U.S. Women’s Open final round postponed due to weather

***UPDATE: Final round play at the U.S. Women’s Open will not be completed Sunday on account of weather in the Houston area, the USGA announced Sunday afternoon. All but 12 members of the original 65-player field teed off to begin their round Sunday, and none finished before play was suspended around 10:00 a.m. ET. It is not yet known when play will resume. GOLF.com will continue updating this story as more information becomes available.***

***Original Story Below***

After months of added anticipation, golf fans will have to wait at least a little bit longer to crown a U.S. Women’s Open champion in 2020. The tournament has been suspended Sunday due to inclement weather in the Houston area, home to Champions Golf Club.

The final round of play was suspended shortly after 10:10 a.m. ET., according to the USGA.

The Weather Channel’s radar shows storms over the Houston area, with heavy rain and lightning expected. The forecast calls for storms for the majority of the afternoon, continuing from 10 a.m. ET all the way through to 5 p.m. ET.

The USGA has not yet released a timeline for completing play this afternoon, which might prove difficult with a large chunk of the leaderboard left to play most of its round.

Whenever play does return, it will be Hinako Shibuno holding the lead. The 22-year-old pro leads by a single stroke over American Amy Olson through 54 holes.

Weather has found itself at the center of the story for most of the week at the U.S. Women’s Open, and it’s only fitting that should continue on Sunday.

On Friday, the USGA moved up tee times in order to complete play before inclement weather rolled in during the afternoon. NBC Sports, who is broadcasting this week’s event in the first year of its new deal with the USGA, neglected to alter its broadcast window to accommodate for the change. The move drew widespread criticism from those across the women’s game, who have promoted the hashtag #WomenWorthWatching on social media this week to celebrate the tournament having its own exclusive golf broadcast window.

Then, on Saturday, muddy conditions brought about by rain in the area led several players to voice their frustration, according to GOLF.com’s Zephyr Melton.

Now, Sunday’s final round looks to be delayed, if not postponed to Monday due to the impending weather in the area.

***GOLF.com will update this story as more information becomes available***