U.S. Women’s Open: Yuka Saso Wins, Extending a Majors Drought by Americans

Yuka Saso of the Philippines won her first major, beating Nasa Hataoka of Japan in the first sudden-death hole of a playoff that went three holes.

SAN FRANCISCO — Lexi Thompson kept her AirPods in her ears until the first player in her group, Megha Ganne, stepped up to hit her opening drive Sunday at the United States Women’s Open. Thompson, who started the final round at the Olympic Club’s Lake Course with a one-stroke lead, was bidding to win her second career major title, and her first since 2014. With a victory, she would break a 10-major winless streak by American women. With so much at stake, she wanted to wall herself off from all the noise. For 16 holes, Thompson quieted all her doubts and drew strength from the fans willing her toward a win. But her championship hopes faded with a bogey-bogey finish that left her outside of a playoff between Yuka Saso of the Philippines and Nasa Hataoka of Japan.