DAYTONA BEACH, Fla., Jan. 6, 2021 – After completing his 11th year as LPGA Commissioner, Mike Whan has notified the LPGA Board of Directors that he has made the difficult decision to transition out of the LPGA in 2021. While no firm date has been set for his departure, this announcement begins the start of a thorough and thoughtful Commissioner succession process.

Whan shared his decision today with LPGA staff, Members and sponsors in the attached letter, including the following messages:

“When I first joined the LPGA, I told the Board it would be a four-year term, giving me time to help the organization achieve its immediate goals. Now, as the longest-serving LPGA Commissioner, I look back on these 11 years with enormous pride and satisfaction at what we’ve accomplished together to provide opportunities for women to achieve their dreams in golf.

“You may be wondering why I’ve made the decision to step down – and why now? In many ways, this past year – with all the pandemic challenges – was also the LPGA’s most triumphant. We are entering 2021 on a wave of momentum – a strong schedule with record purses, new events/sponsors, double-digit viewership growth, and a talented team that demonstrated exceptional skill, resilience and capability to lead through challenging times.

“I simply wouldn’t leave the LPGA if I thought the future was uncertain or not trending straight up. In fact, even after the challenges we faced in 2020, the LPGA has NEVER been more financially secure, deeper in leadership talent, or more anchored by passionate, diverse sponsors from all around the world. The LPGA is poised for even greater heights; and as such, I’m excited to hand the baton to the next leader and become their biggest supporter.

“One of the hardest jobs of a leader is to know when their work is done. If the COVID-19 pandemic taught me anything, it was that the LPGA executive staff has full control of our business and is capable of incredible things. We have leaders who are visionary, compassionate, collaborative and humble. You may not agree with every decision they make, but they have led our Tours to new heights virtually every year.”

Laurence Applebaum and LPGA Commissioner Mike Whan at 2019 CP Women’s Open press conference (Bernard Brault/ Golf Canada)

LPGA Board Chair Diane Gulyas said, “Mike Whan has been a transformational leader of the LPGA and we’ve been fortunate to retain him for 11 years. When he told of me of his intention to step down this year, I had two reactions: First, can we persuade him to stay? And, when that wasn’t possible, to fully respect his decision and begin a seamless transition.

“Mike’s leadership legacy will be felt for years: in the LPGA’s financial strength and value proposition; in its global reach; in the breadth of programs and services it now offers for women and girls in golf; and in the diversity and quality of companies wanting to partner with the LPGA. He has effectively guided the LPGA through a range of economic cycles and challenges, including the COVID 19 pandemic. And, he has been the voice of our Association and its commitment to opportunities for women in golf.”

“Mike has absolutely been the right leader at the right time,” said Vicki Goetze-Ackerman, the LPGA Tour’s Player President. “He rebuilt the Tour – and then reimagined its future – by bringing new events, new sponsors and a new value proposition around diversity and inclusion to the LPGA. He has that rare ability to get people of all ages and backgrounds excited and on board with his vision. We’re grateful for his leadership over these 11 years and know he’ll remain an advocate for the LPGA long after he departs.”

Marvol Barnard, President of the LPGA’s 1,800 teaching Professionals, said, “When Mike joined the LPGA in 2010, we were essentially a Tour and a Teaching division. Today, we are a bigger, broader, integrated organization dedicated to women in golf of all ages and abilities. Mike will always be an incredibly important person in the history of the LPGA Professionals, and we will always be grateful for his leadership, vision and guidance.”

Gulyas said the Board will establish a Commissioner Selection and Transition Committee and consider candidates from the LPGA’s talented executive staff as well from outside the organization. “It’s clear the LPGA today is a very different Association than the one Mike joined in 2010,” said Gulyas. “Our commitment to the LPGA – and all of our stakeholders – is to find the right leader to guide the Association through this next chapter in its storied history.

“We are so grateful for Mike’s passion and leadership of the LPGA over more than a decade of service as our Commissioner. He will leave the LPGA well positioned for continued success, with an outstanding team of leaders and a strong and sustained culture – Act Like A Founder – that will endure for years to come.”

NAPLES, Fla. — Jin Young Ko missed most of the LPGA Tour season and still won the yearlong money title. That’s what a $1.1-million check does.

