The 78th U.S. Women’s Open tees off at Pebble Beach Golf Links later today with a stellar field of 156 players, comprising an enticing mix of established stars and rising talents from across the globe.
Twelve past champions and every top-20 player in the Rolex Women’s World Golf Rankings are in the mix for the third major of the 2023 LPGA Tour season. No less than 30 countries are represented at Pebble Beach, with 46 players making their debuts in the prestigious championship.
The field features 28 amateurs, including Malaysia’s Jeneath Wong who will begin her maiden Major campaign at 7.44am (Malaysian time – 10.44pm) off the first tee. The 18-year-old is grouped with Denmark’s Nanna Koerstz Madsen and Korean rookie Hae Ran Ryu.
Daily ‘Live’ coverage of the U.S. Women’s Open airs on SPOTV2 (Astro Channel 810). Here are three featured groups that catch the eye:
Annika Sorenstam/Michelle Wie West/In Gee Chun – 8:28 am (Malaysian time – 11.28pm) Swedish legend Annika Sorenstam is a three-time U.S. Women’s Open champion, winning the event in back-to-back seasons in 1995 and 1996, and again in 2006. The 10-time Major winner missed the cut at the 2022 edition at Pine Needles and will be keen to make the weekend this time around.
After announcing that she was stepping away from professional golf at last year’s U.S. Women’s Open, Wie West is playing in her final LPGA Tour event this week. The popular American won the 2014 U.S. Women’s Open at Pinehurst No. 2 to capture her only major title.
Chun made her return to the LPGA Tour recently after taking time off due to a back injury. The Korean comes to Pebble Beach off a solid T24 showing at the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship. The 2015 U.S. Women’s Open was Chun’s first win on the LPGA Tour and she has two more majors to her resume, the 2016 Amundi Evian Championship and the 2022 KPMG Women’s PGA Championship.
Jennifer Kupcho/Atthaya Thitikul/Leona Maguire – 2:24pm (Malaysian time – 5.24am, July 7) Kupcho had a banner 2022 season on the LPGA Tour, becoming a Rolex First-Time Winner at The Chevron Championship and grabbing two more victories. Following a shaky start to 2023, the American appears to have turned a corner with a runner-up finish at the Mizuho Americas Open where she lost a playoff to Rose Zhang and a tie for sixth at the Meijer LPGA Classic.
While Thai prodigy Thitikul hasn’t managed to win this year, the 20-year-old has recorded seven top-10 finishes so far including a tie for fourth at The Chevron Championship. The former World No 1 has the game to do well at Pebble Beach and knows how to perform on Poa annua greens, winning the first of her two LPGA Tour titles as a rookie at the 2022 JTBC Classic presented by Barbasol at Aviara Golf Club.
Maguire had a chance to win in back-to-back weeks at the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship after capturing her second career LPGA Tour title at the Meijer LPGA Classic, but she fell away on Sunday to tie for 11th. With the misty, bouncy and windy conditions that players will face at Pebble Beach, the Irishwoman will be sure to use her heritage to her advantage.
Brooke Henderson/Rose Zhang/Lydia Ko – 2:35pm (Malaysian time – 5.35am, July 7) After a momentum dip following her win at the season-opening Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions, Henderson found something at Baltusrol Golf Club’s Lower Course that helped her to a T15 finish at the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship. The Canadian had 28 rounds under par this season, 15 of which have been in the 60s, and will be one to watch at Pebble Beach.
Former world amateur number one Zhang is the name on everyone’s lips as the 20-year-old is one of the favourites to take home the title this week. Not only has the young American won and finished T8 in her first two starts as a professional, but she also holds the women’s course record of 63 at Pebble Beach which she set at a collegiate event last year.
Last year’s Race to the CME Globe winner Ko hasn’t been playing up to her standards so far this season, recording just one top 10 in eight previous starts. The New Zealander feels that things are heading in the right direction, and it would be foolish to write her off as she looks for her third career major title and first since The Chevron Championship in 2016.
