Far Hills, N.J. – The United States Golf Association has accepted 1,295 entries for the 2011 U.S. Women’s Open, to be played July 7-10 at The Broadmoor in Colorado Springs, Colo.
The 1,295 entries is one shy of the record 1,296 received by the Association for the 2010 championship. It is the eighth consecutive year the number of entries for the championship has surpassed 1,000.
This was the first year entries were only accepted online. The first to file an entry was Yu Ling Hsieh of Chinese Taipei, who was one of 39 people to enter on March 2, the first day applications were available. The last to file was Allison Micheletti of Chesterfield, Mo., who submitted her entry 18 minutes before the deadline of 5 p.m. on May 4. Micheletti’s entry was one of 55 received on the last day, and one of 13 received in the last hour.
Entries were received from 49 states (all except West Virginia and the District of Columbia). In addition to the USA, entries were received from: American Samoa, Argentina, Australia, Austria, Bahamas, Belgium, Brunei Darussalam, Canada, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Finland, France, Germany, Great Britain (England, Scotland and Wales), Hong Kong, India, Italy, Japan, Republic of Korea, Malaysia, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Paraguay, People’s Republic of China, Peru, Philippines, Russian Federation, Singapore, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Chinese Taipei, Thailand, United Arab Emirates and Venezuela.
Eighty-two golfers are currently fully exempt from sectional qualifying for the upcoming championship, led by defending champion Paula Creamer, who won the 2010 U.S. Women’s Open at Oakmont (Pa.) Country Club. Seven other past winners who are fully exempt have also entered: Laura Davies (1987); Juli Inkster (1999, 2002); Eun-Hee Ji (2009); Cristie Kerr (2007); Se Ri Pak (1998); Inbee Park (2008) and Karrie Webb (2000, 2001). One other past champion, Betsy King (1989, 1990), entered to go through sectional qualifying.
Four spots are reserved for anyone winning an official LPGA Tour event through the weekend prior to the start of the 2011 U.S. Women’s Open who is not already exempt.
The remainder of the field will be filled via 36-hole sectional qualifying, which will be played at 20 sites. Qualifying begins May 16 and runs through June 5.
A list of the 82 players who are fully exempt for the 2011 U.S. Women’s Open with their exemption categories. (a=denotes amateur):
Shi Hyun Ahn | 7 | Stacy Lewis | 5,7,8 |
Shin Ae Ahn | 10 | Brittany Lincicome | 5,7 |
Sun Ju Ahn | 10 | Teresa Lu | 7 |
Yukari Baba | 10 | Catriona Matthew | 4,7 |
Kyeong Bae | 7 | Kristy McPherson | 7 |
Amanda Blumenherst | 7 | Na On Min | 7 |
Na Yeon Choi | 6,7,8,9 | Ai Miyazato | 7,9 |
Paula Creamer | 1,6,7 | Mika Miyazato | 7 |
Laura Davies | 10 | Azahara Munoz | 7 |
Laura Diaz | 7 | Gwladys Nocera | 7 |
Shanshan Feng | 7 | Anna Nordqvist | 3,7 |
Meaghan Francella | 7 | Lee-Anne Pace | 10 |
Katie Futcher | 7 | Se Ri Pak | 7 |
Sandra Gal | 7,8,9 | Hee Young Park | 7 |
Natalie Gulbis | 7 | Inbee Park | 1,6,7,10 |
Sophie Gustafson | 7 | Suzann Pettersen | 3,6,7 |
Hee Won Han | 7 | Stacy Prammanasudh | 7 |
Maria Hjorth | 7,8,9 | Morgan Pressel | 5,7,8 |
Katherine Hull | 7,9 | Beatriz Recari | 7,9 |
Amy Hung | 7 | Michele Redman | 7 |
M.J. Hur | 7 | Melissa Reid | 10 |
Pat Hurst | 7 | So-Yeon Ryu | 10 |
Vicky Hurst | 7 | Alena Sharp | 7 |
Juli Inkster | 1,7 | Jiyai Shin | 4,6,7,8,9 |
Mi-Jeong Jeon | 10 | Sarah Jane Smith | 7 |
Eun-Hee Ji | 1,7 | Angela Stanford | 7 |
(a)-Danielle Kang | 2 | Sherri Steinhauer | 4,7 |
Haeji Kang | 7 | Karen Stupples | 7 |
Jimin Kang | 7,9 | Alexis Thompson | 6 |
Cristie Kerr | 1,3,7 | Yani Tseng | 3,4,5,6,7,8,9 |
Birdie Kim | 1 | Momoko Ueda | 7 |
Christina Kim | 6,7 | Mariajo Uribe | 7 |
Hye-Youn Kim | 10 | Wendy Ward | 7 |
In-Kyung Kim | 6,7,8,9,10 | Karrie Webb | 1,7,8,9 |
Song-Hee Kim | 7 | Michelle Wie | 7,8,9 |
Candie Kung | 7 | Lindsey Wright | 7 |
Brittany Lang | 6,7 | Amy Yang | 6,7 |
Bo-Mee Lee | 10 | Soo-Jin Yang | 10 |
Jee-Young Lee | 7 | Sakura Yokomine | 6,10 |
Meena Lee | 7 | Sun-Young Yoo | 7 |
Seon Hwa Lee | 7 | Heather Bowie Young | 7 |
Key to Player Exemptions –
- Winners of the U.S. Women's Open Championship for the last 10 years (2001-2010).
- Winner and runner-up of the 2010 U.S. Women's Amateur Championship (must be an amateur).
- Winners of the LPGA Championship the last five years.
- Winners of the Ricoh Women's British Open Championship the last five years.
- Winners of the Kraft Nabisco Championship the last five years.
- 10 lowest scorers and anyone tying for 10th place from the 2010 U.S. Women's Open Championship.
- Top 70 money leaders from the 2010 final official LPGA money list.
- Top 10 money leaders from the 2011 official LPGA money list, through May 4. (Must have filed an entry by May 4).
- Winners of LPGA co-sponsored events, whose victories are considered official, from the conclusion of the 2010 U.S. Women's Open Championship to the initiation of the 2011 U.S. Women's Open Championship.
- Top five money leaders from the 2010 Japan LPGA Tour, Korea LPGA Tour and Ladies European Tour.
- Special exemptions selected by the USGA.