It's time for the second women's Major of the season, the U.S. Women's Open Presented by Ally, which comes six weeks after Nelly Korda claimed her second Major and fifth straight win of the year at The Chevron Championship in Texas. Here's all you need to know and some player stories to look out for at the 79th U.S. Women's Open Presented by Ally. *It was announced on February 1 that the USGA had partnered with Ally Financial which meant that Ally became the official retail banking partner of the USGA, the U.S. Open and U.S. Women’s Open, and the new presenting partner for the U.S. Women’s Open. It was also stated that the purse for the U.S. Women's Open would be elevated to $12 million. Designed by William Flynn, the Old Course at Lancaster Country Club opened in 1920. Lancaster has three Before even taking a tee shot, Lilia Vu had to withdraw from her defence of The Chevron Championship six weeks ago. At the time she took to her social media channels to explain:79th U.S. Women's Open Fast Facts
About Lancaster Country Club, Old Course
nine-hole courses, including Meadowcreek, Dogwood and the Highlands. The Old Course is comprised of the Meadowcreek and Dogwood nines. A course restoration was completed in 2007, under the guidance of Ron Forse and Jim Nagle.Player stories of the week
Lilia Vu
"I am so sorry to have to withdraw from The Chevron Championship, as I was really looking forward to defending my first Major title. I have been dealing with a back injury for a while now. Some days are better than others, and today was unfortunately not a good day. During my normal warm-up routine, I had severe discomfort in my back and I felt that I could not compete up to my standards and made the decision to withdraw from the tournament ahead of my tee time. I am planning to return home to see my doctors immediately to determine the best appropriate next steps.
"I want to thank everyone at Chevron for their support and understanding. I am so proud to be a Chevron champion and can't wait to get back next year. Thank you as well to the fans and volunteers at the course - you are in for a wonderful four days."
Whilst nothing official has been said, Vu's name is not on the start sheet for this week and she is yet to play in any tournament since withdrawing from the first Major of the season.
Field finalised
On Monday, May 27, The USGA announced that four additional players had earned full exemptions into the 79th U.S. Women’s Open Championship Presented by Ally, bringing the number of fully exempt players to 87. Additionally, four alternates from qualifying were added to complete the 156-player field.
Lauren Coughlin, 31, of Charlottesville, Va., Esther Henseleit, 25, of Germany, Gabriela Ruffels, 24, of Australia, and Rio Takeda, 21, of Japan, earned an exemption based on the current Rolex Rankings. Henseleit will play in her third U.S. Women’s Open. Takeda and Coughlin will be making their first starts in the championship. Ruffels, who made it into the field previously through qualifying, will play in her fifth U.S. Women’s Open. Ruffels’ spot goes to the first alternate from her qualifying site, giving England's Harriet Lynch, 23, her first start in the championship.
The USGA held eight spots in the field for those players who could potentially qualify by moving into the top 75 of the Rolex Rankings, as of May 27. Since Coughlin, Henseleit, Ruffels and Takeda were the only players to earn an exemption, four alternates from qualifying were added to the field. They are Sarah Kemp, Agathe Laisne, Amelia Lewis and Stephanie Meadow.View the full field here.
Contenders
It's safe to say that the name on most people's lips will be the World Number one Nelly Korda, just like it was Scottie Scheffler two weeks ago at the PGA Championship.
The American has had six wins in eight starts this season and comes into this after winning the Mizuho Americas Open on May 19. The idea of a seventh win almost seems unbelievable but after securing the first Major of the season, she showed just how well she can cope under the biggest amount of pressure.
The rest of the field will be chasing her and there is no doubt that if she does win, it won't be without a fight from others.
Who may bring the fight? Charley Hull fans will be hoping for a similar performance to last year at Pebble Beach, where she put on a ball striking show and produced one of the most compelling final round charges in U.S. Women's Open history.
If it weren't for Korda, Australian Hannah Green would have been capturing more headlines. The 27-year-old pushed Korda right until the final putt at the Mizuho Americas Open as she went in search of her third title of the season. Having now moved up to fourth in the world, you can be sure that she'll be ready to do battle with Korda again this week.
Will Allisen Corpuz defend her title? The American hasn't been having the best season but to be honest, you wouldn't have predicted her winning last year's U.S. Women's Open. We will wait to see what she says in her press conference.
In conclusion, it's hard to look past Korda but we're not fully convinced she'll be lifting the trophy on Sunday.
View the first and second round pairings and tee times via the link here.
How to watch the 2024 U.S. Women's Open
In the UK, you can watch live coverage of the U.S. Women's Open on Sky Sports Mix, Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports Golf. Coverage starts on Thursday May 30 at 5pm (BST) on Sky Sports Main Event and Mix.
Follow the U.S. Women's Open live leaderboard link here.
