“It’s one of the greatest rounds I’ve ever seen in a major championship… Those are the kinds of rounds that win major championships.” – Morgan Pressel on Nasa Hataoka
“Dare I say, it is the biggest and most important women’s golf event ever to be held.” – Pressel
“She came in here with no spotlight on her. A lot of us were curious how she was going to handle being in this position for the first time.” – Kay Cockerill on Bailey Tardy
Sunday’s Final Round Coverage Begins at 3 p.m. ET on NBC and Peacock
NBC Sports Delivers Most-Watched U.S. Women’s Open First Round In Nearly a Decade
STAMFORD, Conn. – July 8, 2023 – NBC Sports presented third round coverage of the 78th U.S. Women’s Open Championship from Pebble Beach Golf Links in Pebble Beach, Calif., on NBC and Peacock, capped by Live From the U.S. Women’s Open on GOLF Channel.
Third round coverage on NBC and Peacock included a live walk-and-talk interview with Rose Zhang on the 9th hole.
Sunday’s final round coverage on NBC and Peacock begins at 3 p.m. ET.
U.S. Women’s Open – Third Round Leaderboard
| Player | Total |
| Nasa Hataoka | -7 |
| Allisen Corpuz | -6 |
| Bailey Tardy | -4 |
| Hyo Joo Kim | -4 |
| Jiyai Shin | -2 |
| Hae Ran Ryu | -2 |
ON PEBBLE BEACH HOSTING THE U.S. WOMEN’S OPEN
Morgan Pressel: “Pebble Beach is holy ground in the world of golf, and finally the U.S. Women’s Open is being hosted at this historic venue…dare I say, it is the biggest and most important women’s golf event ever to be held.”
ON NASA HATAOKA (-7, Leader)
Pressel: “It’s one of the greatest rounds I’ve ever seen in a major championship. Under these conditions, it was windy today, the golf course was really firm...Those are the kinds of rounds that win major championships.”
Dan Hicks: “Played absolutely to perfection. Bogey-free…the best round of the championship. That’s how impressive this round has been today.”
Abbott: “She’s only hit 11 greens in regulation, but she’s 6-of-6 in scrambling today and she’s first in strokes gained putting this week…a player who has spent a lot of time inside the Top 10 in the world has put together a world-class round of golf today.”
ON ALLISEN CORPUZ (-6, 2nd)
Pressel: “Will have to deal with the pressure of playing in the final group again tomorrow. I was very impressed with the way she handled herself today. Talked about the opportunities she had playing in the final group at Chevron, being in the lead, and how she learned what her body did, what her game did, under pressure. I saw her put that into play today.”
Mel Reid: “This is her second year on Tour, she’s 25 years old, and she’s playing like a veteran. She looks like she has years of experience. It’s impressive…She obviously feels some sort of comfort around these tough golf courses.”
ON BAILEY TARDY (-4, T-3rd)
Pressel on No. 11: “She only missed three fairways each of the first two days, but she’s only hit three fairways so far today. She needs to get this driver straightened out if she is going to compete through the weekend.”
Pressel on par save at No, 7: “At a U.S. Open, these kinds of par saves can be as crucial as putts for birdies or eagles…they just keep your momentum going, a positive mental impact to see something go your way.”
Tom Abbott: “If you look at the last five groups, all of the players are ranked in the top 36 of the Rolex World Rankings – except Bailey Tardy, who is ranked 455th in the world. This has been a really impressive performance today and this week.”
Kay Cockerill: “For many people this has come out of nowhere. Her stats on tour this year have not been good…she hasn’t hit many fairways or greens, her putting stats were poor…but look where she is this week.”
Cockerill: “She came in here with no spotlight on her, managed to put herself into an incredibly positive position in this final group…a lot of us were curious how she was going to handle being in this position for the first time.”
Pressel: “She played so early yesterday, had the lead for her entire round…towards the end, there started to be quite the crowd that gathered to watch her…I think that was good experience, even heading into today.”
ON ROSE ZHANG (+1, T-9th)
Zhang to Cara Banks during live walk-and-talk interview on No. 9: “It doesn’t take much to be aggressive…Pebble is known for its small greens, so being able to hit fairways and greens is crucial for anyone, not just people who are trying to move up the leaderboard…in general, my gameplan is playing with the wind, knowing what to do and understanding how the ball is going to operate in these conditions.”
ON MINJEE LEE (+1, T-9th)
Pressel on Lee after Third Round: “We get to the point where we start to think, ‘How far is too far back?’ And with the potential for volatility on this golf course, I’m not sure.”
ON AINE DONEGAN (+4, T-19th)
Pressel on Donegan hitting it into the penalty area twice on No. 8: “It’s just truly deflating. She had so much momentum. You make the mistake once, that’s fine, but to do it twice in a row is just soul-crushing.”
--NBC SPORTS--