Complete Guide to the U.S. Women's Open

Here's everything you need to know about women's golf's premier major, the U.S. Women's Open

By
, GolfLink Editor
Updated March 12, 2024
U.S. Women's Open Trophy
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    U.S. Women's Open Trophy
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National allegiance aside, the U.S. Women’s Open is the premier major in women’s golf. It’s the longest-running of the five LPGA major championships, holding major championship status since 1950.

In 2022 it awarded a milestone $10,000,000 purse, which went up to $11M in 2023, setting an extraordinary precident that the other women's majors have since strived to compete with. Let’s take a deep dive into the U.S. Women’s Open, from its humble, match-play beginnings to today’s lucrative eight-figure extravaganza.

U.S. Women’s Open History

The U.S. Women’s Open has grown significantly over the years. Here’s a timeline of some of the most notable highlights throughout U.S. Women’s Open history.

1946: Inaugural U.S. Women’s Open at Spokane CC determined via match play. Patty Berg beats Betty Jameson 5&4 to claim $5,600 winner’s share of the $19,700 purse. The $5,600 winner’s check would not be matched in the U.S. Women’s Open until 1972.

1946-48: The U.S. Women’s Open was conducted by the Women’s PGA.

1949-52: LPGA conducts the U.S. Women’s Open.

1950: U.S. Women's Open elevated to major championship status.

1953-Present: USGA takes over administration of the U.S. Women’s Open.

1955: Uruguayan Fay Crocker becomes the first non-American to win the U.S. Women’s Open.

1959: Mickey Wright becomes the first back-to-back U.S. Women’s Open Champion.

1960: Betsy Rawls sets the record with four U.S. Women’s Open titles. That mark was matched by Mickey Wright in 1964 but has never been surpassed.

1964: The U.S. Women’s Open is contested in the Pacific time zone for the first time since the inaugural championship in 1946 (San Diego Country Club).

1967: Catherine Lacoste becomes the first and only amateur to win the U.S. Women’s Open.

1972: Susie Berning’s $6,000 winner’s check is the first to surpass Patty Berg’s inaugural payday of $5,600.

1978: The first six-figure purse in U.S. Women’s Open history, as Hollis Stacy takes home $15,000 of the $100,000 purse for her win at CC of Indianapolis.

1995: First $1,000,000 U.S. Women’s Open purse. Champion Annika Sorenstam collected $175,000 for her victory at Broadmoor GC.

1996: Sorenstam sets the scoring record (overall) at 272 and wins back-to-back U.S. Opens. Juli Inkster and In-gee Chun matched that mark in 1999 and 2015, respectively.

1999: Juli Inkster sets the to-par scoring record at -16 in her win at Old Waverly GC.

2014: U.S. Women’s Open contested at the same venue as the 2014 U.S. Men’s Open, Pinehurst, where Michelle Wie wins her only major championship.

2022: The U.S. Women’s Open offers the first $10,000,000 purse in women’s golf history, with a $1,800,000 winner’s share.

2023: The U.S. Women’s Open contested at Pebble Beach for the first time, where Allisen Corpuz won $2,000,000 from the $11,000,000 purse.

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Harton S. Semple Trophy

Brittany Lang kisses Harton S. Semple Trophy
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There’s a lot that comes with winning the U.S. Women’s Open, including some hardware. Every year since 1953, the champion has taken home the two-handled, sterling silver Harton S. Semple trophy, which they hang on to for a year, or until somebody else wins it.

The Spokane Athletic Round Table donated the trophy taken home by the first U.S. Women’s Open champions from 1946 to 52. The group offered to continue providing the trophy when the USGA took over the event in 1953, but the USGA declined the offer, opting to create its own trophy instead. A replica replaced the USGA’s original trophy in July 1992.

In addition to the trophy, U.S. Women’s Open champions take home a gold medal. The U.S. Women’s Open runner-up takes home a silver medal, and the lowest amateur who completes 72 holes gets a gold medal as well.