Ko, the No. 1 player in the world, put an emphatic capper on her truncated year Sunday by shooting a final-round 6-under 66 and winning the CME Group Tour Championship by five strokes over Hannah Green and Sei Young Kim.

With a birdie on the final hole, the LPGA’s final putt of the season, Ko finished at 18 under for her seventh career LPGA win.

Green’s final-round 67 — on her 24th birthday — helped push the Australian into the second-place tie.

Brooke Henderson of Smiths Falls, Ont., was 1-under for the day, and 10-under for the tournament, to finish eight strokes back of Ko in a tie for seventh.

Henderson finishes the season ranked No. 6 in the world.

“Nice to end the 2020 LPGA season on a high note and a top-7 finish,” the Canadian said in a Twitter post.

Hamilton’s Alena Sharp shot a blistering 8-under 64 on Sunday — the lowest round of the tournament — to finish 1-over for the tournament.

Kim, who took a one-shot lead into the final round, shot 72 and that was good enough for her to clinch Rolex Player of the Year honours.

Ko started the final round one shot back of Kim and opened with a birdie.

The key stretch was Ko’s run of three straight birdies on the 12th through the 14th — her longest such run of the week.

She left a chance for a fourth in a row just left of the cup on 15, then all but wrapped up the win with another birdie on the 16th.

The win wrapped up a wire-to-wire year in the No. 1 spot for Ko, who has held the ranking since July 29, 2019.

She moved to $5,600,824 in career earnings, making her the 71st player in LPGA history to cross the $5 million mark.

Ko played only four LPGA events in 2020 — she competed six times on the Korean LPGA while riding out the coronavirus pandemic at home — but Sunday’s win and a check for $487,286 for finishing second in last week’s U.S. Women’s Open helped push her season earnings to $1,667,925.

That would have been good for fifth-best on tour last season, when each of the 21 leading money-winners all appeared in at least 20 events.

Kim’s realistic hopes of winning ended when she left a 25-foot par putt short on the par-4 15th to fall four off Ko’s lead.

But the player-of-the-year award was still in her control at that point, and she finished that off.

Mina Harigae (68) finished at 12 under, the fourth-place finish matching the best of her LPGA career.

Lexi Thompson shot a 2-under 70 on Sunday and finished at 11 under, seven shots off the pace and tied with Lydia Ko for fifth.

Thompson, the leader after Thursday’s first round, saw her streak of consecutive seasons with at least one victory end at seven.

“Definitely a good ending to the year and to the week,” said Thompson, the native South Floridian who had about 15 fans following her Sunday even though the tournament was technically closed to ticketholders.

She said she’s looking forward to some normalcy in 2021.

“It was nice to have a few people out there supporting us,” Thompson said. “I think the fans make the game, so hopefully we’ll get back to that in 2021.”

Sunday marked the end to the 18-event LPGA season that was cut almost in half by the pandemic and was shut down for five and half months from mid-February through the end of July.

There are 34 events scheduled for next season, starting with the Diamond Resorts Tournament of Champions in Lake Buena Vista, Florida, from Jan. 21-24.

NAPLES, Fla. — Sei Young Kim is in position to defend her title in the CME Group Tour Championship, take player of the year honours, win the money title and possibly even move to No. 1 in the world.

Kim took a one-stroke lead over top-ranked Jin Young Ko into the final round of the LPGA Tour season, shooting a 5-under 67 on Saturday in warmer conditions at Tiburon Golf Club to reach 13-under 203. Ko had a 69.

“Really good chance to chase everything,” Kim said. “If I play well tomorrow, good chance.”

Brooke Henderson of Smiths Falls, Ont., shot a 66 in the third round Saturday. She currently sits in a five-way tie for fourth place at 9-under par with Lexi Thompson (71), Charley Hull (66), Minjee Lee (66) and Austin Ernst (69).

Henderson’s rise to the top 10 on Saturday was helped along by an impressive seven birdies in the third round.

“Every hole I feel like there is opportunity for birdie,” said Henderson. “So that makes it really exciting when you step up to every tee.”

Hamilton native Alena Sharp sits in 69th at 9-over par.

