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Yahoo
27-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Top players highlight the full field for the 2025 U.S. Women's Open at Erin Hills
TOWN OF ERIN – The U.S. Women's Open begins Monday, May 26, with practice rounds for the 156 participants in the tournament at Erin Hills, 90 of which were fully exempt into the field and did not have to go through qualifying stages to get in. Among those exempt were eight U.S. Women's Open champions, beginning with two-time winner and defending champion Yuka Saso (2021, 2024). Other past champions include In Gee Chun (2015), Sung Hyun Park (2017), Ariya Jutanugarn (2018), Jeongeun Lee6 (2019), A Lim Kim (2020), Minjee Lee (2022) and Allisen Corpuz (2023). Advertisement Corpuz played in the 2008 U.S. Women's Amateur Public Links at Erin Hills as a 10-year-old. "It's awesome," she said on May 26 after her practice round. "I wish I remembered more of it from when I was younger, but I just remember how awesome this property is and how nice the practice facilities are. I mean, that was my first USGA championship, so I remember just coming on-site and just being really, really impressed, and here I am 17 years later and still really impressed by how you guys run a championship." Allisen Corpuz plays her shot from the second tee during the third round of the 2025 Ford Championship presented by Wild Horse Pass at Whirlwind Golf Club. Along with being a championship that is open to any player who could qualify, it is also perhaps the most democratic of the five majors on the LPGA Tour – there has not been a repeat champion since Karrie Webb (2000-01) and there have been 21 different champions in the 23 tournaments since then. Advertisement Only Saso and Inbee Park (2008 and 2013) have won the tournament multiple times since Webb's back-to-back. "I could call myself a two-time major champion, and better than that, two-time U.S. Women's Open champion," Saso said after her practice round at Erin Hills on May 26. "I think it's a great tournament to have beside my name, and – I don't know, maybe because I dreamed of winning this, and winning it twice is much better." Not only does the championship rarely produce back-to-back winners, but the defending champion is also hardly ever in contention the next year. The last time a defending champion finished in the top 10 was in 2020 when Jeongeun Lee (who goes by Jeongeun Lee6 for scoring purposes to differentiate herself from other Korean golfers with the same name) finished sixth. Lee6 was the first defending champ to crack the top 10 since Juli Inkster followed up her 2002 title with an eighth-place finish in 2003. The top LPGA Tour players in the world are at Erin Hills The U.S. Women's Open is the second major championship on the LPGA Tour's schedule, and as expected the top players in the Women's World Golf Rankings are all teeing it up. Advertisement The entire top 20 in the world rankings are in the field. That group is headlined by world No. 1 Nelly Korda, who has held that position for 52 weeks per GolfWeek. Since joining the LPGA Tour in 2017, the 26-year-old has held the No. 1 spot on five different occasions. The rest of the top 20 include: No. 2: Jeeno Thitikul (Thailand)No. 3: Lydia Ko (New Zealand)No. 4: Ruoning Yin (China)No. 5: Haeran Ryu (South Korea)No. 6: Lilia Vu (United States)No. 7: Hyojoo Kim (South Korea)No. 8: Hannah Green (Australia)No. 9: Jin Young Ko (South Korea)No. 10: Laurean Coughlin (United States)No. 11: Angel Yin (United States)No. 12: Celine Boutier (France)No. 13: Mao Saigo (Japan)No. 14: Ayaka Furue (Japan)No. 15: Charley Hull (England)No. 16: Miyu Yamashita (Japan)No. 17: Rio Takeda (Japan)No. 18: Yealimi Noh (United States)No. 19: Amy Yang (South Korea)No. 20: Esther Henseleit (Germany) Advertisement More: Yuka Saso, Nelly Korda among top golfers looking to capture U.S. Women's Open title at Erin Hills Former USGA champions in the field The USGA hosts multiple junior and amateur tournaments every year and the 2025 U.S. Women's Open field includes 19 other past