US Women’s Open Winners and History
In some ways, the history of the US Women’s Open reflects the history of inequity in women’s sports. It’s a young tournament, dating back to only 1946, whereas the equivalent (and generally male) US Open dates to 1895. This is, the USGA, suggests in its official history, due to a decided lack of women professionals until after the Second World War.
Along those lines, it’s also worthy of noting that unlike the US Open, it was not founded by the USGA, but rather by the pioneering, but short-lived Women’s Professional Golfers Association. The first was a match play event at the Spokane Country Club, with the $19,700 purse contributed by a men’s fraternal organization out of slot machine proceeds. The USGA shortchanged the women then, as they did for decades with significantly lower purses. How this stood the test of gender parity, I don’t know.
After three years, the WPGA turned the tournament over to the newly formed LPGA. It wasn’t until 1953 that it was first run by the USGA, which had been running the US Open, US Amateur and US Women’s Amateur since 1895.
Another distinction from the US Open: While the US Women’s Open is the oldest women’s tournament open to professionals and amateurs, it’s not universally considered a major in the golf world. Neither the European Ladies Professional Golf Tour, nor the Japan LPGA sanction the US Women’s Open.
Patty Berg won the first Women’s Open, defeating Betty Jameson 5 and 4 in the 36 hole final. That was the last Women’s Open that used match play. (Note that the PGA Championship used match play until 1957, after which it too abandoned the format).
Betsy Rawls was the winner of the first USGA sponsored championship. In all, Rawls would win four times, a feat matched only by Mickey Wright. The only amateur winner was Catherine Lacoste (daughter of Rene Lacoste), in 1967.
When the USGA assumed control of the championship, there were just 37 entrants. Reflecting the growth in womens’ sports, in 2010, there were 1,296 entries. Growth in women’s sports internationally also is on display as nine of the last 20 champions have been foreign born.
The US Women’s Open currently has the biggest purse in women’s golf, at $11 million, achieving near parity with the US Open.
The US Women’s Open is open to any female golfer with a handicap of 4.4 or lower. Qualifying consists of a single sectional state of 36 holes played on a single day. Exemptions come from eleven categories, including winners of the Women’s Open from the past ten years, major winners from the past five, the top 50 from the previous LPGA money list, the fop five from the Japan LPGA, Korea LPGA, and European LPGA money lists, and official winners of LPGA tournaments from the past year.
A list of all past winners is below:
| Year | Champion | Score | To Par | Margin of Victory | Purse ($) | Venue | |
| 2024 | Yuka Saso | 276 | -4 | 2 strokes | 12 million | Lancaster CC | |
| 2023 | Allisen Corpuz | 279 | −9 | 3 strokes | 11 million | Pebble Beach Golf Links | |
| 2022 | Minjee Lee | 271 | −13 | 4 strokes | 10 million | Pine Needles Lodge and Golf Club | |
| 2021 | Yuka Saso | 280 | −4 | Playoff | 5,500,000 | Olympic Club, Lake Course | |
| 2020 | Kim A-lim | 281 | −3 | 1 stroke | 5,500,000 | Champions Golf Club | |
