Henderson falters, amateur Deng surges into contention Women's US Open..54 hole results/ Sunday TEE TIMES

  USGA : US Women's OpenLeaderboard Tee Times

A hot start to her round has 16-year-old Canadian amateur Aphrodite Deng within striking distance of winning a major championship.

Aphrodite Deng hits off the third tee during the first round of the U.S. Women's Open golf tournament Thursday, June 4, 2026, in the Pacific Palisades area of Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Jessie Alcheh)

Deng, a native of Calgary, Alta., shot a third-round 68 on Saturday at the U.S. Women's Open at the Riviera Country Club in the Pacific Palisades, Calif. to move within four shots of the overall lead

She entered Saturday at 3-over for the championship after a rough second round that saw her shoot 73, but bounced back in a big way as she opened her third round with three straight birdies as she finished her front nine firing a 32.

For the day, Deng birdied five holes (Nos. 1, 2, 3, 6 and 16) and bogeyed only twice (Nos. 8 and 13) as she got herself back in position to make a run at winning a major before she's legally allowed to buy herself a drink.

Deng is trying to become the first amateur competitor to win a women's major golf championship since France's Catherine Lacoste won the U.S. Women's Open in 1967.

She's also trying to become the first Canadian to win a women's major golf title since Brooke Henderson captured the Evian Championship in 2022.

Henderson was the only other Canadian at Riviera to make the weekend cut, but after shooting a strong 69 on Friday to get her within the mix, she had a disastrous day Saturday, bogeying five holes on her way to a 74.

South Korea's Chun In-gee, who previously won a U.S. Open in 2015 leads the event at -6 for the championship.

sportsnet.ca

Bryan Angus (edit)