US Women's Open 2025 Preview, Picks & Analysis

THE US Women’s Open returns to Erin Hills this week with surprising omissions. It seems hard to believe that England’s Georgia Hall, winner of the Women’s Open in 2017, has not done enough to make the field.

She has managed just one top 10 finish in 2025 and missed five cuts and has now tumbled to 95th in the world rankings. It is the first time she has missed the US Open since 2016 and the first major she has missed since the 2017 Chevron Championship.

This is a notoriously difficult tournament to predict. Twelve months ago it was won by Japan's Yuka Saso, who overturned a three-shot deficit to became the youngest player to win two US Women's Open titles.

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There had been a three-way tie after three rounds, with Australia's Minjee Lee, American Andrea Lee and Thailand's Wichanee Meechai level at the top of the leaderboard, before Saso produced four birdies in five holes on the back nine to snatch victory by three strokes.

While much of the spotlight will be on the likes of Nelly Korda and Lydia Ko, my money is going on Atthaya Thitikul.

Until 2023, she was the youngest golfer ever to win a professional golf tournament at aged 14 years, 4 months and 19 days after winning the Thailand Championship as an amateur in 2017. She was the top-ranked women’s amateur in 2019 and has gone on to enjoy considerable early success in the paid ranks.

In March 2022, Thitikul won for the first time on the LPGA Tour at the JTBC Classic. While still aged 19 in September 2022, Thitikul had two wins on the LPGA Tour and four wins on the Ladies European Tour.

In October 2022, Thitikul became the number one ranked golfer in the world and was named LPGA rookie of the year. The following year she won the Vare Trophy for the lowest scoring average on the LPGA Tour.

And the successes kept coming. In November 2024, she won the Tour Championship and earned a prize of $4 million. She finished the year with prize money of £6m, a new single-season record, smashing the previous mark of  $4,364,994 set by Lorena Ochoa way back in 2007.

And she has been at it again in 2025 with six top 10s, a victory and earnings in excess of $1m.

Chevron winner Mao Saigo will be looking for her second major. The 23-year-old Japanese golfer is a serial winner. She turned professional and joined the LPGA of Japan Tour in 2020. In 2021, she was runner-up seven times to finish 4th on the  money list.

In 2022, she recorded three wins and two second place finishes in the first six tournaments. Last year was her first full season on the LPGA Tour and she enjoyed seven top 10s, including two runner-up. And in April 2025 she came through a five-woman playoff to land The Chevron for her first major success.

You may have read last year that Lexi Thompson was retiring. I would love to know her understanding of the word. She will be making her 19th consecutive start in this tournament and this will be her sixth start of the season!

Tournament Winners

It was won in 2015 by In Gee Chun, in 2016 by Brittany Lang, in 2017 by Park Sung-hyun, in 2018 by Anya Jutanugam, in 2019 by Lee Jong-eun, in 2020 by Kim A-lim, in 2021 and last year by Yuka Saso, in 2022 by Minjee Lee and in 2023 by Allisen Corpuz

The Course

Erin Hills is a par 72 measuring 7,731 yards from the back tees although it will play shorter for the women. It is surrounded by wetlands and a river, with water coming into play several times.

Prize Money

Total prize money is $12m, with the winner collecting a cool $2.4m

Form Guide

Atthaya Thitikul has had a sensational couple of seasons and is enjoying another wonderful year, with one victory already in the bank

To win:

Atthaya Thitikul. In sparkling form

Each way:

Nelly Korda. Always a danger

Each way:

Lydia Ko. Beautiful ball striker

Five to Follow

Atthaya Thitikul. Wondrous short game

Nelly Korda. Big hitter who also putts well

Lydia Ko. Always there or thereabouts

Charley Hull. Loves this tournament

Minjee Lee. Class act

Five Outsiders to Watch

Gemma Dryburgh. Streaky Scottish player

Kary Hollenbaugh. Amateur worth keeping an eye on

Lottie Woad. Brilliant English amateur

Rose Zhang. Has had injury issues

Anna Nordqvist. Looking to turn clock back