5 things to expect on Sunday at the U.S. Women's Open: Golf Digest Woman: Golf Digest

5 things to expect on Sunday at the U.S. Women's Open

Sunday, July 10, 2011

COLORADO SPRINGS, Co. -- Welcome to Sunday at the U.S. Women's Open, where the third round is officially underway (rejoice!) and skies are blue (for now). Here are five things to expect on this long (yes, another long) Sunday:

1. A softer Broadmoor: For the first time during the Championship, lots of rain poured onto the East Course Saturday evening. Even though the course is set up slightly shorter for the third round (6,986 yards), balls will not release as far down the fairways, rough will be sticky and greens will be more receptive.

2. Similar weather patterns: Mornings at The Broadmoor have been idyllic, with blue skies, temperatures in the 70s and little wind. The afternoons, however, have carried nasty thunderstorms and heavy rain. Saturday afternoon's forecast called for a 40 percent chance of rain; Sunday afternoon's forecast calls for a 50 percent chance of rain. Not. Promising.

3. A Monday finish: Only 19 players posted a third-round score on Saturday, so a lot of golf needs to be played on Sunday. If all goes well, the leaders (Mika and Ai Miyazato and I.K. Kim) will wrap up their third rounds at 12:30 p.m. local time, and they'll start their final rounds at 2 p.m. So the only way the USGA will crown a winner on Sunday is if there isn't a single weather delay. And, well, that'll require a miracle.

4. Live TV coverage: The words "LPGA" and "live coverage" don't end up in the same sentence too often, but that changes today. ESPN2 and ESPN Classic will jointly air live coverage of the Open's entire third round, and NBC will take over at 3 p.m. EDT through the conclusion of the fourth round.

5. A crying editor: With a looming deadline, Ron Sirak might be sobbing gently under a tree somewhere, trying to figure out what to write about. This truly has been the Open that never ends.

--Ashley Mayo