The 80th U.S. Women`s Open, featuring the oldest major championship title and the largest prize purse in women`s professional golf, is set to tee off Thursday at Erin Hills Club in Erin, Wisconsin.
This marks the first time Erin Hills is hosting the U.S. Women`s Open. The course, known for its rolling fairways and greens shaped by ancient glaciers, is expected to present one of the most demanding challenges of the season for the world`s top golfers.
“It tests every part of your game,” commented two-time major champion Nelly Korda on Tuesday. “It`s very demanding. It`s firm. It`s fast, as well. Even if you think you`ve hit it good, you can exhale when you see it stop. I would say even the weather plays a big role with the shots out here, with the putts.”
Here are some of the key storylines for the second major championship of the season:
Can Nelly Korda find her winning form?
Similar to men`s world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler, who needed a few months to secure wins this PGA Tour season, including a major, women`s world No. 1 Nelly Korda has had a slower start on the LPGA Tour. In contrast to last year, when she had six victories before the second major, Korda has yet to win in seven starts this season.
“Yeah, it`s been a very interesting year for me,” Korda stated on Tuesday. “Definitely have had a bit of good and a bit of bad. Kind of a mix in kind of every event that I`ve played in. I would say just patience is what I`ve learned and kind of going back home and really locking in and practicing hard.”
Despite the lack of wins, Korda has performed well, finishing in the top 25 in all but one event. Her results include a runner-up finish at the season-opening Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions and a tie for fifth in her most recent start at the Mizuho Americas Open.
Korda ranks highly on the LPGA Tour in key metrics: second in strokes gained: total (2.40) and off the tee (1.03), and ninth in tee to green (1.59). She also ranks in the top 25 for approach (0.65) and putting (0.86).
She will be seeking a significantly better outcome at the U.S. Women`s Open compared to her recent history, which includes three missed cuts, a tie for eighth, and a tie for 64th in her last five starts. Last year at Lancaster Country Club, Korda struggled early with a 10 on the par-3 12th hole during the first round, leading to an opening score of 80. Although she rebounded with an even-par 70 in the second round, she still missed the cut.
“Oh, yeah, lots of ups and downs,” Korda reflected. “I mean, it`s the biggest test in the game of golf. Definitely has tested me a lot. I love it.”
Korda is scheduled to play the first two rounds alongside England`s Charley Hull and Lexi Thompson.
“At the end of the day, this is why we do what we do is to play these golf courses in these conditions, to test our games in every aspect,” Korda added. “Not even just our games, our mental [strength], as well. I enjoy it, and I`m excited to see what this week is going to bring.”
Lydia Ko pursues career Grand Slam
Lydia Ko has the opportunity to become the eighth golfer in LPGA history to achieve the career Grand Slam if she wins the U.S. Women`s Open. This will be her 14th attempt at the title, where she has previously secured two top-10 finishes but also missed the cut last year.
At just 27 years old, Ko has already claimed three major championships: the 2015 Evian Championship, the 2016 Chevron Championship, and the 2024 Women`s British Open.
Ko is grouped with defending champion Yuka Saso and amateur Rianne Malixi for the first two rounds.
“I think as long as I`m playing, it`s always good to have a goal, so that when I`m working on things, I`m always going forward and not trying to think, `Oh, did I this, so who cares?`” Ko explained. “So it`s just more to just keep myself more motivated. Hopefully not, but even if I never win a U.S. Women`s Open, I don`t think I`m going to wake up from my sleep and go, `I never won.`”
Elite players like Louise Suggs, Mickey Wright, Pat Bradley, Juli Inkster, Karrie Webb, Annika Sorenstam, and Inbee Park are the only ones to have won four different major championships in their careers. Karrie Webb uniquely completed the “super” career Grand Slam by winning five different majors.
Sweden`s Anna Nordqvist, a winner of the 2009 Women`s PGA Championship, 2017 Evian Championship, and 2021 Women`s British Open, also has a chance to complete her career Grand Slam this week.
Yuka Saso aims for a third title
Defending champion Yuka Saso will attempt to become only the seventh golfer to win the national championship three times.
Betsy Rawls and Mickey Wright each won the U.S. Women`s Open four times, while Babe Didrikson Zaharias, Susie Maxwell Berning, Hollis Stacy, and Annika Sorenstam have each won three times.
“I could call myself a two-time major champion, and better than that, two-time U.S. Women`s Open champion,” Saso said regarding her win last year. “I think it`s a great tournament to have beside my name, and, I don`t know, maybe because I dreamed of winning this, and winning it twice is much better.”
Saso is already notable as the only golfer to win the Harton S. Semple Trophy while representing two different countries. When she won the 2021 U.S. Women`s Open at the Olympic Club in San Francisco, she represented the Philippines, her birthplace. Last year, she played for Japan, her father`s home country, defeating Hinako Shibuno by three strokes.
Saso held dual citizenship in both countries before renouncing her Filipino citizenship in 2022, as required by Japanese nationality law before she turned 22.
Erin Hills: A challenging test
Erin Hills Golf Course, located approximately 35 miles northwest of Milwaukee, is a par-72 layout that will play at 6,829 yards. This makes it the second-longest course on the LPGA Tour schedule this season.
The course previously hosted the 2017 U.S. Open for men, where Brooks Koepka won with a low score of 16-under 272.
However, it is not expected to play as easily this week, particularly if the wind conditions are challenging. The forecast includes a possibility of thunderstorms on Friday with winds between 10 to 20 mph, while sunny skies and lighter winds (5 to 10 mph) are predicted for the weekend.
“It`s definitely a really big course,” stated 2023 U.S. Women`s Open champion Allisen Corpuz. “I hit a lot more hybrids and woods than I would have wanted to into greens [during Monday`s practice round]. I think just any major, ball-striking is always really important. I think especially with the green complexes here [and] a lot of run-offs, just a few tight fairways that will definitely be key here.”
Erin Hills lacks water hazards, but it features 132 sand bunkers and 3½-inch fescue rough, which will present significant difficulties.
“It`s very demanding off the tee with all the bunkers,” Korda noted. “The bunkers are not easy. Sometimes you just don`t even have a stance in them because they`re so small. Then the shots into the greens and also the greens. Just an overall good test of your entire game.”
The United States Golf Association maintains alternate tees that can be used if wind conditions are calm or if the course becomes wet.
“We also keep a very close eye on firmness, and obviously speed, wet conditions, very windy conditions,” said Shannon Rouillard, the USGA`s senior director of championships. “It`s really important that the test remains relative and appropriate to the conditions that we`re going to face, whether they`re wet or whether we`re going to experience some greater wind conditions.”