For Kim to take the No. 1 spot in the world from Ko, she would have to win Sunday and have Ko finish solo 10th or worse. Ko has held the top spot for 73 weeks in a row.

Georgia Hall was third at 10 under after a 68.

Kim is tied for the tour victory lead with Danielle Kang with two, winning the major KPMG Women’s PGA Championship and Pelican Women’s Championship in consecutive starts in October and November. The South Korean star played a 12-hole stretch from the second to the 13th in 6 under, then dropped a stroke on the par-4 18th.

“My vibe was really good because warmer weather, and then I play pairing with Jin Young and Lexi (Thompson). Those are my favourite player, so yeah, it was fun. We wasn’t talking much but it was very comfortable and chill out there.”

Ko had three birdies in a bogey-free round.

“I said yesterday my goal is like just bogey-free round on the weekend, so I made it today,” Ko said. “I’m looking forward to tomorrow.”

Kim and Ko are longtime friends.

“Always fun playing with her,” Ko said. “We play together last year and we played — we practiced together at the U.S. Open last week. So we knows each other. But this is competition, so we are close but we have to separate on the course.”

Coming off a second-place tie last week in Houston in the U.S. Women’s Open, Ko has a chance to win the money title in only four events. The $1.1 million winner’s prize, down from $1.5 million last year, is the richest in women’s golf. Ko is 13th with $567,925. Inbee Park is the leader with $1,365,138, and Kim second with $1,207,438.

Race to CME Globe leader Park was tied for 28th at 3 under after her third straight 71. Second-place Kang was tied for 42nd at even par after a 70.

NAPLES, Fla. — Top-ranked Jin Young Ko took the lead into the weekend in the LPGA Tour’s CME Group Tour Championship, putting herself in position to win the season money title in only four events.

Ko shot a 5-under 67 on Friday in chilly and breezy conditions at Tiburon Golf Club to take a one-stroke lead over defending champion Sei Young Kim and 2018 winner Lexi Thompson in the season-ending event.

“Before when I play in KLPGA it was really cold, so I hate cold weather to play golf, but right now I love it,” said Ko, who spent most of the season in South Korea.

The $1.1 million winner’s prize, down from $1.5 million last year, is the richest in women’s golf. Ko is 13th on the money list with $567,925. Inbee Park is the leader with $1,365,138, and Kim second with $1,207,438. Ko also is trying to hold off No. 2 Kim in the world ranking.

“If play good I can do world ranking No. 1 still,” Ko said. “But if not and then she plays good, she can do. Doesn’t matter really.”

Coming off a second-place tie last week in Houston in the U.S. Women’s Open, Ko birdied three of four par-5 holes in a bogey-free round to reach 9 under.

“I want bogey-free round next two days,” Ko said. “I’m looking forward to the weekend.”

Kim had a 69. She has two victories this season.

“Feel very solid in the morning because we got the strong wind,” Kim said. “My shot really solid. … I’m very looking forward this weekend. Really exciting to chase the world ranking No. 1.”

Thompson, the first-round leader after a 65, had two late birdies in a 71.

“It was different conditions today of course with the cooler weather in the morning,” Thompson said. “I would say overall it was a lot breezier throughout the day. … Wasn’t as good as yesterday of course, but overall happy and going to take the positives into the next two days.”

Nelly Korda (66) was three strokes back at 6 under with Cydney Clanton (68), Austin Ernst (69), Georgia Hall (69), Megan Khang (71) and Caroline Masson (71).

Brooke Henderson of Smiths Falls, Ont., bounced back from an opening-round of 73 with a 68. A late-game eagle brought her to 3 under, and she is currently tied for 16th. Hamilton’s Alena Sharp fired 73-76 and is 5 over heading into the weekend.

Lydia Ko was 5 under, following a 74 with a bogey-free 65.

“I just wanted to play the best golf I can and not really think about my position and all that,” the New Zealander said. “I think that definitely helped, and I was able to do that pretty well.”

Race to CME Globe leader Park was tied for 20th at 2 under after her second 71. Second-place Danielle Kang, playing alongside Park and Kim, was tied for 47th at 2 over after a 75. Kim. Kang led the points race since back-to-back wins in Ohio until Park took over the lead last week.

