THIS WEEK ON THE LPGA TOUR
U.S. WOMEN’S OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP CONDUCTED BY THE USGA
Lancaster Country Club
Lancaster, Pennsylvania
TOP STORYLINES
WIE TO DEFEND FIRST MAJOR WIN
Michelle Wie will arrive at Lancaster Country Club as the reigning U.S. Women’s Open champion and will not only have the goal of defending her first major title but to find a spark in her game.
Wie’s 2015 campaign has been riddled by sickness early in the year and more recently a left hip injury diagnosed as bursitis. The four-time LPGA winner has been working on a complete overhaul to her swing with a narrower stance to take off strain on the ailing hip.
With a week off since her last start in Arkansas, Wie will try to make a turnaround for the second half of the year. Her last four starts included a withdrawal, two missed cuts and a T41 at the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship. Her best finish this season is a tie for 11th at the Kingsmill Championship. A year ago, the Hawaii native shot rounds of 68-68-72-70 at Pinehurst No. 2 to edge Stacy Lewis by two shots for her first U.S. Women’s Open win.
PARK’S IMPRESSIVE MAJOR RECORD
With her win at the Tour’s last major at the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship, Inbee Park solidified herself as the best performer in majors in the women’s game right now. The 26-year old has now won five of the last 12 major championships. Dating back to 2013 in majors, Park was winning just under 50 percent of the time. She now has six career major victories and is tied for 9th all-time with Pat Bradley, Betsy King, Patty Sheehan and Kathy Whitworth. Park will celebrate her 27th birthday this Sunday and if she gives herself a trophy to celebrate, she’ll move into a tie for seventh on the all-time major wins list with seven victories alongside Juli Inkster and Karrie Webb and be tied for most wins among active players.
SHORT MEMORY PAYS OFF FOR PARK
Inbee Park has gained a reputation for her calm and emotionless on-course demeanor but this week in Lancaster may prove another impressive attribute of the six-time major champion: a short memory.
Park, who is coming off her only missed cut of the season two weeks ago in Arkansas said she usually has one missed cut a year which has been true the past four years. But more noteworthy is how she has bounced back from those breakdowns. After each of her missed cuts the past two seasons, Park would go on to win just two weeks after.
Inbee Park’s Record Following Only Cuts in 2013 & 2014
| Missed Cut | Week After | Two Weeks After |
| 2015 Walmart NW Arkansas Champ | Off Week | TBD |
| 2014 Airbus LPGA Classic | T8 – ShopRite LPGA Classic | Win – Manulife LPGA Classic |
| 2013 Pure Silk-Bahamas LPGA Classic | T38 – ShopRite LPGA Classic | Win – Wegmans LPGA Ch. |
LINCICOME LEADS ROLEX ANNIKA MAJOR AWARD POINTS
The 2015 ANA Inspiration champion Brittany Lincicome holds a 14-point lead over Inbee Park in the point standings for the Rolex ANNIKA Major Award. The award was established in 2014 to recognize the player who, during a current LPGA Tour season, has the most outstanding Major Championship record. A player must win a Major Championship to be eligible for the award. With her in win in Rancho Mirage and a fourth-place finish at the KPMG Championship, Lincicome will look to extend her lead this week in Lancaster. Points are awarded to players who finish in the top-10 at the Tour’s five Major Championships:
1st place - 60 pts.; 2nd place - 24 pts.; 3rd place - 18 pts.; 4th place - 14 pts.; 5th place - 12 pts.; 6th place - 10 pts.; 7th place - 8 pts.; 8th place - 6 pts.; 9th place - 4 pts.; 10th place - 2 pts.
| Rank | Player | Points | Wins |
| 1 | Brittany Lincicome | 74 | 1 |
| 2 | Inbee Park | 60 | 1 |
| 3 | Sei Young Kim | 38 | 0 |
| 4 | Morgan Pressel | 30 | 0 |
| 5 | Lexi Thompson | 26 | 0 |
SOUTH KOREAN AND AMERICAN DOMINANCE IN MAJORS
Dating back to the start of the 2012 season, 14 of the 16 major championships have been won by either South Korean or American players. The only two players to break that trend were Suzann Pettersen (2013 Evian Championship) and Shanshan Feng (2013 Wegmans LPGA Championship). During that stretch, South Koreans have won nine majors while Americans have collected five.
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