79TH US WOMEN’S OPEN PREVIEW – Golf News

The 79th edition of the US Women’s Open, the longest-running major championship in women’s golf, gets under way on Thursday [May 30] at Lancaster Country Club in Pennsylvania.

The championship features field of 156 players and a prize fund of $12 million, with online banking company Ally being the presenting sponsor.

The Field

The field features a who’s who of players who have already tasted major success. Nelly Korda, the two-time major champion and current world no.1, headlines the field in pursuit of her seventh win of the season.

She’s joined by major champions Celine Boutier, Ashleigh Buhai, Brooke Henderson, Lydia Ko and Hannah Green, just to name a few.

Green is the only other multiple winner this season on the LPGA Tour, with victories at the HSBC Women’s World Championship and the JM Eagle LA Championship.

Eight past champions of the US Women’s Open will also tee it up, including Brittany Lang, Ariya Jutanugarn, Jeongeun Lee6, A Lim Kim, Yuka Saso, Minjee Lee, Allisen Corpuz and In Gee Chun, who was the winner the last time the championship was held at Lancaster Country Club in 2015.

The Course

Lancaster Country Club is hosting the US Women’s Open for only the second time following its debut in 2015.  The par-70 course, which will play to 6,583 yards, features a variety of par 4s, distinct par 3s and just two par 5s.

Measuring 100 yards longer than it did nine years ago, the biggest change from 2015 can be seen at the par-5 13th hole, which was lengthened by 30 yards and has seen the addition of four new bunkers.

Corpuz Defends

Allisen Corpuz became not just a first-time winner but also a major champion with her breakout victory in the US Women’s Open at Pebble Beach in 2023.

She closed with a final-round 69 to win by three strokes. Following her win, she struggled to recapture that form, with a runner-up finish in her next start and a tie for sixth in the AIG Women’s Open being her best results for the remainder of 2023.

This year, she has recorded just a single top-10 finish, a tie for eighth that came at the HSBC Women’s World Championship.

Korda Chasing Major No. 3

Nelly Korda arrives at the second major championship of the season in pursuit of not just her seventh victory of the year, but also a third career major victory.

Korda captured her fifth consecutive win of the season at the year’s first major, The Chevron Championship, and will be riding high on the momentum of a sixth win in her last start at the Mizuho Americas Open.

At a major venue like Lancaster Country Club, which puts a premium on hitting fairways and greens, Korda will be tough to beat as she leads the Tour in greens in regulation, putts per green in regulation and scoring average.

Korda is competing in her 10th US Women’s Open, and she has two top-10 results in the event.

Speaking about the challenge that lies ahead, Korda said: “This golf course is a beast. Off the tee, if you don’t hit it into the fairways, it sinks down into the rough. These greens are small and very, very undulated.

“It’s just going to be tough. No matter if you hit it higher or if you’re longer, I feel like the key out here this week is just hitting it straight.

It doesn’t matter if you’re short or long. If you make a couple mistakes here and there sometimes it can get away from you, but it’s going to test every aspect of your game out there this week.”

You can catch all the action from the 79th US Women’s Open on Sky Sports Golf.  For the full schedule, visit www.skysports.com/golf/watch