Tiburon was the site of the PGA Tour’s QBE Shootout last week. In a normal year, the CME Group Tour Championship is held before Thanksgiving.

NAPLES, Fla. — With brother Curtis back at her side at Tiburon Golf Club, Lexi Thompson shot a 7-under 65 on Thursday to take the first-round lead in the LPGA Tour’s CME Group Tour Championship.

Curtis, a Korn Ferry Tour player, also caddied for his sister in 2018 when she won the season-ending event.

“If we’re both home we are always playing golf together and joking around,” Thompson said. “It’s great to have him out here. I really appreciate him helping me out and keeping me loose out there. Whether I play good or bad, he always keeps a smile on my face.”

On Thursday after early morning rain, Thompson birdied five of the first seven holes. She played the next nine holes in even par with a birdie and a bogey, then birdied the final two holes. The 11-time LPGA Tour had her lowest score of the year a week after missing the cut in Houston in the U.S. Women’s Open.

“I was just overall very happy with how I committed to my shots,” Thompson said. “That’s what I’ve really been working on. I’ve been working so hard on my game in general trying to improve on it, and it’s been kind of an up and down roller coaster with an unfortunate week last week.”

Nanna Koerstz Madsen of Denmark was a stroke back after a bogey-free round.

“I was a little shaky on my driver going into the event, and putting as well actually. So now it is always nice to start off with a good round,” Koerstz Madsen said. “I don’t have any expectations. I just want to go out and play and see if I can do good mentally.”

Defending champion Sei Young Kim was at 67 with Caroline Masson and Megan Khang.

Masson holed a 9-iron approach for eagle on the par-4 13th.

“I had a pretty good number for a 9-iron, a little downwind, and kind of hit the shot I wanted,” Masson said. “It pitched on top and just released a little bit. I kind of wasn’t really looking anymore because I thought it was good, but I didn’t realize it would go in.”

Tiburon was the site of the PGA Tour’s QBE Shootout last week. In a normal year, the CME Group Tour Championship is held before Thanksgiving.

“I think pretty similar,” Kim said. “Greens are softer. I think last night we got a little bit of rain, the greens so feel like little softer than yesterday. But, yeah, everything very similar.”

The $1.1 million winner’s prize, down from $1.5 million last year, is still the largest in women’s golf.

Top-ranked Jin Young Ko was at 68 with Minjee Lee, Maria Fassi, Anna Nordqvist, Carlota Ciganda and 2014 champion Cristie Kerr.

After spending most of the year in South Korea, Ko tied for second at the U.S. Women’s Open to qualify for the event. She had a double bogey on the par-4 third, her 12th hole of the day.

Kerr dislocated three ribs in a golf cart accident before the start of Volunteers of America Classic two weeks ago, and fought through pain to tie for 23rd in Houston.

“I feel a little bit better today, but I just thought it was really important to get through last week,” Kerr said. “There were points where I didn’t think that I was going to be able to, but I guess when they say there is a will there is a way.”

Race to CME Globe leader Inbee Park and second-place Danielle Kang each shot 71, playing alongside Kim. Kang led the points race since back-to-back wins in Ohio until Park took over the lead last week.

HOUSTON — A Lim Kim made her first U.S. Women’s Open appearance a memorable one Monday, closing with three straight birdies to tie the record for the largest comeback and win the biggest event in women’s golf.

And in the final major of this pandemic-disrupted year in sports, she won wearing a mask.

Starting the final, frigid round at Champions Golf Club five shots behind, the 25-year-old South Korean wore a heavy down jacket between shots and delivered a 4-under 67 for a one-shot victory over Amy Olson and Jin Young Ko.

“Still can’t really soak in that I’m the champion,” she said, minutes after being soaked in champagne on a day with temperatures in the 40s.

Kim became the seventh player to rally from five shots behind in the final round of the U.S. Women’s Open, and the first since Annika Sorenstam at The Broadmoor in 1995.

Olson held her own amid the grief of learning her father-in-law died unexpectedly in North Dakota on Saturday night. She was in tears Sunday morning on the range, before rain pushed the final round to Monday.

