Tournament Summary: U.S. Women’s Open, PNC Championship

An incredible finish by South Korea’s A Lim Kim resulted in her winning the very first major championship in which she played, the recently completed U.S. Women’s Open at Champions Golf Club in Houston, Texas. She birdied the final three holes on an extremely difficult track to edge world number one Jin Young Ko from South Korea and Amy Olson from the United States. Olson was playing the final round with a heavy heart as her father-in-law passed away unexpectedly after the third round of play.

Japan’s Hinako Shibuno was the third-round leader, but she wasn’t satisfied with her performance up to that point as she spent a couple of hours on the practice range after the third round. She had reason to suspect her game was off-track as she faltered in the final round to a fourth-place finish. For Kim, her victory highlighted the depth of Korean women’s golf as she was ranked #94 in the world coming into the event, and this represented only her third professional victory.

As usual, a golfer named Woods was the focus of yet another tournament, the PNC Challenge, where major winners teamed up with their parent or child/grandchild in a fun two-day scramble event. However, this golfer wasn’t named Tiger. No, Charlie Woods, all of 11 years old and Tiger’s son, showed off an incredible golf swing and impressive demeanor. It would be virtually impossible for him to even come close to his father’s feats on the golf course, but don’t bet against the young man one day making his mark in the professional ranks.

Former PGA champion Justin Thomas and his father Mike, also a golf professional, fired an impressive final-round 57 to capture the event. Thomas echoed what many of the competitors said, that the experience of playing was far more important than winning. This event’s popularity dates back to the 1990s and is one off-season event that is pure enjoyment for both participants and spectators.