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U.S. Women’s Open Purse Through the Years

U.S. Women's Open payday chart
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    Line chart of U.S. Women's Open winning payday
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The first U.S. Women’s Open purse was $19,700, yielding a $5,600 winner’s check from the Women’s PGA to Patty Berg in 1946. However, the ensuing U.S. Women’s Opens could not match that payday. The purse dipped to $7,500 for three years, then again to $5,000 in 1950 before climbing again.

The purse continued to climb consistently, and between 1998 and 2002 it doubled from $1.5 million to $3 million, which coincided with Tiger Woods’ meteoric rise and a global golf boom.

The U.S. Women’s Open purse doubled again between 2017 and 2022, as the already nice $5,000,000 purse increased to $10,000,000, rivaling some men’s major purses, thanks to a long-term USGA partnership agreement with ProMedica.

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Making the U.S. Women’s Open Field

Open championships are part of what makes golf great. Amateur women and girls with a handicap index of 2.4 or lower, and professionals, who aren't already exempt, are free to try to qualify for the U.S. Women's Open. Exemptions are also given to winners and the top players in professional women's golf.

12-year-old Lexi Thompson became the youngest player to every qualify for the U.S. Women's Open in 2007
READ MORE

U.S. Women's Open Qualifying and Exemptions Explained

U.S. Women’s Open Cut Rules

While 156 skilled and fortunate players start the U.S. Women’s Open, not all of them will finish it. After two days and 36 holes of play, the U.S. Women’s Open field is cut to the top 60 players, plus ties, who advance to compete in the final two rounds and – as long as they are professional – take home a paycheck. This is identical to the men’s U.S. Open cut rule.

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U.S. Women’s Open Playoff Rules

If two or more players are tied through 72 holes, the U.S. Women’s Open a two-hole aggregate playoff is used to determine the winner.

Complete History of Winners, Scores & Paydays

Betsy Rawls 1957 U.S. Women's Open
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    Betsy Rawls at 1857 U.S. Women's Open
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The inaugural U.S. Women’s Open was contested at Spokane Country Club in Spokane, Washington in 1946. That championship is still to this day the only U.S. Open, men’s or women’s, to be determined by match play, as Patty Berg beat Betty Jameson 5&4. 

Over the years, two women have won four U.S. Women’s Opens - Betsy Rawls and Mickey Wright, while four others have won three.

The first U.S. Women’s Open included a $19,700 purse with a $5,600 winner’s check, numbers that went unmatched until the 1970s. However, today’s U.S. Women’s open includes an eight-figure purse that rivals those of men’s majors, and rewards the champion with a $1.8 million payday.

Year

Winner

Score (to par)

Venue (City)

Winner’s Check

2023 Allisen Corpuz 279 (-9) Pebble Beach (Pebble Beach, CA) $2,000,000

2022

Minjee Lee 271 (-13)

Pine Needles  (Southern Pines, NC)

$1,800,000

2021

Yuka Saso

280 (-4)

Olympic Club (San Francisco)

$1,000,000

2020

A Lim Kim

281 (-3)

Champions Golf Club (Houston)

$1,000,000

2019

Jeong-eun Lee6

278 (-6)

CC Of Charleston (Charleston, SC)

$1,000,000

2018

Ariya Jutanugarn

277 (-11)

Shoal Creek Golf & CC (Shoal Creek, AL)

$900,000

2017

Sung Hyun Park

277 (-11)

Trump National GC (Bedminster, NJ)

$900,000

2016

Brittany Lang

282 (-6)

CordeValle GC (San Martin, CA)

$810,000

2015

In Gee Chun

272 (-8)

Lancaster CC (Lancaster, PA)

$810,000

2014

Michelle Wie

278 (-2)

Pinehurst No. 2 (Pinehurst, NC)

$720,000

2013

Inbee Park

280 (-8)

Sebonack GC (Southampton, NY)

$585,000

2012

Na Yeon Choi

281 (-7)

Blackwolf Run (Kohler, WI)

$585,000

2011

Ryo So-yeon

281 (-3)

