5th U.S. Senior Women’s Open Championship – Inside the Field

Waverley Country Club will host the 5th U.S. Senior Women's Open championship next week and will be set up at 6,104 yards and play to a par of 36-36–72.  Like many in the field, including past U.S. Senior Women’s Open champions Laura Davies, Helen Alfredsson, Annika Sorenstam and Jill McGill, Ward and Sorenstam have their names in golf’s record book. Like everyone competing at Waverley C.C., they relish this opportunity to compete at the game’s highest level.

Here's a closer look at the 120 golfers in the 2023 U.S. Senior Women’s Open.

OLDEST & YOUNGEST 

Anne Sander, 85, of Seattle, Wash., is the oldest player in this year’s U.S. Senior Women’s Open field and the oldest to compete in the championship’s five-year history. Sander has won seven USGA championships, trailing only the nine titles by Tiger Woods and Bobby Jones, and the eight titles by JoAnne Gunderson Carner and Jack Nicklaus. 

Sarah Gallagher, of Canton, Ga., is the youngest player in the field. She turned 50 on Aug. 17, just one week before the first round of the championship. 

There are 12 players in the field who are 50 years old. Eleven players in the field are 64 or older.  

COUNTRIES REPRESENTED 

There are 11 countries represented in the 2023 U.S. Senior Women’s Open – United States (89), Japan (11), Canada (5), Sweden (4), Scotland (3), England (2), Italy (2), Australia (1), France (1), Mexico (1), Peru (1)  

STATES REPRESENTED 

There are 29 states represented in the 2023 U.S. Senior Women’s Open – Florida (16), California (10), Arizona (6), North Carolina (6), Georgia (5), Colorado (4), Illinois (4), New York (4), Texas (4), Virginia (3), Washington (3), Kentucky (2), Massachusetts (2), Minnesota (2), Pennsylvania (2), South Carolina (2), Wisconsin (2), Alabama (1),  Idaho (1), Kansas (1), Maryland (1), Michigan (1), Missouri (1), Montana (1), New Hampshire (1), New Jersey (1), Ohio (1), Oregon (1), South Dakota (1)  

USGA CHAMPIONS 

U.S. Senior Women’s Open champions (4): Jill McGill (2022), Annika Sorenstam (2021), Helen Alfredsson (2019), Laura Davies (2018) 

U.S. Women’s Open champions (8): Amy Alcott (1980), JoAnne Carner (1971, 1976), Laura Davies (1987), Jane Geddes (1986), Juli Inkster (1999, 2002), Liselotte Neumann (1988), Annika Sorenstam (1995, 1996, 2006), Hollis Stacy (1977, 1978, 1984). 

U.S. Women’s Amateur champions (7): JoAnne Carner (1957, 1960, 1962, 1966, 1968), Pat Hurst (1990), Juli Inkster (1980, 1981, 1982), Jill McGill (1993), Anne Sander (1958, 1961, 1963), Carol Semple Thompson (1973), Wendy Ward (1994) 

U.S. Girls’ Junior champions (6): Amy Alcott (1973), Brandie Burton (1989), JoAnne Carner (1956), Pat Hurst (1986), Michelle McGann (1987), Hollis Stacy (1969, 1970, 1971) 

U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur champions (4): Martha Leach (2009), Ellen Port (1995, 1996, 2000, 2011), Carol Semple Thompson (1990, 1997), Corey Weworski (2004) 

U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur champions (6): Mina Hardin (2010), Judith Kyrinis (2017), Ellen Port (2012, 2013, 2016), Lara Tennant (2018, 2019, 2021), Shelly Stouffer (2022), Carol Semple Thompson (1999, 2000, 2001, 2002) 

U.S. Women’s Amateur Public Links champions (2): Danielle Ammaccapane (1985), Jill McGill (1994) 

USA Curtis Cup Players (11): Danielle Ammaccapane (1986), Brandie Burton (1990), JoAnne Carner (1958, 1960, 1962, 1964), Juli Inkster (1982), Brenda Kuehn (1996, 1998), Ellen Port (1994, 1996), Anne Sander (1958, 1960, 1962, 1966, 1968, 1974, 1984, 1990), Hollis Stacy (1972), Carol Semple Thompson (1974, 1976, 1980, 1982, 1988, 1990, 1992, 1994, 1996, 1998, 2000, 2002), Wendy Ward (1994), Kimberly Williams (1986) 

