The Women's U.S. Open

This week we have the second major of the year on the LPGA calendar, the Women’s U.S. Open, held at the historic Lancaster Country Club in Pennsylvania. Who’s in with a good chance of topping the field this year?

Nelly Korda

If you’ve been paying attention to tour golf recently, you’ll appreciate how ridiculously impressive Nelly Korda’s game has been recently. The American has won 6 of her last 7 starts, including the year’s first major, the Chevron Championship, and the Mizuho Americas Open just last weekend.

When a player is in consistently good form, it’s impressive, but consistently winning puts them on another level entirely. Many will point to Korda as the favourite to take the title this weekend. The world No 1 has never won a U.S. Open, and this week marks her 10th time participating in the major championship.

At the start of her pre-tournament press conference, she admitted “I feel like getting to play this event as a 14-year-old back in the day was when I realized that this was what I wanted to do for a living. Getting to come out here every year and participate on the best golf courses, with the highest prize money, against the best players in the world. There’s nothing better than that.”

Korda is undeniably in very strong form and sounds more competitive than ever, could this be the year she claims her US Open trophy?

Rose Zhang

Zhang is only 21 years old, and already has plenty of amateur accolades to her name. Among USGA events, she won the 2020 U.S. Women’s Amateur, the 2021 U.S. Girls’ Junior, both the 2022 and 2023 NCAA Individual Championship, and the 2023 Augusta National Women’s Amateur. Today, she currently stands as the world No. 6 female golfer.

Rose Zhang turned professional on May 26th last year following 12 amateur victories at Stanford University, beating Tiger Woods’ record. She caused a stir when she won the very first event she entered into as a professional golfer, the first player to win her debut tournament since Beverly Hanson in 1951.

She won the Cognizant Founders Cup just three weeks ago, could Zhang be getting her first major victory this weekend? “The energy around USGA events is unlike any other atmosphere we compete in. The venues are always top notch, and the way the USGA takes such great care of us as players is really special.”

Other big names in the field looking to take this year’s title include the likes of Charley Hull and Brooke Henderson. Thailand’s Atthaya Thitikul and Japan’s Ayaka Furue have played consistently well lately, while Australian Hannah Green’s game may still be fired up having narrowly lost to Korda last weekend.

Lexi Thompson signals retirement

One of the most celebrated female golfers of the past few decades has just announced she’s retiring at the end of this year. Lexi Thompson turned professional when she was 15, and has represented the USA in six Solheim Cup events as well as two Olympic Games.

In an emotional Instagram statement, she admitted “While it is never easy to say goodbye, it is indeed time. At the end of 2024, I will be stepping away from a full professional golf schedule.”

Thompson is to date the youngest ever qualifier for the U.S. Women’s Open, when she entered the competition at the age of 12 in 2007. How will she play in 18th and final tournament this week?

The world of tour golf is always exhilarating, and we don’t blame you if it’s got you reaching for your own golf clubs. If you’re headed to the club this week, we’re available should you need us in the pro shop.