Broadmoor GC (Colorado Springs, CO)

$585,000

2010

Paula Creamer

281 (-3)

Oakmont CC (Plum, PA)

$585,000

2009

Eun-Hee Ji

284 (E)

Saucon Valley CC (Bethlehem, PA)

$585,000

2008

Inbee Park

283 (-9)

Interlachen CC (Edina, MN)

$585,000

2007

Cristie Kerr

279 (-5)

Pine Needles (Southern Pines, NC)

$560,000

2006

Annika Sorenstam

284 (E)

Newport CC (Newport, RI)

$560,000

2005

Birdie Kim

287 (+3)

Cherry Hills CC (Cherry Hills Village, CO)

$560,000

2004

Meg Mallon

274 (-10)

The Orchards (South Hadley, MA)

$560,000

2003

Hilary Lunke

283 (-1)

Pumpkin Ridge (North Plains, OR)

$560,000

2002

Juli Inkster

276 (-4)

Prairie Dunes GC (Hutchinson, KS)

$535,000

2001

Karrie Webb

273 (-7)

Pine Needles (Southern Pines, NC)

$520,000

2000

Karrie Webb

282 (-6)

Merit Club (Libertyville, IL)

$500,000

1999

Juli Inkster

272 (-16)

Old Waverly GC (West Point, MS)

$315,000

1998

Se-ri Pak

290 (+6)

Blackwold Run (Kohler, WI)

$267,500

1997

Alison Nicholas

274 (-10)

Pumpkin Ridge (North Plains, OR)

$232,500

1996

Annika Sorenstam

272 (-8)

Pine Needles (Southern Pines, NC)

$212,500

1995

Annika Sorenstam

278 (-2)

Broadmoor GC (Colorado Springs, CO)

$175,000

1994

Patty Sheehan

277 (-7)

Indianwood Golf & CC (Lake Orion, MI)

$155,000

1993

Lauri Merten

280 (-8)

Crooked Stick GC (Carmel, IN)

$144,000

1992

Patty Sheehan

280 (-4)

Oakmont (Plum, PA)

$130,000

1991

Meg Mallon

283 (-1)

Colonial CC (Fort Worth, TX)

$110,000

1990

Betsy King 

284 (-4)

Atlanta Athletic Club (Duluth, GA)

$85,000

1989

Betsy King

278 (-2)

Indianwood Golf & CC (Lake Orin, MI)

$80,000

1988

Liselotte Neumann

277 (-7)

Baltimore CC (Baltimore, MD)

$70,000

1987

Laura Davies

285 (-3)

Plainfield CC (Edison, NJ)

$55,000

1986

Jane Geddes

287 (-1)

NCR Country Club (Kettering, OH)

$50,000

1985

Kathy Baker

280 (-8)

Baltusrol GC (Springfield, NJ)

$41,975

1984

Hollis Stacy

290 (+2)

Salem CC (Peabody, MA)

$36,000

1983

Jan Stephenson

290 (+6)

Cedar Ridge CC (Broken Arrow, OK)

$32,780

1982

Janet Alex

283 (-5)

Del Pase CC (Sacramento, CA)

$27,315

1981

Pat Bradley

279 (-9)

La Grange CC (La Grange, IL)

$22,000

1980

Amy Alcott

280 (-4)

Richland CC (Nashville, TN)

$20,047

1979

Jerilyn Britz

284 (E)

Brooklawn CC (Fairfield, CT)

$19,000

1978

Hollis Stacy 

289 (+5)

CC of Indianapolis (Indianapolis, IN)

$15,000

1977

Hollis Stacy

292 (+4)

Hazeltine National GC (Chaska, MN)

$11,040

1976

JoAnne Carner

292 (+8)

Rolling Green GC (Springfield, PA)

$9,054

1975

Sandra Palmer

295 (+7)

Atlantic City CC (Northfield, NJ)

$8,044

1974

Sandra Haynie

295 (+7)

La Grange CC (La Grange, IL)

