10 statistical nuggets from Saturday’s third round of the 75th US Women’s Open at Champions Golf Club in Houston.
- Thailand’s Moriya Jutanugarn is three shots back of leader Hinako Shibuno of Japan in her quest to join her sister, Ariya, as a US Women’s Open champion. This is the fourth time that Moriya has been in third place or better entering the final round of a major. Should Moriya win tomorrow, the Jutanugarn duo would become the third set of sisters to win USGA championships, and the first pair to each win the US Women’s Open.
- For the first time in 33 years, a player from Japan holds the 54-hole lead. Shibuno leads by one stroke entering the final round after a third round 74. Compatriot Ayoko Okamoto also led by one stroke in 1987 but was defeated in a three-way playoff against Laura Davies (who won) and JoAnne Carner. Shibuno’s approach play has been her best weapon: at 74.1% greens in regulation, she has the second-best rate in the field through three rounds.
- If Shibuno wins, she will become just the fifth player in US Women’s Open history to win on debut and the first since In Gee Chun five years ago. Shibuno would have a rare double distinction, having already won the Women’s British Open in her first appearance last year.
- Shibuno is trying to become just the second USGA champion, man or woman, from Japan, joining Michiko Hattori, winner of the 1986 US Women’s Amateur. The winner of the 2014 US Women’s Amateur Public Links, Fumie Jo, was born in Japan but played under the Chinese flag. Shibuno would become the only player from Japan in history to win multiple Majors.
- Cypress Creek fought back in Round 3, playing nearly a full stroke tougher than it did on Friday. The course yielded less than 60 percent greens in regulation for the first time all week, and only two players shot under-par. The round of the day belonged to Ji Yeong Kim2, who shot 4-under 67 to tie the low score of the week, beating the field average by 7.70 strokes.
- For the second day in a row, the number of players under-par for the championship has dropped. Following Round 1, there were 23 players in red figures, a number that dipped to 19 after Round 2. Now, there are just four players left under par.
- American Amy Olson sits in second place, one stroke behind Shibuno. Olson has never won an LPGA title in her career but could break through tomorrow in colossal fashion. The last American player to earn her first LPGA victory in the US Women’s Open was Hilary Lunke in 2003.
- Texas amateur Kaitlyn Papp is tied for fifth place, just four strokes behind the leader entering the final round. This is the eighth time since 2005 that an amateur has been in the top 10 through 54 holes. The only amateur to win the US Women’s Open is Catherine Lacoste in 1967.
- Four of the last five US Women’s Open champions trailed entering the final round. However, a big comeback has been rare over the years: 24 of the last 30 winners were at or within two strokes of the lead entering the final round. The largest final-round deficit overcome by a winner is five strokes on six different occasions, the last being Annika Sorenstam in 1995.
- This is the sixth time since 2000 a player has carried a one-stroke advantage into the final round. Only two of the previous five women in that situation went on to win, the last one being Cristie Kerr in 2007.
Compiled by Justin Ray, head of content for 15th Club. He has also worked as a senior researcher at ESPN and Golf Channel.
