The highs and lows of a major championship can come so quickly that it’ll make your head spin. For example, consider the plight of Esther Henseleit, who appeared poised for a huge moment at the 80th U.S. Women’s Open, only to suffer an incredible letdown.
The championship is being contested for a fifth time at Erin Hills, which opened in 2006, and one of the interesting twists on Saturday was a risk-reward par-4 that gave players an interesting decision.
The USGA moved the par-4 15th hole, which had been playing about 350 yards for the first two rounds, up about 100 yards for the third round of play. Would players be aggressive and go for the pin? Or would they bail out and take an easy par?
Henseleit, a 26-year-old German looking for her first major victory, drove the green and had an eagle putt. Since she was sitting at even par for the tournament at the time, she looked in prime shape to get closer to the leaders.
Instead, Henseleit was a bit too aggressive on the putt, and the result was devastating.
Henseleit rolled off the side of the green and nearly rolled all the way into a bunker. She wound up taking double bogey and falling to 2 over for the event, a full 10 shots behind leader Mao Saigo.
This is the fourth U.S. Women’s Open for Henseleit, and she’s yet to finish in the top 25.
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