80th U.S. Women's Open Notebook and Storylines

This is the 80th U.S. Women’s Open Championship Presented by Ally and the third in the state of Wisconsin.  

The first U.S. Women’s Open, played at Spokane (Wash.) Country Club in 1946 and won by Patty Berg, was the only one conducted at match play. The Women’s Professional Golfers Association (WPGA) conducted three U.S. Women’s Opens, and in 1949, the newly formed Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) took over operation of the championship. The LPGA ran the Women’s Open for four years, but in 1953 asked the United States Golf Association (USGA) to conduct the championship, which it has done ever since.    

The youngest winners of the U.S. Women’s Open are Inbee Park and Yuka Saso, who each won the championship at 19 years, 11 months and 17 days. Babe Didrikson Zaharias, who won the 1954 Women’s Open at 43 years and 7 days, is the oldest winner.  

In 1967, Catherine Lacoste, of France, the daughter of hall-of-fame tennis player Rene Lacoste and 1927 British Ladies Amateur champion Simone Thion de la Chaume, became the only amateur to win the U.S. Women’s Open. Seven other amateurs, most recently Hye-Jin Choi in 2017, have had runner-up or co-runner-up finishes.  

WHO’S HERE  

Among the 155 golfers currently in the 2025 U.S. Women’s Open (note: one spot currently being held for the winner of the LPGA’s MEXICO Riviera Maya Open at Mayakoba), there are:    

U.S. Women’s Open champions (8)  
In Gee Chun (2015), Allisen Corpuz (2023), Ariya Jutanugarn (2018), A Lim Kim (2020), Minjee Lee (2022), Jeongeun Lee6 (2019), Sung Hyun Park (2017), Yuka Saso (2021, 2024) 

U.S. Women’s Open runners-up (11)  
Hye-Jin Choi (2017), Nasa Hataoka (2021), Charley Hull (2023), Hyo Joo Kim (2018), Jin Young Ko (2020), Anna Nordqvist (2016), Hinako Shibuno (2024), Jiyai Shin (2023), Lexi Thompson (2019), Amy Yang (2012, 2015), Angel Yin (2019)  

U.S. Women’s Amateur champions (5)  
Saki Baba (2022), Lydia Ko (2012), Rianne Malixi (2024), Gabriela Ruffels (2019), Rose Zhang (2020)  

U.S. Girls’ Junior champions (8)  
Ariya Jutanugarn (2011), Minjee Lee (2012), Rianne Malixi (2024), Yealimi Noh (2018), Kiara Romero (2023), Jenny Shin (2006), Lexi Thompson (2008), Rose Zhang (2021)  

U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur champions (1)  
Hana Ryskova (2024)  

 U.S. Senior Women’s Open champions (1)  
Leta Lindley (2024)  

U.S. Women’s Amateur Four-Ball champions (3)  
Hailee Cooper (2016), Sarah Lim (2024), Asterisk Talley (2024)  

U.S. Women’s Amateur Public Links champions (1)  
Yani Tseng (2004)   

U.S. National Junior Team members (2)  
Jude Lee (2025), Asterisk Talley (2024, 2025)  

USA Curtis Cup Team members (9)  
Amari Avery (2022), Allisen Corpuz (2021), Lindy Duncan (2012), Jennifer Kupcho (2018), Andrea Lee (2016, 2018), Lexi Thompson (2010), Asterisk Talley (2024), Lilia Vu (2018), Rose Zhang (2021, 2022)  

GB&I Curtis Cup Team members (5)  
Gemma Dryburgh (2014), Charley Hull (2012), Leona Maguire (2010, 2012, 2016), Caley McGinty (2021, 2022), Lottie Woad (2024)  

NCAA Division I champions (4)  
Maria Fassi (2019, University of Arkansas), Jennifer Kupcho (2018, Wake Forest University), Maria José Marin (2025, University of Arkansas), Rose Zhang (2022, 2023, Stanford University)  

