Overview
- Tournament officials assessed a two-stroke penalty after reviewing Woad's play in a greenside bunker, turning what she thought was a bogey-five into an official triple-bogey seven and leaving her with a 74 for the round and seven over for the championship.
- The ruling cited Rule 8.1a, which bars actions that improve a player's conditions in a bunker such as digging in feet or building a stance, and penalties can be applied after a hole if video or an official review shows a breach.
- Woad is 22, making her U.S. Women's Open debut and is currently ranked among the world top players, so the late penalty had an outsized effect on her momentum and standing in a major.
- Charley Hull produced the day’s low round with a six-under 69 and moved into the clubhouse lead at three under, changing the late leaderboard picture as the event moves toward the final round.
- The incident highlights how post-hole reviews can change scores and momentum in a major, so the final round will show whether those retroactive rulings alter the tournament outcome or player strategies under similar bunker conditions.