Olson, winless in seven years on the LPGA Tour, had a two-shot lead on the back nine after 54-hole leader Hinako Shibuno faltered. But she couldn’t do anything about Kim’s late charge, and Olson fell back when her hybrid on the par-3 16th bounded over the green and into thick, brown rough, leading to bogey.

She birdied the final hole for a 72 after Kim had already secured the title.

“I felt very weak and helpless the last couple days, and probably today on the golf course,” Olson said, fighting back tears. “I really believe the Lord just carried me through. It just makes you realize how much bigger life is than golf. But pleased with my finish overall and my performance.”

Ko, the No. 1 player in the world who only recently returned from South Korea where she rode out the COVID-19 pandemic, also birdied the 18th when it was too late to catch Kim. Ko closed with a 68, one of only six players to break par in the final round where the cold and mud-splattered golf balls added to the difficulty.

Kim finished at 3-under 281 and won $1 million. She added to South Korean dominance of this major, the ninth winner in the last 13 years.

Shibuno was trying to win in her first try at a second major, having won the Women’s British Open last year in her first tournament outside Japan. Her short game only carried her for so long, however, and she fell out of the lead by starting the back nine with consecutive bogeys.

Shibuno birdied the 18th hole for a 74 and finished two behind. Only four players finished under par.

Olson recovered from three straight bogeys early in the round and looked so solid for so long, taking advantage of her length and the high trajectory of her irons. She went 11 straight holes without a bogey, and still has no regrets over the hybrid that sealed her fate.

She had 170 yards to cover the bunker fronting the 16th green, and based on how far her 5-iron flew on the previous hole, she knew that would be enough. Her hybrid was beautiful in flight, but ran over the back of the green and left her little chance of par.

By then, Kim was on her way, attacking flags. Her 5-iron on the 16th settled 4 feet away. She hit 8-iron that rolled out to just under 2 feet on the 17th to tie for the lead, and she closed with a pitching wedge to just inside 10 feet, pumping her first when her third straight birdie dropped.

“I’ve been eyeing the leaderboard throughout the round and I knew how many shots I was back,” she said through a translator. “That’s probably the reason why I tried to hit more aggressive, tried to attack the pins.”

A two-time winner on the Korean LPGA, Kim got into the U.S. Women’s Open off the world ranking when the pandemic kept the USGA from conducting open qualifying. She had slipped to No. 94, the lowest-ranked player to win the Open since the women’s world ranking began in 2006.

She is the second non-LPGA member to win a major this year, joining Sophia Popov at the Women’s British Open. She also is the third South Korean to win a major. Second-ranked Sei Young Kim won the Women’s PGA and Mirim Lee won the ANA Inspiration — also at No. 94 in the world.

Texas senior Kaitlyn Papp birdied the 18th for a 74 to finish at 3-over 287, six shots behind in a tie for ninth, to be the low amateur.

Canadian Brooke Henderson teed off Monday morning for a round of 72, putting her at 10-over 294 for the tournament. The Smiths Falls, Ont., player placed in a tie for 44th. This year marks her eighth appearance at the event.

HOUSTON — The latest U.S. Women’s Open on the calendar will last one more day because of relentless rain that drenched Champions Golf Club and forced the USGA to suspend the final round until Monday.

Hinako Shibuno of Japan, who had a one-shot lead as she goes for a second major, never teed off.

The USGA moved up tee times as early as possible Sunday because of the forecast, and the final round was just over an hour old when thunderstorms in the area caused play to be stopped. It never resumed, with about three-quarters of an inch of rain falling before there was no point in trying to restart.

The turf in the December climate doesn’t drain as quickly. Plus, heavy rain soaked the course Friday after the second round. There was standing water across Champions even during spells when the rain subsided.

The U.S. Women’s Open was postponed from early June because of the COVID-19 pandemic. It will be the first Monday finish for the U.S. Women’s Open since So Yeon Ryu won at The Broadmoor in Colorado in 2011.

Shibuno won the Women’s British Open last year in her major championship debut — and her first tournament outside Japan — and is bidding to become the third woman to win two majors the first time playing them. Se Ri Pak was the most recent in 1998 at the LPGA Championship and U.S. Women’s Open.

She was at 4-under 209, one shot ahead of Amy Olson, the 28-year-old from North Dakota who has not won in her seven years on the LPGA Tour.

