One Last Stop Before Riviera: Inside U.S. Women’s Open Qualifying

The road to Riviera is nearly complete, and yet, the hardest part is far from over.

The U.S. Open, for both the men and the women, proves to be one of the biggest challenges the best in the world face each year. And this year feels extra special as the 156-player field for the 81st U.S. Women's Open will descend upon the Hollywood Hills (about 10 miles east to be exact) for the very first time. The iconic Riviera Country Club is set to host the coveted championship June 4–7, but before the tall task of Riv can be taken on—the dust must settle from the drama of USWO qualifying.

And as you can expect, the last four weeks qualifying have delivered everything but the kitchen sink. Drama, comebacks, rising stars, chaos—you name it, pretty everything went down. The USGA accepted 1,897 entries this year, and held 26 qualifying events across the U.S., Canada, England, and Japan. It's one of the rare moments in our game where you'll see a former major champion go up against a teenager who may or may not have their learner's permit. I don't know about you, but I love this time of year. It's golf in its purest form, just competitors trying to beat par. (It's a bit like the Hunger Games, you know but minus the death.)

That said, let's get down to business and hit the who's who, and what's what as the road to Riviera winds down.

RELATED: A Beginner Viewer's Guide to Women's Golf in 2026

The Comeback Kids

I'm a sucker for a good ole comeback so it only seemed right to start with these four familiar faces.

Last week at the Mizuho Americas Open, host Michelle Wie West made her first competitive golf start in nearly three years. In fact, it was the 2023 USWO at Pebble Beach when we last saw Wiezy inside the ropes. But she's back, at least for these events and WTGL and it's going to be epic to have one of women's golf's most beloved figures playing in front of the LA crowds.

Most notably, Wie West won the 2014 U.S. Women's Open at Pinehurst and she's using her final year exemption from her victory in order to compete in the 81st iteration of the championship.

Getty Images

RELATED: We're so Here For Michelle Wie West's Comeback

Danielle Kang, one of Wie West's peers who is still out grinding on the Tour earned one of the two available spots at her local qualifier at Somerset Country Club in Minnesota last week. DK, a six-time LPGA winner, including a major at the 2017 KPMG Women's PGA Championship, has had a pretty difficult stretch the last few years, and 2025 was her first missed U.S. Women’s Open since 2009, ending a streak of 15 consecutive appearances from 2010-24. She attempted to qualify last year and didn’t get through.

And given Kang's SoCal roots through her time playing at Pepperdine, qualifying for Riviera is one hell of a way to bounce back!

LPGA veteran player Brianna Do is another one looking for something special USWO week. She earned her spot in the Riv field through co-medalist honors at her qualifier, making her her first Open in nine years.

Do is born and raised in Long Beach, CA and played at UCLA, so it'll be a home game for her—what a special time for the 36-year-old.

Last, but certainly not least is former World No. 1 and five-time major champion Yani Tseng is earned special exemption into this year's field. Tseng's road to redemption has been a long one with plenty of mental and physical hurdles for her to overcome, and after several long years of not making a cut, Tseng not only snapped her unlucky streak, but managed to pull out a win late last year in front of her home crowd.

Getty Images

RELATED: What a U.S. Women’s Open Exemption Means for Yani Tseng

Players Protecting Their Streaks

No one quite has a relationship with the USWO quite like Lexi Thompson. She was just 12 years old when she played in her first Open, and has made 19 consecutive appearances at the championship...but that streak is in danger of ending.

Thompson was scheduled to play in the qualifier at Wilderness C.C. on May 6, but withdrew for an unknown reason. She can still qualify if she wins an LPGA event before the cutoff or climbs inside the top 75 in the Rolex Rankings by May 25. She's in this week's Kroger Queen City Championship field.

RELATED: Charley Hull Looks to Defend at Kroger Queen City Championship With a Star-Studded Field

But Thompson isn't the only one who has a long history with this major. The 2026 U.S. Solheim Cup captain Angela Stanford holds the record for most major championship appearances on the LPGA Tour at 98 consecutive tournaments, spanning from 2002 KPMG Women's PGA Championship to the 2024 Chevron Championship.

Angela Stanford alongside European Captains Anna Nordqvist and Luke Donald at 2025 Ryder Cup. (Image credit: Getty Images)

Unfortunately, the 48-year-old's streak has already been severed, but she still entered for a qualifying event in her home state of Texas!

The Next Gen

Asterisk Talley, one of the hero names from this year's Augusta National Women's Amateur, had a commanding victory at her qualifying site at Richmond Country Club in California. She took medalist honors by five strokes, and was the only player to finish under par after rounds of 70-69.

This will be the third consecutive Women's Open appearance for the 17-year-old who is committed to play at Stanford next year.

Getty Images

Ten-year-old Cheetah Baez made headlines this week as the youngest competitor in USWO qualifying!

RELATED: 10-Year-Old Competes in U.S. Women’s Open Qualifier—And Not Everyone Is Applauding

Her appearance has come under fire, with many asking if she was too young for a stage like this, especially after she posted scores of 91-95 at Streamsong Black in Florida. Baez was a finalist at this year's Drive, Chip and Putt at Augusta National.

The Curveball

Last month when I saw Rose Zhang's name among those who were scheduled to qualify I was a bit surprised. But the recent Stanford graduate has been struggling quite a bit outside of her studies, falling outside the top-75 in the Rolex Rankings, meaning that she has to qualify to get into Riv.

So Zhangy and whole slew of other LPGA stars flocked to a local qualifier after the Mizuho Americas Open, all vying for a spot at Essex County Country Club in New Jersey. Which turned into a real battle field, with four spots up for grabs.

The final spot had to be decided by a four-player playoff that included Zhang, LPGA rookie from Japan Erika Hara, former Duke player Gina Kim, Laney Frye, another rookie. Leaving Zhang the first alternate. And when it was all said and done, it was Kim who got it done, leaving Zhang to be the first alternate.

Getty Images

Every year, the U.S. Women’s Open creates stars through qualifying, and clearly this year is no different. Someone you’ve barely heard of today will almost certainly contend, make the cut or become the story of the week at Riviera—that’s what makes qualifying matter.

Bring on Riv!