It’s an important day for the 78 US Women’s Open hopefuls at Buckinghamshire Golf Club, the Ladies European Tour’s home, near London.
A total of four spots are up for grabs today into the year’s third Major at Trump National in Bedminster, New Jersey, on July 10-16, which offers a record purse of US$5 million.
In the event of a tie for fourth place, a sudden-death play-off will take place immediately following play. There will also be a play-off to determine the first two alternate positions if required.
LET Rookie Meghan MacLaren led after the first round, with a score of three-under-par 69 recorded in cold and windy conditions. She led by one over fellow Englishwoman Holly Aitchison and Scotland’s Carly Booth, with fellow Scot Kelsey MacDonald a stroke back on one-under-par.
Sweden’s Caroline Hedwall birdied the 10th and 11th after lunch to move up into second position, after Aitchison bogeyed the 10th and triple bogeyed the 12th in a back nine of five-over-par.
MacDonald later made a hole in one on the 14th, which she played as her fifth hole in the second round, using a six-iron from 153 yards. Despite a pair of bogeys on 17 and 18, she maintained fourth position coming into the final nine holes.
This is the fourth year that US Women’s Open Sectional Qualifying – Europe, has been played at the Buckinghamshire.
In 2016, Valentine Derrey, Jade Schaeffer-Calmels, Camilla Lennarth, Olivia Cowan and Pamela Pretswell qualified, while Georgia Hall also later qualified as the first reserve.
In 2015, those who qualified were Holly Aitchison, Maria Balikoeva, Heather MacRae, Lauren Taylor and Kylie Walker. Aitchison, MacRae, Taylor and Walker, now playing as Kylie Henry, have returned for this year’s qualifier.
In 2014, the eight players who qualified were Amy Boulden, Kelsey MacDonald, Nicole Garcia, Stephanie Na, Nikki Campbell, Lucy Williams, Rebecca Hudson and Holly Clyburn.
A total of 1,709 entries have been accepted for the 72nd U.S. Women’s Open Championship conducted by the USGA, with Qualifying at 25 sites in total, including 21 in the United States, as well as four international sites: one each in England, Japan, the People’s Republic of China and the Republic of Korea, between May 22 and June 12.
Brittany Lang, of McKinney, Texas, who won the 2016 U.S. Women’s Open at CordeValle in San Martin, Calif., is one of 10 fully exempt U.S. Women’s Open champions. Lang is joined by Na Yeon Choi (2012), In Gee Chun (2015), Paula Creamer (2010), Eun-Hee Ji (2009), Cristie Kerr (2007), Inbee Park (2008, 2013), So Yeon Ryu (2011), Karrie Webb (2000, 2001) and Michelle Wie (2014).
LET Members already fully exempt into the 2017 U.S. Women’s Open include Beth Allen, Aditi Ashok, Isabelle Boineau, Carlota Ciganda, Jodi Ewart Shadoff, Shanshan Feng, Sandra Gal, Georgia Hall, Charley Hull, Karine Icher, Xiyu Lin, Pernilla Lindberg, Caroline Masson, Catriona Matthew, Azahaa Munoz, Anna Nordqvist, Lee-Anne Pace, Florentyna Parker and Suzann Pettersen.
