The 80th U.S. Women`s Open, featuring the oldest major championship title and the largest prize fund in women`s professional golf, begins this Thursday at Erin Hills Club in Erin, Wisconsin.
Erin Hills is hosting the U.S. Women`s Open for the first time. The course, known for its undulating fairways and greens shaped by ancient glaciers, is expected to present one of the most challenging tests of the season for the world`s top golfers.
“It tests every part of your game,” two-time major champion Nelly Korda remarked 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 main storylines for the season`s second major championship:
Can Nelly Korda Find Her Form?
Just as World No. 1 male golfer Scottie Scheffler took a few months to hit his stride this PGA Tour season before winning twice, including his third major, World No. 1 female golfer Nelly Korda has had a similar start on the LPGA Tour. Unlike last year, when Korda had already secured six victories by the time the second major rolled around, she is still seeking her first win in seven starts this season.
“Yeah, it`s been a very interesting year for me,” Korda commented 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.”
Korda`s performance this season hasn`t been poor; she has finished in the top 25 in all but one event, including a runner-up finish in the season-opening Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions and a tie for fifth in her most recent start at the Mizuho Americas Open.
Statistically, she ranks second on the LPGA Tour in strokes gained: total (2.40) and off the tee (1.03), and ninth in tee to green (1.59). She is also in the top 25 for approach (0.65) and putting (0.86).
However, she hopes for a better outcome at the U.S. Open this year compared to recent attempts. In her last five starts in this championship, she has missed the cut three times, tied for eighth once, and tied for 64th once. At last year`s event at Lancaster Country Club, Korda had a memorable struggle on the par-3 12th hole in the first round, carding a 10 en route to an opening 80. Although she recovered with an even-par 70 in the second round, she still missed the cut.
“Oh, yeah, lots of ups and downs,” Korda acknowledged. “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, teeing off on No. 1 Thursday afternoon and No. 10 Friday morning.
“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 stated. “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 Chases 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 week, in her 14th appearance. She has previously recorded two top-10 finishes in the tournament but missed the cut for the first time 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 paired with defending U.S. Women’s Open champion Yuka Saso and amateur Rianne Malixi for the opening rounds, starting their play on No. 1 Thursday morning and No. 10 Friday afternoon.
“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.`”
Only seven players have completed the career Grand Slam by winning four different major championships: Louise Suggs, Mickey Wright, Pat Bradley, Juli Inkster, Karrie Webb, Annika Sorenstam, and Inbee Park. Karrie Webb is notably the only one to achieve the “super career Grand Slam” by winning five different majors.
Sweden`s Anna Nordqvist, winner of the 2009 Women`s PGA Championship, 2017 Evian Championship, and 2021 Women`s British Open, also has the chance to complete her career Grand Slam at Erin Hills this week.
Yuka Saso Aims for Third U.S. Women`s Open Title
Yuka Saso is attempting to join an elite group of only six golfers who have won the U.S. national championship three or more times.
Betsy Rawls (1951, 1953, 1957, 1960) and Mickey Wright (1958, 1959, 1961, 1964) won four times each, while Babe Didrikson Zaharias (1948, 1950, 1954), Susie Maxwell Berning (1968, 1972, 1973), Hollis Stacy (1977, 1978, 1984), and Annika Sorenstam (1995, 1996, 2006) each secured three victories.
“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 victory 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 already holds a unique place in the championship`s history as the only golfer to lift the Harton S. Semple Trophy while representing two different countries. Her initial win at the 2021 U.S. Women`s Open at the Olympic Club in San Francisco came while she represented the Philippines, her birthplace. Last year, she played for Japan, her father`s homeland, when she defeated Hinako Shibuno by three strokes with a total score of 4-under 276.
Saso held dual citizenship before choosing Japanese nationality in 2022, a requirement under Japanese law before turning 22.
The Challenge of Erin Hills
Located about 35 miles northwest of Milwaukee, Erin Hills Golf Course is a par-72 layout measuring 6,829 yards for the championship. This makes it the second-longest course played on the LPGA Tour schedule so far this season.
Erin Hills previously hosted the 2017 U.S. Open for men, where Brooks Koepka won with a score of 16-under 272.
Scoring is not expected to be as low for the women this week, particularly if the wind becomes a factor. The forecast includes a chance of thunderstorms and winds blowing 10 to 20 mph on Friday, though sunny skies with lighter winds (5 to 10 mph) are predicted for the weekend.
“It`s definitely a really big course,” commented 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.”
While Erin Hills notably lacks water hazards, its defenses include 132 sand bunkers and challenging 3½-inch fescue rough, which will complicate play.
“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 (USGA) has alternative tees prepared, should conditions like a lack of wind or soft ground warrant adjustments.
“We also keep a very close eye on firmness, and obviously speed, wet conditions, very windy conditions,” stated Shannon Rouillard, 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.”