national champions: U.S. Women's Amateur championsLydia Ko (2012), Gabriela Ruffels (2019), Rose Zhang (2020), Saki Baba (2022) and Rianne Malixi (2024). U.S. Girls' JuniorJenny Shin (2006), Lexi Thompson (2008), Ariya Jutanugarn (2011), Minjee Lee (2012), Yealimi Noh (2018), Rose Zhang (2021), Kiara Romero (2023) and Rianne Malixi (2024). Advertisement U.S. Women's Mid-AmateurHana Ryskova (2024). U.S. Senior Women's OpenLeta Lindley (2024). U.S. Women's Amateur Four-BallHailee Cooper (2016), Sarah Lim (2024) and Asterisk Talley (2024) U.S. Women's Amateur Public LinksYani Tseng (2004). The U.S. Women's Open has a major amateur presence Of the 156 players teeing it up in the first round of the tournament on May 29, 26 (or 16.6%) are amateurs. And they are some of the very best in the world and potentially represent the next wave of great young players headed to the LPGA Tour. As of May 21, 10 of the top 50 players in the Women's World Amateur Golf Ranking will be competing at Erin Hills: Advertisement No. 1: Lottie Woad (2024 Augusta National Women's Amateur champion)No. 3: Kiara Romero (2023 U.S. Girls' Junior champion)No. 5: Rianne Malixi (2024 U.S. Women's Amateur and U.S. Girls' Junior champion)No. 10: Farah O'Keefe (2024 Big 12 Player of the Year and Freshman of the Year)No. 11: Maria Jose Marin (2025 NCAA Division I champion)No. 14: Paula Martin Sampedro (2024 Pac-12 Golfer of the Year)No. 16: Asterisk Talley (2024 U.S. Women's Amateur Four-Ball champion)No. 19: Carla Bernat Escuder (2025 Augusta National Women's Amateur champion)No. 20: Carolina Lopez-Chacarra (2024 All-ACC)No. 22: Kary Hollenbaugh (2024 All-Big Ten first team)No. 46: Vanessa Borovilos (2024 Golf Channel Honorable Mention All-American) U.S. Women's Open field complete The USGA waited until the conclusion of the Mexico Riviera Maya Open at Mayakoba on May 25 to have its full field, as the organization held a spot open for that tournament's champion if they were not already in the fold. Chisato Iwaim won the tournament, but she was already exempt into the U.S. Women's Open – which meant the first alternate from local qualifying got in. That player is 32-year-old Dana Fall of Mesa, Arizona. It will be her first appearance in the major championship. Full field for the 2025 U.S. Women's Open Here is the entire 156-person field for the U.S. Women's Open, as of May 26 (in alphabetical order): Advertisement Hanna Alberto Narin An Pajaree AnannarukarnDottie Ardina Amari Avery Saki Baba Pia Babnik Sohyun Bae Carla Bernat Escuder Brooke Biermann Celine Borge Vanessa Borovilos Celine Boutier Ashleigh Buhai Hye-Jin Choi In Gee Chun Carlota Ciganda Hailee Cooper Allisen Corpuz Lauren Coughlin Abbey Daniel Celeste Dao Daniela Darquea Klara Davidson Spilkova Manon De Roey Amanda Doherty Gemma Dryburgh Lindy Duncan Jennifer Elliott Dana Fall Maria Fassi Rayee Feng Ayaka Furue Isi Gabsa Linn Grant Hannah Green Nataliya Guseva Nasa Hataoka Sophie Hausmann Nanoko Hayashi Brooke Henderson Esther Henseleit Kary Hollenbaugh Yusang Hou Weiling Hsu Anna Huang Charley Hull Youmin Hwang Hinata Ikeba Jinhee Im Chisato Iwai Akie Iwai Kotona Izumida Jiwon Jeon Leah John Moriya Jutanugarn Ariya Jutanugarn Gabriella Kano Nicha Kanpai Minami Katsu Gurleen Kaur Yui Kawamoto Megan Khang Sei Young Kim A Lim Kim Hyo Joo Kim Suji Kim Grace Kim Auston Kim Hazuki Kimura Jin Young Ko Lydia Ko Sakura Koiwai Katelyn Kong Nelly Korda Aline Krauter Jennifer Kupcho Shiho Kuwaki Steph Kyriacou Andrea Lee Minjee Lee Sophia Lee Jude Lee Jeongeun Lee Ilhee Lee Mi Hyang Lee Jeongeun Lee6 Napat Lertsadwattana Katie Li Sarah Lim Ingrid Lindblad Leta Lindley Gaby Lopez Julia Lopez Ramirez Carolina Lopez-Chacarra Dasom Ma Nanna Koerstz Madsen Leona Maguire Rianne Malixi Maria José Marin Paula Martin Sampedro Caley McGinty Wichanee Meechai Kim Metraux Aira Nagasawa Lauren Nguyen Yuna Nishimura Yealimi Noh Anna Nordqvist Emily Odwin Farah O'Keefe Sung Hyun Park Sophia Popov Seunghui Ro Kiara Romero Pauline Roussin Bouchard Gabriela Ruffels Hana Ryskova Haeran Ryu Madelene Sagstrom Mao Saigo Yuka Saso Sarah Schmelzel Hinako Shibuno Jenny Shin Jiyai Shin Elina Sinz Andie Smith Maja Stark Linnea StromJasmine Suwannapura Ai Suzuki Rio Takeda Asterisk Talley Chiara Tamburlini Kelly Tan Patty Tavatanakit Jeeno Thitikul Lexi Thompson Peiying Tsai Yani Tseng Albane Valenzuela Kailie Vongsaga Lilia Vu Chanettee Wannasaen Dana Williams Lottie Woad Miyu Yamashita Jing Yan Amy Yang Angel Yin Ruoning Yin Hyunjo Yoo Ina Yoon Arpichaya Yubol Rose Zhang This story was updated to add new information. This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Top players highlight field for 2025 U.S. Women's Open at Erin Hills
