The country celebrated its independence day this past weekend, and this week, the LPGA Tour will do battle in the nation’s national championship.
It’s U.S. Women’s Open week, and that means an extra level of intensity, more nerves, thicker rough and fewer birdies as the best women’s players in the world take on a challenging course and each other for one of the sport’s grandest prizes. Conducted by the USGA, the U.S. Women’s Open is easily one of the game’s crown jewels, and players will be grinding as hard as they can to fight their way toward the top of the leaderboard.
Michelle Wie realized a lifelong dream by winning the prestigious event last summer at Pinehurst, and she will be back to defend her title against a stacked field as she looks to become the event’s first repeat winner since Hall of Famer Karrie Webb from 2000-01. Wie’s victory broke a string of three consecutive wins by players from the Republic of Korea, and stars from that golf powerhouse nation have won five of the last seven U.S. Women’s Opens.
Two of those (2008, 2013) were triumphs by world No. 1 Inbee Park, who should be among the favorites heading into Thursday’s opening round. Park is playing great golf, won the Tour’s most recent major at the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship and she has the game to contend virtually every week. Former world No. 1 Lydia Ko is still searching for her first major championship and would love to get it this week, and two-time and reigning Rolex Player of the Year Stacy Lewis is having another top-notch season.
Two-time 2015 tournament winners Sei Young Kim and Na Yeon Choi would love to make it six of eight for the Republic of Korea, and Choi hoisted the U.S. Women’s Open trophy in 2012. Brittany Lincicome won the LPGA’s other major earlier this season, the ANA Inspiration, and she routinely plays well in Open-type setups and could be a factor as well.
The list of potential contenders could go on and on, and there are sure to be some surprises at the par-70, 6,460-yard Lancaster (Pa.) Country Club as the $4 million tournament proceeds over the course of the weekend. Par is always a good score at the U.S. Women’s Open, and the average winning score has been 4-under-par the last 10 years, so course management skills will be tested from start to finish.
Another great thing about the event is the presence of a host of talented amateur players teeing it up alongside the world’s top women’s pros. This year’s field includes 24 amateurs, and they would love to join Catherine LaCoste (1967) as amateur U.S. Women’s Open winners.
It will all play out soon enough, and Fox Sports and Fox Sports 1 will carry the action all weekend. Fox Sports 1 will televise the first two rounds, while the final 36 holes will be broadcast on Fox Sports.
It should be quite the spectacle, and the country will have a new national champion on Sunday afternoon.
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