Minjee Lee of Australia is the defending U.S. Women’s Open champion. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
PEBBLE BEACH — The U.S. Women’s Open, with its largest presence, biggest purse, vastly diverse field and debut on the Monterey Peninsula begins Thursday. It’s taken 77 years.
A field of 156 professionals and amateurs from 30 countries and 20 states will begin at 7 a.m. at the hole No. 1 and No. 10 with a forecast for overcast skies and temperatures in the mid-50s.
Started in 1946, the national golf championship for women has previously been held in California four times, including at the Olympic Club in San Francisco in 2021.
Women’s golf championships have a long history at Pebble Beach, but the most prestigious event in the sport will unfold with network prime time television for the first time and an $11 million purse. It will be the most in the history of the sport. The $2 million winner’s share, an increase of $200,000 from last year, will also issue its largest individual paycheck.
Twelve former U.S. Women’s Open titlists are competing including reigning champion Minjee Lee of Australia, three-time titler Annika Sorenstam, the Swedish Hall of Famer who lives in Florida, and Michelle Wie West, the Hawaiian native ending her long career.
Eighty-nine competitors are fully exempt with the remainder including 28 amateurs, regional and international qualifiers and several players provided with special exemptions.
The Women’s Open will be the Links’ 14th championship, including the U.S. Women’s Amateur in 1940 and 1948, orchestrated by the USGA. Women’s golf debuted at Pebble Beach 100 years ago with the debut of the Pebble Beach Championship for Women.
The LPGA Weathervane Transcontinental Women’s Open was held at Pebble Beach in 1950 and 1951 and the California Women’s Amateur (1967-1986) was held at Pebble Beach.
Besides Sorenstam, Wie West and Lee who won last year’s championship by four shots over Mina Harigae of Monterey, former U.S. Women’s titlists competing include: In Gee Chun (2015), Eun-Hee Ji (2009), Ariya Jutanugarn (2018), A Lim Kim (2020), Brittany Lang (2016), Jeongeun Lee6 (2019), Sung Hyun Park (2017), So Yeon Ryu (2011), Yuka Saso (2021).
Harigae will begin play at 8:06 on the first hole with Jutanugarn and Gay Lopez.
“It feels surreal, not just being home but all the grandstands, all the buildups,” said Harigae. “It’s such a great atmosphere. I feel like everything is like buzzing, and the whole Peninsula is supporting everyone being here. I think they’re really, really behind it.”
The international field defines golf’s global presence, with entrants’ native countries stretching from Chinese Taipei to Scotland and South Africa to the Republic of Korea.
Broadcast network and streaming services, including NBC’s first prime-time coverage of the Women’s Open Saturday and Sunday has necessitated split day tee times for the first two days.
The trio of Haeji Kang of the Republic of China, Lindy Duncan of Plantation, Fla., and amateur Kelly Xu of Claremont, will open the first round on Hole No. 1 at 7 a.m. Charlotte Thomas of England, Gabriela Ruffels of Australia and amateur Sadie Englemann of Auston, Texas will start the day at the same time on the 10th hole.
The afternoon session will begin at 12:45 also on the first and 10th holes.
Rose Zhang, 20, the former Stanford star who won on win her LPGA pro debut in May after 141 weeks as golf’s top women’s amateur, will begin her second major at 2:35 p.m. on the first hole with Lydia Ko of New Zealand, the world’s No. 3-ranked player, and Brooke Henderson of Canada.
Originally published at James Raia