The U.S. Women’s Open was already pushed from June to December, so what was one more day?

The final major championship of the year – pushed later in 2020 due to COVID-19 complications – saw its final round move from Sunday to Monday due to poor weather in the Houston, Texas area. Instead, the golfers were met with frigid mid-December temperatures that prompted the best in the world to wear multiple layers, toques, and winter jackets between shots.

But despite a cold final round, it was the hot putter of South Korea’s A Lim Kim that ruled the day.

Kim, who had never won the LPGA Tour prior to Monday’s finale at the U.S. Women’s Open (she was making her U.S. Women’s Open debut, to boot) captured her first major title by one shot over world No. 1 Jin Young Ko.

“I had a great round today,” said Ko. “I had a couple missed putts, but I finished good today.”

Kim birdied three of her last four holes Monday to shoot a 4-under 67. Her 67 was the low round of the day. Only five golfers finished under par Monday in extremely difficult conditions.

And perhaps fitting for 2020, she won the event while wearing a mask on the course.

Although not that known outside of South Korea, Kim has made a big impression on her LPGA competitors the last couple of years.  At an annual match-play competition in South Korea the last two years between the LPGA and KLPGA, Kim has defeated Danielle Kang and So Yeon Ryu, respectively.

Amy Olson, Hinako Shibuno, Megan Khang, and Moriya Jutanugarn rounded out the top five.

Olson was trying to put a bow on a heart-wrenching weekend for her family. Her father-in-law suddenly passed away Saturday night prior to what was supposed to be the final round Sunday. She competed in the final round in his honour.

Olson won an NCAA record 20 tournaments while playing college golf. She hasn’t yet won on the LPGA Tour but held the lead Monday for most of the day before Kim’s sizzling stretch of golf to finish the tournament.

For the first time in the 75-year history of the U.S. Women’s Open the golfers played two courses. Cypress Creek was used for three of the rounds, but in order to maximize the late-December daylight, the field split their first two rounds between Cypress Creek (which had been a long-time PGA Tour host in the past) and the Jackrabbit course.

Golf Town athlete Brooke Henderson made the cut on the number but couldn’t make up ground in Saturday’s third round, struggling with the putter.

She was in red figures late Monday but unfortunately bogeyed two of her final five holes to finish at 1-over 72 and 10-over for the championship.

Given the tough conditions, her 72 was still one of the best rounds of the day.

Brooke finished T44 for the week, and will go into next week’s CME Group Tour Championship – the LPGA Tour’s last event of 2020– looking for her first win of the year She has six top-15 finishes on the season out of eight events played.

Fellow Canadian Alena Sharp missed the cut but will also play at the Tour Championship which starts Thursday from Naples, Fla.