The 2015 U.S. Women's Open was the 70th U.S. Women's Open, held July 9–12 at Lancaster Country Club in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. The U.S. Women's Open is the oldest of the five current major championships and the third of the 2015 season.
Chun In-gee won the tournament in her first appearance.
It had the largest purse in women's golf, at $4.5 million in 2015. Additionally, the tournament set an attendance record for the U.S. Women's Open at 135,000 spectators for the week. The tournament was televised by Fox Sports 1 and Fox Sports.
Qualifying and field The championship is open to any female professional or amateur golfer with a USGA handicap index not exceeding 2.4. Players qualify by competing in one of twenty 36-hole qualifying tournaments held at sites across the United States and at international sites in China, England, Japan, and South Korea. Additional players were exempt from qualifying because of past performances in professional or amateur tournaments around the world.
The United States Golf Association received a record 1,873 entries for the championship.
Exempt from qualifying Many players are exempt in multiple categories. Players are listed only once, in the first category in which they became exempt, with additional categories in parentheses ( ) next to their names. Golfers qualifying in Category 13 who qualified in other categories are denoted with the tour by which they qualified.
1. Winners of the U.S. Women's Open for the last ten years (2005–2014) Na Yeon Choi (10,12,15,16), Paula Creamer (10,15,16), Eun-Hee Ji (10), Cristie Kerr (10,11,12,15,16), Birdie Kim, Inbee Park (5,7,10,11,12,15,16), So Yeon Ryu (9,10,12,15,16), Michelle Wie (9,10,15,16) Exempt but did not enter tournament: Annika Sörenstam
2. Winner and runner-up from the 2014 U.S. Women's Amateur (must be an amateur) Kristen Gillman The runner-up, Brooke Henderson, turned professional in December 2014, forfeiting this exemption. She had previously qualified in category 9.
3. Winners of the 2014 and 2015 British Ladies Amateur Golf Championship (must be an amateur) Céline Boutier (2015) The 2014 winner, Emily Kristine Pedersen, was eligible but did not enter the tournament.
4. Winner of the 2014 Mark H. McCormack Medal (Women's World Amateur Golf Ranking) (must be an amateur) Minjee Lee turned professional in December 2014, forfeiting her exemption from qualifying. She later qualified under categories 12 and 16.
5. Winners of the Women's PGA Championship for the last five years (2011–2015) Shanshan Feng (10,12,15,16), Yani Tseng (6,10)
6. Winners of the Ricoh Women's British Open for the last five years (2010–2014) Stacy Lewis (7,9,10,11,12,15,16), Mo Martin (10,12,15,16) Jiyai Shin (13-JLPGA,15,16) qualified but did not enter the tournament
7. Winners of the ANA Inspiration for the last five years (2011–2015) Brittany Lincicome (10,11,15,16), Lexi Thompson (9,10,15,16), Sun-Young Yoo (10)
8. Winners of the Evian Championship (2013–2014) Kim Hyo-joo (11,12,13-KLPGA,15,16), Suzann Pettersen (10,15,16)
9. Ten lowest scorers and anyone tying for 10th place from the 2014 U.S. Women's Open Brooke Henderson, Meena Lee (10), Catriona Matthew (10,15,16), Stephanie Meadow, Pornanong Phatlum (10,15,16), Jenny Shin (10,15,16), Amy Yang (10,11,12,15,16), Sakura Yokomine
10. Top 75 money leaders from the 2014 final official LPGA money list Marina Alex, Dori Carter, Chella Choi (15,16), Carlota Ciganda (13-LET,15,16), Laura Davies, Laura Diaz, Austin Ernst (12), Jodi Ewart Shadoff, Sandra Gal (15,16), Julieta Granada (15,16), Mina Harigae, Caroline Hedwall, M. J. Hur (12), Karine Icher, Tiffany Joh, Moriya Jutanugarn, Danielle Kang, Haeji Kang, Kim Kaufman, Christina Kim (12), I.K. Kim (15), Katherine Kirk, Lydia Ko (11,12,15,16), Jessica Korda (15,16), Candie Kung, Brittany Lang (16), Ilhee Lee (15,16), Mi Hyang Lee (12,15,16), Mirim Lee (11,12,15,16), Amelia Lewis, Pernilla Lindberg, Caroline Masson, Sydnee Michaels, Belen Mozo, Azahara Muñoz (15,16), Haru Nomura, Anna Nordqvist (12,15,16), Ji Young Oh, Lee-Anne Pace (12,13-LET,15), Hee Young Park (15), Gerina Piller (15,16), Morgan Pressel (11,15,16), Beatriz Recari, Lizette Salas (15,16), Dewi Claire Schreefel, Sarah Jane Smith, Angela Stanford (15,16), Thidapa Suwannapura, Kris Tamulis, Ayako Uehara, Mariajo Uribe, Line Vedel, Karrie Webb (15,16) Se Ri Pak withdrew from the tournament on June 21 and was replaced by Georgia Hall, the first alternate from the Buckinghamshire qualifier.Golf Channel Hall of Famer Pak WDs from U.S. Women's Open June 22, 2015. Jennifer Johnson withdrew on July 6 citing "medical reasons." She was replaced by Mallory Blackwelder, the first alternate from the Scottsdale, Arizona qualifier.Golf Channel, Oyama, Green, Wagner added to U.S. Women’s Open July 6, 2015.
