- The 28 amateurs in the 2023 U.S. Women's field at Pebble Beach
The 78th edition of the U.S. Women's Open, the longest-running major in women's golf, is poised to take place at the scenic Pebble Beach Golf Links in California, marking a historic occasion with an enhanced prize fund of $11 million.
Consistent with USGA tradition, the tournament maintains a strong representation of amateur players, and this year is no different. A remarkable total of 28 amateurs from 10 countries have secured their spots in the field through a combination of qualifying tournaments and exemptions, adding an exciting element of youthful talent and international diversity to the championship.
Amari AveryA rising junior at the University of Southern California and 2022 USA Curtis Cup competitor ranked 5th in the
Golfweek/AmateurGolf.com World Amateur Ranking, qualified for her second U.S. Women's Open by shooting 72-71 for a 36-hole total of 143 (1 under par) at Rancho Santa Fe (Calif.) Golf Club.
Past results: 2021 - 76-77 - Missed cut
Saki Baba (Japan)
Saki Baba, ranked 3rd in the Golfweek/AmateurGolf.com World Amateur Ranking, won the 2022 U.S. Women's Amateur at Chambers Bay. She defeated University of Michigan standout Monet Chun 11 and 9 in the 36-hole final, which was the third-largest margin of victory in a title match. Baba also qualified for her first U.S. Women's Open in June and tied for 49th at Pine Needles. In July, she was the stroke-play medalist at the U.S. Girls' Junior but was eliminated in the Round of 32. Baba represented Japan in the 2022 Women's World Amateur Team Championship in France.
Jess Baker (England)
Jess Baker from England, ranked 82nd in the world, secured her spot in the field after winning the 2022 Women's Amateur Championship organized by the R&A. She emerged victorious in the 36-hole final against Sweden's Louise Rydqvist, defeating her 4 and 3 at Hunstanton. Baker just completed her junior year at the University of Central Florida.
Zoe CamposZoe, a junior at UCLA, will be making her debut in the U.S. Women's Open after a stellar performance at Valencia Country Club on May 22nd. Ranked 48th in the world, she secured her spot in the tournament by shooting an impressive 71-73 in the qualifier. This will be the second women's professional major appearance in 2023 for Campos, who also competed at the Chevron Championship in the spring.
Krissy CarmanCarman earned her first U.S. Women's Open start by virtue of claiming the 2022 U.S. Women's Mid-Amateur Championship. The Oregon native defeated Aliea Clark, 2 and 1, in the 18-hole final at Fiddlesticks Country Club in Fort Myers, Fla. It was Carman's second-ever start in a USGA championship, and she was the first mom to win the Women's Mid-Am since Ellen Port in 2011
Monet Chun (Canada)
The 22-year-old Canadian, ranked 21st in the world, earned her first U.S. Women's Open start by reaching the 36-hole championship match of the 2022 U.S. Women's Amateur Championship at Chambers Bay, where she lost to Saki Baba, of Japan, 11 and 9. Chun just completed her junior season at the University of Michigan, where she was a Women's Golf Coaches Association All-American Scholar for the 2021-22 season.
Celeste Dao (Canada)
Celeste Dao, ranked 296th in the world from Quebec, Canada, has qualified for the U.S. Women's Open for the third time. She shot a remarkable 6-under-par 138 at Duxbury Yacht Club in Massachusetts to earn her spot in the tournament. Dao recently completed her senior season at the University of Georgia, where she finished second in the Lady Bulldog Invitational in January. She has previously reached the semifinals of the 2017 U.S. Girls' Junior tournament and the Round of 32 in 2018. Dao also qualified for match play in the 2021 U.S. Women's Amateur. She has also participated in the 2018 and 2019 CP Canadian Women's Opens and represented Canada in the 2018 Youth Olympics.
