{"id":14413,"date":"2026-06-03T15:19:15","date_gmt":"2026-06-03T15:19:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/golf\/14413\/"},"modified":"2026-06-03T15:19:15","modified_gmt":"2026-06-03T15:19:15","slug":"the-golfers-to-watch-during-2026-u-s-womens-open-at-riviera","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/golf\/14413\/","title":{"rendered":"The golfers to watch during 2026 U.S. Women\u2019s Open at Riviera"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Reaching the summit is a dream. But staying there? That\u2019s an altogether different challenge.<\/p>\n

Maja Stark<\/a> has a special appreciation for that now, a year after winning the U.S. Women\u2019s Open<\/a> at Erin Hills and feeling the hefty weight of expectation that came along with it.<\/p>\n

For her, the aftermath of that victory brought heightened anxiety, and searing criticism from outsiders when the Swedish professional\u2019s play took a dip.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou get comments and stuff saying, \u2018What happened? You just won a major; why do you suck all of a sudden?\u2018\u201d Stark said at the Chevron Championship in April. \u201cThat does take some energy and just makes you focus on the wrong things. Then I got even more stressed and anxious.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Maja <\/p>\n

Maja Stark plays a shot from a bunker on the 17th hole during the third round of the Chevron Championship on April 25.<\/p>\n

(Alex Slitz \/ Getty Images)<\/p>\n

Stark said she sought professional help in the form of a mental coach, sports psychologist and therapist and now believes she\u2019s better able to withstand the scrutiny that comes with winning at the highest tier.<\/p>\n

That career-shaping pressure will be on display again this week when the USGA<\/a> brings the U.S. Women\u2019s Open<\/a> to Riviera Country Club<\/a> for the first time, merging the game\u2019s most prestigious women\u2019s championship with a historic venue celebrating its centennial year. The tournament takes place Thursday through Sunday.<\/p>\n

Riviera is a theater, sitting low beneath high hillsides that almost serve as balconies. Players have described the course as a stage because it can feel as if you\u2019re being watched even when you\u2019re alone.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think there\u2019s something very nostalgic about the facility,\u201d said Jim Richerson, Riviera\u2019s general manager. \u201cThe golf course has never had any major renovations or changes. The clubhouse is the exact same footprint today as it was when it was built in the 1920s.\u201d<\/p>\n

The U.S. Women\u2019s Open is the oldest of the LPGA Tour\u2019s five majors, and has long served as the standard by which women\u2019s golf measures itself. It\u2019s open to professionals and elite amateurs through a qualifying process, and the tournament is known for identifying the player who can withstand the most pressure under the most demanding conditions.<\/p>\n

NBC will televise the championship and although Mike Tirico will not call the event, he knows the significance of holding it at Riviera.<\/p>\n

\u201cWithout there being a Masters for women\u2019s golf, that tournament really is the crown jewel of the sport,\u201d Tirico said. \u201cIt has become the event people dream of winning. … It\u2019s just appropriate that it\u2019s contested at a place like Riviera that for so many generations has come to define a great championship test of golf.\u201d<\/p>\n

A look at some of the players to watch:<\/p>\n

Nelly Korda \"Nelly <\/p>\n

Nelly Korda celebrates after winning the Chevron Championship on April 26.<\/p>\n

(David J. Phillip \/ Associated Press)<\/p>\n

The world\u2019s No. 1 player is a major needle mover for women\u2019s golf and is a significant source of ratings when she\u2019s in contention. She had a record five consecutive victories last season and seven overall. Her missing major is the U.S. Women\u2019s Open. She finished in a runner-up spot last year and left Erin Hills firmly believing a win was within reach.<\/p>\n

Jeeno Thitikul \"Jeeno <\/p>\n

Jeeno Thitikul plays a shot from the fairway during the first round of the Queen City Championship on May 14.<\/p>\n

(Jeff Dean \/ Associated Press)<\/p>\n

The former World No. 1 is still in pursuit of her first major championship. She\u2019s a big question mark in the field.<\/p>\n

