2020 U.S. Women's Open

The 2020 U.S. Women's Open was the 75th U.S. Women's Open, played December 10–14 at Champions Golf Club in Houston, Texas, having been postponed from its original date of June 4–7, 2020, on April 3, 2020 as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. It was played on both the Cypress Creek and Jackrabbit courses.[1]

2020 U.S. Women's Open
Tournament information
DatesDecember 10–14, 2020
LocationHouston, Texas
29°58′59″N 95°31′52″W / 29.983°N 95.531°W / 29.983; -95.531
Course(s)Champions Golf Club
Cypress Creek and Jackrabbit Courses
Organized byUSGA
Tour(s)LPGA Tour
Statistics
Par71
Length7,301 yards (6,676 m) (Cypress Creek)7,021 yards (6,420 m) (Jackrabbit)
Field156 players, 66 after cut
Cut145 (+3)
Prize fund$5.5 million
Winner's share$1,000,000
Champion
South Korea Kim A-lim
281 (−3)
Location map
Champions Golf Club is located in the United States
Champions Golf Club
Champions Golf Club
Location in the United States
Champions Golf Club is located in Texas
Champions Golf Club
Champions Golf Club
Location in Texas
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The U.S. Women's Open is the oldest of the five major championships and is the fourth of the 2020 season. It has the largest purse in women's golf at $5.5 million.

Kim A-lim won the tournament by birdieing the last three holes.[2]

Qualifying and field

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The championship is open to any female professional or amateur golfer with a USGA or World Handicap System index not exceeding 2.4. Players may usually qualify by competing in one of 24 36-hole qualifying tournaments held across the United States and at international sites in China, England, Japan, and South Korea. Many players are exempt from qualifying because of past performances in professional or amateur tournaments around the world.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the usual qualifying tournaments were canceled and the championship became "all-exempt" with amended criteria.[3][4]

Exemption categories

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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.[5] Golfers qualifying in Category 16 who qualified in other categories are denoted by the tour they qualified.

1. Winners of the U.S. Women's Open for the last ten years (2010–2019)

Lee Jeong-eun (2,9,15), Ariya Jutanugarn (8,9,15), Park Sung-hyun (6,9,10,15), Brittany Lang, Chun In-gee (7,15), Michelle Wie, Inbee Park (8,9,10,15), Choi Na-yeon, Ryu So-yeon (2,5,15), Paula Creamer

2. Ten lowest scorers and anyone tying for 10th place from the 2019 U.S. Women's Open

Angel Yin (15), Lexi Thompson (9,10,15), Gerina Piller, Mamiko Higa (15), Jaye Marie Green, Céline Boutier (9,15), Yu Liu (9,15), Ally McDonald (15), Jessica Korda (9,15)

3. Winner of the 2019 U.S. Women's Amateur[a]

Gabriela Ruffels

4. Winner of the 2019 U.S. Girls' Junior and U.S. Women's Mid-Amateur, and finalist from the 2019 U.S. Women's Amateur[b]

Lei Ye, Ina Kim-Schaad, Albane Valenzuela[c]

5. Winners of the ANA Inspiration for the last five years (2016–2020)

Ko Jin-young (7,9,10,15), Pernilla Lindberg, Lydia Ko (7,15)

6. Winners of the Women's PGA Championship for the last five years (2015–2019)

Hannah Green (9,10,15), Danielle Kang (9,10,15), Brooke Henderson (9,10,15)

7. Winners of the Evian Championship for the last five years (2015–2019)

Angela Stanford, Anna Nordqvist

8. Winners of the Women's British Open for the last five years (2015–2019)

Hinako Shibuno (10,16), Georgia Hall (15), In-Kyung Kim (15)

9. Top 30 points leaders from the 2019 LPGA Race to the CME Globe final points standings

Minjee Lee (15), Nelly Korda (10,15), Kim Sei-young (10,15), Kim Hyo-joo (15), M. J. Hur (10,15), Amy Yang (15), Nasa Hataoka (15), Carlota Ciganda (15), Brittany Altomare (15), Shanshan Feng (10,15), Ji Eun-hee (15), Azahara Muñoz (15), Moriya Jutanugarn (15), Bronte Law (15), Lizette Salas (15), Caroline Masson (15), Su-Hyun Oh (15), Gaby López (10,15)

10. Winners of LPGA co-sponsored events, whose victories are considered official, from the conclusion of the 2019 U.S. Women's Open to June 1, the originally scheduled start of the 2020 U.S. Women's Open

