Gabriela Ruffels made an early charge before a storm caused the postponement of the final round of the US Women’s Open today.

The tournament will be completed tomorrow at Champions Golf Club in Houston, Texas, where the weather is expected to improve.

Ruffels, the 20-year-old Australian amateur playing her second US Women’s Open, made three birdies in her first five holes of the final round to move up to a tie for 25th place overall at four over par.

But at 9.10am local time and with half a dozen groups yet to tee off, the horn blew and play was suspended, and the course was soon flooded.

As it stands, Ruffels is the leading Australian of the four who made the cut. A senior at the University of Southern California, Ruffels is playing as the winner of the 2019 US Amateur, a tournament in which she was also runner-up this year.

She finished inside the top 15 at the ANA Inspiration, another of the women's majors, earlier this year.

Japan’s Hinako Shibuno will take a one-shot lead into the final round’s play, chasing her second major championship.

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