Olympic Medalists (3)  
Esther Henseleit (Germany – 2024, bronze), Lydia Ko (New Zealand – 2016, silver; 2020, bronze; 2024, gold), Nelly Korda (USA – 2020, gold)  

Augusta National Women’s Amateur champions (4)  
Carla Bernat Escuder (2024), Jennifer Kupcho (2019), Lottie Woad (2024), Rose Zhang (2023)  

Players with Most U.S. Women’s Open Appearances (2025 included)  
Lexi Thompson (19), Amy Yang (19), Anna Nordqvist (17), Jenny Shin (15), Carlota Ciganda (14), Moriya Jutanugarn (14), Lydia Ko (14), Leta Lindley (14), Brooke Henderson (13), Ariya Jutanugarn (13), Megan Khang (13)  

Active Consecutive U.S. Women’s Open Appearances (2025 included)  
Lexi Thompson (19, 2007-25), Amy Yang (19, 2007-24), Anna Nordqvist (17, 2009-25), Carlota Ciganda (14, 2012-25), Lydia Ko (14, 2012-25), Moriya Jutanugarn, (12, 2014-25), Sei Young Kim (12, 2014-25), Minjee Lee (12, 2014-25)  

Played in 2008 U.S. Women’s Amateur Public Links at Erin Hills  
Allisen Corpuz  
   
First-Time U.S. Women’s Open Competitors (40)  
Hanna Alberto, Sohyun Bae, Carla Bernat Escuder, Brooke Biermann, Vanessa Borovilos, Jennifer Elliott, Rayee Feng, Nataliya Guseva, Nanoko Hayashi, Kary Hollenbaugh, Anna Huang, Youmin Hwang, Hinata Ikeba, Kotono Izumida, Leah John, Gabriella Kano, Nicha Kanpai, Hazuki Kimura, Katelyn Kong, Shiho Kuwaki, Jude Lee, Sophia Lee, Napat Lertsadwattana, Sarah Lim, Maria José Marin, Julia Lopez Ramirez, Carolina Lopez-Chacarra, Rianne Malixi, Paula Martin Sampedro, Caley McGinty, Aira Nagasawa, Lauren Nguyen, Emily Odwin, Seung Hui Ro, Hana Ryskova, Andie Smith, Chiara Tamburlini, Kailie Vongsaga, Hyunjo Yoo, Ina Yoon,   

Countries Represented (30)  
Australia (6), Barbados (1), Belgium (1), Canada (5), Chinese Taipei (4), Colombia (1), Czechia (2), Denmark (1), Ecuador (1), England (3), France (2), Germany (5), Japan (21), Malaysia (1), Mexico (2), New Zealand (1), Norway (1), People’s Republic of China (2), Philippines (2), Republic of Ireland (1), Republic of Korea (25), Russian Federation (1), Scotland (1), Slovenia (1), South Africa (1), Spain (5), Sweden (6), Switzerland (3), Thailand (11) and United States of America (38)  

States Represented (15)  
Arizona (1), California (13), Colorado (1), Florida (6), Georgia (1), Hawaii (1), Louisiana (1), Massachusetts (1), Missouri (1), Nevada (1), New Jersey, (2), Ohio (1), South Carolina (1), Texas (6) and Virginia (1)    

CHAMPIONSHIP FIELD   

The 156-player field includes 90 fully exempt golfers and eight U.S. Women’s Open champions. Qualifying, conducted over 36 holes, was held at 26 sites between April 14 and May 13 – three international sites (Canada, Italy and Japan) and 23 U.S. sites.    

