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see also: U.S. Women's Open Qualifying, Wellesley Country Club
With qualifying wrapping up today at Bermuda Dunes and Cross Timbers, this is your complete site-by-site tracker of the 2026 U.S.
From a 17-year-old who lapped the field in California to a Czech standout from Kent State, the amateurs punching tickets to The Riviera Country Club. A site-by-site look at 26 qualifiers, the storylines, and the stats.
For all but 92 competitors, the road to the 81st U.S. Women's Open Presented by Ally began with a single 36-hole day at one of 26 qualifying sites spread across 17 states and three countries. Over four weeks, from a chilly morning at Galveston Country Club on April 20 to today's finale at Bermuda Dunes and Cross Timbers, more than 1,800 entries narrowed to roughly 64 spots into the 156-player field at The Riviera Country Club, in Pacific Palisades, Calif., June 4-7.
This year's qualifying has been an amateur showcase. National Junior Team members have stamped tickets in California, Missouri and Pennsylvania. Two college standouts representing the Czech Republic and England both qualified in Ohio. A Spanish pro who turned over six hours earlier flew overnight from a Las Vegas event to grab co-medalist honors at Streamsong. And the storyline of the day on Monday, May 11, was a 17-year-old from Chowchilla, Calif., who lapped the field by five strokes at Richmond Country Club.
*Through May 12 qualifying; final figure pending results from Bermuda Dunes and Cross Timbers on May 13.
| Venue | The Riviera Country Club, Pacific Palisades, Calif. |
|---|---|
| Dates | June 4–7, 2026 |
| Presenting Sponsor | Ally Financial |
| Architect | George Thomas Jr. (assisted by William Bell), 1926 |
| Yardage / Par | 6,699 yards / Par 71 |
| Field | 156 competitors |
| Entries Accepted | 1,897 (record: 2,107 in 2023) |
| Eligibility | Open to any female pro or amateur with a Handicap Index® not exceeding 2.4 |
| Qualifying | 36 holes at 26 sites, April 20 – May 13 |
| Cut | Low 60 and ties after 36 holes |
| Playoff | Two-hole aggregate playoff if tied after 72 holes |
| 2025 Champion | Maja Stark (Sweden), even-par 72 final round at Erin Hills, edged Nelly Korda by two |
| Last Qualifier Winner | Birdie Kim, 2005 — the last player to win after coming through qualifying |
| Champion Receives | The Mickey Wright Medal; custody of the Harton S. Semple Trophy; exemptions into the next 10 U.S. Women's Opens and the next five Chevron, AIG Women's British Open, KPMG Women's PGA and Amundi Evian Championships |
| Historical Note | First major women's championship ever conducted at Riviera, and the first U.S. Women's Open in Greater Los Angeles |
The amateur class headed to Riviera includes National Junior Team members, college All-Americans, an Augusta National Women's Amateur runner-up, and high-schoolers still working on their senior prom plans. Here's the headline group of amateurs who punched their tickets.
The headliner. Talley, a U.S. National Junior Team member and 2024 U.S. Women's Amateur Four-Ball champion, was the only player under par at Richmond and is now headed to her third consecutive U.S. Women's Open. She finished runner-up at both the 2024 U.S. Girls' Junior and U.S. Women's Amateur, was second at this year's Augusta National Women's Amateur, and shared low-amateur honors as a 15-year-old at the 2024 Women's Open.
The only player to break par at New Albany even after a pair of afternoon double-bogeys. A member of the Czech Republic World Amateur Team, Kedronova will make her major championship debut at Riviera.
Joined Kedronova in a 2-for-2 amateur sweep at New Albany, finishing three shots clear of a tie for third. The English standout is one of two Ohio State players (along with former teammate Kary Hollenbaugh, who missed at the same site) chasing Riviera.
Tied for fifth on the Epson Tour in Las Vegas Sunday, then flew overnight to Florida and shot 69-70 on four hours of sleep to share medalist honors with Taiwan's Peiyun Chien. The first Spaniard to win the Augusta National Women's Amateur is no longer an amateur — she turned pro last summer — but her qualifying run was the storyline of the Florida site.