GB&I Curtis Cup Players (3): Laura Davies (1984), Trish Johnson (1986), Catriona Matthew (1990, 1992, 1994) 

USA Curtis Cup Captains (2): Ellen Port (2014), Carol Semple Thompson (2006, 2008) 

GB&I Curtis Cup Captains (1): Catriona Matthew (2024)  

World Golf Hall of Famers (7): Amy Alcott, JoAnne Carner, Laura Davies, Juli Inkster, Carol Semple Thompson, Annika Sorenstam, Hollis Stacy 

SENIOR WOMEN’S OPEN BIRTHDAYS  

One player in the field will celebrate a birthday during the championship. Catriona Matthew, of Scotland, turns 55 on Aug. 25. 

SISTER ACT 

Danielle Ammaccapane and Dina Ammaccapane will compete in the championship together for the fourth time (2019, 2021, 2022, 2023). Danielle is exempt based on her place on the LPGA’s All-Time Money List and Dina qualified for the championship on July 27 in Phoenix, Ariz.  

Hollis Stacy and Martha Leach will compete in the championship together. The sister duo has competed in each edition of the championship. Leach earned low-amateur honors in the inaugural championship in 2018 with a T10 finish and tied for the honor with Ellen Port in 2021 when the pair finished T20. Hollis Stacy is exempt based on her major championship victories and Martha Leach qualified for the championship on Aug. 10 at York Golf Club in Columbus, Ohio.  

CHAMPIONSHIP FIELD 

The 120-player field includes 50 fully exempt golfers, eight of whom are U.S. Women’s Open champions. Qualifying was played over 18 holes at 13 sites across the United States between July 11 and Aug. 10.  

QUALIFIERS – 70 players earned their spot in the field via qualifying. 

Dina Ammaccapane, 55, of Phoenix, Ariz., will be playing in her 20th USGA championship and fourth U.S. Senior Women’s Open. She competed in 12 U.S. Women’s Opens between 1987 and 2007, earning her best finish of T15 at Blackwolf Run in 1998. A member of the winning NCAA Championship San Jose State team in 1989, Ammaccapane began competing on the LPGA Tour in 1993, and in 2000, earned her career-best finish of T2 at the State Farm Rail Classic. Her sister, Danielle, won the U.S. Women’s Amateur Public Links in 1985, represented the United States on the Curtis Cup Team in 1986, and four years later, in the 1990 U.S. Women’s Open at Atlanta Athletic Club, earned her highest finish at a U.S. Women’s Open: T3. 

Brenda Kuehn, 58, of Asheville, N.C., has competed in more than 45 USGA championships, including nine U.S. Women’s Opens. Kuehn, a two-time Curtis Cup competitor, was the runner-up in the 1995 U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur. She secured the winning point for the USA in the 1998 Curtis Cup Match at The Minikahda Club in Minnesota, and watched her daughter, Rachel, achieve the same distinction at the 2021 Curtis Cup in Wales and the 2022 Curtis Cup at Merion Golf Club in Ardmore, Pa. Brenda and Rachel’s golf bond dates to the 2001 U.S. Women’s Open, when Brenda competed in the championship while eight months pregnant with Rachel. Kuehn qualified for the U.S. Senior Women's Open last year but withdrew to watch Rachel compete for the USA in the World Amateur Team Championship in Paris. She qualified again this year and will make her championship debut. She also recently qualified for the 2023 U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur Championship, which will be held at Stonewall in Elverson, Pa., in September.  

Judith Kyrinis, 59, of Canada, qualified for this year’s championship at Allendale Country Club in North Dartmouth, Mass. Kyrinis, the 2017 U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur champion, won her USGA title at Waverley Country Club, site of this championship. With her 4-and-3 victory over fellow Canadian Terrill Samuel in the final match, Kyrinis became the seventh USGA champion from Canada and the third to win the Senior Women’s Amateur. Kyrinis, a retired nurse, earned low-amateur honors at the 2019 U.S. Senior Women’s Open and is a three-time Canadian Women’s Mid-Amateur champion, with her most recent victory coming in this year’s championship at the Mad River Golf Club.  

