U.S. Women’s Open: Top 5 Unforgettable Moments, Ranked

In its 78 years of history, the US Women’s Open has witnessed some of the greatest moments in sports history. Be it Babe Didrikson Zaharias’s comeback on the course or Se Ri Pak’s epoch-making triumph, the storied stage has produced moments of exception galore. As the 79th US Women’s Open starts next week, here are the five most notable moments from the national major. 

Carol Mann won in 1965, the first time the US Women’s Open was on TV

It took almost twenty years before the US Women’s Open was on television. The final round of the 1965 edition was the first time the National Major was broadcast live on TV. Carol Mann netted the first of 33 LPGA Tour victories at the Atlantic Country Club in New Jersey. The 24-year-old needed only a par save to win on the 18th hole. She made a birdie, sealing her first and only US Women’s Open victory. 

Laura Davies became the first English woman to win the US Women’s Open

Laura Davies, one of the longest hitters on the Tour at the time, rolled two essential birdie putts on the 14th and 15th at Plainfield Country Club to seal her maiden US Women’s Open. That was also the first time that an English pro won the national major. Davies carded 1-under 71 on her way to seal a two-stroke victory over Japanese pro Ayako Okamoto. Notably, the four-time Major champion also won the inaugural US Women’s Senior Open in 2018.

Babe Zaharias defied all odds in 1954

Babe Zaharias had to walk 36 holes on the final day of the 1954 U.S. Women’s Open. Arduous, yes. More so when you’re one year into your cancer treatment. A year earlier, Zaharias was the operating bed for colon cancer. She entered the Salem Country Club wearing a colostomy bag. 

Then, 43-year-old Zaharias set a record margin of victory at 12 shots. After the victory, the 41-time LPGA Tour winner said, “My prayers have been answered. I wanted to show thousands of cancer sufferers that the operation I had, a colostomy, will enable a person to return to normal life. I’ve received 15,000 inquiries from those who have undergone the operation. This is my answer to them.”

Michelle Wie West delivered the result in 2014

By the time she was 19, Michelle Wie had a book on her. The six-time LPGA Tour winner crashed into the scene like a meteor. But it took her a few years to earn her first career major. Many had written her off by that point. West at Pinehurst No. 2 was the only player to break par, beating then-world No. 1 Stacy Lewis by two strokes. 

West debuted on the LPGA Tour in 2002; her first LPGA Tour victory came at the 2009 Lorena Ochoa Invitational. Four years passed between her first title and the second, which was the US Women’s. Michelle Wie West admitted, “There were moments of doubt. But I had so many people surrounding me. They never lost faith.” The five-time LPGA Tour winner retired last year after the US Women’s Open.

Se Ri Pak’s historic US Women’s Open triumph sets off a domino effect

Se Ri Pak was just an amateur; she won the US Women’s Open in 1998. At 20, she was also the youngest to win the National Major ever. No South Korean has won the US Women’s Open before her. But it’s not because of the many ‘firsts’ that her victory is celebrated. It’s because of what came after. 

Since 1998, a total of 10 South Korean golfers have lifted the trophy 11 times. Pak won it again in 2013. Inbee Park, who migrated stateside to further her golf dreams, won the US Women’s Open in 2008, becoming the youngest ever to hoist the sterling silver trophy at 19. 26 years ago, there were 350,000 South Korean golfers in the country. There are more than 1.3 million now. 

The 79th US Women’s Open will tee off Thursday at the Lancaster Country Club. Nelly Korda, arguably a hot favorite to win every tournament she enters, heads to Ohio, eying her seventh victory in eight starts. On the other hand, Lydia Ko stands one point shy of entering the LPGA Hall of Fame.