Cheyenne Knight, Jang Ha-na (16), Ai Suzuki (15,16), Madelene Sagström (15), Park Hee-young

11. Winner of the 2019 British Ladies Amateur[b]

Emily Toy

12. Winner of the 2019 Mark H. McCormack Medal (Women's World Amateur Golf Ranking)[b]

Andrea Lee [d]

13. Top 10 money leaders from the 2020 official LPGA money list, not otherwise exempt, through the close of entries on November 11, 2020

Cydney Clanton, Perrine Delacour, Jodi Ewart Shadoff, Mina Harigae, Andrea Lee, Stacy Lewis, Lin Xiyu, Thidapa Suwannapura, Kelly Tan, Lindsey Weaver

14. Top 5 money leaders from the 2020 official Symetra Tour money list through the close of entries on November 11, 2020

Ana Belac, Fátima Fernández Cano, Janie Jackson, Kim Kaufman, Frida Kinhult

15. Top 75 points leaders and ties from the Rolex Rankings on March 16, 2020

Lim Hee-jeong (16), Charley Hull, Jiyai Shin (16), Choi Hye-jin (16), Marina Alex, Lee Da-yeon (16), Cho A-yean (16), Bae Seon-woo (16), Megan Khang, Kristen Gillman, Lee Min-young (16), Lee Mi-hyang, Jennifer Kupcho, Amy Olson, Park Min-ji, Lee So-mi, Morgan Pressel, Ahn Sun-ju, Mone Inami, Nanna Koerstz Madsen, Yui Kawamoto, Momoko Ueda, Cho Jeong-min, Lee So-young, Annie Park, Minami Katsu, Nicole Broch Larsen, Austin Ernst, Kim A-lim, Kim Ji-yeong, Park Chae-yoon, Chella Choi, Jing Yan

16. Top 5 money leaders from the 2019 Japan LPGA Tour, Korea LPGA Tour and Ladies European Tour

Esther Henseleit (LET), Marianne Skarpnord (LET), Christine Wolf (LET), Nuria Iturrioz (LET), Meghan MacLaren (LET)

17. Top 3 money leaders from the 2019 China LPGA Tour
18. The top 2 players, not otherwise exempt, in the top 10 and ties of the 2020 Walmart NW Arkansas Championship, Cambia Portland Classic, ShopRite LPGA Classic, and the top 3 players, not otherwise exempt, in the top 10 and ties of the KPMG Women's PGA Championship

Ashleigh Buhai, Katherine Kirk, Yealimi Noh, Bianca Pagdanganan, Mel Reid, Jenny Shin, Jennifer Song, Lauren Stephenson

19. Top 20 points leaders, not otherwise exempt, within the top 100 from the Women's World Amateur Golf Ranking on November 4, 2020[b]

Rose Zhang, Ingrid Lindblad, Pauline Roussin-Bouchard, Linn Grant, Emilia Migliaccio, Alessia Nobilio, An Ho-yu, Benedetta Moresco, Agathe Laisné, Maja Stark, Lucie Malchirand, Beatrice Wallin, Olivia Mehaffey, Lily May Humphreys, Kaitlyn Papp, Emma Spitz, Caterina Don, Amelia Garvey, Auston Kim, Allisen Corpuz

20. Remaining spots filled in order using the Rolex Rankings as of November 9, 2020

An Na-rin, Lala Anai, Pajaree Anannarukarn, Saki Asai, Maria Fassi, Ayaka Furue, Erika Hara, Caroline Hedwall, Jeon Mi-jeong, Asuka Kashiwabara, Cristie Kerr, Christina Kim, Sakura Koiwai, Lee Jeong-eun, Lee Seung-yeon, Teresa Lu, Kana Mikashima, Yuna Nishimura, Eri Okayama, Ryann O'Toole, Emily Kristine Pedersen, Pornanong Phatlum, Sophia Popov, Ryu Hae-ran, Yuka Saso, Sarah Schmelzel, Alena Sharp, Linnea Ström, Sung Yu-jin, Sayaka Takahashi, Patty Tavatanakit, Maria Fernanda Torres, Anne van Dam

21. Special exemptions selected by the USGA

Brittany Lincicome,[e] Sarah Jane Smith[e]

Notes
  1. ^ May turn professional at any time following the Amateur until the start of the Open.[6]
  2. ^ a b c d Must remain an amateur through to completion of the championship.
  3. ^ Albane Valenzuela forfeited her exemption as runner-up in the 2019 U.S. Women's Amateur when she turned professional in November 2019.
  4. ^ Andrea Lee forfeited her exemption as winner of the Mark H. McCormack Medal when she turned professional in November 2019 but subsequently earned entry through category 13.
  5. ^ a b Maternity extension.

