10 U.S. Women’s Open Champions to Compete in the U.S. Senior Women’s Open

The list of decorated players in the field includes defending champion and three-time U.S. Women’s Open champion Annika Sorenstam (1995, 1996 and 2006). In 2021, her first year of eligibility, Sorenstam shot a final-round 68 to secure an eight-stroke victory over fellow Swede Liselotte Neumann in the 3rd U.S. Senior Women’s Open at Brooklawn Country Club in Fairfield, Conn.

U.S. Senior Women’s Open champions Helen Alfredsson and Laura Davies are also among those fully exempt into the field. Davies won the inaugural championship in 2018 at Chicago Golf Club in Wheaton, Ill. In 2019, Alfredsson topped Trish Johnson and Juli Inkster by two strokes to capture the 2nd U.S. Senior Women’s Open at Pine Needles Lodge & Golf Club in Southern Pines, N.C. The 2020 championship was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Ten U.S. Women’s Open champions filed entries for the championship: Amy Alcott (1980), JoAnne Carner (1971, 1976), Davies (1987), Jane Geddes (1986), Inkster (1999, 2002), Neumann (1988), Alison Nicholas (1997), Sorenstam (1995, 1996 and 2006), Hollis Stacy (1977, 1978 and 1984) and Jan Stephenson (1983). Geddes won her U.S. Women’s Open at NCR Country Club, defeating Sally Little in an 18-hole playoff.

The current field features some of the most highly decorated female USGA champions in history. Carner has won more USGA championships than any other woman with eight, followed by Ellen Port and Carol Semple Thompson, who have each won seven USGA titles. Semple Thompson competed in her first U.S. Senior Women’s Open last year, while Carner has competed in all three previous iterations, shooting her age (79) at Chicago Golf Club in 2018.

Of those who are exempt, 41 played in the 3rd U.S. Senior Women’s Open Championship at Brooklawn Country Club. The field also includes 72 players who earned entry into the championship through 18-hole qualifying at 16 sites nationwide between July 11 and Aug. 8. For full qualifying results, please visit usseniorwomensopen.com.

Three players in the field hail from the host Buckeye State, including Cheryl Fox, of Tiffin, Adele Snyder, of Lebanon, and Suzi Spotleson, of Canton. Fox and Snyder both qualified at Jefferson Country Club in Blacklick, Ohio. Spotleson secured her spot through a qualifier at Lehigh Country Club in Allentown, Pa. She recently competed in the 2022 U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur in Anchorage, Alaska, where she advanced to the Round of 16.

The winner of the U.S. Senior Women’s Open earns a championship exemption for the next 10 years or through age 65 (whichever yields the higher number of exemptions), exemption into the 2023 U.S. Women’s Open Presented by ProMedica at Pebble Beach (Calif.) Golf Links, a gold medal and custody of the U.S. Senior Women’s Open Trophy for one year. The total purse for the 4th U.S. Senior Women’s Open is $1 million. The winner will receive approximately $180,000.

The list of the players who will compete in the 2022 U.S. Senior Women’s Open:

About the USGA 
The USGA is a nonprofit organization that celebrates, serves and advances the game of golf. Founded in 1894, we conduct many of golf’s premier professional and amateur championships, including the U.S. Open and U.S. Women’s Open Presented by ProMedica. With The R&A, we govern the sport via a global set of playing, equipment, handicapping and amateur status rules. The USGA campus in Liberty Corner, New Jersey, is home to the Association’s Research and Test Center, where science and innovation are fueling a healthy and sustainable game for the future. The campus is also home to the USGA Golf Museum, where we honor the game by curating the world’s most comprehensive archive of golf artifacts. To learn more, visit usga.org.