Amateur Players in the Field (26)  
Carla Bernat Escuder, Brooke Biermann, Vanessa Borovilos, Rayee Feng, Kary Hollenbaugh, Gabriella Kano, Nicha Kanpai, Hazuki Kimura, Katelyn Kong, Jude Lee, Sophia Lee, Katie Li, Sarah Lim, Carolina Lopez-Chacarra, Rianne Malixi, Maria Jose Marin, Paula Martin Sampedro, Aira Nagasawa, Lauren Nguyen, Farah O’Keefe, Emily Odwin, Kiara Romero, Hana Ryskova, Andie Smith, Asterisk Talley and Lottie Woad  

Top-Ranked Amateur Players in the Field  

Ten amateurs are in the top 50 of the Women’s World Amateur Golf Ranking® as of May 21:   

No. 1 -- Lottie Woad  
No. 3 -- Kiara Romero  
No. 5 -- Rianne Malixi  
No. 10 -- Farah O’Keefe  
No. 11-- Maria Jose Marin  
No. 14 -- Paula Martin Sampedro  
No. 16 -- Asterisk Talley  
No. 19 -- Carla Bernat Escuder  
No. 20 -- Carolina Lopez-Chacarra  
No. 22 -- Kary Hollenbaugh  
No. 46 -- Vanessa Borovilos  

Notable Amateur Storylines    

Rianne Malixi, 18, of the Philippines, etched her name in the record books in 2024 by becoming just the second player in USGA history to win both the U.S. Women’s Amateur and U.S. Girls’ Junior titles in the same year—joining Eun Jeong Seong (2016). In an impressive double feat, Malixi defeated rising star Asterisk Talley in both 36-hole finals, winning 8 and 7 at the U.S. Girls’ Junior and 3 and 2 at the U.S. Women’s Amateur. With her victory, she also became the first Filipina to claim the U.S. Women’s Amateur title. Currently ranked No. 4 in the Women’s World Amateur Golf Ranking®, Malixi is set to begin her collegiate career at Duke University this fall. Despite battling back issues this spring—which forced her to withdraw from the Augusta National Women’s Amateur and two LPGA Tour events, including the Chevron Championship—she remains one of the game’s most promising young talents.  
  
Emily Odwin, 21, of Barbados, made history in 2025 as the first player from her country to qualify for the U.S. Women’s Open. Odwin spent one season at the University of Texas before transferring to SMU, where she finished fifth in the 2024 American Athletic Conference Championship. In 2021, she became the first Caribbean golfer to qualify for both the U.S. Girls’ Junior and U.S. Women’s Amateur in the same year. In 2023, she represented Barbados in the inaugural Women’s Latin America Amateur Championship in Argentina. A year later, she earned runner-up honors in the same event in Peru, securing a spot in the 2025 South American Women’s Amateur in Chile. Her achievements on and off the course earned her the Barbados Olympic Association’s Senior Female Athlete Special Recognition Award in 2024.  

Kiara Romero, 19, of San Jose, Calif., qualified for her second U.S. Women’s Open in dominant fashion, carding rounds of 65 and 68 for a 6-under-par total of 133 to earn medalist honors. Romero made her championship debut in 2024 after winning the 2023 U.S. Girls’ Junior, where she edged Rianne Malixi, 1 up, in a hard-fought final. A rising star at the University of Oregon, Romero has already etched her name in program history. As a freshman, she broke the school’s single-season scoring record with a 70.84 average over 31 rounds, became the first Duck to be named National Freshman of the Year, and earned WGCA First-Team All-America honors—just the second in program history to do so. She was also one of five players named to the inaugural WGCA All-Freshman Team. Romero followed that up with a standout sophomore campaign, winning the Big Ten Conference title in Oregon’s first year in the league. Her impressive amateur resume includes victories at the 2021 Polo Golf Junior Classic, the 2023 ANNIKA Intercollegiate Presented by 3M, and the 2024 San Diego State Classic. She is also a member of the U.S. National Development Program’s Elite Amateur squad.  

Asterisk Talley, 16, of Chowchilla, Calif., whose first name means "Little Star" in Greek, is set to make her second appearance in the U.S. Women’s Open. One of the two youngest players in the field, Talley held the distinction of being the youngest competitor in last year’s championship at Lancaster (Pa.) Country Club. She earned an exemption into this year’s championship by finishing runner-up at the 2024 U.S. Women’s Amateur at Southern Hills Country Club in Tulsa, Okla. Talley’s 2024 season was nothing short of extraordinary. She captured titles at the prestigious Junior Invitational at Sage Valley and the U.S. Women’s Amateur Four-Ball (with partner Sarah Lim). Representing the USA in the Curtis Cup Match in England, she earned a statement victory by defeating world No. 1 Lottie Woad in Sunday singles. Talley also finished runner-up in both the U.S. Girls’ Junior and U.S. Women’s Amateur and earned low-amateur honors at the 2024 U.S. Women’s Open, alongside Catherine Park and Megan Schofill. Most recently, she placed second at the 2025 Augusta National Women’s Amateur. A member of the inaugural U.S. National Junior Team in 2024, Talley continues to represent the red, white and blue in 2025 as part of the elite squad.  
  
