5 things to know about the 80th U.S. Women's Open at Erin Hills Golf Course
The 80th U.S. Women's Open will be contested at Erin Hills Golf Course for the first time this week, but the public course is no stranger to USGA competitions. In fact, this marks the fifth USGA championship held at the Wisconsin course since it first opened for public play in 2006. Five additional USGA championships are already on the docket by 2039.
As the best women in the world get set to compete May 29 to June 1, here are five things to know ahead of the longest-running professional tournament in women's golf.
Past champions of the U.S. Women's Open
Tiffany Joh won the first USGA championship ever hosted at Erin Hills a mere two years after the course opened in 2008. In fact, the links-style inland course was awarded the now defunct U.S. Women's Amateur Public Links before it officially opened.
Joh, the former UCLA player and LPGA pro, clinched her second WAPL title by defeating U.S. Women's Amateur champion Jennifer Song.
Other champions at Erin Hills include Kelly Kraft (2011 U.S. Amateur), Brooks Koepka (2017 U.S. Open) and Matthew McClean (2022 U.S. Mid-Amateur).
Fans should prepare for chilly weather at 2025 U.S. Women's Open
The forecast calls for chilly temps in Erin, Wisconsin, early week, with highs in the mid to low 60s Monday through Wednesday. It warms up to the mid-70s for competition rounds with partly cloudy skies and winds ranging from 9-11 mph and weekend gusts up to 18 mph. With little water and no out of bounds, the teeth of the golf golf course is the bunkers and wind.
The field of 156 is highlighted by Nelly Korda
The number of entries for this week's championship was the second all-time highest at 1,904, second only to Pebble Beach in 2023 (2,107). The field of 156 is highlighted by world No. 1 Nelly Korda, No. 2 Jeeno Thitikul and recent U.S. Women's Open champions Yuka Saso (2024, 2021), Allisen Corpuz (2023) and Minjee Lee (2022).
For three players, a victory at Erin Hills would give them a fourth different LPGA major: Lydia Ko, Yani Tseng and Anna Nordqvist. Tseng, a five-time major winner who is now putting left-handed, advanced through qualifying to make her first USWO start in nine years.
Lexi Thompson and Amy Yang have the most experience in the field with 19 championship appearances. Thirty-year-old Thompson hasn't missed a Women's Open since age 12.
Who are the notable amateurs at the 2025 U.S. Women's Open?
Notable amateurs in the field include top-ranked Lottie Woad, USGA champion Asterisk Talley, 2025 Augusta National Women's Amateur champion Carla Bernat Escuder, recent NCAA champion Maria Jose Marin and two-time USGA champion Rianne Malixi, who is making her championship debut. There are 26 amateurs in the field and 10 are in the top 50 of the World Amateur Golf Ranking.
Erin Hills is a big golf course
Official yardage for the women checks in at a hefty 6,829 yards, though that's likely to change throughout the week depending on weather. Eight years ago, the men played from 7,721 yards and Koepka's winning score of 16 under matched the lowest in championship history, set by Rory McIlroy in 2011 at Congressional Country Club. Low scores in 2017 were aided by the fact that the wind didn't blow early week. The women will play to a par 72.
In 2017, Nos. 3 and 4, both par 4s, proved to be the toughest holes on the expansive property. Considered to be a second-shot golf course, there will be a premium placed on course strategy and the ability to work the ball both ways.
Largest purse in women's pro golf at U.S. Women's Open
The U.S. Women's Open continues to offer the largest purse in golf at $ 12 million. The winner this week will earn more than $ 2 million. The USGA was the first major to offer a $ 1 million paycheck to the winner in 2019. In 2022, the championship's purse nearly doubled to $ 10 million.
Players who miss the cut will receive $ 10,000, the same as the U.S. Open.
This article originally appeared on Golfweek: 5 things to know about the 80th U.S. Women's Open at Erin Hills