Forbes
28-04-2025
- Sport
- Forbes
This LPGA Tournament Sponsor's Exemption Is Brought To You By..…
ROGERS, ARKANSAS - SEPTEMBER 29: Maria Fassi of Mexico plays her shot from the third tee during the ... More final round of the Walmart NW Arkansas Championship presented by P&G 2024 at Pinnacle Country Club on September 29, 2024 in Rogers, Arkansas. (Photo by) Winning isn't everything. Very few LPGA or PGA athletes playing on a tournament sponsor's exemption have turned the invitation into a win (Lydia Ko and Tiger Woods are among the notable exceptions). However, the opportunity to compete against the best players in the world can be equally important to an aspiring or veteran golfer's career. Carla Bernat Escuder is one of eight elite amateurs extended invitations to compete in the Chevron Championship, the first LPGA major of the season. A senior at Kansas State, the 2025 Augusta National Women's Amateur (ANWA) champion was making her first LPGA Tour start, and talked about the significance of teeing it up with the pros. 'It's giving me the perspective of what the professional players do and how they prepare for tournaments,' she explained. 'I've learned that there are already things that I can do to be a better player in the future.' AUGUSTA, GEORGIA - APRIL 05: Carla Bernat Escuder of Spain celebrates with the trophy after winning ... More the Augusta National Women's Amateur at Augusta National Golf Club on April 05, 2025 in Augusta, Georgia. (Photo by) The 2024 AJGA Girls Player of the Year, 17-year old Gianna Clemente, is also a rising star and was only amateur invitee to make it to weekend play, finishing in a tie for 71st place. 'I think just any experience in LPGA events is great,' said Clemente, who took home low amateur honors. 'I have so much fun out here with my dad on the bag, and playing with the pros is always great, so I'm just learning from playing with them.' Making the cut at the Chevron earned her a third point in the LPGA Elite Amateur Pathway (LEAP) standings. This was added on to her T30 finish as a sponsor exemption in the Honda LPGA Thailand. 'It's a great opportunity for any junior to be able to play in a major championship. The LPGA events I've played in have really showed me how amazing professional golf is and how much I really want to be a pro someday.' Sponsor exemptions are generally offered to players who have not otherwise qualified for a specific tournament. Sometimes the invitations are extended to lesser-known athletes who are changing the face of golf. Gabby Barker, for example, played in the recent LPGA Ford Championship presented by Wild Horse Pass as an invitee of The Thunderbirds, the tournament Founding Partners. The tournament was held at Whirlwind Golf Club on the Gila River Indian Community, a most appropriate venue for Barker, the first female Native American professional golfer. PHOENIX, ARIZONA - MARCH 27: Gabby Barker of the United States plays her shot from the fourth tee ... More during the first round of the Ford Championship presented by Wild Horse Pass 2025 at Whirlwind Golf Club in Wild Horse Pass on March 27, 2025 in Phoenix, Arizona. (Photo by) A member of the Shoshone-Paiute tribe, it was her fifth start on the LPGA Tour, and first since she teed it up in the 2022 U.S. Women's Open. She admitted that being the standard bearer for Native American golfers can be daunting. 'For me as a woman golfer, it's challenging,' said the 28-year old Texas Tech grad. 