Brooke Henderson of Smiths Falls, Ont., is sitting at 9 over after Saturday’s round, but did not get a chance to tee off before play was suspended. She will return to the course on Monday at 9:24 AM (ET).

HOUSTON — Hinako Shibuno passed a big test Saturday in a classic U.S. Women’s Open that put a premium on par, keeping the lead with a 3-over 74 going into a final round at Champions Golf Club that figures to be the toughest of all.

Shibuno led by four shots when she made her lone birdie on the par-5 fifth hole, and then it was a matter of hanging on for dear life on a rain-softened course that made it tough to control shots with splatters of mud on the golf ball.

She bogeyed the final hole from a bunker and her lead was down to one shot over Amy Olson, who nearly holed out from the 17th fairway and shot a 71 that felt much lower.

Saturday was a challenging round for Brooke Henderson. The Smiths Falls, Ont. native hit three bogeys and a double bogey to finish with a 6-over 77 in her third round, and will be going into the final round T61.

Moriya Jutanugarn, playing in the same group as her two-time major champion sister, Ariya, was right in the mix until she bladed a bunker shot to the back of the 17th green and three-putted for a double bogey. She still managed a 72 and was three behind, among only four players who remained under par.

The other was Ji Yeong Kim2 of South Korea, who was on the opposite end of the Cypress Creek course. Kim2 made the cut with one shot to spare and shot a 67 — one of only two rounds under par — that moved her into a tie for third. Kim finished by chipping in for birdie on the par-5 ninth hole.

Shibuno was at 4-under 209 as she bids to become the first player since Se Ri Pak in 1998 to win majors for her first two LPGA Tour victories. Pak did it a few months apart in 1998. Shibuno won the Women’s British Open last year at Woburn, and declined to take up LPGA membership because she didn’t think she was ready.

Now her only way to join the LPGA is to win on Sunday, and it doesn’t figure to be easy. With rain in the forecast, the USGA has moved up starting times as early as possible, with the first group starting at 7:45 a.m.

Eight players were separated by four shots going into the final round, a group that includes Lydia Ko (72) and Texas senior Kaitlyn Papp, who played in the final group with Shibuno and held her own until dropping two shots over the last three holes for a 74. They were at even-par 213, along with 19-year-old Yealimi Noh (72) and Megan Khang (74).

Jin Young Ko, the No. 1 player in the world and a two-time major champion, made 16 pars in her round of 71 and that was enough to at least give her a chance. She was at 1-over 214 with Women’s PGA champion Sei Young Kim (73).

All of them had to contend with a course that played 6,635 yards and felt even longer because of heavy rain Friday after the second round ended.

More than length was mud that gathered on the golf ball in the fairway. That creates problems for Champions because of its enormous greens.

Asked about the mud, Olson laughed and replied, “Which one? There were about 18 of them.”

“At one point I laughed and it was like, `Is it going to be in a divot or a mud ball?’ Because it was one or the other pretty much all day,” she said. “So I’m really hoping that we either do lift, clean and place or it’s so wet tomorrow that the water just pulls the mud off.”

She delivered her best shot on the 17th, hitting an 8-iron — the same club, the same type of shot for her hole-in-one in the opening round — that came inches away from going in. The tap-in birdie and a solid par on the last puts her in the last group as the 28-year-old from North Dakota tries to win for the first time.

Stacy Lewis, who grew up in the Houston area and is a member at Champions, saw her chances end on the back nine. She stayed in the game with an 80-foot birdie putt on No. 9 and a two-putt from even longer range on the next hole.

But she three-putted from 25 feet for bogey on the par-5 13th, and on the next hole, Lewis came up short and into the hazard, and then compounded the mistake with another three-putt for a triple bogey. Standing on the 15th tee, she bowed her head into the crook of her elbow for a minute until it was her time to hit, perhaps knowing her chances were over.

Lewis shot 77 and was eight shots behind in a tie for 25th.

HOUSTON — Hinako Shibuno can do without the “Cinderella” nickname, just not the smile. That was bright as ever Friday as the Japanese star posted a 4-under 67 and opened a three-shot lead going into the weekend of the U.S. Women’s Open.

