Pinehurst #2 just experienced the best male golfers in the world competing for the U.S. Open Trophy. It will now host the best women players in the world for the U.S. Women’s Open.
This is the first time the USGA has held the men’s and women’s tournaments on the same course in consecutive weeks. The idea was conceived a few years ago to highlight the USGA’s two premier events and give increased exposure to the LPGA Tour.
It must be a little crazy around the intimate side streets of the Village of Pinehurst as fans that were in for the men’s U.S. Open try to leave town and fans attending the U.S. Women’s Open arrive at their accommodations.
Pinehurst bills itself as the home of American golf. Donald Ross spent his lifetime building and tweaking his beloved #2. As was again reinforced by watching the men struggle around the difficult course, he designed a classic.
The women will find that approach shots only slightly off line will roll off the edges of the bowl-shaped greens and they will be left with difficult chips to save par or prevent a double bogey.
The winner this week will need to conquer their emotions, overcome bad bounces and possess a superior short game.
The Coore/Crenshaw renovation of Pinehurst #2 has received great revues from golfers and fans alike. Excavating acres of grass and exposing sandy waste areas filled with native grasses brought an entirely different look and feel to the old course.
Stacy Lewis has yet to win a U.S. Women’s Open title to her resume, but comes into Pinehurst leading both the Rolex Rankings and LPGA Tour money list.
Inbee Park has won two U.S. Women’s Opens and held the No. 1 spot for 59 weeks after her win at Sebonack last year.
Before she won the Manulife LPGA Classic last week, Park had not won since the 2013 U.S. Women’s Open.
Michelle Wie, No. 2 on the LPGA Tour money list, comes into Pinehurst as one of the hottest players on tour with one win and eight top-10 finishes this season. Youngsters, Lexi Thompson, Jessica Korda, Lizette Salas and Lydia Ko all have wins in 2014 and will look to add the U.S. Women’s Open trophy to their mantle.
Veterans Christie Kerr, Paula Creamer and Karrie Webb have won previous U.S. Women’s Opens, but want to add more major hardware to their trophy case.
Throw in former U.S. Women’s Open winners, So Yeon Ryu and Na Yeon Choi plus a host of other strong competitors on the women’s tour and the action should be fierce on the old course this week.
South Koreans have won five of the last six U.S. Women’s Opens, but with Creamer, Lewis, Thompson, Korda, Salas and Kerr all playing well this year, an American may just come away with the title.
A deep talented field on a classic golf course should make for excellent golf watching this week at the U.S. Women’s Open.