Photo copyright: USGA/Kip Evans
The United States Golf Association and women’s professional golf will be making history Thursday when the players tee off to begin the U.S. Women’s Open at the Pebble Beach Golf Links.
It will be the first time in history for the Women’s Open to be played at Pebble Beach. And it won’t be the last time as the USGA has already announced the 2035, 2040, and 2044 Women’s Open will also be at Pebble.
The tournament will also set a record for prize money with a purse of $11 million, which is among the leaders in women’s professional sports.
The 2022 champion was Minjee Lee of Australia, who eclipsed the 72-hole scoring record with a 13-under total of 271 to win the 77th U.S. Women’s Open at Pine Needles Lodge & Golf Club.
Lee became the seventh player to win both the U.S. Women’s Open and U.S. Girls’ Junior titles, joining a legendary list that includes four-time U.S. Women’s Open champion Mickey Wright and eight-time USGA champion JoAnne Carner.
Since 1991, two players have successfully defended their championship (Annika Sorenstam, 1995-96; Karrie Webb, 2000-01), and only four other players have finished in the top 10 in the championship following their victory (2019 winner Jeongeun Lee6, 2002 winner Juli Inkster, 1992 winner Patty Sheehan, 1991 winner Meg Mallon).
CHAMPIONSHIP HISTORY
The first U.S. Women’s Open, played at Spokane (Wash.) Country Club in 1946, was the only one conducted at match play. The Women’s Professional Golfers Association (WPGA) conducted the inaugural championship, won by Patty Berg.
The WPGA conducted the Women’s Open until 1949, when the newly formed Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) took over operation of the championship.
The LPGA ran the Women’s Open for four years but in 1953 asked the United States Golf Association to conduct the championship, which it has done ever since.
The youngest winners of the U.S. Women’s Open are Inbee Park (2008) and Yuka Saso (2021). Each player captured the championship at the age of 19 years, 11 months, 17 days. Babe Didrikson Zaharias, who won the 1954 Women’s Open at age 43 years, 6 months, is the oldest winner.
In 1967, Catherine Lacoste, daughter of French tennis player Rene Lacoste and 1927 British Ladies Amateur champion Simone Thion de la Chaume, became the only amateurs to win the U.S. Women’s Open. Seven other amateurs – most recently Hye-Jin Choi in 2017 – have finished as runner(s)-up.
TELEVISION COVERAGE
NBCUniversal (NBC, USA Network, Peacock) will provide live television coverage of all four rounds of the 78th U.S. Women’s Open. The broadcast will mark the first time NBC will air women’s major championship golf in primetime. The live broadcast will also be complemented by 26 hours of Golf Central’s “Live From the U.S. Women’s Open.”