Shibuno’s lone mistake on a damp, soft day at Champions Golf Club was a three-putt bogey on the par-3 16th at the Jackrabbit course. Her objective was to avoid dropping more shots by being overly aggressive. She wound up with a 10-foot birdie putt to restore her lead over Arizona State sophomore Linn Grant of Sweden.

Shibuno rose to sudden fame in the summer of 2019 when she won the Women’s British Open at Woburn, the first major for the 22-year-old and her first time playing outside Japan. She was called the “Smiling Cinderella,” a reference to her surprise performance and an engaging smile.

“No pressure whatsoever,” Shibuno said. ”I’m playing a major in the United States, unlike when I was at the British Open, where I feel like I am starting from scratch.“

She looked the part of a major champion at the U.S. Women’s Open, where the forecast of rain and strong wind never quite materialized. The rain was light and occasional. The wind was little more than a rumour.

Grant made her U.S. Women’s Open debut two years ago as an 18-year-old at Shoal Creek and was tied for fourth going into the weekend until closing with rounds of 78-81.

She had a 69 at Jackrabbit and will be in the final group Saturday. They will be joined by another amateur, Texas senior Kaitlyn Papp, who had a 68 at Cypress Creek and was four shots behind.

The USGA used two courses for the first time because the pandemic forced the Women’s Open to be postponed six months to December with limited daylight. The final two rounds will be at Cypress Creek, the course that previously hosted a Ryder Cup, U.S. Open and the Tour Championship on the PGA Tour.

Six amateurs made the cut, which was at 3-over 145.

Shibuno was at 7-under 135, and only 12 players were within five shots of the lead.

Amy Olson, the 18-hole leader, had to birdie her final hole for a 72. She was in the group with Papp and Megan Khang (69) at 3-under 139.

The group five shots behind included former Women’s Open champion Ariya Jutanugarn and her sister, Moriya, Champions Golf Club member Stacy Lewis and Cristie Kerr, who dislocated a couple of ribs in a cart accident one week ago and wasn’t even sure she could play until the Open began.

Kerr played bogey-free at Jackrabbit and shot 69, and the 43-year-old former Open champion says the injury at least has tempered her expectation.

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

Even winning a major championship last year wasn’t enough for Shibuno to take up LPGA Tour membership. She felt she was too young, too inexperienced, and needed more work on the Japan LPGA.

The plan was to wait until the end of the year and go through the LPGA’s version of qualifying school. That was cancelled because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The only path now is to win the Open.

Asked if she would join the LPGA this time, Shibuno smiled — of course — and said, “By all means, yes.”

She also had to contend with instant fame in Japan, where women’s golf often gets higher TV ratings than the men.

“I turned from a normal person to a celebrity overnight, and I don’t know how to explain it, but I feel like I’m acting a good person,” she said through a translator. “In Japan, even though I was wearing a mask, people recognized me. Of course, that’s the purpose of playing golf professionally. But it’s more difficult for me to go out to dinner than before.”

Papp already has one USGA title to her name when she teamed with Texas teammate Hailee Cooper to win the U.S. Women’s Amateur Four-Ball in 2016. She is a three-time All-American for the Longhorns, and assistant coach Kate Golden is on her bag for the week. She finished with two birdies, chipping in on No. 17 at Cypress Creek.

“A good confidence booster going into the weekend,” she said.

Brooke Henderson of Smiths Falls, Ont., shot 2-over 73 on Friday, meeting the cut line at 3 over going into Saturday’s game. One shot behind was Hamilton’s Alena Sharp, who narrowly missed the cut and will not be playing the weekend.

Jin Young Ko, the No. 1 player in the world, had a 70 and made the cut with two shots to spare, leaving her eight shots behind. Women’s PGA champion Sei Young Kim had a 69 and was six shots behind.

Nelly Korda, the No. 3 player in the world who hasn’t competed in two months because of back pain, was among those who missed the cut. That list included Lexi Thompson and Mirim Lee, who won the ANA Inspiration in September.

HOUSTON — Winning once felt easy to Amy Olson.

She captured the U.S. Junior Girls her second time playing the tournament, won a record 20 times while at North Dakota State and went 4-1 in her lone Curtis Cup appearance.

