The 81st U.S. Women’s Open takes place Thursday through Sunday at Riviera Country Club in Pacific Palisades, California.
It marks the first time that the historic golf course is hosting a women’s event after being the venue of many men’s events, like the U.S. Open, PGA Championship and U.S. Amateur Championship.
As the second major championship of the season, the U.S. Women’s Open is one of the five defining events of the year, alongside the Chevron Championship, KPMG Women’s PGA Championship, the Amundi Evian Championship and the AIG Women’s Open.
A win at this week’s U.S. Women’s Open could be career-defining for some players; for others, it could further cement their legacy.
Nelly Korda
Nelly Korda has been the most dominant women’s golfer in the world this season with three wins and three second-place finishes in seven events. One of those wins was the Chevron Championship, the first major championship of the 2026 season.
If Korda wins the second major this season, it would be her fourth all-time, as she’s won the Chevron Championship twice and the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship once. Winning the U.S. Women’s Open would give Korda three of the five major championships and give her two chances at winning the career grand slam this season, as the women’s grand slam consists of winning four of the five major championships.
Korda is just four points away from qualifying for the LPGA Hall of Fame, and a major championship would get two of those points out of the way, making it feasible for the 27-year-old to make the Hall of Fame this season.
Lydia Ko
Lydia Ko hasn’t officially announced her retirement yet, but she’s made it clear that she doesn’t have any intention of playing past 30 years old. The 29-year-old from New Zealand qualified for the Hall of Fame after winning the gold medal at the 2024 Olympics.
Winning the U.S. Women’s Open would give Ko the career grand slam, further cementing herself into women’s golf history, as she’s won the Chevron Championship, Amundi Evian Championship and the AIG Women’s Open.
Ko has already won on some of the most iconic golf courses in history, as she won the AIG Women’s Open at the Old Course at St. Andrews in Scotland, which is considered the oldest golf course in the world. A win this week would give her a win at another historic golf course in Riviera Country Club, where one of the all-time greats, Ben Hogan, won the 1948 U.S. Open.
Jeeno Thitikul
Jeeno Thitikul currently sits at No. 2 in the Rolex Women’s World Golf Rankings, but she’s yet to record a major in her young professional golf career.
The 23-year-old from Thailand has racked up nine LPGA Tour wins since joining the tour in 2022, but her record in major championships hasn’t been as stellar. Her closest finish in a major came at last year’s Amundi Evian Championship, when Thitikul lost in a playoff to Australian Grace Kim.
If Thitikul wins this week’s U.S. Women’s Open, it could get the ball rolling for more major championships to come down the line. She just has to knock off her first one.
Rose Zhang
Rose Zhang burst onto the scene when she joined the LPGA Tour in 2023 with a win in her first start as a professional. Zhang recorded another win in 2024, but one of the greatest women’s amateurs hasn’t been able to find the same success since.
As an amateur, Zhang won back-to-back NCAA Women’s Golf Championship Individual Championship titles and the 2023 Augusta National Women’s Amateur, which are regarded as some of the best amateur events.
Zhang turned professional before graduating from Stanford University, balancing school and playing professionally for years before graduating in the spring of 2026. This week’s U.S. Women’s Open could be what gets Zhang back on track after a few years, as she missed the cut in half of her events in 2025 and has just two top-10s in 2026.
