The 75th U.S. Women’s Open is still more than five months away, but 100 players are already exempt into the field. This year’s contest will be all kinds of different. For starters, it’s being held in mid-December over two courses at Champions Golf Club. And, like the men’s contest, the field will be fully exempt after the USGA canceled qualifying due to the coronavirus pandemic.
In late February, the USGA announced that qualifying would be held over 25 courses, including four overseas (England, Japan, China and South Korea). The 2019 USWO field included 90 exempt players and 66 qualifiers.
In mid-May, the USGA announced that all qualifiers had been canceled.
“For us to not conduct qualifying this year was agonizing,” said John Bodenhamer, USGA senior managing director, championships. “I use that word by choice because … if you think about it for us, qualifying is in the DNA of all of our championships. It’s the cornerstone of what we do.”
Without those avenues available, Bodenhamer and team worked to create new routes to Houston to help fill the field with players who are in strong current form. Or at least as current as they could make it given the mandatory quarantine periods and travel restrictions that are constantly changing throughout the world. The field closes Nov. 11 at 5 p.m. EDT.
Top five players on the Symetra Tour money list (through Nov. 11) will be in the field along with the top 10 players not otherwise qualified from the LPGA money list. There are also spots open to players who finish strong at four domestic LPGA events: Walmart NW Arkansas Championship, Cambria Portland Classic, ShopRite Classic and KPMG Women’s PGA.
With no international qualifying, spots have been reserved for players who finished high on the money lists on the LET, Japan LPGA, Korean LPGA and China LPGA.
And because amateurs have such a strong and rich history at the U.S. Women’s Open (Catherine Lacoste won it all in 1967), there will be 20 exemptions given off of the World Amateur Golf Ranking in addition to the usual exemptions given to championship winners. The last three U.S. Women’s Opens have averaged 25 amateurs. Duke’s Gina Kim tied for 12th last year.
Both Brittany Lincicome and Sarah Jane Smith are in the field off of maternity extension exemptions.
The LPGA has lost 13 events so far this season due to the coronavirus pandemic. The tour is scheduled to restart on July 31 in Toledo, Ohio, after a more than five-month break. The Women’s Open will be the penultimate event on the LPGA’s schedule, with the last two purses totaling $10.5 million.
The USGA has four events left on its 2020 calendar, including both U.S. Amateur championships and the U.S. Opens.
“We think it will be a pretty special year if we can crown all four of these and end with the Women’s Open in its 75th year,” said Bodenhamer, “what that could mean for the game, the inspiration for our country that we need. We look forward to that very much.
Here’s how the field is shaping up for Dec. 10-13 at Champions Golf Club:
Winners of the U.S. Women’s Open last 10 years
Jeongeun Lee6
Ariya Jutanugarn
Sung Hyun Park
Brittany Lang
In Gee Chun
Michelle Wie West
Inbee Park
Na Yeon Choi
So Yeon Ryu
Paula Creamer
2019 U.S. Women’s Open, 10 lowest scorers and ties
Celine Boutier
Jaye Marie Green
Mamiko Higa
Jessica Korda
Yu Liu
Ally McDonald
Gerina Piller
Lexi Thompson
Angel Yin
2019 U.S. Women’s Amateur winner
Gabriela Ruffels (a)
2019 U.S. Girls’ Junior winner
Lei Ye (a)
2019 U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur winner
Ina Kim-Shaad (a)
Winners of the ANA Inspiration last five years (2016-2020)
Jin Young Ko
Pernilla Lindberg
Lydia Ko
Winners of the KPMG Women’s PGA (2016-2019)
Hannah Green
Danielle Kang
Brooke Henderson
Winners of the Evian Championship (2015-2019)
Angela Stanford
Anna Nordqvist
Winners of the AIG Women’s British Open (2015-2019)
Hinako Shibuno
Georgia Hall
In-Kyung Kim
Top 30 point leaders from the 2019 LPGA Race to the CME Globe
Brittany Altomare
Carlota Ciganda
Shanshan Feng
Nasa Hataoka
Mi Jung Hur
Eun-Hee Ji
Moryia Jutanugarn
Hyo Joo Kim
Sei Young Kim
Nelly Korda
Bronte Law
Minjee Lee
Gaby Lopez
Caroline Masson
Azahara Munoz
Su-Hyun Oh
Lizette Salas
Amy Yang
Winners of official LPGA events from the conclusion of the 2019 USWO to this year’s original USWO dates (June 1-7)
Cheyenne Knight
Ha Na Jang
Ai Suzuki
Madalene Sagstrom
Hee Young Park
Winner of the 2019 British Amateur
Emily Toy (a)
Rolex Rankings (as of March 15, 2020) top 75 and ties
Hee Jeong Lim (24)
Charley Hull (25)
Jiyai Shin (26)
Hye Jin Choi (27)
Marina Alex (29)
Da Yeon Lee (30)
A Yean Cho (32)
Seon Woo Bae (33)
Megan Khang (41)
Kristen Gillman (43)
Min Young2 Lee (46)
Mee Hyang Lee (48)
Jennifer Kupcho (50)
Amy Olson (52)
Min Ji Park (53)
So Mi Lee (54)
Morgan Pressel (56)
Sun Ju Ahn (58)
Mone Inami (59)
Nanna Koerstz Madsen (61)
Yui Kawamoto (62)
Momoko Ueda (63)
Jeong Min Cho (64)
So Young Lee (65)
Annie Park (66)
Minami Katsu (67)
Nicole Broch Larsen (68)
Austin Ernst (69)
A Lim Kim (70)
Ji Yeong2 Kim (72)
Chae Yoon Park (73)
Chella Choi (74)
Jing Yan (75)
Top 5 LET members from 2019 Order of Merit
Esther Henseleit
Marianne Skarpnord
Christine Wolf
Nuria Iturrioz
Meghan MacLaren
Top 5 money leaders from the 2019 JLPGA money list
(already exempt)
Top 5 money leaders from the 2019 KLPGA money list
(already exempt)
Top 3 money leaders from the 2019 China LPGA Tour
Weiwei Zhang
Yan Liu
Mohan Du
Special exemptions
Brittany Lincicome (maternity extension)
Sarah Jane Smith (maternity extension)
Other exemption categories that have yet to be filled:
- Top 10 money leaders off LPGA money list not otherwise exempt through the close of entries (Nov. 11, 2020)
- Top 5 money leaders off Symetra Tour money list (Nov. 11, 2020)
- Top two players not otherwise exempt in the top 10 and ties from the 2020 Walmart NW Arkansas Championship, Cambria Portland Classic, ShopRite Classic. Top three players not otherwise exempt in the top 10 of the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship.
- Top 20 players from the World Amateur Golf Ranking that are not otherwise exempt within the top 100 of the ranking as of Nov. 4, 2020.
- Any other special exemptions selected by the USGA.
- Remaining spots will be filled in order using the Rolex Rankings as of Nov. 9, 2020. Alternates will also be determined using the Rolex Rankings.
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