It’s been a while since women’s golf has taken center stage without having to compete with a men’s event. But due the floods in West Virginia, the PGA Tour canceled the Greenbrier Classic, making the 2016 U.S. Women’s Open at CordeValle golf’s primary event this weekend.
Here are some quick facts to know about the U.S. Women’s Open.
1. American Winners
51 of the 70 Opens held to date have been won by American Nationals, by 32 different winners. If you have a calculator, that’s a 73% average. Michelle Wie is the most recent American Winner, having won at Pinehurst No. 2 in 2014.
2. South Korean Dominance
It’s pretty evident that women’s golf today is highly dominated by South Koreans. Seven of the last 11 champions of the Open have been South Koreans. Se-ri Park inspired a generation of South Koreans with her win in 1998. She is making her final appearance at the US Open this week.
3. Playoffs
There have been 11 Playoffs at the Open, and the format has varied over the years. The current format is a three-hole aggregate (Holes 16, 17 and 18). If the players are still tied after that, then they will play the 18th hole as many times as needed.
4. Match Play Open
The first edition of the US Open in 1946 was conducted in the Match Play format. The field of 39 players was cut down to 32 by a 36-hole qualifier. Patty Berg eventually beat Betty Jameson in the 36-hole final, 5&4. Berg also happens to be the Jack Nicklaus of Women’s golf, holding 15 major titles.
5. Most US Open Titles
Betsy Rawls and Mickey Wright hold the distinction of having won the most US Open titles with four each.
6. Most US Open Appearances
Juli Inkster, the World Golf Hall of Famer and two time US Open Champion (1999 & 2002), has made a total of 34 US Open Appearances with six Top-10 finishes.
7. Youngest Winner
South Korean, Inbee Park was 19 years, 11 months and 17 days old when she won her first US Open title back in 2008. Lydia Ko and Brooke Henderson both have a shot at breaking her record this week.
8. Oldest Winner
Quite fittingly, three-time Olympic Medalist, Babe Zaharias is the oldest winner of the US Open, having won her third title at the age of 43 in 1954.
9. Amateur Winner
Catherine Lacoste won the 1967 US Open at the age of 22 as an amateur. To this date, she remains the only amateur to win the US Open.
10. Tiger Equivalent
World Golf Hall of Famer and two-time US Open Champion, JoAnne Carner, is the only female golfer to win the U.S. Girls’ Junior, U.S. Women’s Amateur, and U.S. Women’s Open titles. Tiger Woods is the only man to have won the three equivalent USGA titles.
