, Hall-of-Famer, but again, too little, too late, as Kerr is -5 through 14, Ochoa is -4 through 14, and Angela Park is -3 through 16.]

[Update 4 (6:30 am): Well, well, well! How about that Se Ri Pak? Her second consecutive 68 gets her to -2, tied for third with the rookie Parks (although Angela still has 18 to play). I still don't expect both Kerr and Ochoa to come back to them on 17 and 18, but, still, congrats to the Korean diaspora--9 out of the top 15 ain't bad!]

[Update 5 (6:39 am): Wow! Angela Park's birdie on 18 gets her to -3--now she has a real chance for a playoff if Kerr and Ochoa falter.... Still seems doubtful to me, but what a great finish for the rookie!]

[Update 6 (7:06 am): Congrats to Cristie Kerr on a great win. She played the steadiest of all the leaders and really earned her first major. Instead of jumping all over Ochoa for not beating her, the U.S. golfy media should give credit where it's due and celebrate Kerr's victory.]

[Update 7 (7:23 am): Two Fridays ago, I asked if Cristie Kerr is back--now we know the answer! And although 2 rookies beat them and Morgan Pressel went down in flames over the last 6 holes, the Super Sophs still had 5 in the top 15.]

[Update 8 (10:10 am): For those who just can't wait for the LPGA money list to be updated, here's today's winnings from the USGA site.]