The weather is turning warm, and many people around the world and the country are hoping to play and enjoy the sand — except while playing at a major tournament.
At the U.S. Women's Open, the bunkers weren’t the beach break the average person hopes for in warm weather. In fact, they were brutal. And for many of the LPGA’s best, sand saves proved to be the difference between a leaderboard climb and a costly slip.
What is a sand save in golf?
A sand save is when a player gets their ball caught in a bunker and after two shots, including out of the bunker, they are able to put it into the cup. Sand save percentage measures how often a player gets up and down from a greenside bunker, but it has key limitations despite being a useful short-game stat.
Swedish player and winner of the Open, Maja Stark, played well enough to not put a shot into the bunker on Sunday. For the tournament, she went three of four for sand saves. She won by two strokes, and that may have been the difference.
How other LPGA stars fared in the sand
Fellow Swede, Linn Grant, finished in a tie for ninth in the tournament. She had one sand save and failed to convert on her lone attempt.
Charley Hull finished in the top 25 of the tournament, and she had none on the final round on Sunday.
Newcomer, Julia Lopez Ramirez had two saves out of three attempts in the final round. She made five of seven for the tournament. Ramirez, a 22-year-old, had to qualify for the Open beforehand, and her effort in sand saves may be a reason she secured her first top 25 of her young career.
It's an important but often overlooked part of any player's game. And sometimes, in the case of Stark, it may be the difference between victory and defeat.
Madelene Sagstrom is the top player on tour in the category. She's made 14 sand saves out of 20 attempts this year, and that brings her to an impressive 70% for the season.
The unsung importance of bunker play at major tournaments
Member of the LPGA Hall of Fame and three-time major winner Lydia Ko currently ranks in fifth place on tour. She has made 24 of 38 attempts during the season at 60%.
Whether you're on the men's or women's circuit, a ball landing inside of a bunker is enough to make you cringe. However, some players can save both a hole and the tournament itself by making a sand save in any given round.
Could better sand saves have changed the leaderboard?
If Stark had not made one of her sand saves, it could have given the rest of the field the opening they needed to tie or take home the trophy on Sunday. But the right approach in the sand allowed her to secure the victory.