Ellen Port, 61, of North Kansas City, Mo., qualified for this year’s championship at Waverley Country Club on July 24, earning co-medalist honors after shooting a 72 on the championship venue. She nearly won her eighth USGA championship in 2021 when she fell short in the final match of the U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur to Lara Tennant, 2 and 1. Port, a seven-time USGA champion, has won four U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur titles, with her most recent coming in 2011. She is tied with Anne Sander and Carol Semple Thompson for second among female USGA champions with her seven titles, trailing only JoAnne Carner (eight). Port made history in 2021 by becoming the first woman to win the Met Senior Amateur, the Metropolitan Amateur Golf Association's premier senior men's championship, prevailing in a four-hole playoff. She finished as co-low amateur in the 2021 U.S. Senior Women’s Open with Martha Leach (T20) and finished T29 in last year’s championship at NCR Country Club in Kettering, Ohio. The 2023 U.S. Senior Women’s Open is her 72nd USGA championship. 

Charlotta Sorenstam, 50, of Sweden, is competing in her first U.S. Senior Women’s Open. Younger sister of Hall of Famer Annika, Charlotta won a 1993 European Team Championship title and an NCAA individual title with the Texas Longhorns. In her single season with the University of Texas, Charlotta also led the Longhorns to five tournament victories and six more top-five finishes. Charlotta represented Europe in the 1998 Solheim Cup. The 2004 Mary Bea Porter Award recipient earned her best finish in a U.S. Women’s Open in 2000 when she finished T27 at the Merit Club in Libertyville, Ill. 

AMATEURS – There are 34 amateurs in the 120-player field. 

Amateur Players in U.S. Senior Women’s Opens 

Year Number Made Cut Top Finisher

2022 37 6 Patricia Ehrhart (T15) 

2021 33 7 Martha Leach & Ellen Port (T20) 

2020 CHAMPIONSHIP NOT CONTESTED  

2019 34 5 Judith Kyrinis & Sally Krueger (T29) 

2018 29 7 Martha Leach (T10) 

FIRST-TIMERS – There are 38 players making their U.S. Senior Women’s Open debut, including 12 who are competing in their first year of age eligibility.  

LOCAL TIES 

Lara Tennant, 55, of Portland, Ore., became the first player since Carol Semple Thompson (four from 1999-2002) to win three consecutive U.S. Senior Women's Amateur titles when she defeated seven-time USGA champion Ellen Port, of St. Louis, Mo., 2 and 1, in the championship match at The Lakewood Club in Point Clear, Ala., in 2021. Tennant, who played at the University of Arizona, is a four-time Oregon Senior Women’s Amateur champion and winner of the 2020 California Senior Women’s Amateur and 2019 R&A Women’s Senior Amateur Championship. She made the first hole-in-one in U.S. Senior Women’s Open history in the inaugural championship at Chicago Golf Club on the 163-yard 7th hole in 2018. Tennant won 20 straight matches in the U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur over a four-year stretch before falling in the Round of 16 at last year’s championship in Anchorage, Alaska. She is a member of Waverley Country Club and the sole Oregonian in the field. 

1981 U.S. WOMEN’S AMATEUR 

Juli Inkster, who is competing in her fifth U.S. Senior Women’s Open, returns to the site of her 1981 U.S. Women’s Amateur victory at Waverley Country Club. Inkster, a five-time USGA champion, defeated Lindy Goggin, 1 up, to capture the 1981 Women’s Amateur. She also won the 1980 and 1982 championships.  

Players in the field who competed in the 1981 U.S. Women’s Amateur (8): Brenda Kuehn, Carol Semple Thompson, Jane Geddes, Juli Inkster, Kimberly Williams, Laurie Rinker, Lisa Grimes, Martha Leach 

WHAT THE WINNER RECEIVES 

The winner will earn an exemption into the 2024 U.S. Women’s Open at Lancaster (Pa.) Country Club (May 30-June 2) and an exemption into the next 10 U.S. Senior Women’s Open Championships or through age 65 (whichever yields the higher number of exemptions). She will also receive a gold medal and custody of the U.S. Senior Women’s Open Trophy for one year, and will have her name enshrined in the Hall of Champions at the USGA Golf Museum and Library in Liberty Corner, N.J.