The U.S. Women's Open at Riviera was supposed to be a grind. Instead it turned into one of the best Sunday shootouts the LPGA has produced in years, with Nelly Korda, Charley Hull, and Gaby Lopez trading haymakers down the stretch until somebody finally blinked. Spoiler: it wasn't Nelly.
Hull set the tone early. She drove the green on the par-4 10th at Riviera, 2-putted for birdie, and dragged herself into a share of the lead at -7. If you're keeping score at home, that's the kind of shot that usually wins golf tournaments. Not today.
Hull bombing driver onto the 10th green to claw back into a tie.
From there it became a leaderboard you couldn't peel your eyes off of. Hull eventually dripped one in to grab the solo lead at -8, with Korda, Chun, and S.Y. Kim all jammed up at -7 chasing her. The galleries at Riv were getting their money's worth and then some.
Hull rolling in the putt that briefly gave her the outright lead at -8.
The Fore Play guys couldn't help but flag the absurdity of it: four months ago Korda and Hull were baking homemade desserts trying to win Trent Ryan's vote in a goofy podcast bit. Now they were tied atop a major championship at Riviera. The range between content-creator side quest and U.S. Open Sunday is apparently very short for these two.
A throwback to the Trent Ryan dessert match — not Open footage, just the bit that's now suddenly hilarious in context.
Hull's signature moment in regulation was a clutch up-and-down for par on 18 to stay tied at the top, which felt like it might be the dagger. Then Gaby Lopez walked up to the same 18th green and casually drained a birdie putt to match her at -7 for the clubhouse lead, capping a final-round 68. Suddenly Nelly had a number and two co-leaders waiting on her.
Lopez's birdie on 18 to tie Hull at -7 in the clubhouse.
Korda's answer was the shot of the tournament. A birdie on 17 to take solo lead at -8, on a putt Frankie Borrelli accurately described as defying physics, logic, and the observable universe. From there she walked it in, closed the door, and lifted another U.S. Women's Open trophy at Riviera.
The Korda birdie on 17 that flipped the leaderboard one final time.
Hull and Lopez did everything you could possibly ask of a Sunday at a major. Nelly just did a little more. The best player on the planet remains the best player on the planet — and Riviera got the closing act it deserved.