Lottie Woad, 21, of England, currently holds the No. 1 spot in the Women’s World Amateur Golf Ranking®. She earned her place in the 2024 U.S. Women’s Open at Lancaster (Pa.) Country Club with a thrilling victory at the Augusta National Women’s Amateur, where she sank clutch birdie putts on the final two holes to edge Bailey Shoemaker by one stroke. Woad closed with a 3-under 69 to finish at 8-under 208, capping off a defining moment in her amateur career. A standout at Florida State University, the junior was named to the All-Atlantic Coast Conference team for the third time in 2024 after posting a 69.76 scoring average and a season-low round of 66. Internationally, Woad has been a consistent presence on the global stage, representing England in the Women’s World Amateur Team Championships in 2022 (France) and 2023 (United Arab Emirates), competing for the International side in the 2023 Palmer Cup, and playing for Great Britain & Ireland in the 2024 Curtis Cup Match. Woad, the 2022 R&A Girls’ Junior champion, added to her impressive resume this spring with a third-place finish at the 2025 Augusta National Women’s Amateur.  
 
Amateur Players in Recent U.S. Women’s Opens  

Youngest Competitor  
At 16 years of age as of May 30 (the first day of the championship), Anna Huang of Canada, Asterisk Talley, of Fresno, Calif., and Rayee Feng, of Short Hills, N.J., are the championship’s youngest competitors.  

Oldest Competitor  
At age 52, Leta Lindley is the championship’s oldest competitor.  

The average age of the championship field is 25.98.  

Oldest U.S. Women’s Open Champions (years/months/days)  
43/0/7              Babe Didrikson Zaharias, 1954  
42/0/13           Juli Inkster, 2002  
41/2/20           Meg Mallon, 2004  

Youngest U.S. Women’s Open Champions (years/months/days)  
19/11/17         Inbee Park, 2008  
19/11/17     Yuka Saso, 2021  
20/9/8               Se Ri Pak, 1998  
20/11/2            In Gee Chun, 2015  

Championship Birthdays   
Seven players in the U.S. Women’s Open field will celebrate a birthday during championship week. Jeongeun Lee6, the 2019 U.S. Women’s Open champion, Minjee Lee, the 2022 U.S. Women’s Open champion, and Leta Lindley, the 2024 U.S. Senior Women’s Open champion are among this group.   

Sisters in the Field   
For the tenth consecutive year, and 11th time overall, sisters Ariya and Moriya Jutanugarn, of Thailand, are both in the field. Twins Chisato and Akie Iwai of Japan will play in their third consecutive U.S. Women’s Open together. The Jutanugarns and Iwais are two of eight sets of sisters to have competed in the same U.S. Women’s Open.  

Danielle and Dina Ammaccapane (8) – 1991-93, 1996, 1998-99, 2001-02  
Alice Bauer and Marlene Bauer Hagge (12) – 1947, 1949-55, 1957-58, 1964, 1966  
Chisato and Akie Iwai (1) - 2023-25  
Ariya and Moriya Jutanugarn (10) – 2011, 2015-25  
Jessica and Nelly Korda (7) – 2013, 2016-22  
Aree and Naree Song (2) – 2003, 2005  
Annika and Charlotta Sorenstam (8) – 1997, 1999-2005  
Hollis Stacy and Martha Stacy Leach (1) – 1980  

The U.S. Women’s Open Course  
Erin Hills, located 35 miles northwest of Milwaukee in the Kettle Moraine region, was designed by the team of Dr. Michael Hurdzan, Dana Fry and Ron Whitten. The public facility opened for play in 2006. Covering 652 acres, the area was shaped by the last glacier to cover south central Wisconsin. The course features bentgrass greens and fine fescue fairways. The design team oversaw a major renovation to the layout in 2010.  

