Seven Australasians make US$10 million US Women’s Open field
Lydia Ko – the highest ranked player amongst the seven Australasians – photo LPGA
Seven Australasians will take their part in next week’s US Women’s Open at the Pine Needles Lodge and Golf Club in Southern Pines in North Carolina, the event beginning on June 2nd.
Minjee Lee, Hannah Green, Gabriella Ruffels, Sarah Kemp and Grace Kim will be joined by New Zealanders Lydia Ko and Julianne Alvarez in the richest event in women’s golf (US$10 million)
Perth’s Minjee Lee is currently the 4th ranked player in the female game and will play her 9th US Women’s Open but despite her success and standing in the game has a previous best of only 11th, that coming in 2017 at the Trump National Golf Course.
Lee, though, is in fine form in with a win, two runner-up finishes and a third place in seven starts to date on the LPGA Tour in 2022.
Her chances of improving on her previous best and bettering it by some way appear very good.
New Zealand’s Lydia Ko is currently the 3rd ranked played in the female game and like Lee is having a fine season with a win and a 3rd place amongst her six top twenty finishes in 2022.
Ko will play her 11th US Women’s Open although, interestingly, has only one top ten in her previous ten attempts. Like Lee, she appears on track to add to improve that stat and perhaps even challenge for the title.
Perth’s Hannah Green has also had a very good year to date in 2022, winning twice in mixed gender events in Australia before beginning her LPGA Tour campaign.
With four top tens in seven starts on the LPGA Tour in 2022, including a recent runner-up finish, she appears to be warming to her task and has a proven capacity to compete in big events although her record in this particular event perhaps belies that comment.
In three US Open starts she has made all three cuts but has a best of 34th on debut in 2019.
NSW’s Sarah Kemp gained a start via Final Qualifying, always a significant achievement and she will play her 6th US Open although she has missed the cut in five of those.
Kemp has battled for much of the season to date on the LPGA Tour but she gets another chance in this significant event and if she can make it to the weekend then there will be a reasonable cheque for her.
Victorian Gabi Ruffels is another to have gained her place in the field via Final Qualifying. The former winner and runner-up at the US Amateur Championship will play her third US Open, her previous starts courtesy of her US Amateur placings.
In 2020 Ruffels, who currently plays on the LPGA’s feeder tour, the Epson Tour, finished a very respectable 13th and has also performed well in previous major attempts.
Her form in 2022 has been somewhat below expectations but she is in this elite field and has a chance to improve her standing.
Sydney’s Grace Kim recently won an event on the Epson Tour and gets into this field for her first attempt in a major championship via Final Qualifying.
Kim has shown in her first few months as a professional that she might well become one of Australian golf’s next stars and gets her chance this week to compete against the strongest field she will have faced and for the largest amount of prizemoney she has even played for.
New Zealander Julianne Alvarez was a star during her time at the University of Washington, playing a key role in that team’s NCAA Championship victory in 2016.
The former New Zealand Amateur Champion qualified through Final Qualifying and gets to play in her first US Women’s Open.