'I definitely get put in the spotlight a little more than I would like. But it's beautiful to be able to share my culture and to represent Indian Country and really any Native American community out there.' Following an outstanding collegiate career that earned her 2016 Big 12 Player of the Year honors, she joined the Epson Tour in 2018, but has yet to achieve her dream of LPGA membership. A special friendship with 52-year old four-time PGA TOUR winner, golf commentator and fellow Native American, member of the Navajo Nationa, Notah Begay III has helped her navigate the ups and downs of professional golf. The two met while Barker was playing collegiately and share the opportunity to represent Indian Country as the first professional Native American golfers. SOUTHPORT, ENGLAND - JULY 21: Golf Channel commentator Notah Begay during the second round of the ... More 146th Open Championship at Royal Birkdale on July 21, 2017 in Southport, England. (Photo by) 'It's sometimes scary personally to be the first, and that's what I kind of lean on him for,' explained Barker. 'We have a great relationship that we've built in terms of he's been my mentor and has given me access to his brain in terms of hitting golf shots and learning the business side of golf.' She added, 'I owe a lot to Notah. He has definitely helped me and he's been sitting right beside me on this journey of golf as a career.' Like Begay, Barker is committed to growing the game withing the Native American community. Begay's NB3 Foundation focuses on improving health in Native communities through core areas of physical activity, healthy nutrition, youth development and cultural connections. Since its founding in 2005, the Foundation has awarded 136 grants to support Native-led organizations throughout the U.S. Barker has been involved with the Nike N7 Fund, which supports 'a culture of belonging in sport that welcomes all Indigenous youth to play.' She said, 'Indian Country has always been super positive and uplifting in every aspect of my life, including golf. Any way that I can help push our culture and the boundaries of what we have set for us, that's what I'm willing to do.' A sponsor's exemption can be a reward for past performance, and possibly recharge a career. Maria Fassi, a native of Pachuca, Mexico, and former University of Arkansas Razorback burst onto the national scene when she went toe-to-toe with eventual winner Jennifer Kupcho in the 2019 inaugural Augusta National Women's Amateur. Known for her aggressive play and expressive personality, she has always been an exciting golfer to watch. BELLEAIR, FLORIDA - NOVEMBER 09: Maria Fassi of Mexico smiles after hitting an approach shot on the ... More 13th hole during the first round of The ANNIKA driven by Gainbridge at Pelican at Pelican Golf Club on November 09, 2023 in Belleair, Florida. (Photo by) No matter what direction her golf career takes, the historical significance of playing in the first ANWA is always with her. 'I think for me, being able to have my name attached to Augusta National for the rest of time, it's something that I take a lot of pride in,' she said. The impact went beyond the fairways and greens. 'I mean what we were able to do and what we were able to show to the world about amateur women's golf, I don't think anybody could have dreamed of a better outcome. I think we did a great job with representing ourselves, our sport, representing women, female athletes and women in general,' she said. A seamless transition to the pro level was predicted for the 2018 SEC Golfer of the Year, 2019 NCAA Championship D1 Individual Champion, two-time Annika award winner and two-time Olympian (2020, 2024). But, golf is hard. Even with eight career top-10 finishes on the LPGA Tour and $1.2 million career earnings, she struggled and lost her card after finishing 179 on the Priority List. She is working her way back by playing the 2025 Epson Tour and hopes for more tournament exemptions. The Ford Championship invitation meant a great deal to her. 