World No. 1 Iga Swiatek comes from behind to defeat Jule Niemeier, advancing to US Open quarterfinals
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USGA Women’s Open
Iga Swiatek earns US Open quarterfinal berth with four-under-par 71
By Greg Bishop and Jason King
Iga Swiatek took care of business at the US Open last year, as she moved from tied for 17th to a tie for sixth place at the end of play at Erin Hills, playing her final round at a four-under-par 71.
She’s made another major move this year and finished in a tie for seventh place, just one stroke shy of tying her third US Open success. In her first start in three months since January 7, Swiatek started the Open at 14 under and posted a four-under par 72 that put her four strokes back in contention.
It was enough to be in position for a quarterfinal spot, as she made birdie on the par-5 16th hole for a 71 that was two-under-par and one shot from par. She hit three of the five par 5s and had a strong day on the par-3 18th, where she holed out for eagle on a 10-footer for her first eagle of the week and three-putted for a birdie putt.
Swiatek went up to 10th in the Official World Golf Ranking as of June 1, so her move to the top 10 in the rankings is all the more surprising. But as much as she’s making headlines with success, she was actually coming off a successful US Open, where she was tied for seventh place, and she’s not the only player with a solid finish at the US Open on the season-long PGA Tour.
Swiatek is one of nine golfers who finished tied for 17th at Erin Hills in 2018, tied for eighth place in 2015 and tied for sixth place in 2013. But it was the win at the Travelers Championship — which was her first PGA Tour event — that most of those players have been waiting to experience. She’s also one of five golfers in the top 10 on the PGA Tour who played the first nine months of the season on the PGA Tour, including in