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Golf Monthly

Sport

Jakob Barnes

Lexi Thompson, Solheim Cup Stars And A 10-Year-Old Sign Up For US Women's Open Qualifying

Lexi Thompson Rose Zhang United States Golf Leona Maguire Riviera Country Club Angela Stanford Asterisk Talley Brittany Lincicome Danielle Kang

Lexi Thompson smiles in the center, with Rose Zhang and Leona Maguire on the outside.

The US Women's Open is arguably the most prestigious and important event in the golfing calender for the women's game.

It's certainly the most lucrative, with a whopping $12m purse on offer at the US Women's Open last year and the same expected again in 2026.

The best players from around the world will be teeing up for the event at the Riviera Country Club on June 4-7, but there are still plenty of spots up for grabs.

A total of 1,897 professionals and amateurs will compete against one another to claim a place at the 81st US Women's Open Championship through the qualifying events over the next month.

Among the big names vying for a spot will be Lexi Thompson, who has an incredible run of competing in the last 19 US Women's Open events.

She was just 12-years-old when she first qualified back in 2007, and although she had stepped away from the game last year, she's clearly still keen to play the biggest championship once more and keep that record going.

We will also see Rose Zhang looking to get back on track after a rocky spell over the last year.

Despite an incredible rise through the amateur game, Zhang, now 23-years-old, saw her career stutter after injury and stepping away from the LPGA Tour to obtain her degree from Stanford University.

Zhang dropped out of the top 75 in the Rolex Women’s Golf Rankings, meaning she had to apply for qualifying before the April 1 deadline. While she's now back up to number 71, making her eligible for the event once again, she is still likely to tee up at Essex County Country Club to make sure her place is secure.

Meanwhile, Leona Maguire, Danielle Kang, Emilia Doran, sisters Izzi Stricker and Bobbi Stricker, Troy Mullins, and Cailyn Henderson will also be involved in qualifiers.

Another high-profile name who'll have to qualify is Asterisk Talley, who suffered heartbreak at Augusta National Women's Amateur earlier this month.

The 17-year-old has made waves in the amateur game of late, and looked destined for glory at Augusta just a few weeks ago, before a final-round collapse cost her dearly.

The beauty of the US Women's Open qualifying events is that any golfer can apply, as long as they have a USGA Handicap Index of 2.4 or lower (and $200 for the entry fee).

That means we'll get to see experienced heads like Brittany Lincicome (40), Natalie Gulbis (43), Meghan Stasi (47), and Angela Stanford (48) all looking for one more shot at glory.

Incredibly, it also opens the door for some unfathomably young golfers to stake their claim. Flordia-born Cheetah Baez, who only just turned 10-years-old this month, is looking to take Lucy Li's record as the youngest-ever qualifier.

It's ironic, then, that Li herself needs to qualify, too. The former golfing prodigy is still without a win on the LPGA Tour and is ranked number 94 in the world.

These familiar faces are among those in qualifying for the 81st U.S. Women's Open at Riviera 👀 • Lexi Thompson• Rose Zhang• Leona Maguire • Danielle Kang• Angela Stanford• Meghan Stasi• Natalie Gulbis• Asterisk Talley• Emilia Doran• Brittany Lincicome•… pic.twitter.com/4dohKleLEsApril 17, 2026

One golfer who won't need to qualify is Michelle Wie West, who is using her exemption status to take part in the US Women's Open for the final time.

Past champions Maja Stark, Brittany Lang, Sung Hyun Park, Ariya Jutanugarn, Jeongeun Lee6, A Lim Kim, Yuka Saso, Minjee Lee and Allisen Corpuz are all exempt thanks to their victories over the past decade. So, too, is former winner In Gee Chun.

Meanwhile, top-ranked players like Jeeno Thitikul, Nelly Korda, Hyo Joo Kim have their places booked for Riviera Country Club already.

How Does US Women's Open Qualifying Work?

Qualifying takes place over 36-holes in one day of golf across various venues around the world, unlike the men's US Open qualifiers which take place over two days.

The US Women's Open will consist of a 156-player field. However, the number of golfers who make it through a qualifying event varies depending on how many applicants play at each of the respective venues over the next month.