U.S. Women's Open to feature 4 Canadians competing for record purse

The winner of the 2023 U.S. Women's Open will cash a $2 million US cheque as part of the record $11 million purse at Pebble Beach.

Last month, the Women's PGA Championship paid $1.5 million to the winner as part of a $10 million total event purse, furthering the trend of ballooning tournament prize winnings on the LPGA Tour.

"I just got to say as someone who has spent a lot of his life on the women's side of the game, to be sitting at Pebble Beach talking about going to Pine Valley, talking about 12 hours of network TV and playing for $11 million, some things are better than what you dream of," USGA CEO Mike Whan said Wednesday.

The USGA received a record number of event entries — 2,107, a record by 250 — for the U.S. Women's Open. The winner claimed a prize of $1.8 million last year and a total of $10 million in winnings was distributed.

"It doesn't matter what town you live in, the clothes on your back, or the clubs that you play with," USGA's senior director of Women's Open championships Shannon Rouillard said. "If you can get the ball in the hole, you have an opportunity to play in the U.S. Women's Open."

Pebble Beach will host the U.S. Women's Open again in 2035, USGA president Fred Perpall said in a rundown announcing the upcoming host sites.

"As a girl dad, I can't wait to see one of these impressive ladies sink the putt on 18 to win a U.S. Open," Perpall said. "I know that all the little girls out there also now get to dream their dream about sinking that putt on 18, and what a special gift that is, not just for the little ladies but for the entire game of golf."

Henderson, trio of amateurs form Canadian contingent

Monet Chun is one of four Canadians who will tee off at the third major of the women's golf season. World No. 11 Brooke Henderson of Smiths Falls, Ont., is the top-ranked Canadian in the field, with Chun, Lauren Kim of Surrey, B.C., and Celeste Dao from Notre-Dame-de-l'Ile-Perrot, Que., all amateurs.

"It's just an amazing opportunity, really," said Chun after finishing practice at Pebble Beach. "I get a chance to see where I'm at.

"Obviously, I would love to turn pro but that won't be until after I graduate school. So just a good test."

All three Canadian amateurs are on the golf teams of NCAA schools. Chun plays for Michigan, Kim attends the University of Texas and Dao is at Georgia.

Chun qualified for the U.S. Women's Open as the runner-up to last year's U.S. Women's Amateur Championship. Kim earned her berth at a qualifier at Vancouver Golf Club in Coquitlam, B.C., on May 15, and Dao did likewise at the Duxbury Yacht club in Duxbury, Mass., on June 7.

"I think we're all pretty excited about it and really good opportunities for all three of us," said Chun. "I think we just want to play the best we can out here.

Chun is currently ranked 95th on the World Amateur Golf Ranking, having won the Lady Buckeye Invitational this year and the 2022 Canadian Women's Amateur Championship. That makes her the highest-ranked Canadian on the women's World Amateur Golf Rankings. Kim is 121st overall and Dao is 1,081st.

Chun said she just wants to focus on her game at the U.S. Open instead of setting any kind of targets for the week.

"I think once I get caught up in score, it's just going to be a lot in my head," she said. "So right now, I'm just playing to the best of my abilities and see where my game is at this point and try to make a goal set on that."

Henderson qualified for the U.S. Women's Open as the reigning Evian Championship winner, but also would have made it to Pebble Beach based on four other qualifications.

She tied for 15th at the KPMG Women's PGA Championship on June 25, six shots back of China's Ruoning Yin. The Women's PGA Championship was the second major of the season and the most recent event on the LPGA Tour's calendar.