The season’s second major championship gets underway on Thursday with the U.S. Women’s Open presented by Ally being held for the first time at Erin Hills in Wisconsin. More than 1,900 women sought to qualify for the 80th U.S. Women’s Open in which a field of 156 players will compete for not just the Harton S. Semple trophy but also the Mickey Wright Medal along with a share of an eye-popping $12 million purse. Here is a closer look at what you need to know about the longest-running major championship in women’s golf.

The Field

Nelly Korda headlines the field at the U.S. Women’s Open, and the Rolex Women’s World Golf Rankings No. 1 will continue her pursuit of her first victory of the 2025 season. Korda is making her 11th appearance at the national championship, where she has twice finished inside the top 10 in 2018 at Shoal Creek and in 2022 at Pine Needles Lodge and Golf Club. Korda is coming off a tie for fifth in her last start at the Mizuho Americas Open, where she picked up her third top 10 of the season.

Korda is joined in the field by several players who have already found the winner’s circle in 2025, including Jeeno Thitikul, who earned her first victory of the year at the Mizuho Americas Open. The win came as no surprise to those who have followed the young Thai star, as she has been a consistent force week in and week out on the LPGA Tour. Thitikul is making her fourth U.S. Women’s Open appearance and will be looking to build on the tie for sixth she recorded last season at Lancaster Country Club.

Lydia Ko, also a winner this season at the HSBC Women’s World Championship, has a chance to make history yet again with a victory at Erin Hills. Ko could complete the Career Grand Slam if she were to win the U.S. Women’s Open, having already captured titles at The Chevron Championship, The Amundi Evian Championship and the AIG Women’s Open. Swede Anna Nordqvist could also complete the slam with a victory on Sunday. Nordqvist, who already won three legs of the Career Grand Slam after collecting victories at the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship, The Amundi Evian Championship and the AIG Women’s Open, came close to winning the U.S. Women’s Open at CordeValle Golf Resort when she lost in a playoff to Brittany Lang in 2016.

Mao Saigo, the winner of the first major of the year at The Chevron Championship, will be looking to follow in Inbee Park’s footsteps and become the first player since the Korean in 2013 to win both The Chevron Championship and U.S. Women’s Open in the same season. Saigo is making her fourth U.S. Women’s Open appearance, having recorded a career-best T33 finish in this major championship at Pebble Beach Golf Links in 2023.

Qualifiers

A total of 1,904 entries were received for the 80th U.S. Women’s Open, second all-time to the number received for the 78th U.S. Women’s Open that was held at Pebble Beach. Qualifying was held at 26 sites across the United States, as well as in Canada, Japan and Italy, during April and May. Several notables advanced through qualifying to earn a spot in the field, maybe most significantly former Rolex Rankings No. 1 Yani Tseng. The five-time major champion has struggled with her putting in recent years but was seen putting left-handed at The Chevron Championship in April to try and offset her woes on the green. Tseng is making her first U.S. Women’s Open start since 2016. Other qualifiers include Jing Yan, Grace Kim, Minami Katsu, Celine Borge, Kelly Tan, Jeongeun Lee5 and Wei-Ling Hsu.

The Course

Erin Hills becomes the 16th course to host both a U.S. Open and a U.S. Women’s Open when it welcomes the best in the women’s game to Wisconsin. And while it may be the first time the U.S. Women’s Open is staged at the venue, there have been several other USGA championships contested on the property, including the 2008 U.S. Women’s Amateur Public Links Championship that was won by Tiffany Joh, who described the venue as “firm and fast.” In 2017, the U.S. Open was held at Erin Hills and won by Brooks Koepka with a 72-hole total of 16-under.

Erin Hills’ ridges and contours were sculpted throughout the terrain by a retreating glacier more than 10,000 years ago. Designed by Michael Hurdzan, Dana Fry and Don Whitten, the course opened in 2006 and this week will play to a par 72 at around 6,829 yards. Players can expect to navigate a hilly and physically demanding test as much as a mental one. There will be a number of blind and semi-blind shots for players to contend in addition to wind, which is expected to be one of the course’s biggest defenses but was a non-factor when the men played the course in 2017. Erin Hills is located roughly 35 miles northwest of Milwaukee.

Yuka Saso Defends

In 2024, at Lancaster Country Club, Yuka Saso made history by becoming the youngest multiple winner of the U.S. Women’s Open. Saso, who won her first U.S. Women’s Open title at The Olympic Club in 2021, carded a final-round 68 to win by three strokes over her fellow countrywoman Hinako Shibuno and claim both her second career U.S. Women’s Open and LPGA Tour title. At the age of 22, Saso became the youngest two-time U.S. Women’s Open champion with her victory in Pennsylvania and won this championship under the Philippines flag in 2021 and under the Japanese flag in 2024. She comes to Erin Hills looking for some form, as she’s missed the cut in her last three starts

How to Watch

Live coverage of the U.S. Women’s Open will be available for all four rounds of the championship. Below is the schedule for the week with all times Eastern:

Thursday, May 29: 12-6 p.m. on USA and 6-8 p.m. on Peacock

Friday, May 30: 12-6 p.m. on USA and 6-8 p.m. on Peacock

Saturday, May 31: 1-3 p.m. on Peacock and 3-6 p.m. on NBC

Sunday, June 1: 2-7 p.m. on NBC

Five Things to Know About the 2025 U.S. Women’s Open presented by Ally

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