U.S. Women’s Open in store for thrilling finish thanks to USGA’s decision to shorten key hole

Kudos to the United States Golf Association (USGA) for deciding to shorten the par-4 16th hole in the final round of the U.S. Women’s Open at Lancaster Country Club.

After being in the 345-yard range for the first three days, the 16th hole on Sunday will be more than 100 yards shorter. It will be listed as 232 yards on the scorecard, and players will be working to get from the tee to the green.

The uphill, dogleg-left 16th is one of the most picturesque holes in Lancaster. Beautiful bunkering surrounds the entire hole, making the tee shot a tense one.

There isn’t much room on the fairways, so placement is a priority.

But the putting surface leaves no room for error: it’s the smallest on the course and slopes steeply from right to left and back to front, so players approaching this green from the tee must avoid hitting it too far to the right – or, if they do, it’s unlikely to be up-and-down.

With that in mind, the USGA set the pin location on Sunday at the far right, 19 steps from the front and eight steps from the right edge. Anyone who misses left and hits a shorter distance than that will find themselves hitting the desired putt uphill.

Russell Kirk/USGA

But when Ying Zhi Chun won at Lancaster in 2015, the USGA decided to employ a similar strategy, shortening the 16th hole, the second-easiest hole of the day, to 235 yards in the final round.

The tournament drew some dramatic finale action as Chung won by one stroke with birdies on the 16th and 17th holes. Amy Yeung, the runner-up that year, put the pressure on Chung with an eagle on the 16th hole.

The current leaderboard is tight, promising another thrilling finish, with 25-year-old Andrea Li, two-time major winner Minjee Lee and Thailand’s Wichanee Meechai all topping the leaderboard at five under par after 54 holes.

Japan’s Hinako Shibuno is three under and Yuka Saso, who won this tournament at The Olympic Club in 2021, is two under after three rounds.

Given the difficulty of the golf course, with an average score of 74.25, anything can happen on Sunday, but the USGA has given the competitors a golden opportunity on the championship’s 70th hole, and whoever takes advantage of that opportunity will likely win.

Jack Mirko is a golf staff writer for SB Nation Playing Through. Follow For more golf articles, follow us on Twitter Jack Mirko In the same way.