2025 U.S. Women's Open Preview

Erin Hills as a U.S. Women’s Open Host

I’ll admit, back in 2019 when the USGA announced the 2025 U.S. Women’s Open was coming to Erin Hills, I didn't quite get it. Not because I wasn't a fan of Erin Hills by any means, but because the course is such a big ballpark. I wasn’t convinced it would be an ideal site for a women’s major, but I've come around on the course based on the challenge it will present for the women this week. While Erin Hills does have wide, expansive fairways, it also presents interesting wrinkles with uneven lies as well as blind and semi-blind tee shots that create doubt in a player’s mind. The main way to challenge the best players in the world is to have a 15-yard fairway, and no one wants to see that. The short-grass areas around the greens will be another challenge. – Matthew Galloway

Short Grass Surrounds

All of the greens at Erin Hills are surrounded by short grass. Miss your approach by the slightest of margins and you bring bogey into play. There’s not a single straightforward up-and-down on the course. Commitment to club selection and ball flight, as well as a little creativity to use the slopes, should provide plenty of entertainment. The challenge these tight lies present to players this week might be what I’m most excited to watch. I’m particularly keen to see how Lydia Ko, one of the best wedge players of all time, fares around the greens. “It's a great golf course. I think it's fun,” Ko said on Tuesday. “I don't think it's for one type of player, which is something that I tend to really prefer because it kind of brings the whole field into it.” I’m not sure anyone else will describe Erin Hills as fun, so points to Lydia for a positive attitude before play begins.

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It’s not just the entertainment factor of watching these shots baffle the best in the world. Players who manage their way around the greens have a greater advantage this week than in other stops on the calendar. According to Justin Ray and KPMG Performance Insights, since 2022, play around the greens has made up 10% of strokes gained for players who finish in the top five at the U.S. Women’s Open. That number is about 7.7% in all other events. Players are going to miss more greens this week than they usually do. A deft touch will both keep a round on the rails and make up strokes on the field. – Meg Adkins

Key Holes to Watch

Nos. 3-5: A brutal stretch of long par 4s after two scoring holes to open the round. The third hole was the toughest green to hit at the 2017 U.S. Open, and most likely will be again for the women, who will need to hit a mid-iron to an elevated green. The fourth hole also features a similar approach, with the additional challenge of a narrowing fairway the farther you hit off the tee.

No. 9: At 139 yards, the ninth is the shortest hole on the course but features a postage stamp style green that falls off on most sides and is well guarded by bunkers. If winds are high, I would be posted up at the ninth with some popcorn.

No. 15: If it is set up as a drivable par 4 as we saw in 2017, there’s potential for some good drama on the weekend, but the 15th hole won’t be a pushover. Miss the green right and you're facing a 40-50 yard pitch to a shallow, elevated green from a tight lie, or even worse, one of the four bunkers surrounding the green.  

No. 18: We all remember that Justin Thomas 3-wood into this green for his 63. Hopefully the 18th hole can provide some more highlights coming down the stretch, as it's reachable for the longer hitters. There’s a centerline bunker in the landing zone for the second shot, which will be a decision point for those choosing to take it on for an easier third shot. – Matthew Galloway

Last View of Erin Hills as a Major Host?

Erin Hills is now the 16th course to host both the men’s and women’s U.S. Open. After this week, it will host five more USGA championships through 2039. This will be the last time major championship golf visits the course for quite some time, though. The earliest opening for the U.S. Women’s Open is 2037. For the men’s U.S. Open, the earliest open spot is 2043. I’ll play devil’s advocate here and entertain the idea that we get a Sunday for the ages with Nelly Korda and Lydia Ko at the top of the leaderboard. Nelly matches JT’s second shot into 18 and makes the eagle putt to beat Lydia by one. It’s the best U.S. Women’s Open finish in years. Coming back to Erin Hills becomes a priority, but the next time you can realistically visit isn’t for another 15 years. The future U.S. Women's Open sites are incredible, but the lack of flexibility created by booking them so far in advance is a head-scratcher. – Meg Adkins

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The Caddie Perspective

Majors are stressful. Half the battle, outside of making sure your work as a caddie has been done from a preparation standpoint, is keeping your player out of their head when things go sideways. At a U.S. Women’s Open, it’s inevitable due to the mental test the USGA hands out. You go into the championship knowing that, and your job shifts to keeping things light and feeling as normal as possible. Looking at Erin Hills, specifically, there is some extra work to be done in establishing landmarks off the tees to have your shot lines down. You may also want some “just in case” numbers in your book if you get into the fescue. – Matthew Galloway

Back of Tricks

The list of features and enhancements from the USGA and its broadcast partner NBC is getting lengthy. Golf Channel is set up for Live From for the entire week. The weekend will see a hefty seven hours of coverage on NBC. Rolex will make the last hours on Saturday and Sunday commercial-free and will sponsor drone-tracer technology for the first time at a women’s major. For the fifth year in a row, the Women in Turf program will have participants working alongside the grounds crew, providing valuable experience and networking opportunities. ShotLink data will be available once again, marking a leap forward in analytics and statistics for the sport, even if it is just for one week. On our most recent episode of The Mixed Bag, USGA Senior Director of Championships Shannon Rouillard spoke about how ShotLink data not only enhances the fan experience but also plays a crucial part in the setup decisions she and her team will make. The sum of all these parts is that the U.S. Women’s Open has raised the bar even higher and has every other women’s major playing catch-up. – Meg Adkins

‍This piece originally appeared in the Fried Egg Golf newsletter. Subscribe for free and receive golf news and insight every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.