Round summaries

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First round

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Thursday, December 10, 2020

Place Player Course Score To par
1   Amy Olson CC 67 −4
T2   Kim A-lim JR 68 −3
  Moriya Jutanugarn JR
  Hinako Shibuno CC
T5   Linn Grant (a) CC 69 −2
  Charley Hull JR
  Gerina Piller JR
  Sophia Popov CC
  Yuka Saso CC
  Linnea Ström JR
  Patty Tavatanakit JR

JR denotes player played her round on the Jackrabbit course.
CC denotes player played her round on the Cypress Creek course.

Second round

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Friday, December 11, 2020

Place Player Course Score To par
1   Hinako Shibuno JR 68-67=135 −7
2   Linn Grant (a) JR 69-69=138 −4
T3   Kaitlyn Papp (a) CC 71-68=139 −3
  Megan Khang CC 70-69=139
  Amy Olson JR 67-72=139
T6   Ashleigh Buhai JR 71-69=140 −2
  Ariya Jutanugarn CC 70-70=140
  Moriya Jutanugarn CC 68-72=140
  Cristie Kerr CC 71-69=140
  Stacy Lewis JR 72-68=140
  Yuka Saso JR 69-71=140
  Sarah Schmelzel JR 71-69=140
  Lindsey Weaver CC 70-70=140

JR denotes player played her round on the Jackrabbit course.
CC denotes player played her round on the Cypress Creek course.

Third round

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Saturday, December 12, 2020

Note: The third and fourth rounds were played on the Cypress Creek course.

Place Player Score To par
1   Hinako Shibuno 68-67-74=209 −4
2   Amy Olson 67-72-71=210 −3
T3   Moriya Jutanugarn 68-72-72=212 −1
  Kim Ji-yeong 68-72-72=212
T5   Megan Khang 70-69-74=213 E
  Lydia Ko 71-71-72=213
  Yealimi Noh 72-69-72=213
  Kaitlyn Papp (a) 71-68-74=213
T9   Ariya Jutanugarn 70-70-74=214 +1
  Cristie Kerr 71-69-74=214
  Kim Sei-young 72-69-73=214
  Kim A-lim 68-74-72=214
  Ko Jin-young 72-72-70=214
  Ryu Hae-ran 73-70-71=214

Final round

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Sunday, December 13 and Monday, December 14, 2020

Place Player Score To par Money ($)
1   Kim A-lim 68-74-72-67=281 −3 1,000,000
T2   Ko Jin-young 72-72-70-68=282 −2 487,286
  Amy Olson 67-72-71-72=282
4   Hinako Shibuno 68-67-74-74=283 −1 266,779
5   Megan Khang 70-69-74-72=285 +1 222,201
T6   Moriya Jutanugarn 68-72-72-74=286 +2 177,909
  Lee Jeong-eun 73-69-73-71=286
  Inbee Park 71-72-75-68=286
T9   Ariya Jutanugarn 70-70-74-73=287 +3 143,976
  Kaitlyn Papp (a) 71-68-74-74=287 0

References

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  1. ^ Pine, Julia (April 3, 2020). "2020 U.S. Women's Open Postponed to December". United States Golf Association. Retrieved April 3, 2020.
  2. ^ "A Lim Kim mounts major comeback, wins U.S. Women's Open in debut". ESPN. Associated Press. December 14, 2020.
  3. ^ Mell, Randall (July 1, 2020). "USGA reveals U.S. Women's Open exemption categories; 100 currently in". Golf Channel. Retrieved July 1, 2020.
  4. ^ "2020 U.S. Women's Open at Champions Golf Club: Who's Exempt". USGA. July 1, 2020. Retrieved July 1, 2020.
  5. ^ "2020 U.S. Women's Open Field List". USGA. November 29, 2020. Retrieved December 14, 2020.
  6. ^ "New Exemption Changes for U.S. Women's and U.S. Amateur" (Press release). USGA. August 5, 2019. Retrieved November 20, 2019.
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