| 2019 | Lee Jeong-eun | 278 | −6 | 2 strokes | 5,500,000 | Country Club of Charleston | |
| 2018 | Ariya Jutanugarn | 277 | −11 | Playoff | 5,000,000 | Shoal Creek Golf and Country Club | |
| 2017 | Park Sung-hyun | 277 | −11 | 2 strokes | 5,000,000 | Trump National Golf Club | |
| 2016 | Brittany Lang | 282 | −6 | Playoff | 4,500,000 | CordeValle Golf Club | |
| 2015 | Chun In-gee | 272 | −8 | 1 stroke | 4,500,000 | Lancaster Country Club | |
| 2014 | Michelle Wie | 278 | −2 | 2 strokes | 4,000,000 | Pinehurst Resort, Course No. 2 | |
| 2013 | Inbee Park (2) | 280 | −8 | 4 strokes | 3,250,000 | Sebonack Golf Club | |
| 2012 | Na Yeon Choi | 281 | −7 | 4 strokes | 3,250,000 | Blackwolf Run, composite course | |
| 2011 | Ryu So-yeon | 281 | −3 | Playoff | 3,250,000 | Broadmoor Golf Club, East Course | |
| 2010 | Paula Creamer | 281 | −3 | 4 strokes | 3,250,000 | Oakmont Country Club | |
| 2009 | Ji Eun-hee | 284 | E | 1 stroke | 3,250,000 | Saucon Valley Country Club | |
| 2008 | Inbee Park | 283 | −9 | 4 strokes | 3,250,000 | Interlachen Country Club | |
| 2007 | Cristie Kerr | 279 | −5 | 2 strokes | 3,100,000 | Pine Needles Lodge and Golf Club | |
| 2006 | Annika Sörenstam (3) | 284 | E | Playoff | 3,100,000 | Newport Country Club | |
| 2005 | Birdie Kim | 287 | 3 | 2 strokes | 3,100,000 | Cherry Hills Country Club | |
| 2004 | Meg Mallon (2) | 274 | −10 | 2 strokes | 3,100,000 | The Orchards Golf Club | |
| 2003 | Hilary Lunke | 283 | −1 | Playoff | 3,100,000 | Pumpkin Ridge Golf Club, Witch Hollow Course | |
| 2002 | Juli Inkster (2) | 276 | −4 | 2 strokes | 3,000,000 | Prairie Dunes Golf Club | |
| 2001 | Karrie Webb (2) | 273 | −7 | 8 strokes | 2,900,000 | Pine Needles Lodge and Golf Club | |
| 2000 | Karrie Webb | 282 | −6 | 5 strokes | 2,750,000 | Merit Club | |
| 1999 | Juli Inkster | 272 | −16 | 5 strokes | 1,750,000 | Old Waverly Golf Club | |
| 1998 | Pak Se-ri | 290 | 6 | Playoff | 1,500,000 | Blackwolf Run, composite course | |
| 1997 | Alison Nicholas | 274 | −10 | 1 stroke | 1,300,000 | Pumpkin Ridge Golf Club, Witch Hollow Course | |
| 1996 | Annika Sörenstam (2) | 272 | −8 | 6 strokes | 1,200,000 | Pine Needles Lodge and Golf Club | |
| 1995 | Annika Sörenstam | 278 | −2 | 1 stroke | 1,000,000 | Broadmoor Golf Club, East Course | |
| 1994 | Patty Sheehan (2) | 277 | −7 | 1 stroke | 850,000 | Indianwood Golf and Country Club, Old Course | |
| 1993 | Lauri Merten | 280 | −8 | 1 stroke | 800,000 | Crooked Stick Golf Club | |
| 1992 | Patty Sheehan | 280 | −4 | Playoff | 700,000 | Oakmont Country Club | |
| 1991 | Meg Mallon | 283 | −1 | 2 strokes | 600,000 | Colonial Country Club | |
| 1990 | Betsy King (2) | 284 | −4 | 1 stroke | 500,000 | Atlanta Athletic Club, Riverside Course | |
| 1989 | Betsy King | 278 | −2 | 4 strokes | 450,000 | Indianwood Golf and Country Club, Old Course | |
| 1988 | Liselotte Neumann | 277 | −7 | 3 strokes | 400,000 | Baltimore Country Club, Five Farms, East Course | |
| 1987 | Laura Davies | 285 | −3 | Playoff | 325,000 | Plainfield Country Club | |
| 1986 | Jane Geddes | 287 | −1 | Playoff | 300,000 | NCR Country Club | |
| 1985 | Kathy Baker | 280 | −8 | 3 strokes | 250,000 | Baltusrol Golf Club, Upper Course | |
| 1984 | Hollis Stacy (3) | 290 | 2 | 1 stroke | 225,000 | Salem Country Club | |