Past results: 2019 - 77-74 - Missed cut; 2018 - 83-80 - Missed cut
Anna DavisAnna Davis, a 17-year-old left-handed golfer, ranked 56th in the world from Spring Valley, California, burst onto the national scene in April 2022 by winning the Augusta National Women's Amateur. The victory earned her a spot in three major championships and four LPGA Tour events, where she made five cuts. She missed the cut in her first U.S. Women's Open start last year at Pine Needles. Davis qualified for this year's U.S. Women's Open with a 2-under total of 142 at a 36-hole qualifier at Valencia Country Club. She has also won the Girls Junior Invitational at Sage Valley and the Girls Junior Orange Bowl. Davis has announced that she will attend Auburn University in the fall of 2024, along with her twin brother, Billy, who is also an accomplished golfer.
Past results: 2022 - 81-72 - Missed cut
Aine Donegan (Ireland)
Aine Donegan, a 21-year-old golfer from Ireland ranked 107th in the world, will make her U.S. Women's Open debut after qualifying in San Mateo, California. Donegan transferred to Louisiana State University from Indiana University in 2022 and had a successful season, earning second-team All-SEC honors and three top-10 finishes. She has also competed in the British Girls Championship and represented Ireland in the World Girls Junior Championship and Spirit International competitions.
Sarah EdwardsRanked 301st in the world, the top qualifier at the Druid Hills Golf Club in Atlanta, Ga., is ready to make her first appearance in the U.S. Women's Open. Hailing from Jay, Fla., she recently concluded her senior season at the University of Alabama with an impressive team-leading stroke average of 73.03 and two top-10 finishes. Prior to her time at Alabama, she played two seasons at Florida Gulf Coast University before transferring for the 2021-22 season. Edwards, along with her teammate Benedetta Moresco, secured qualification from the Druid Hills site.
Sadie EnglemannThe Stanford senior, ranked 17th in the world, will compete in her first U.S. Women's Open after a playoff victory at the Broomfield, Colo., qualifier. The Austin, Texas, native birdied her final two holes to get into the playoff at 3-under-par 141, then edged Mississippi State senior Abbey Daniel. Englemann is a two-time All-Pac-12 Conference selection and helped Stanford win the 2022 NCAA Division I title. She was the runner-up in the 2019 American Junior Golf Association's Rolex Tournament of Champions and represented the USA in the 2019 Junior Solheim Cup.
Maddison Hinson-Tolchard (Australia)
Maddison Hinson-Tolchard, ranked 9th in the world from Australia, and an Oklahoma State All-American, qualified for her first U.S. Women's Open by shooting 8-under-par 136 at Indian Creek Golf Club's Creeks Course. She earned medalist honors and finished in fourth place at the NCAA Division I Women's Championship. Prior to the NCAAs, she won the Big 12 Conference individual title and had five other top-10 finishes in her junior season. In 2018, she became one of the youngest champions of the Australian Girls Amateur and competed in the 2019 U.S. Girls' Junior. She won the Women's Southern Golf Association Amateur Championship in 2021 and the NCAA Stillwater (Okla.) Regional last year.
Ting-Hsuan Huang (Chinese Taipei)
The 18-year-old golfer, ranked 31st in the world from Chinese Taipei, qualified for her first U.S. Women's Open after shooting 7-under-par 137 at Marin Country Club in Novato, California. In 2022, she captured the Asia-Pacific Women's Amateur and tied for 22nd at the Augusta National Women's Amateur. She also advanced to the Round of 16 at the U.S. Girls' Junior and won the North & South Girls' Junior. Huang has committed to play for UCLA this fall and her idol growing up was Yani Tseng.
Lauren Kim (Canada)
The incoming University of Texas freshman, ranked 359th in the world from Canada, qualified for the U.S. Women's Open for a second consecutive year after missing the cut at Pine Needles. The Surrey, British Columbia native won three American Junior Golf Association tournaments in 2022. Lauren shot 70-69 at Vancouver Golf Club to qualify for the major. She tied for third in the Canadian Women's Amateur in 2022 and shared fifth in the 2022 Junior Orange Bowl in Miami. She is a member of Team Canada's National Junior Team, and represented her country in the 2018 and 2019 World Girls Junior Championships.