The first amateur medalist of the qualifying cycle, Hammett opened with a six-under 67 to set the tone for an amateur-heavy spring. Her -6 was the second-lowest amateur total of any qualifier through May 11.
Rivera (69-70 = 139) and Wu (70-71 = 141) gave Sugar Mill — hosting U.S. Women's Open qualifying for the eighth time — a clean amateur sweep of its two spots, one of the storylines of April 27.
Tied LPGA pro Muni He at the top of a quiet Northern California site, becoming the first international amateur to medal in the 2026 cycle. Ortengren is one of Sweden's top young amateurs and a fixture on the European junior circuit.
Cusack, a USNJT member, and Dobson tied at 139 to deliver another two-amateur sweep in Missouri. Dobson's afternoon hung-on 73 followed a torrid 66 in the morning; Cusack closed in 68 after an opening 71.
Outlasted a Northwest field to grab the second spot behind pro Lauren Kim. Park finishes off a strong spring of regional play with a Riviera ticket.
The Norwegian was the only amateur medalist on a tough scoring day in Atlanta, edging veteran pro Jasmine Suwannapura by one shot. Sjursen's +1 was the highest winning score of any 2026 site.
Two amateurs took two of the three Shannopin spots behind pro medalist Melanie Green. Borovilos, a Canadian junior star, and Xing both finished at 142, capping a strong middle round of the qualifying cycle.
The Thai amateur — who narrowly missed at Druid Hills last spring — flipped the script with a five-under medalist performance, becoming one of the lowest amateur scorers of the entire qualifying cycle.
The lone spot in Hawaii went to amateur Lin, who closed with a 68 to grab the one ticket out of Oahu. With Kimberly Kim (the 2006 U.S. Women's Amateur champ, now 34) chasing a return to a Women's Open at the same site, Lin's win was a generational handoff.
A high school senior heading to the University of Houston, Singh won a playoff at Briar Ridge for the second spot behind LPGA medalist Paula Reto, who lapped the rest of the field by seven strokes. Singh adds another Riviera-bound name to the growing class of teen amateurs in the field.
Now a professional, Mehaffey returns to her third U.S. Women's Open after qualifying as an amateur at Arizona State in 2018 and 2020 — she was first runner-up here in 2022 and finally broke through this time. France's Lois Lau (left) won a sudden-death playoff over English duo Meghan MacLaren and Bronte Law for the second European spot.
The lone amateur to advance from the season-opening site in Japan, where four spots were available. Oh edged into the final qualifying slot at -2, joining three professionals on the long flight to Los Angeles.
Designed by George Thomas Jr. with assistance from William Bell and opened in 1926, Riviera is celebrating its centennial in 2026. The Pacific Palisades course has hosted the L.A. Open 80 times, the 1948 U.S. Open (Ben Hogan), two PGA Championships (1983, 1995), and the 2017 U.S. Amateur (Doc Redman) — but never a major women's championship. Until this year.
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All 26 Sites — Master Leaderboard Hub
With Bermuda Dunes and Cross Timbers playing today, the field of 156 will be set this week. The 81st U.S. Women's Open Presented by Ally tees off Thursday, June 4 at The Riviera Country Club — the first major women's championship ever staged at the George Thomas-designed jewel and the first U.S. Women's Open ever played in Greater Los Angeles. Broadcast coverage runs on USA Network, Peacock, NBCSN and NBC through Sunday, June 7, when a new name will join Babe Didrikson Zaharias, Mickey Wright, Louise Suggs and Annika Sorenstam on the Harton S. Semple Trophy.
Maja Stark, the Swede who held off Nelly Korda by two at Erin Hills last year, returns to defend the Mickey Wright Medal. But based on what's happened in qualifying, the young amateur class may have the bigger story to tell.
36 hole stroke play qualifying held at sites across the United States with a handful of international sites. Handicap limit of 2.4 for amateurs.
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