Once again, The Olympic Club was unkind to a big name with a big lead. Once again, unlikely resolve won the day after a severe test of skill and nerves. And once again, this diabolical design that peeks through the fog at downtown San Francisco, winking mischievously, proved to be one of the best championship tests in all of golf.

After five memorable U.S. Opens, The Olympic Club put on its first U.S. Women’s Open and it was one for the ages, needing three extra holes before Yuka Saso of the Philippines bested Nasa Hataoka of Japan and hoisted the winner’s trophy after a final round that had more twists and turns than fabled Lombard Street in the City by the Bay.

At one point, Lexi Thompson had a five-stroke lead, but she ended up one stroke out of the playoff. At one point, Hataoka was eight strokes behind. And at one point, Saso opened the final round with double bogeys on the second and third hole.

Then Olympic wrote yet another page in its amazing history. Thompson had not one Jack Fleck, the man who denied Ben Hogan his fifth U.S. Open, but two in Saso and Hataoka.

Lexi made bogeys on the final two holes; Saso made birdies on Nos. 16 and 17 and Hataoka made three birdies in a four-hole stretch beginning on No. 13 as she closed with a remarkable 68 to finish at 4-under-par 280, tied with Saso, who closed with a 73. Thompson’s 75 left her at 281.

Both Hataoka and Saso made pars on each hole of the two-hole aggregate playoff and then Saso – who at 19 years, 11 months and 17 days matches Inbee Park as the youngest winner of the U.S. Women’s Open – rolled in a 12-foot putt on the first hole of sudden death for the win.

“For the first few holes I had two double bogeys, and I was actually a little upset,” Saso said. “But my caddie said, ‘Just keep on going; there's many more holes to go.’ That's what I did.”

While Thompson was the fan favorite on Sunday, Saso had a large following from the significant local Filipino population, many of whom carried the flag of the Philippines and called out to Yuka in her native language.

“I don't know what's happening in the Philippines right now, but I'm just thankful that there's so many people cheering for me,” Saso said. “I don't know how to thank them. They gave me so much energy. I want to say thank you to everyone. There's so many people holding up Philippines flags, and it's really big. It made me really happy.”

Thompson, who played in her first U.S. Women’s Open at the age of 12 and has won 11 times on the LPGA Tour by the age of 26, joined Hogan in 1955, Arnold Palmer in 1966, Tom Watson in 1987, Payne Stewart in 1998 and Jim Furyk in 2012 as stars who lost a late lead at The Olympic Club.

She was five stokes up after eight holes on Sunday, made a double bogey on No. 11, then closed with back-to-back bogeys for a 41. For 63 holes, the Achilles heel that has hobbled Thompson throughout her career – a suspect short game – behaved. But a series of shaky chips shots and tentative putts beginning on No. 11 frittered away strokes and let Hataoka and Saso back into the championship.

“I really didn't feel like I hit any bad golf shots,” Thompson said. “That’s what this golf course can do to you, and that’s what I’ve said all week. But overall, I’d be the first one to tell you that I hit some bad golf shots and I deserved it, but it's golf.”

It was yet another bitter pill for Thompson at a major championship. There was the four-stroke penalty in the 2017 ANA Inspiration and a squandered final-round lead at the 2019 U.S. Women’s Open. Still, she’s won at least once every year since 2013 except the pandemic-shortened 2020 season. During that stretch, she has been in the top 10 in a major at least once every year and 16 times overall, 11 of those top-five finishes.

“I’ll take today and I’ll learn from it and have a lot more weeks ahead, a lot more years,” said Thompson. “I have a tournament next week, so we'll take it from here.”

Seven years removed from her only major title, Thompson has searched for the missing pieces. In 2018, she stepped away from the game in the middle of the season to reassess her priorities on and off the golf course, realizing she’s spent her life trying to grow up while in the public spotlight. She will need a healthy dose of the new-found perspective to pick up the pieces after becoming the latest big-name notch on the belt of The Olympic Club.

Meantime, this U.S. Women’s Open – and The Olympic Club – served as a stage upon which a bunch of new stars performed admirably. In addition to Saso, 19, and Hataoka, 22, there was 17-year-old Megha Ganne, who won hearts and the low-amateur medal, while Megan Khang, 23, tied for fourth and Angel Yin, 22, was sixth.

No star danced better than Saso, who built her swing by watching videos of 2011 U.S. Open champion Rory McIlroy. She took a long, hard look at the trophy when it was handed to her, in awe of her accomplishment.

“I was just looking at all the great players in here,” she said. “Yeah, I can't believe my name is going to be here.”

Once again, The Olympic Club did not disappoint. The first U.S. Women’s Open Championship here followed the script of the five U.S. Opens that preceded it. This is a golf course that saves its best for last – just ask a bunch of big names.

Ron Sirak is a Massachusetts-based freelance writer who frequently contributes to USGA digital channels.