England’s Buckinghamshire Golf Club hosted the final qualifier for the 77th U.S. Women’s Open Championship on Monday and it featured a 5-for-1 playoff in which Welsh pro Lydia Hall won on the fifth extra hole.
The USGA offered 26 qualifying sites for players to claw their way through for a chance to compete at Pine Needles Lodge & Golf Club, June 2-5 in Southern Pines, North Carolina.
The rest of the 156-player field is made up of exemptions, and after the Cognizant Founders Cup, Sayaka Takahashi (No. 57), Ga Young Lee (No. 74) and Maja Stark (No. 75) played their way in via the Rolex Rankings.
Only one exempt spot remains for next week’s Bank of Hope LPGA Match Play.
Here are 10 noteworthy players who advanced through qualifying for the chance to compete for the biggest purse in women’s golf history:
Gabriela Ruffels of Australia reacts to a shot on the fifth hole with her caddie Ivan Galdame during the third round of The Chevron Championship at The Westin Mission Hills Golf Resort & Spa on April 02, 2022 in Rancho Mirage, California. (Photo by Katelyn Mulcahy/Getty Images)
A close look at Gabriela Ruffels’ best finishes in professional events reveals a stunning trend: She plays her best at the majors.
Ruffels, 22, finished second at the Madera, California, qualifier at Dragonfly Golf Club to qualify for Pine Needles. She tied for 13th at the U.S. Women’s Open in Houston and boasts three top-25 finishes at the Chevron Championship. Ruffels, a former U.S. Women’s Amateur champion, currently competes on the Epson Tour where she’s 44th on the money list.
Lucy Li of United States tees off on the 15th hole during the third round of Honda LPGA Thailand at Siam Country Club Pattaya Old Course on March 12, 2022 in Pattaya, Thailand. (Photo by Thananuwat Srirasant/Getty Images)
Lucy Li made headlines at Pinehurst No. 2 in 2014 as a precocious 11-year-old competing against the big girls. Last week in El Macero, California, the young pro lapped the field by 10 strokes and will be compete in her fourth Women’s Open down the road from where it all began.
Li, 19, currently competes on the Epson Tour, where she ranks third on the money list. She opened the season with three consecutive top-5 finishes.
Alexa Pano plays her shot from the third tee during the final round of the Augusta National Women’s Amateur at Augusta National Golf Club on April 02, 2022 in Augusta, Georgia. (Photo by David Cannon/Getty Images)
Shortly after Alexa Pano turned professional at age 17, she finished runner-up on the Epson Tour, where she currently ranks 15th on the money list. The top 10 finishers earn LPGA cards for 2023.
Pano snagged the second and final qualifying spot out of Willoughby Golf Club in Stuart, Florida, via a playoff over former Duke standout Lindy Duncan. This will be Pano’s second USWO start and her first as a professional.
Bailey Davis hits her tee shot on the fourth hole during the John Shippen National Invitational prior to next week’s Rocket Mortgage Classic on June 27, 2021 at the Detroit Golf Club in Detroit, Michigan. John Shippen was an early Black American golfer who competed in several U.S. Opens, finishing fifth in 1896 and 1902. (Photo by Leon Halip/Getty Images)
Bailey Davis made a splash last summer at the U.S. Girls’ Junior when she advanced to the final match against top-ranked amateur Rose Zhang. On the heels of her freshman campaign at Tennessee, Davis won the qualifier at Belle Haven Country Club in Alexandria, Virginia. Davis and Aussie pro Sarah Kemp were the only players in the field who finished under par after 36 holes.
Her best finish as a Volunteer was a share of sixth at The Ally.
Muni He of China hits her drive on the second hole during the first round of the Cognizant Founders Cup at Upper Montclair Country Club on May 12, 2022 in Clifton, New Jersey. (Photo by Michael Cohen/Getty Images)
Muni He, known as Lily, qualified for her third U.S. Women’s Open at The Forest Country Club in Fort Myers, Florida. This could be the spark the former USC player needs after missing the cut in four of six starts on the LPGA this season. He, 22, made the cut as an amateur at the 2015 USWO at Lancaster Country Club.
Cheyenne Knight all smiles at the 15th tee during day four of the Aberdeen Standard Investments Ladies Scottish Open at The Renaissance Club on August 16, 2020 in North Berwick, Scotland. (Photo by Mark Runnacles/Getty Images)
Texan Cheyenne Knight qualified for her third career U.S. Women’s Open not far from home at The Clubs at Houston Oaks. The former Alabama star tied for 30th in her USWO debut at Champions Golf Club in Houston and missed the cut last year at The Olympic Club.
Knight, 25, broke through on the LPGA with her first win at the 2019 Volunteers of America Classic in Texas. Her best finish this year, a share of 11th, came in February at the LPGA Drive On.
Jeong Hyun Lee of Korea plays her stroke from the No. 12 tee during the second round of the Augusta National Women’s Amateur at Champions Retreat Golf Club, Thursday, March 31, 2022.
South Korea’s Jeong Hyun Lee is currently No. 28 in the World Amateur Golf Ranking. Lee was one of two amateurs who advanced through qualifying at the Dream Course in Incheon, joining Alicia Joo.
Lee, 15, won both the individual and team gold medals for Korea in the Spirit International in Texas as a 12-year-old. At age 8, Lee moved from South Korea to New Zealand for her golf career, following the blueprint of former No. 1 Lydia Ko. In 2020, she won the New Zealand Women’s Stroke Play Championship as well as the Korean Women’s Amateur.
Thienna Huynh and Sara Im pose with the trophy after winning the 2022 U.S. Women’s Amateur Four-Ball at Grand Reserve Golf Club in Rio Grande, Puerto Rico on Sunday, April 24, 2022. (Photo: Chris Keane/USGA)
Two weeks after winning the U.S. Women’s Amateur Four-Ball with partner Thienna Huynh, Sara Im’s hot streak continued at Dunwoody Country Club as she qualified for her first U.S. Women’s Open.
The 2023 grad and Vanderbilt commit also recently won the AJGA Rome Junior Classic.
Ami Gianchandani (courtesy Yale)
Ami Gianchandani, a junior at Yale, finished two clear of the field at Worcester Country Club in Massachusetts to grab the lone qualifying spot. The 2022 Ivy League Player of the Year shot 71-69 to advance to Pine Needles. She could be joined by teammate Kaitlyn Lee, who finished tied for second and is currently an alternate.
As a freshman, Gianchandani became the second player in Yale women’s golf history to win Ivy League Player and Rookie of the Year.
Bronte Law plays the 17th hole during the second round of the LPGA Gainbridge at Boca Rio in Boca Raton, Florida. (Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images)
England’s Bronte Law qualified for her fourth U.S. Women’s Open at Gainey Ranch Golf Club in Scottsdale, Arizona, along with Stephanie Meadow and amateur Alexandra Forsterling.
Law, 27, won her first LPGA title in 2019 and her first LET title last fall in Dubai. Her best finish at a USWO came in 2020 when she tied for 30th.
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