Allisen Corpuz won the U.S. Women’s Open on Sunday at Pebble Beach, but her march to victory was very nearly spoiled.
As Corpuz and playing partner Nasa Hataoka played the back nine during the final round, they were placed on the clock for falling out of position. The group was initially put on the clock while playing the 11th hole — and to make matters worse, Corpuz’s caddie, Jay Monahan (no, not that Jay Monahan), had to run to the bathroom just after the group was placed on the clock.
“I was like, ‘This is the worst possible time,'” Monahan said. “I’m sprinting up the hill — climbing the mountain there.”
Two holes later, Corpuz received a bad time for taking too long on her approach shot. She later explained that she was between clubs in the fairway and decided at the last moment to switch sticks.
“On that particular shot, I just backed off because the wind died down,” Corpuz said.
As Corpuz and Monahan were walking to the green, a USGA rules official approached and informed them of the bad time. He also explained that if they received another bad time, they would be assessed a one-stroke penalty.
“I didn’t know that,” Monahan said. “Because typically it’s just a fine for slow play [on the LPGA Tour]. So he told us that and I kinda turned around and was like, ‘Wait, we get stroked if we get another one?’ I think [Corpuz] heard me say that, and it was a little stressful at that time.”
Monahan added that the warning was warranted, but he believed there should’ve been some leniency considering the circumstances.
True to her stoic form, though, Corpuz was unfazed by the potential penalty. When she reached the green at the par-4 13th, she calmly two-putted for par and went on to birdie her next two holes to put the tournament out of reach.
“Just told myself, yeah, just keep playing,” Corpuz said. “Don’t let your focus get away from that.”
