The 5 most exciting ways the U.S. Women’s Open could end

With the exception of one player, moving day did not bring a lot of movement.

On a bright, blustery Saturday at Pebble Beach, in the third round of 78th U.S. Women’s Open, Nasa Hataoka of Japan fired a tournament-best 66 to vault into the lead, while American Bailey Tardy slipped into a tie for third.

Otherwise, the shuffling was limited atop the leaderboard.

Sunday is a new day, though. The winds will be up, the greens will be firm, and some notable contenders remain in the hunt at this watershed women’s national championship, the first-ever held at Pebble.

Could anything happen? Well, a lot of things could. Here are five of the most exciting ways the tournament could end.

Rose Zhang goes wild

The rookie phenom and pre-tournament favorite drew the biggest crowds on Saturday, and Zhang gave them a dose of steady, if unspectacular, par-for-the-day play. She’s eight shots off the pace heading into Sunday, which means she’ll likely have to turn up something special. That something would turn Pebble upside down.

Minjee Lee repeats

The personable Aussie will be paired with Zhang on Sunday. Here’s something else they have in common. She’s also eight behind, having matched Zhang’s third-round score. The difference is that Lee is the defending champ. If she can storm to victory, she’ll become the first player to go back-to-back in the Women’s Open since Karrie Webb in 2001 and 2002.

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A Bailey Tardy party

An All-American in college, the former Georgia Bulldog has been liked to the Wyndham Clark of the women’s game. Oozing with talent, a star in waiting. She’s only three shots back. A month after Clark’s breakout win, on another fabled California course, might we reprise the themes from LACC?

Jiyai Shin strikes a winning chord

America’s got talent. So does Shin, a smooth-voiced singer who has released several CDs in her native South Korea. If she can rise up the charts from her current spot of five back, the trophy presentation might include a rousing solo on the 18th green.

Nasa Hataoka runs away with it

True, it’s always more fun to see a nail-biting finish. And given the bunched leaderboard, we’ll probably get one. But if she can keep up her scorching Saturday play — she was the only competitor to break 70 in the third round — it would make for a riveting performance. And a measure of redemption for Hataoka, who lost in the playoff in the 2021 U.S. Women’s Open at the Olympic Club.