Lydia Ko \"Lydia <\/p>\n

Lydia Ko hits from the fairway during the second round of the LPGA Honda Thailand on Feb. 22.<\/p>\n

(Kittinun Rodsupan \/ Associated Press)<\/p>\n

This Hall of Fame player is the only golfer in modern Olympic history to win a complete set of medals \u2014 gold, silver and bronze \u2014 across three different Olympic Games. She\u2019s still looking for her first U.S. Women\u2019s Open win.<\/p>\n

Charley Hull \"Charley <\/p>\n

Charley Hull hits off the 16th tee during the first round of the Mizuho Americas Open on May 7.<\/p>\n

(Seth Wenig \/ Associated Press)<\/p>\n

A colorful character who went viral during the 2024 Open for smoking a cigarette<\/a> while signing autographs and playing. She was among a cluster who finished second in that tournament. She has three victories on the LPGA Tour but has yet to win a major.<\/p>\n

Rose Zhang \"Rose <\/p>\n

Rose Zhang hits from the ninth tee during the final round of the Queen City Championship on May 17.<\/p>\n

(Dylan Buell \/ Getty Images)<\/p>\n

Zhang<\/a>, who has been splitting time between Stanford and the LPGA, amassed a remarkable collection of victories as an amateur and three years ago, became the first player in 72 years to win an LPGA Tour event in her professional debut.<\/p>\n

Minjee Lee \"Minjee <\/p>\n

Minjee Lee prepares to putt during the third round of the Chevron Championship on April 25.<\/p>\n

(Sarah Stier \/ Getty Images)<\/p>\n

Lee, an Australian star, has won three majors including the U.S. Women\u2019s Open in 2022. Her younger brother, Min Woo, won the 2016 U.S. Junior Amateur, making them the first brother-sister tandem to win the USGA\u2019s junior championships.<\/p>\n

Yuka Saso \"Yuka <\/p>\n

Yuka Saso lines up a putt during the first round of the Mizuho Americas Open on May 7.<\/p>\n

(Seth Wenig \/ Associated Press)<\/p>\n

She is the anomaly of anomalies, with zero wins on the LPGA Tour with the exception of two U.S. Women\u2019s Open victories. She won the first of those at 19 years, 11 months and seven days \u2014 astoundingly tying her for the youngest player to win the Open with Inbee Park, who was precisely that old when she won in 2008.<\/p>\n

Lilia Vu \"Lilia <\/p>\n

Lilia Vu watches her shot from the seventh tee during the third round of the Queen City Championship on May 16.<\/p>\n

(Dylan Buell \/ Getty Images)<\/p>\n

Vu grew up in Fountain Valley and was a standout at UCLA. She won two majors in 2023 but lately has been battling back problems.<\/p>\n

Michelle Wie West \"Michelle <\/p>\n

Michelle Wie West of the United States hits from the third tee during the first round of the Mizuho Americas Open on May 7.<\/p>\n

(Sarah Stier \/ Getty Images)<\/p>\n

Wie West<\/a> retired three years ago after the Open at Pebble Beach, but is coming out of retirement to use her last year of exemption to play at Riviera. Her husband, Jonnie West, son of late NBA icon Jerry West, will be caddying for her.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Reaching the summit is a dream. But staying there? That\u2019s an altogether different challenge. Maja Stark has a…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":14414,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[6133,6135,6131,2764,6134,1486,625,1410,6130,2268,834,6129,1288,6132,282],"class_list":["post-14413","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-u-s-open-championship","tag-chevron-championship","tag-elite-amateur","tag-golf-measure","tag-lpga-tour","tag-maja-stark","tag-major","tag-open","tag-player","tag-prestigious-woman","tag-riviera","tag-tournament","tag-u-s-women","tag-u-s-open-championship","tag-victory","tag-year"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/golf\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14413","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/golf\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/golf\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/golf\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/golf\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=14413"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/golf\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14413\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/golf\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/14414"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/golf\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=14413"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/golf\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=14413"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/golf\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=14413"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}