LOS ANGELES — After Celine Boutier won the ShopRite LPGA powered by Wakefern last week on the LPGA Tour, Australian Karis Davidson got an opportunity that every professional golfer dreams of enjoying one day.

She was given the last spot in the field at the U.S. Women’s Open.

Davidson finished as the first alternate at the Seattle qualifying site after posting a 36-hole total of 143 (71-72) at Rainier Golf and Country Club. The USGA traditionally holds a spot in the field for the winner of the last LPGA Tour event before the start of the major championship if they aren’t already qualified, so when Boutier collected her seventh career title in New Jersey last week, it was the Aussie who wound up getting the tap to tee it up at Riviera Country Club, a call that she wasn’t sure she’d actually receive.

“I came over from Australia with the mindset of you know what, even if I don't get in, I'll stay with the other Aussie girls and watch a bit of golf at Riv and hopefully get a practice round round the place. Obviously, I was really happy when I got the call.” Davidson explained when asked about being on-site as the first alternate on Sunday. “My caddie knew, and some friends back home researched it, so they knew, but I was just waiting for the official call.”

Really, though, getting into this field doesn’t mean anything unless you do something with that berth, and Karis took that sentiment to heart, taking early advantage of the surprise start on Thursday in Los Angeles by posting a 2-under 69 to kick off her first-ever appearance in the U.S. Women’s Open presented by Ally.

The 27-year-old got the round started with a two-putt birdie on the par-5 first hole after finding the green in two and then added another to her tally when she stuffed her tee shot to five feet on the iconic par-3 sixth hole, which famously has a bunker in the middle of the green. A drained 18-foot birdie putt on eight saw the Aussie turn in 32 at 3-under overall, but she slipped back to 2-under when she three-putted for bogey on the 12th.

Davidson recovered immediately by rolling in a 30-foot birdie try on 13 and didn’t stumble again until the par-5 17th hole, where she once again three-putted en route to bogey. Karis then closed out the first round with a par on 18 to ultimately finish at 2-under and sit three shots behind 18-hole leader Jennifer Kupcho, who fired a 66 to kick off her week in Hollywood.

“I'm really chuffed,” said Davidson. “Played solid. Holed some good putts. Also missed a couple of silly ones. My concentration was not the best. On the back nine, I would say I lost a bit of energy.”

Davidson has been playing some incredibly consistent golf so far this season on the LPGA Tour, making the cut in the eight tournaments in which she has competed ahead of this week’s major. Her most notable 2026 result came in April at the Aramco Championship at Shadow Creek in Las Vegas, where Karis tied for fifth after posting a four-round total of even par.

She is currently 65th in the Race to the CME Globe point standings, one of the better positions in which Davidson has found herself after eight events in any of the previous four seasons since she has been a member. Another strong finish in a major tournament would do wonders for that ranking at nearly the midway point of the season, further bolstering her standing as she begins to eye a spot in the field at the CME Group Tour Championship in November.

But no matter what happens over the next few days at Riviera, Karis is determined to enjoy this golf-gods-given opportunity, one that she wasn’t sure was going to happen when she woke up on Sunday morning.

And who knows? Considering Australians’ propensity for Kikuyu grass and the solid first-round performance she put together to open her debut in this championship, Davidson just might wind up surprising us all come day four at one of the most iconic venues in all of American golf.

That’s the beauty of the U.S. Women’s Open.

Karis Davidson Was the Last Player Added to the U.S. Women’s Open Field. Now She’s In the Top 10 at Riviera.

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