The coveted US Women’s Open has finally come to an end. The competition this time wasn’t a typical one. Numerous new landmarks were reached. After hosting men’s major several times, Pebble Beach for the first time hosted a women’s major. Additionally, the competition included ShotLink scoring, which tracked each shot. Also, the tournament’s purse of a whopping $11 million was the highest ever for a women’s event.
This time, the Pebble Course has special significance for Hawaiians. Honolulu-born Michelle Wie West announced her retirement from professional golf after featuring one last time at Pebble Beach. Another Hawaiian, however, made up for the sad news with the tournament win, which drew congratulations from former POTUS Barack Obama. Let’s find out more!
American professional golfer breaks record
Even though Pebble Beach couldn’t break the 56-Year-Old curse, it did break the 7-Year American Curse. At Pebble Beach, Allisen Corpuz won her maiden major. By three strokes, she outlasted Ji Yai Shin and Charley Hull. She became the first US citizen in seven years to win the tournament. The last US champion was Brittany Lang in 2016.
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Barack Obama, the former US president, congratulated her on her remarkable achievement. He wrote: “Congratulations to fellow Hawaiian Allisen Corpuz for winning the U.S. Women’s Open! You make us all proud — and look forward to a round at Kapolei!”
Congratulations to fellow Hawaiian Allisen Corpuz for winning the U.S. Women’s Open! You make us all proud — and look forward to a round at Kapolei! 🤙🏾
— Barack Obama (@BarackObama) July 10, 2023
There is a connection between them. They both graduated from Hawaii’s esteemed Punahou School. The same private preschool was attended by Michelle Wie West as well. It must be surreal for Obama to see a fellow Hawaiian bring the trophy home. Let’s go down memory lane and see who were the winners for the last seven years.
US Open winners from 2016–2023
When Brittany Lang won the US Women’s Open in 2016, Americans didn’t realize they would have to wait so long to see the trophy again. In 2017, South Korean golfer Sung Hyun Park won at the US Open. In 2018, Thai Professional golfer Ariya Jutanugarn got in on the act.
In 2019, South Korean golfer Jeongeun Lee won the US Open by two strokes over Lexi Thompson, Angel Yin, and Ryu So-Yeon. In 2020, another South Korean Golfer, A Lim Kim, lifted the trophy. Lim was the seventh player to make a five-stroke comeback in the final round to win and the first since Annika Sorenstam in 1995 at The Broadmoor.
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In 2021, Yuka Saso became the first Filipino to win the US Women’s Open. And in then in 2022, Australian professional golfer Minjee Lee took the US Women’s Open trophy home.
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What do you think of Corpuz’s victory and Obama’s message? Let us know in the comments.