Minjee Lee has endured a nightmare final round of the US Women’s Open, blowing a 3-shot lead to finish in a tie for ninth at Lancaster Country Club.

Lee started the day in a three-way share of the lead, and was looking to join Aussie golf royalty Karrie Webb with three major wins.

And she started the day in the best way possible – making birdie on the first hole. By the time she reached the seventh hole, she held a 3-shot lead.

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But it was all downhill from there for the Aussie. Having already made bogeys on the third and sixth, she made three more on the ninth, 10th and 15th, as well as round-killing doubles on the 12th and 14th.

On the par-3 12th – the same hole on which Nelly Korda made 10 during the first round – her tee shot rolled off the front of the green into a creek. From the drop zone, she found the back of the green and all but holed the bogey putt.

Then on the par-4 14th, she pulled her tee shot left into a native area and was forced to take a drop in thick rough. Her third shot found a greenside bunker. She splashed out and two-putted.

Lee carded a final round 8-over 78 to finish in a tie for 9th at 3-over for the tournament, seven shots behind winner Yuka Saso.

“I think I did a lot of good things but obviously didn’t play very well today and I’m disappointed that I didn’t do better,” she said.

“I’m going to acknowledge my disappointment and then come back stronger, take the positives out of the week.

“It’s a lot of pressure on the last day, so wasn’t my best performance but I’m sure there will be many better performances ahead.”

Lee said after making birdie on the first, she felt like she was striking the ball well, but it was her putter letting her down.

“I missed a couple putts for birdie early, and then I kind of blew up from there.”

Saso’s 2-under final round was enough for her to clinch her second US Women’s Open by three shots and take her place in history with a rare footnote. She was the first Filipino to win the event in 2021, and is now the first from Japan having changed nationalities in 2022.

No matter the flag, the 22-year-old delivered a masterful performance. She put to together a run of four birdies in a five-hole stretch on the back nine as those around her on the leaderboard collapsed.

Wichanee Meechai of Thailand took herself out of the picture early with a triple bogey, before Lee found trouble on the 12th.

Saso wasn’t immune from mistakes – she had a four-putt double bogey on the par-3 sixth that left her four shots behind Minjee Lee. That was the last of the mistakes that mattered.

Her big run began with a 10-foot birdie putt on the 12th, followed by a wedge to 3 feet on the par-5 13th hole. She hit her approach to 6 feet on the 15th hole and then delivered the winner, a 3-wood to 20 feet on the reachable par-4 16th for a two-putt birdie.

Saso has said she wishes she could play for two flags — her mother is from the Philippines, her father from Japan. She decided to switch citizenship before turning 21, and Saso wound up leading a strong showing by Japan. Compatriot Hinako Shibuno was second.

Lee was the best of the Aussies in ninth. Hannah Green shot the equal low-round of the day to surge up the leaderboard into a tie for 16th two shorts further back. Sarah Kemp was four further back in 29th. Gabi Ruffels was 51st, and Amelia Garvey 58th.

Steph Kyriacou and amateur Keeley Marx missed the cut.

– With AP