'I'm just super excited to be here with a very grateful heart.' For Fassi, who celebrated her birthday on tournament grounds, it was a present she'll never forget. 'It's just a huge gift,' she said. 'Just being able to get an opportunity to come out here and see what areas of my game are trending in the right direction, what areas of my game are still needing some help and what I need to focus on. So I'm incredibly blessed that Ford and everybody involved with the tournament put some faith in me, maybe at times when I didn't' really have much in myself.' As one of the few female Mexican golf professionals, Fassi takes her status seriously. 'For me it's a huge responsibility,' she said of representing her country. 'I don't take it lightly. Whether it's playing in the Olympics or just making sure that the flag is on the range at every LPGA tournament that we go to is a huge privilege for both Gaby (López) and I.' Committed to growing the game, Fassi established Fassi's Friends through the M Fassi Foundation in Arkansas. The organization offers free golf classes for disabled and full-bodied kids to come together and learn the game of golf. Meanwhile, the upcoming LPGA Riviera Maya Open at Mayakoba from May 22-25 will provide much-needed exposure to a country that has not hosted the LPGA since the 2017 Lorena Ochoa Invitational tournament. Three-time LPGA winner and three-time Olympian representing Mexico (Rio, Tokyo, Paris) Gaby López believes recruiting more Mexican players to U.S. colleges will be a huge step to increase the number of Mexicans on Tour. An Arkansas Razorback like Fassi, she viewed her collegiate experience invaluable in jump-starting her LPGA career as she considered college her developmental tour. PARIS, FRANCE - AUGUST 06: Gaby Lopez and Maria Fassi of Team Mexico take a selfie photo with the ... More Olympic rings on the 18th hole during a practice round ahead of the Women's Individual Stroke Play on day eleven of the Olympic Games Paris 2024 at Le Golf National on August 06, 2024 in Paris, France. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images) 'I was telling myself, hey, this is my Semetra tour at that time, or my Epson tour. So I treated everything just as a professional player already,' she explained. 'I was trying to get practices committed and just purposeful and trying to be a professional when I was still a young girl.' She has been encouraged by the diversity at D1 institutions. 'You have the best talent in of Europe and Asia, Latin America and just everywhere. It does just literally become like a like a tour.' López is one of five LPGA Tour Girls Golf Ambassadors supporting the movement to introduce more girls to the game of golf. Each ambassador serves as a national spokeswomen for LPGA*USGA Girls Golf. Like Barker and Fassi, López understands the assignment. 'It's amazing to be a Girls Golf ambassador,' she said enthusiastically. 'I think these girls are the future and being able to inspire them and tell them that through hard work and passion and love for the game, they can achieve whatever they want, it's amazing.' Added Barker, 'I definitely believe that girls need to be out doing golf because it's such an opening to meeting new people, the relationships, and building confidence and being able to walk up to a golf course that is mainly surrounded by men and just feel comfortable.' She added, 'The LPGA slogan is 'Little Girls, Big Dreams.' For me to be out here and just say that I am a professional golfer is ridiculous. Little six-year old Gabby probably wouldn't have thought that.' Fassi agreed. "I think my purpose in life is not just to win. I think you make any impact on people by who you are as a person more so than how many tournaments you've won. I hope to see more brave girls chasing after their dreams, whether it's playing professional golf or being a CEO or being the best mom in the world.' Neither Fassi or Barker made the cut at the Ford Championship, but it certainly doesn't diminish the importance of their presence. Who knows how many seeds were planted into little girls who saw someone who looked like themselves and thought 'I can do that, too!'