In seven years on the LPGA Tour, however, she’s still looking for that first title.

“Coming out here, I expected to win really early. It always kind of came easy to me in college,” Olson said. “It’s not easy to win out here. You have to put four really good days together.”

She got one out of the way Thursday in the U.S. Women’s Open.

Olson got back to under par with one swing, an 8-iron for a hole-in-one on her seventh hole, the 16th at Cypress Creek, and kept right on going until she had a 4-under 67 and a one-shot lead at Champions Golf Club.

She also had the 18-hole lead at Royal Troon in the Women’s British Open before following that with an 81. Olson was one hole away from winning the Evian Championship two years ago until a double bogey on the final hole.

“It has been, I think, a test of my patience,” Olson said.

And even on a perfect day for scoring, it was clear this Women’s Open would be a stern test.

Olson was among only 11 players who broke 70 on the Cypress Creek and Jackrabbit courses. For the first time, two courses are being used for the opening rounds because of the limited daylight by postponing the premier event in women’s golf to December.

Brooke Henderson of Smiths Falls, Ont., is the top Canadian after firing a 1-over 72 on the Jackrabbit course, while Hamilton’s Alena Sharp opened with a 4-over 75 at Cypress Creek.

Out of 156 players, only 36 were at par or better.

“We had absolutely perfect weather today and 4 under is leading,” Champions member Stacy Lewis said after a 72. “I don’t think scores are going anywhere.”

Moriya Jutanugarn managed to keep bogeys off her card on the Jackrabbit course for a 68, leaving her tied with former Women’s British Open champion Hinako Shibuno (Cypress Creek) and A Lim Kim (Jackrabbit).

Sophia Popov was among the group at 69. She figured it would be a long shot to be in the U.S. Women’s Open this year when the USGA had to scrap qualifying because of the COVID-19 pandemic. And then when golf resumed, Popov earned a spot in the Women’s British Open and won at Royal Troon.

And now she’s already in the mix at the U.S. Women’s Open, along with so many others. Asked if she had come down from the cloud of her surprise major victory, Popov smiled and said, “Am I down yet?”

“I’m trying not to come down off of it. I quite like it,” she said. “But yeah, I think it took me a couple weeks, but after that it was back to reality. You’ve got to grind, you’ve got to practice, you’ve got to do everything the same way you did before, just now you have a lot more events to play and better events to play.”

None of the top five in the world ranking broke par. Jin Young Ko opened with a 73, while Sei Young Kim had a 72 in what could be a battle for No. 1 this week. Nelly Korda, playing for the first time in two months because of back pain, had only one birdie in her round of 73. Danielle Kang didn’t make any birdies and shot 72.

The starting times for the second round were moved up a little more than an hour because or rain and wind in the forecast, which figures to make the courses even tougher.

For one round, the Jackrabbit course was a bout a stroke easier. Cypress Creek will be used on the weekend.

Most enjoyable for Olson was watching her 8-iron in flight on the par-3 16h hole and tracking it all the way into the hole, her second ace in competition on the LPGA Tour. She had a big crew of family and friends from North Dakota for her previous hole-in-one. She had only a few marshals, two other players and caddies, and a few people from a backyard to provide the cheers on Thursday.

“I had 141 to the flag and the pin was on the right side of the green with the wind kind of coming from from the right,” she said. “So I hit a fade to try to hold the wind, and it landed two paces short of the flag, had some good spin on it and just trickled in. We saw the whole thing, which was fun.”

Megan Khang was the only player to reach 5 under on the day until dropping a few shots on the back nine at Jackrabbit and finishing with a double bogey on the 18th hole when she flubbed a pitch that came back down to her feet. That dropped her to a 70.

Brittany Lincicome, a two-time ANA Inspiration winner, suffered the same fate. She was bogey-free when she missed the green to the left on No. 18 at Jackrabbit. Her pitch was weak and back down the slope, and her next pitch was too strong. She made double bogey and shot 70.

“The U.S. Open you can just lose your concentration for two seconds and then make a double within like two seconds,” Lincicome said. “Super bummed to finish that way. … Under par at the U.S. Open is really good, so can’t complain, but obviously that last hole is going to hurt.”