80th U.S. Women's Open at Erin Hills

I covered the 2004 U.S. Women's Open at The Orchards Golf Club in South Hadley, MA, on the campus of Mount Holyoke College. There were a lot of legendary veterans in that field - Hall of Fame types: Laura Davies, Julie Inkster, Annika Sorenstam, Karie Webb, Lorena Ochoa, and eventual winner, Meg Mallon. Two things about that tournament really stand out in my memory. One, Meg Mallon had no apparel sponsor; she had to buy caps and polos in the merchandise tent. Two, there were a couple young amateurs who were already causing a lot of buzz in the golf world. Maybe you've heard of them? One was named Paula Creamer, who was 17 at the time and playing in her second U.S. Open. Another was Michelle Wie, who was just 14 and also playing in her second U.S. Open. Then there was the unknown first-round leader in the clubhouse, 18-year-old Brittany Lincicome, who was playing in her first U.S. Open and who would turn pro shortly after her eventual 55^th-place finish. All three would do their part to change the face and reputation of the LPGA. Creamer and Wie would each win a U.S. Women's Open in the coming years. Lincicome would win two majors, but no national title. This all seems like yesterday to me, but all three of these "young guns" are now retired-so yesterday it was not.

Fast-forward to 2025. The 80^th U.S. Women's Open was played at Erin Hills, venue of the 2017 U.S. (Men's) Open, rather than on the campus of a private college. Whereas Meg Mallon won $560,000 for her 2004 victory, the winner this year, Maja Stark, earned a cool $2.4 million. And yes, she had an apparel contract. Women's professional golf has changed dramatically in the intervening 21 years. Erin Hills wasn't even in existence back in 2004. This stroll down memory-fairway begs the question: Which amateurs or rookies in 2025 will shape professional golf over the coming 20 years? Will any of the current players be playing in the U.S. Open in 20, even? No one on the first pages of the leaderboard on the final day in 2025 was entered in 2004. Many were still in diapers, and a couple weren't even born.

Erin Hills: A worthy major venue

Erin Hills opened in 2008, originally intended as a "poor man's Whistling Straits." But just three years after the Michael Hurdzan, Dana Fry, and Ron Whitten collaborative design opened in Erin (35 mi. NW of Milwaukee), it was hosting the 2011 U.S. Amateur. In 2017, it hosted Wisconsin's first men's U.S. Open. What makes this 7,812-yard, par 72 course, which climbs and tumbles over natural dairy cattle pastureland, such a favorite of the USGA?

I posed this question to Dr. Hurdzan, and he provided his thoughts:

"I think that there are many factors that [the USGA] likes: a) [Erin Hills] is in the Midwest close to huge markets like Chicago, Milwaukee, Minneapolis, etc.; b) the course can accommodate upwards of 100,000 spectators per day, all of whom can be close to the action; c) the course can be a stern test of shot-making, strategy, and endurance worthy for crowning a National Champion; d) there is loads of room for corporate areas and parking; e) the course is very photogenic and will look terrific on TV; f) it is a public course; g) Erin Hills' maintenance philosophy is environmentally in tune with the USGA Philosophy."

Even the expansive practice facility is special. Dr. Hurdzan points out that "...the 'practice/learning center'... has to be one of the best in golf by any measure. This facility has it all, and yet it does not prevent using the rest of the land for another golf course if they should choose to do that."

Most of all, though, Dr. Hurdzan characterizes the course, and the idyllic atmosphere of the grounds, clubhouse, and lodge as "cool."

Visitors to this bucket-list modern classic will agree. The brawny, big-shouldered layout, played at around 6,800 yards for the Women's Open, sprawls over a former dairy cattle pasture whose natural landforms were so well-suited for golf that land had to be moved on only three holes (#1, #2, #17). A few blind shots in the original design were removed at the USGA's request, but even the drainage was nearly perfect from the start. The green complexes are some of the most artistically inspired that you will find anywhere.

The waving purple fescue is omnipresent and ranges from wispy to wiry - you'll probably find your ball, but trying anything other than wedging it back out into the fairway is risky. (The women got off a little easier with the rough in late spring compared to mid-summer - it could be a lot longer.) The elevation changes, especially atop the 4th tee box, make for some inspirational moments. Erin Hills is playable for everyone (from the right tees), but it can be a bully if the winds are blowing hard.

Despite original intentions, the green fees are steep - and caddies are recommended, adding to the cost. Nevertheless, this is a must-play for serious golfers. The rustic beauty of the lodge and clubhouse will make you want to stay long after your round is over. So book a night in the lodge and replay for a nice discount the next day!

Highlights of the 80^th U.S. Women's Open

In the end, 25-year-old Maja Stark from Sweden carded a final-round, even-par 72 and a 2-stroke victory over Nelly Korda and Rio Takeda. All players in post-round interviews noted how difficult Erin Hills played. Nelly Korda stressed that the greens - both speed (around 13 on the Stimp meter) and pin positions were key factors in her own inability to hole more putts.

As mentioned, Maja Stark collected a cool $2.4 million for the win. When asked in post-round interviews what she was going to do with the money, she said, sheepishly, "Oh, I didn't even know that was the prize. Um...I might move out of my studio apartment. That would be nice." Indeed. (Talk about an endearing response!)

The difficulty of Erin Hills in 2025 stood in stark contrast (no pun intended) to the 2017 Men's U.S. Open, when the course was criticized for being too easy, with Brooks Koepke winning his first major with a score of -16. The USGA that year set pins on the final day in easy spots because the wind was predicted to reach 40 mph. By the end of the day, though, the wind had died down, and players were running birdies in all over. In 2025, the USGA learned its lesson - the weather was absolutely perfect, and Erin Hills played tough as nails. There was just one round in the 60s on Saturday and only three on Sunday.

Back in 2004, I noted that there were 19 S. Koreans in the field, a number directly attributable to Korean legend Se Ri Pak, who won the 1998 U.S. Women's Open farther north in Kohler, Wisconsin at Blackwolf Run. In 2025, there were 27 players from S. Korea, and even 21 from Japan. Add large contingents from China, Thailand, various other southeast Asian countries, all throughout Europe and the UK, and the field resembled a United Nations meeting, which is inspiring to younger golfers - girls and boys - all over the planet. Just as inspiring is the fact that in the last 11 women's majors, there have been 11 different winners. This means the talent pool is wide and deep, and that there's room for more. Stark joins Annika Sorenstam and Liselotte Neumann, the two other Swedes to have won the U.S. Women's Open. If Stark inspires Swedish girls to take up golf as much as the previous two winners, we'll be seeing many more competing on the LPGA soon.

As for those amateur and rookie entrants, who's going to influence professional golf in the coming decades?  As of mid-morning on Friday, there were two amateurs on the front page of the leaderboard, and a total of six amateurs made the cut this year, which is not an atypically large number. And rookies? First-year LPGA Tour pro Julia Lopez Ramirez fired the only round in the 60s on Moving Day (68) to hold second place alone - playing in the final Sunday pairing in your first U.S. Open is pretty impressive. Could some combination of these players become the next Creamer, Wie, and Lincicome? Time will tell. I'm already looking forward to the 100^th U.S. Women's Open - hope I'm around for it!