| 1983 | Jan Stephenson | 290 | 6 | 1 stroke | 200,000 | Cedar Ridge Country Club | |
| 1982 | Janet Alex | 283 | −5 | 6 strokes | 175,000 | Del Paso Country Club | |
| 1981 | Pat Bradley | 279 | −9 | 1 stroke | 150,000 | La Grange Country Club | |
| 1980 | Amy Alcott | 280 | −4 | 9 strokes | 140,000 | Richland Country Club | |
| 1979 | Jerilyn Britz | 284 | E | 2 strokes | 125,000 | Brooklawn Country Club | |
| 1978 | Hollis Stacy (2) | 289 | 5 | 1 stroke | 100,000 | Country Club of Indianapolis | |
| 1977 | Hollis Stacy | 292 | 4 | 2 strokes | 75,000 | Hazeltine National Golf Club | |
| 1976 | JoAnne Carner (2) | 292 | 8 | Playoff | 60,000 | Rolling Green Golf Club | |
| 1975 | Sandra Palmer | 295 | 7 | 4 strokes | 55,000 | Atlantic City Country Club | |
| 1974 | Sandra Haynie | 295 | 7 | 1 stroke | 40,000 | La Grange Country Club | |
| 1973 | Susie Berning (3) | 290 | 2 | 5 strokes | 40,000 | Country Club of Rochester | |
| 1972 | Susie Berning (2) | 299 | 11 | 1 stroke | 40,000 | Winged Foot Golf Club, East Course | |
| 1971 | JoAnne Carner | 288 | E | 7 strokes | 31,000 | Kahkwa Club | |
| 1970 | Donna Caponi (2) | 287 | 3 | 1 stroke | 20,000 | Muskogee Golf Club | |
| 1969 | Donna Caponi | 294 | 2 | 1 stroke | 31,040 | Scenic Hills Country Club | |
| 1968 | Susie Berning | 289 | 5 | 3 strokes | 25,000 | Moselem Springs Golf Club | |
| 1967 | Catherine Lacoste (a) | 294 | 6 | 2 strokes | 25,000 | The Homestead | |
| 1966 | Sandra Spuzich | 297 | 9 | 1 stroke | 20,000 | Hazeltine National Golf Club | |
| 1965 | Carol Mann | 290 | 2 | 2 strokes | 17,780 | Atlantic City Country Club | |
| 1964 | Mickey Wright (4) | 290 | −2 | Playoff | 9,900 | San Diego Country Club | |
| 1963 | Mary Mills | 289 | −3 | 3 strokes | 9,000 | Kenwood Country Club | |
| 1962 | Murle Lindstrom | 301 | 13 | 2 strokes | 8,000 | Dunes Golf and Beach Club | |
| 1961 | Mickey Wright (3) | 293 | 5 | 6 strokes | 8,000 | Baltusrol Golf Club, Lower Course | |
| 1960 | Betsy Rawls (4) | 292 | 4 | 1 stroke | 7,200 | Worcester Country Club | |
| 1959 | Mickey Wright (2) | 287 | 7 | 2 strokes | 7,200 | Churchill Valley Country Club | |
| 1958 | Mickey Wright | 290 | −2 | 5 strokes | 7,200 | Forest Lake Country Club | |
| 1957 | Betsy Rawls (3) | 299 | 7 | 6 strokes | 7,200 | Winged Foot Golf Club, East Course | |
| 1956 | Kathy Cornelius | 302 | 7 | Playoff | 6,000 | Northland Country Club | |
| 1955 | Fay Crocker | 299 | 11 | 4 strokes | 7,500 | Wichita Country Club | |
| 1954 | Babe Zaharias (3) | 291 | 3 | 12 strokes | 7,500 | Salem Country Club | |
| 1953 | Betsy Rawls (2) | 302 | 6 | Playoff | 7,500 | Country Club of Rochester | |
| 1952 | Louise Suggs (2) | 284 | 8 | 7 strokes | 7,500 | Bala Golf Club | |
| 1951 | Betsy Rawls | 293 | 5 | 5 strokes | 7,500 | Druid Hills Golf Club | |
| 1950 | Babe Zaharias (2) | 291 | −9 | 9 strokes | 5,000 | Rolling Hills Country Club | |
| 1949 | Louise Suggs | 291 | −9 | 14 strokes | 7,500 | Prince George’s Golf and Country Club | |
| 1948 | Babe Zaharias | 300 | E | 8 strokes | 7,500 | Atlantic City Country Club | |
| 1947 | Betty Jameson | 295 | −9 | 6 strokes | 7,500 | Starmount Forest Country Club | |
| 1946 | Patty Berg † | 5 & 4 | 19,700 | Spokane Country Club | Spokane, WA | ||
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