COLORADO SPRINGS — Weather has struck the U.S. Women’s Open for a third consecutive day, and play was stopped again this afternoon because of lightning and rain.
At 3:59 p.m., play was suspended and later called for the day at 6:19 as storms continued to roll through the East Course.
Eight threesomes had teed off the third round when weather rolled in. First it was lightning, but by 4 p.m. the skies opened with a heavy downpour.
Play will resume Sunday at 6:45 a.m. The lead group of I.K. Kim, Ai Miyazato and Mika Miyazato now is scheduled to start at 8:02 a.m.
To help get in the final round, the USGA said the threesomes will not be re-paired after the third round.
With the tight schedule, if there is anything more than a one-hour delay the tournament would have to finish on Monday. And if there is a playoff, it likely would have to be Monday. The Open playoff format is a three-hole aggregate, then sudden-death if still tied after three holes.
When the U.S. Open continues this morning, it will be telecast live on ESPN2 starting at 7 a.m., then it will go to NBC at 1 p.m.
Cut made at 72 golfers
The second round officially ended just before 2:15 p.m., and the cut was set at 7-over. That means 72 golfers advance to the final two rounds. The third round is scheduled to begin shortly.
Japanese duo at the top
Mika Miyazato finished the second round at 5-under 137 and holds a one stroke lead over Ai Miyazato; the two are not related, though both grew up in Okinawa and have know each other since they were kids.
Mika finished with six consecutive birdies after a bog on No. 13 after she had it 6-under with a birdie on the par-3 No. 12. Ai birdied Nos. 17 and 18 to jump to 4-under; she started the round at 1-under.
Wie’s pressure putt should make cut
Michelle Wie’s 35-foot birdie putt on her last hole of the second round should be the one to get her to the third round.
With the cutline hovering at 7-over, Wie was at 8-over coming into the 18th hole. She had just missed a short birdie putt on the par-5 No. 17.
“I’m really happy I make that last putt,” Wie said. “I can’t say it enough.”
After hitting a 9-iron into the 18th green, she made the long putt to stick around for the next two rounds.
“I don’t like being on the cutline much, but I’ll take it,” Wie said. “It would be an honor to play the weekend.”
Cut looking like plus-7
Once the second round finished, the field will be cut to top 60 plus ties and anyone within 10 shots of the lead. With two golfers in at 3-under, the cut at 7-over would be about 62 players.
The third round will be seeded and golfers likely will go off the first and 10th tees to help get caught up.
Second round carries on
Japan’s Mika Miyazato shot a 4-under 32 on the front nine this morning and holds the lead at 5-under through 14 holes of her second round.
Miyazato got to 6-under with a biridie at No. 10, but gave it back with a bogey on the 13th hole. The birdie at the downhill par-4 10th hole at the time gave her a two stroke lead on Stacy Lewis, who stumbled on the back nine.
Lewis drops, Kim holds
I.K. Kim, who was at 4-under through 14 holes when play was called Friday, finished the second round this morning at 3-under 139. The South Korean made her first bogey of the Open on No. 15, then finished with three pars.
Stacy Lewis, who got to 5-under Friday during the second round, finished this morning at 1-under 141. Lewis was at 5-under, but after the delay dropped to 2-under after a bogey on No. 14 and a double-bogey on the 15th. She bogeyed No. 18 this morning.
