Kiara Romero had nothing to lose.
After carding a quadruple-bogey 8 on the drivable par-4 15th hole on Saturday at Erin Hills, Romero signed for a 12-over 84 to plummet to last place among players who made the U.S. Women’s Open cut.
But the rising Oregon junior responded in a big way on Sunday, firing a 5-under 67, the lowest final-round score by an amateur in championship history.
“I think just knowing that I was literally in dead last kind of freed me up into knowing I had absolutely nothing to lose and just playing my game,” Romero said. “Knowing I’ve been playing some good golf. I made the cut to get here. I knew I had it in me, and I just tried to stay patient and put that round behind me.”
Romero’s record day, which was 17 strokes better than the previous round, included six birdies and just one bogey. Once she got through the first three holes, which she played in even par with a birdie at No. 2 and bogey at No. 3, Romero said she “started to roll” playing in the first twosome off.
“We were playing like a pretty fast pace, so everything was just kind of going one after another,” Romero said. “Yeah, I think it was just a lot easier. Like everything was just coming to me. I could read the greens and I knew what club I was hitting. Yesterday all those things were just a mystery to me. It was like I’ve never played golf before, yeah. Just happens I guess.”
The 19-year-old Romero, who had Oregon head coach Derek Radley on her bag, missed the cut in her USWO debut last year, a start she earned by winning the U.S. Girls’ Junior the previous summer.
She was coming off a T-8 at the NCAA Championship, which followed wins at the Big Ten Championship and NCAA Gold Canyon Regional. The Ducks fell in the semifinals of match play to eventual NCAA champion Northwestern.
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