A record number of entries were filed for this year’s U.S. Women’s Open, the U.S. Golf Association has announced. The 1,874 total narrowly tops the previous record of 1,873 set in 2015, when the championship was held at Lancaster (Pa.) Country Club.
Past champions Cristie Kerr (2007) and Eun Hee Ji (2009) were among those who filed entries for this year’s championship, scheduled for June 2-5 at Pine Needles Lodge and Golf Club in Southern Pines, North Carolina. Kerr won the 2007 U.S. Women’s Open held at Pine Needles but is not exempt this year. Last year, the former No. 1 competed on a special exemption at The Olympic Club.
Kerr, 44, is scheduled to compete in Morristown, New Jersey, on May 10, while Ji, 35, is in the Fort Myers, Florida, qualifier on May 4.
Leonie Tavares, 11, of Canada is the youngest entrant, and Denise Callahan, 61, from Canton, Ohio, is the oldest. California amateur Vanessa Wang, 21, was the last one in, beating the April 6 deadline by seven minutes.
Annika Sörenstam of Sweden plays her shot from the second tee during the second round of the 2022 Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions at Lake Nona Golf & Country Club on January 21, 2022 in Orlando, Florida. (Photo by Julio Aguilar/Getty Images)
2021 USWO winner Yuka Saso and Annika Sorenstam are two of the past champions who highlight the field along with Michelle Wie West (2014), Inbee Park (2008, 2013), So Yeon Ryu (2011), In Gee Chun (2015), Brittany Lang (2016), Sung Hyun Park (2017), Ariya Jutanugarn (2018), Jeongeun Lee6 (2019), and A Lim Kim (2020).
There are 82 players who are fully exempt into the championship. That number will increase with the addition of winners from any LPGA co-sponsored event prior to the USWO as well as any player who is among the top 75 points leaders and ties from the Rolex Rankings as of May 16, who is not otherwise exempt.
Here’s the list of exempt players 2022 U.S. Women’s Open (as of April 6):
| Marina Alex |
| Brittany Altomare |
| Na Ria An |
| Pajaree Anannarukarn |
| Pia Babnik |
| Celine Boutier |
| a-Blakesly Brock |
| a-Jensen Castle |
| Matilda Castren |
| Hye-Jin Choi |
| Na Yeon Choi |
| In Gee Chun |
| Carlota Ciganda |
| a-Anna Davis |
| a-Louise Duncan |
| Austin Ernst |
| Ally Ewing |
| Ayaka Furue |
| Hannah Green |
| Georgia Hall |
| Mina Harigae |
| Nasa Hataoka |
| Brooke M. Henderson |
| Charley Hull |
| Ariya Jutanugarn |
| Moriya Jutanugarn |
| Danielle Kang |
| Megan Khang |
| A Lim Kim |
| Hyo Joo Kim |
| In-Kyung Kim |
| Sei Young Kim |
| Jin Young Ko |
| Lydia Ko |
| Sakura Koiwai |
| Jessica Korda |
| Nelly Korda |
| Jennifer Kupcho |
| Brittany Lang |
| Alison Lee |
| Da Yeon Lee |
| Minjee Lee |
| Mirim Lee |
| So Mi Lee |
| Jeongeun Lee6 |
| Stacy Lewis |
| Hee Jeong Lim |
| Xiyu Liu |
| Pernilla Lindberg |
| Wenbo Liu |
| Gaby Lopez |
| Nanna Koertz Madsen |
| Leona Maguire |
| Caroline Masson |
| Yuna Nishimura |
| Yealimi Noh |
| Anna Nordqvist |
| Amy Olson |
| Ryann O’Toole |
| Hyun Kung Park |
| Inbee Park |
| Sung Hyun Park |
| Sophia Popov |
| Melissa Reid |
| Hae Ran Ryu |
| So Yeon Ryu |
| Madelene Sagstrom |
| Mao Saigo |
| Lizette Salas |
| Yuka Saso |
| Hinako Shibuno |
| Annika Sorenstam |
| Angela Stanford |
| Ai Suzuki |
| Patty Tavatanakit |
| Atthaya Thitikul |
| Lexi Thompson |
| Momoko Ueda |
| Michelle Wie West |
| Amy Yang |
| Angel Yin |
| a-Rose Zhang |
*a- amateur