$6,073

1973

Susie Berning

290 (+2)

CC of Rochester (Rochester, NY)

$6,000

1972

Susie Berning

299 (+11)

Winged Foot (Mamaroneck, NY)

$6,000

1971

JoAnne Carner

288 (E)

Kahkwa Club (Erie, PA)

$5,000

1970

Donna Caponi

287 (+3)

Muskogee GC (Muskogee, OK)

$4,000

1969

Donna Caponi

294 (+2)

Scenic Hills CC (Pensacola, FL)

$5,000

1968

Susie Berning

289 (+5)

Moselem Springs GC (Fleetwood, PA)

$5,000

1967

Catherine Lacoste (a)

294 (+6)

The Homestead (Hot Springs, VA)

$0

1966

Sandra Spuzich

297 (+9)

Hazeltine National GC (Chaska, MN)

$4,000

1965

Carol Mann

290 (+2)

Atlantic City CC (Northfield, NJ)

$3,800

1964

Mickey Wright

290 (-2)

San Diego CC (Chula Vista, CA)

$2,090

1963

Mary Mills

289 (-3)

Kenwood CC (Cincinnati, OH)

$1,900

1962

Murle Lindstrom

301 (+13)

Dunes Golf and Beach Club (Myrtle Beach, SC)

$1,800

1961

Mickey Wright

293 (+5)

Baltursrol GC (Springfield, NJ)

$1,800

1960

Betsy Rawls

292 (+4)

Worcester CC( Worcester, MA)

$1,710

1959

Mickey Wright

287 (+7)

Churchill Valley CC( Pittsburgh, PA)

$1,800

1958

Mickey Wright

290 (-2)

Forest Lake CC (Bloomfield Hills, MI)

$1,800

1957

Betsy Rawls

299 (+7)

Winged Foot (Mamaroneck, NY)

$1,800

1956

Kathy Cornelius

302 (+7)

Northland CC (Duluth, MN)

$1,500

1955

Fay Crocker 

299 (+11)

Wichita CC (Wichita, KS)

$2,000

1954

Babe Zaharias

291 (+3)

Salem CC (Peabody, MA)

$2,000

1953

Betsy Rawls

302 (+6)

CC of Rochester (Rochester, NY)

$2,000

1952

Louise Suggs

284 (+8)

Bala GC (Philadelphia, PA)

$1,750

1951

Betsy Rawls

293 (+5)

Druid Hills GC (Atlanta, GA)

$1,500

1950

Babe Zaharias

291 (-9)

Rolling Hills CC (Wichita, KS)

$1,250

1949

Louise Suggs

291 (-9)

Prince George’s Golf & CC (Landover, MD)

$1,200

1948

Babe Zaharias

300 (E)

Atlantic City CC (Northfield, NJ)

$1,200

1947

Betty Jameson

295 (-9)

Starmount Forest CC (Greensboro, NC)

$1,200

1946

Patty Berg

5 & 4 (Betty Jameson)

Spokane CC (Spokane, WA)

$5,600

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Future U.S. Women’s Open Venues

Pebble Beach Golf Links
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The USGA has made it a point to get out ahead of its scheduling, with U.S. Opens on the books into the 2050s. Here are the future U.S. Women’s open sites that have been confirmed by the USGA.
 

Year

Venue

2024

Lancaster Country Club (PA)

2025

Erin Hills (WI)

2026

Riviera Country Club (CA)

2027

Inverness Club (OH)

2028

Oakmont Country Club (PA)

2029

Pinehurst (NC)

2030

Interlachen CC (MN)

2031

Oakland Hills CC (MI)

2032 LA Country Club (CA)
2033 Chicago Golf Club (IL)

2034

Merion Golf Club (PA)

2035

Pebble Beach (CA)

2036 Shinnecock Hills (NY)

2038

Oakmont (PA)

2040

Pebble Beach (CA)

2042

Oakland Hills CC (MI)

2045 The Country Club (MA)

2046

Merion Golf Club (PA)

2048

Pebble Beach (CA)