On U.S. Ladies's Open Sunday, the complete vary of feelings was on show

LANCASTER, Pa. — As the ultimate group got here off the course on Sunday on the 79th U.S. Women’s Open, Minjee Lee and Andrea Lee (no relation) walked via a sea of followers gathered across the exterior of the Lancaster Nation Membership clubhouse.

Minjee walked first, staring blankly forward, solely breaking her trance to thank a fan who complimented her vivid pink shirt. Andrea got here subsequent, stopping to hug Ruoning Yin earlier than persevering with on to the scoring space. Every had entered Sunday hoping to win the largest occasion in ladies’s golf. They each got here away empty-handed.

As the 2 Lees continued their march to the scoring tent, they handed by a group of photographers, videographers and writers. The group was following Yuka Saso, whose two-under 68 had clinched her the second U.S. Ladies’s Open title of her profession. She was headed to the 18th inexperienced to obtain her prize — the Harton S. Semple trophy.

Minjee walked by with out a second look, whereas Andrea stopped for a second to soak up the scene. If just a few pictures had occurred in a different way, it may have been certainly one of them commanding the eye of the hoard of media. As an alternative, they may every depart Lancaster ruing the what-ifs.

Andrea met with the assembled media and voiced her disappointment in how she’d performed. She was in rivalry proper till the tip, three premature back-nine bogeys sinking her probabilities of successful the largest match of her younger profession.

“It was powerful on the market,” she mentioned. “Clearly didn’t have my finest proper from the beginning. I used to be fairly nervous, however yeah, simply didn’t have nice pictures on the market.”

Arising simply quick isn’t straightforward, however when it occurs on Sunday, you’ve acquired to relive the heartache. If you come near glory, however finally fail, everybody desires to know what went incorrect. As Andrea spoke interviewed with Amy Rogers from the Golf Channel, tears welled in her eyes.

Not far-off, runner-up Hinako Shibuno spoke with the Japanese media contingent in her native tongue. The 2019 AIG Ladies’s Open champion has earned the nickname “Smiling Cinderella” for her megawatt smile that seemingly by no means leaves her face. This event was no totally different.

Though Shibuno had additionally come up simply in need of the final word purpose, there wasn’t the identical trace of remorse that adopted the ultimate pairing.

“I’ve been very nervous all over,” Shibuno mentioned. “I really feel like there are some locations which are just a little bit regrettable, however nonetheless, I believe I completed robust.”

As Shibuno performed within the penultimate pairing, she watched on from the 18th fairway as Saso saved par on the ultimate gap. As quickly because the ball touched the underside of the cup, she clapped her arms over her head in appreciation of the around her good friend and competitor had put collectively.

When Saso watched the ball roll into the cup, she too raised her arms in jubilation. Her final-round 68 — full with a back-nine 32 — acquired her in the home at 4 beneath par. And along with her nearest opponents faltering just a few holes again, it was at this second that her goals of a second U.S. Ladies’s Open title turned a actuality. Saso insists she didn’t know the place she stood on the leaderboard for many of the day, however when that par putt dropped, she knew precisely what it meant.

“I wasn’t too relaxed to have the ability to see the scoreboard,” she mentioned. “However like I mentioned earlier, I simply tried to be targeted on my routine and my sport, and I believe that’s why I appeared like that on TV. I believe it’s an excellent factor that I appeared like that.”

Together with her second Semple trophy in hand, and just a little historical past in tow, Saso took a second for an interview with Golf Channel on the 72nd inexperienced. Her father was alongside her for this victory, and as she spoke, tears got here to her eyes.

“I believe successful in 2021 I represented the Philippines,” Saso mentioned. “I really feel like I used to be capable of give again to my mother. This 12 months I used to be capable of characterize Japan, and I believe I used to be capable of give again to my dad. I’m very joyful that I used to be capable of do it. It’s only a great feeling that I used to be capable of give again to my mother and father in the identical approach.”

Because the crowds shuffled out of Lancaster Nation Membership, and the solar set over the hills within the distance, one other main Sunday was full. For Saso, the day ended with the very best of highs. For many who got here oh so near glory, this might be a Sunday they’d quickly prefer to neglect.

Regardless of the ultimate end result, the complete vary of feelings all the time comes out on the ultimate day of a significant. That a lot was clear on the ultimate day of this U.S. Ladies’s Open.

Zephyr Melton

Golf.com Editor

Zephyr Melton is an assistant editor for GOLF.com the place he spends his days running a blog, producing and enhancing. Previous to becoming a member of the group at GOLF, he attended the College of Texas adopted by stops with the Texas Golf Affiliation, Staff USA, the Inexperienced Bay Packers and the PGA Tour. He assists on all issues instruction and covers beginner and ladies’s golf. He could be reached at [email protected].