Past results: 2022 - 75-76 - Missed cut
Chizuru Komiya (Japan)
The 17-year-old, ranked 443th in the world, will make her first U.S. Women's Open start after being added to the field on July 3 when Akie Iwai, a qualifier from her site, became fully exempt under the second Top 75 Rolex Rankings cutoff on July 3. Komiya originally had been the odd woman out of a 3-for-2 playoff for the final spots. Komiya won this year's Chubu Amateur in Japan, and finished 14th in the Japan Women's Amateur.
Sophie LinderThe 18-year-old ranked 301st in the world from Carthage, Tennessee, will make her U.S. Women's Open debut after shooting 2-over-par 146 in a qualifier at Bellerive Country Club. Linder is an incoming freshman at the University of Mississippi and became the first person to win the Tennessee Women's Open and Tennessee Girls Junior in the same year (2021). She also finished third in both tournaments in 2022 and qualified for the U.S. Women's Amateur in 2022.
Emilia MigliaccioEmilia Migliaccio ranked 35th in the world, is a Wake Forest graduate student who will be playing in her third U.S. Women's Open. She previously qualified in 2018 and 2020. Migliaccio is a two-time Curtis Cup team member and won the 2019 Pan American Games mixed team gold medal. She is also the individual gold medalist in the women's competition. Her mother, Ulrika, played college golf at the University of Arizona with Annika Sorenstam. Migliaccio has no desire to turn professional and is focusing on writing and television work.
Emilia shot 65-68 Starmount Forest Country Club in Greensboro, N.C., on May 31 to qualify for the major.
Past results: 2020 - 74-77 - Missed cut; 2018 - 77-76 - Missed cut
Julia MisemerRanked 128th in the world, the rising sophomore at the University of Arizona, qualified for her first U.S. Women's Open by shooting 8-under-par 136 to take medalist honors at Gainey Ranch in Scottsdale, Arizona. Misemer is a native of Overland Park, Kansas, and had a solid first season for the Wildcats, finishing second individually in the Raleigh, North Carolina, regional to help the team advance to the NCAA championships. She is a four-time 6A Kansas high school champion and was the runner-up in the 2021 PGA Junior Girls Championship, which earned her a spot on the 2021 USA Junior Ryder Cup Team.
Benedetta Moresco (Italy)
A standout golfer from the University of Alabama, ranked 45th in the world, qualified for her first U.S. Women's Open after surviving a 2-for-1 playoff with Agathe Laisne of France. Moresco was named a second-team All-American in 2022 and was the Southeastern Conference's Scholar Athlete of the Year for the 2021-22 season. She is a native of Italy and has represented the International Team in the 2022 Palmer Cup and Europe's 2019 Junior Solheim Cup Team. In 2019, she captured the Under 18 Italian International Women's Amateur. Her older sister, Angelica, also played for the Crimson Tide before graduating in 2022.
Minori Nagano (Japan)
A junior at the University of Oregon, ranked 217th in the world, will make her second U.S. Women's Open start after shooting 2-under-par 142 in a 36-hole qualifier at the OGA Golf Course in Woodburn, Oregon. Nagano tied for third at the Pacific-12 Conference Championship and posted a 74.25 scoring average in the 2022-23 season. She transferred to Oregon from Seminole State College in Florida, where she led the team to two NJCAA titles and won two individual junior college national titles.
Past results: 2021 - 81-87 - Missed cut
Farah O'KeefeThe freshman at the University of Texas, ranked 630th in the world, qualified for her first U.S. Women's Open after carding 5-under 139 at Indian Creek Golf Club's Creeks Course. She competed in the LPGA Tour's Volunteers of America event in Texas last year and tied for 56th. She also qualified for the 2022 U.S. Girls' Junior and tied for seventh in the 2022 Texas Women's Open. O'Keefe won last year's Texas University Interscholastic League (UIL) state individual title.