Longest Course in Championship History  
7,026 yards    The Broadmoor (East Course), first round, Colorado Springs, Colo., 2011  
6,986 yards    The Broadmoor (East Course), third round, Colorado Springs, Colo., 2011  

Shortest Course in Championship History  
6,010 yards    Brooklawn C.C., Fairfield, Conn., 1979  

Longest Par-3 Holes in Championship History  
257 yards    8th, Oakmont (Pa.) C.C., fourth round, 2010  
243 yards    8th, Oakmont (Pa.) C.C., first round, 2010  
234 yards    8th, Interlachen C.C., Edina, Minn., fourth round, 2008  
233 yards    8th, Oakmont (Pa.) C.C., second round, 2010  
   
Longest Par-4 Holes in Championship History  
468 yards    10th, The Broadmoor (East Course), Colorado Springs, Colo., second round, 2011  
464 yards    10th, The Broadmoor (East Course), Colorado Springs, Colo., third round, 2011  
464 yards    10th, The Broadmoor (East Course), Colorado Springs, Colo., second round, 2011  
460 yards    15th, Oakmont (Pa.) C.C., third round, 2010   

Longest Par-5 Holes in Championship History  
623 yards    17th, The Broadmoor (East Course), Colorado Springs, Colo., second round, 2011  
606 yards    17th, The Broadmoor (East Course), Colorado Springs, Colo., third round, 2011  
603 yards    7th, The Broadmoor (East Course), Colorado Springs, Colo., fourth round, 2011  
602 yards    12th, Oakmont (Pa.) C.C., second round, 2010  
602 yards    12th, Oakmont (Pa.) C.C., third round, 2010  

What the Winner Receives  
In addition to prize money, the champion will receive the Mickey Wright Medal, custody of the Harton S. Semple Trophy for the ensuing year and an exemption from qualifying for the next 10 U.S. Women’s Open Championships.   

The 2025 purse is $12M.  

The Last Time it Happened at a U.S. Women’s Open Championship  

Yuka Saso: last international winner (2024)  
Karrie Webb: last to defend title (2001)  
A Lim Kim: last champion to win Women’s Open on first attempt (2020)  
So Yeon Ryu: last winner to win Women’s Open on second attempt (2011)  
Catherine Lacoste: last amateur to win Women’s Open (1967)  
Annika Sorenstam: last start-to-finish winner (2006 – playoff)  
A Lim Kim: last winner to birdie the 72nd hole (2020)  
So Yeon Ryu: last winner to birdie the 72nd hole to force playoff (2011)  
A Lim Kim: last winner to birdie the 72nd hole to win by one stroke (2020)  
Allisen Corpuz: last to win with four sub-par rounds (2023)  
Eun-Hee Ji: last to win without a round in the 60s (2009)  
Hilary Lunke: last player to win after competing in local qualifying (2003)  
Birdie Kim: last player to win after competing in final qualifying (2005)  
Yuka Saso, 19: last winner younger than 20 (2021)  
Yuka Saso, 22: last winner between ages 20-29 (2024)  
Brittany Lang, 30: last winner between ages 30-39 (2016)  
Meg Mallon, 41: last winner over age 40 (2004)  
Allisen Corpuz: last defending champion to miss the cut (2024)  

Title Defense  
Should Yuka Saso win, she would become the eighth player to successfully defend her championship title. She would join Mickey Wright (1958-59), Donna Caponi (1969-70), Susie Maxwell Berning (1972-73), Hollis Stacy (1977-78), Betsy King (1989-90), Annika Sorenstam (1995-96) and Karrie Webb (2000-01).   

In 2020, Jeongeun Lee6 became the first defending champion since Juli Inkster in 2003 to finish in the Top 10.