11. Top 10 money leaders from the 2015 official LPGA money list, through the close of entries on May 6 Kim Sei-young (12,15,16)
12. Winners of LPGA co-sponsored events, whose victories are considered official, from the conclusion of the 2014 U.S. Women's Open to the initiation of the 2015 U.S. Women's Open Q Baek (13-KLPGA,15,16), Minjee Lee (16)
13. Top five money leaders from the 2014 Japan LPGA Tour, Korea LPGA Tour and Ladies European Tour Japan LPGA Tour: Teresa Lu (15,16), Misuzu Narita Korea LPGA Tour: Heo Yoon-kyung (15), Lee Jung-min (15,16), Chun In-gee (15,16) Ladies European Tour: Charley Hull (15,16), Gwladys Nocera
Sun-Ju Ahn (15,16) (JLPGA), Lee Bo-mee (15,16) (JLPGA) and Nikki Campbell (LET) qualified but did not enter the tournament. Heo Yoon-kyung (15) qualified but withdrew from the tournament on July 8 with a knee injury. She was replaced by Ally McDonald, the first alternate from the Atlanta, Georgia qualifier.Lancaster Country Club provides tough but fair test for U.S. Women’s Open July 8, 2015.
14. Top three money leaders from the 2014 China LPGA Tour. Xi Yu Lin, Babe Liu, Yanhong Pan
15. Top 50 point leaders from the current Rolex Rankings and anyone tying for 50th place as of May 6, 2015 Jang Ha-na (16), Ariya Jutanugarn
Kim Min-sun (16) and Ko Jin-young (16) qualified but did not enter the tournament.
16. Top 50 point leaders from the current Rolex Rankings and anyone tying for 50th place as of July 5, 2015 Shiho Oyama
Momoko Ueda qualified but did not enter the tournament.
17. Special exemptions selected by the USGA None offered.
Qualifiers Additional players qualify through sectional qualifying tournaments taking place between May 9 and June 15 at 25 sites in the United States, China, South Korea, England, and Japan.
(a) denotes amateur
May 9 at Ka’anapali Golf Resort (Royal Course), Lahaina, Hawaii Mariel Galdiano (a)
May 13 at CGA Nanshan International Training Center (Garden Course), Shandong, China Yuting Shi
May 18 at Serrano Country Club, El Dorado Hills, California Jennifer Coleman, Beth Lillie (a)
May 18 at Bradenton Country Club, Bradenton, Florida Daniela Darquea (a), Regina Plasencia (a)
May 18 at Druid Hills Golf Club, Atlanta, Georgia Brooke Pancake, Jane Park
May 18 at Westmoreland Country Club, Wilmette, Illinois Christina Foster (a), Elizabeth Nagel
May 18 at Windsong Farm Golf Club, Independence, Minnesota Sarah Burnham (a)
May 18 at Butler Country Club, Butler, Pennsylvania Lori Adams (a), Nikolette Schroeder (a)
May 18 at Hermitage Country Club, Manakin-Sabot, Virginia Alejandra Llaneza, Mika Miyazato, Jennifer Song
May 18 at Woo Jeong Hills Country Club, Chungnam, South Korea So-Young Lee (a), Min Gyeong Youn (a)
May 19 at Superstition Mountain Golf & Country Club, Gold Canyon, Arizona Jimin Kang, Lindsey Weaver (a)
May 19 at Goose Creek Golf Club, Mira Loma, California Alison Lee, Lilia Khatu Vu (a)
May 22 at Fountains Country Club (North Course), Lake Worth, Florida Wei-Ling Hsu, Ryann O'Toole
May 25 at Buckinghamshire Golf Club, Buckinghamshire, England Holly Aitchison, Maria Balikoeva, Heather Macrae, Lauren Taylor, Kylie Walker
May 26 at Industry Hills Golf Club, City of Industry, California Lee Lopez, Angella Then (a)
May 27 at Riverdale Golf Course, Brighton, Colorado Bertine Strauss (a), María Fassi (a)