Megan PropeckA rising junior at the University of Virginia, ranked 261st in the world, will compete in her first U.S. Women's Open after earning medalist honors in a 36-hole qualifier at The Broadlands Golf Course in Broomfield, Colorado. She carded a 4-under 140. Propeck qualified for both the U.S. Girls' Junior and U.S. Women's Amateur Four-Ball in 2019. She is a two-time Kansas Junior Amateur champion and was named the Kansas City Golf Association's Player of the Year in 2018. She also tied for third in the 2022 Women's Porter Cup.
Grace SummerhaysGrace Summerhays ranked 79th in the world, following in the footsteps of her older brother Preston, has qualified for the U.S. Women's Open with an impressive performance in the 36-hole qualifier at Gainey Ranch, shooting 4-under-par 140. Coming from a family deeply rooted in golf, her father Boyd is a renowned instructor, having worked with PGA Tour winner Tony Finau and others. Grace's golf lineage includes her accomplished great uncle Bruce, a three-time winner on the PGA Tour Champions, and her uncle Joe, who qualified for the 2023 U.S. Senior Open on the same day she secured her spot in the Women's Open. At the age of 14, Summerhays qualified for the Utah State Amateur and competed against top male players in the state, becoming the youngest champion in the 114-year history of the Utah State Women's Amateur at age 16 in 2020.
Yana WilsonIn an impressive display, the 735th ranked golfer in the world from Henderson, Nev., captured the 2022 U.S. Girls' Junior Championship, securing her spot in the U.S. Women's Open. Competing at The Club at Olde Stone in Bowling Green, Ky., she emerged victorious in the 36-hole final, defeating Gianna Clemente 3 and 2. This triumph marked the conclusion of a successful season for Wilson, who also claimed the Annika Invitational title by defeating Anna Davis in a sudden-death playoff with a spectacular 75-yard wedge hole-out for eagle. Wilson's golfing achievements include two-time victories in the Drive, Chip & Putt age-group championship (in 2019 and 2021) and representing the United States in the 2021 Junior Solheim Cup. Currently a high school junior, she has verbally committed to attend the University of Oregon. In 2021, Wilson reached the quarterfinals of the U.S. Girls' Junior, falling to eventual champion and world No. 1 Rose Zhang.
Jeneath Wong (Malaysia)
The 18-year-old Malaysian ranked 37th in the world, will make her U.S. Women's Open debut after finishing even-par 144 at the Rancho Santa Fe qualifier. Wong just completed her freshman season at Pepperdine University, where she posted four top-10 finishes in five events. She won the Australian Women's Master of the Amateurs in 2022 and the Australian Girls Junior Championship in 2021. She also finished third in the 2022 Southeast Asian Games.
Kaili Xiao (China)
The 14-year-old amateur ranked 630th in the world from China, was added to the field of the 2023 U.S. Women's Open on July 3 as the first alternate from the Marin Country Club qualifier in Novato, California. She lost a 2-for-1 playoff for the final spot in the field. Xiao has already won two events on the American Junior Golf Association (AJGA) circuit in 2023, the Colorado Springs Junior presented by Centura Health and the Victoria Texas Preview. She also qualified for the 2022 U.S. Girls' Junior with a 66 at Bear Valley Country Club in Victorville, California.
Kelly XuKelly Xu, ranked 167th in the world and a freshman at Stanford University, qualified for her first U.S. Women's Open by shooting 1-under 141 at Peninsula Golf & Country Club. Xu is a decorated amateur golfer, having won the Drive, Chip & Putt Championship in 2014, the Ladies National Golf Association Amateur in 2022, and the Southern California Golf Association's Player of the Year award in 2021. She is also from Claremont, California.
Angela ZhangAngela Zhang of Bellevue, Wash., ranked 493rd in the world, qualified for her first U.S. Women's Open by winning a playoff at Shannopin Country Club. She sank a 25-foot birdie putt on the second extra hole. Zhang is no stranger to the national stage, having won the Drive, Chip & Putt National Championship at Augusta National Golf Club in 2019 and the Washington Women's State Amateur in 2022. She has also won seven Washington Junior Golf Association titles and three American Junior Golf Association titles.