The 73rd U.S. Women’s Open kicks off this week at Shoal Creek Country Club in Alabama. This year, a record 38 ANNIKA alumnae will compete, including 21 amateurs.
Among the 38, 13 are playing professionally on the LPGA Tour. They include Angel Yin, four-time ANNIKA Invitational participant and winner of the 2015 ANNIKA Invitational USA presented by Rolex; Danielle Kang, the first ANNIKA alum to win a major championship; and Austin Ernst, the first ANNIKA alum to win an NCAA individual title.
Other LPGA professionals are Jessica Korda, Nelly Korda, Megan Khang, Nicole Broch Larsen, Katelyn Dambaugh, Martina Edberg, Emily Pedersen, Emma Talley, Tiffany Chan and Gaby Lopez.
Many of the alumnae have also participated in the ANNIKA Intercollegiate presented by 3M. Recent grads Albane Valenzuela (Stanford) and Sophia Schubert (Texas) will compete this week on exemptions – Schubert winning the 2017 U.S. Women’s Amateur and Valenzuela for finishing runner-up.
Other Intercollegiate competitors include Maria Fassi, who is a two-time champion (2017 & 2018), and fellow Razorbacks Kaylee Benton and Dylan Kim, who contributed to Arkansas winning the team title last year. Joining them are Allisen Corpuz (USC), Kristen Gillman (Alabama), Jillian Hollis (Georgia), Patty Tavatanakit (UCLA), Andrea Lee (Stanford) and Olivia Mehaffey (Arizona State).
Notable amateur Angeline (Lei) Ye, who won the ANNIKA Invitational USA presented by Rolex this past January, is also scheduled to play. Joining her is Lucy Li, who finished runner up in the tournament after an impressive final round. Other amateurs include Dana Williams, Linn Grant, Gina Kim, Emilia Miglaccio, Yujeong Son, Elizabeth Wang, Jennifer Chang, Celia Barquin Arozamena and Evelyn Arguelles.
Minami Hiruta, a professional competing on the JLPGA, Symetra Tour player Grace Na and Ladies European Tour member Casey Danielson round out the ANNIKA alum roster.
We look forward to tuning in this week and cheering on all our ANNIKA Alumnae!
For the final field, click here.