May 27 at Governors Club, Chapel Hill, North Carolina Lauren Doughtie, Su-Hyun Oh
May 29 at Sugar Mill Country Club (White/Red Course), New Smyrna Beach, Florida Haley Italia, Haruka Morita-WanyaoLu
June 1 at Galloway National Golf Club, Galloway, New Jersey Natalie Gulbis, Nontaya Srisawang
June 2 at Ferncroft Country Club, Middleton, Massachusetts Stephanie Connelly, Megan Khang (a)
June 2 at St. Clair Country Club, Belleville, Illinois Breanna Elliott, Emma Talley (a)
June 2 at OGA Golf Course, Woodburn, Oregon Muni He (a), Hannah O'Sullivan (a)
June 2 at The Woodlands Country Club (Player Course), The Woodlands, Texas Christel Boeljon, Gaby López (a)
June 4 at Lakewood Country Club, Dallas, Texas Dylan Kim (a), Jennifer Park (a)
June 15 at Arima Royal Golf Club, Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan Lala Anai, Erika Kikuchi, Ayaka Matsumori, Ai Suzuki, Suzuka Yamaguchi (a), Rumi Yoshiba
Alternates added to field The following players were added to the field before the start of the tournament when spots reserved for exemptions in various categories were not used and to replace players who withdrew from the tournament.
Mallory Blackwelder, Jaye Marie Green, Georgia Hall, Min Lee, Nikki Long (a), Ally McDonald, Samantha Wagner
Course layout
Hole123456789Out101112131415161718InTotalYards4073743993463921724821984213,1914284161695083894143531784373,2926,483Par444443534354435444343570 Source:
Round summaries
First round Thursday and Friday, July 9–10, 2015
The first round was incomplete Thursday due to weather; play was completed on Friday morning before the beginning of the second round.
PlacePlayerScoreTo parT1 Marina Alex 66 −4 Jane Park Karrie WebbT4 Na Yeon Choi 67 −3 Amy YangT6 Chun In-gee 68 −2 Austin Ernst Muni He (a) Mi Hyang Lee Sydnee Michaels Elizabeth Nagel Inbee Park Morgan Pressel
Second round Friday, July 10, 2015 PlacePlayerScoreTo par1 Amy Yang 67-66=133 −7T2 Stacy Lewis 69-67=136 −4 Shiho Oyama 70-66=136 4 Marina Alex 66-71=137 −3T5 Chun In-gee 68-70=138 −2 Inbee Park 68-70=138 Jane Park 66-72=138 Morgan Pressel 68-70=138 Karrie Webb 66-72=138 Rumi Yoshiba 70-68=138
Third round Saturday, July 11, 2015 PlacePlayerScoreTo par1 Amy Yang 67-66-69=202 −82 Stacy Lewis 69-67-69=205 −53 Chun In-gee 68-70-68=206 −44 Shiho Oyama 70-66-71=207 −3T5 Chella Choi 71-73-64=208 −2 Mi Hyang Lee 68-72-68=208 Inbee Park 68-70-70=208 Michelle Wie 72-68-68=208T9 Min Lee 71-68-70=209 −1 Jane Park 66-72-71=209 Morgan Pressel 68-70-71=209
Final round Sunday, July 12, 2015 PlacePlayerScoreTo parMoney ($)1 Chun In-gee 68-70-68-66=272 −8 810,0002 Amy Yang 67-66-69-71=273 −7 486,000T3 Stacy Lewis 69-67-69-70=275 −5 267,072 Inbee Park 68-70-70-67=275 T5 Brooke Henderson 70-73-68-66=277 −3 141,396 Pernilla Lindberg 70-70-70-67=277 Shiho Oyama 70-66-71-70=277 Jane Park 66-72-71-68=277 Morgan Pressel 68-70-71-68=277 So Yeon Ryu 72-68-70-67=277
Scorecard Final round Hole123456789101112131415161718Par444443534443544434 Chun −5−5−6−6−6−6−7−6−6−5−5−6−6−6−7−8−9−8 Yang −8−8−8−8−7−8−9−9−8−8−7−7−7−6−5−7−8−7 Lewis −6−6−6−6−4−4−5−5−5−5−5−5−6−6−4−5−5−5 Park −2−3−2−2−2−3−3−2−2−3−3−3−4−4−4−5−4−5 Cumulative tournament scores, relative to par Source:
References
External links
2015 U.S. Women's Open at LPGA official site