Nelly Korda, who has been sidelined since mid-March with a blood clot in her arm, will make her return to golf in the US Women’s Open on Thursday when the world No.2 tees off in the afternoon at Pine Needles Lodge & Golf Club in North Carolina.
The USGA announced overnight the groupings for the first two rounds, and the younger of the Korda sisters will play with another golfer who has been batting an ailment of late. Danielle Kang is set to go off with Korda and Atthaya Thitikul at 2:24pm local time, and the American star has been dealing with a back injury that continued to bother her at last week’s LPGA Match Play, where she was eliminated after group play.
In a championship with numerous compelling storylines, World Golf Hall of Famer Annika Sorenstam, 51, returns to the Women’s Open for the first time since 2008 after qualifying by capturing last year’s US Senior Women’s Open. She starts at 8:50am on Thursday with So Yeon Ru and 22-year-old Ingrid Lindblad, the No.2-ranked amateur in the world.
Michelle Wie West, champion of the 2014 US Women’s Open, said last week that she would step away from competitive golf after this championship, though she desires to also play in next year’s edition at Pebble Beach. Wie West is grouped with Brittany Lang and Sung Hyun Park at 1:36pm on Thursday.
World No.1 Jin Young Ko is in a marquee group, of course, paired with Americans Lexi Thompson and Jennifer Kupcho at 8:39am. The defending champion from last year at The Olympic Club, Yuka Saso, is playing at 8:22am with reigning US Women’s Amateur champ Jensen Castle and Anna Nordqvist, winner of the 2021 Women’s British Open.
In “The Kids Are Alright” grouping at 2:35pm on Thursday, the USGA put together 19-year-old pro Lucy Li, 19-year-old recent NCAA Championships individual winner Rose Zhang, and 16-year-old Anna Davis, who scored a surprise victory in April at the Augusta National Women’s Amateur.
The complete groupings for the US Women’s Open (all times local, Australia’s east coast is 14 hours ahead):
Thursday (June 2), First hole / Friday (June 3), ninth hole
7:15 a.m. / 12:30 p.m. – Allison Emrey, Charlotte, N.C.; Nicole Garcia, South Africa; (a) Lauren Miller, Niceville, Fla.
7:26 a.m. / 12:41 p.m. – Kathleen Scavo, Benicia, Calif.; (a) Alicia Joo, Republic of Korea; Jillian Hollis, Rocky River, Ohio
7:37 a.m. / 12:52 p.m. – Grace Kim, Australia; (a) Minsol Kim, Republic of Korea; (a) Catherine Park, Irvine, Calif.
7:48 a.m. / 1:03 p.m. – (a) Bailey Davis, White Plains, Md.; Gemma Dryburgh, Scotland; Amanda Doherty, Atlanta, Ga.
7:59 a.m. / 1:14 p.m. – Allisen Corpuz, Kapolei, Hawaii; Annie Park, Levittown, N.Y.; Lilia Vu, Fountain Valley, Calif.
8:10 a.m. / 1:25 p.m. – Eun-Hee Ji, Republic of Korea; Andrea Lee, Hermosa Beach, Calif.; Ai Suzuki, Japan
8:21 a.m. / 1:36 p.m. – Alison Lee, Los Angeles, Calif.; Amy Olson, Fargo, N.D.; Matilda Castren, Finland
8:32 a.m. / 1:47 p.m. – Yuka Saso, Japan; (a) Jensen Castle, West Columbia, S.C.; Anna Nordqvist, Sweden
8:43 a.m. / 1:58 p.m. – Mirim Lee, Republic of Korea; Angel Yin, Los Angeles, Calif.; Brittany Altomare, Shrewsbury, Mass.
8:54 a.m. / 2:09 p.m. – Maja Stark, Sweden; Pajaree Anannarukarn, Thailand; Sakura Koiwai, Japan
9:05 a.m. / 2:20 p.m. – Hannah Green, Australia; Jessica Korda, Jupiter, Fla.; Lydia Ko, New Zealand
9:16 a.m. / 2:31 p.m. – Pornanong Phatlum, Thailand; Jaye Marie Green, Boca Raton, Fla.; Mayu Hamada, Japan
9:27 a.m. / 2:42 p.m. – Beth Wu, Diamond Bar, Calif.; Auston Kim, St. Augustine, Fla.; Linnea Johansson, Sweden
Thursday (June 2), ninth hole / Friday (June 3), first hole
7 a.m. / 12:45 p.m. – (a) Anna Morgan, Spartanburg, S.C.; Gabby Lemieux, Caldwell, Idaho; Ingrid Gutierrez, Mexico
7:11 a.m. / 12:56 p.m. – Lauren Kim, Los Altos, Calif.; Mariel Galdiano, Pearl City, Hawaii; (a) Melanie Green, Medina, N.Y.
7:22 a.m. / 1:07 p.m. – (a) Emma McMyler, San Antonio, Texas; Sarah Kemp, Australia; Dottie Ardina, Philippines
7:33 a.m. / 1:18 p.m. – Caroline Masson, Germany; Angela Stanford, Saginaw, Texas; Mel Reid, England
7:44 a.m. / 1:29 p.m. – So Mi Lee, Republic of Korea; Pia Babnik, Slovenia; (a) Louise Duncan, Scotland
7:55 a.m. / 1:40 p.m. – Ariya Jutanugarn, Thailand; Stacy Lewis, The Woodlands, Texas; Yealimi Noh, Concord, Calif.
8:06 a.m. / 1:51 p.m. – Marina Alex, Wayne, N.J.; Ally Ewing, Fulton, Miss.; Gaby Lopez, Mexico
8:17 a.m. / 2:02 p.m. – A Lim Kim, Republic of Korea; Mao Saigo, Japan; Madelene Sagstrom, Sweden
8:28 a.m. / 2:13 p.m. – Nasa Hataoka, Japan; Minjee Lee, Australia; Brooke Henderson, Canada
8:39 a.m. / 2:24 p.m. – Lexi Thompson, Delray Beach, Fla.; Jennifer Kupcho, Westminster, Colo.; Jin Young Ko, Republic of Korea
8:50 a.m. / 2:35 p.m. – Annika Sorenstam, Sweden; So Yeon Ryu, Republic of Korea; (a) Ingrid Lindblad, Sweden
9:01 a.m. / 2:46 p.m. – Tiffany Chan, Hong Kong China; (a) Lauren Gomez, Murrieta, Calif.; Daniela Darquea, Ecuador
9:12 a.m. / 2:57 p.m. – (a) Nika Ito, Japan; Alyaa Abdul, Malaysia; (a) Kylee Choi, Murrieta, Calif.
Thursday (June 2), first hole / Friday (June 3), ninth hole
12:45 p.m. / 7 a.m. – (a) Blakesly Brock, Chattanooga, Tenn.; Alexa Pano, Lake Worth, Fla.; Sofia Garcia, Paraguay
12:56 p.m. / 7:11 a.m. – Gabriela Ruffels, Australia; (a) Laney Frye, Nicholasville, Ky.; Cheyenne Knight, Aledo, Texas
1:07 p.m. / 7:22 a.m. – Robynn Ree, Redondo Beach, Calif.; Muni He, People’s Republic of China; (a) Malak Bouraeda, Morocco
1:18 p.m. / 7:33 a.m. – Na Yeon Choi, Republic of Korea; Pernilla Lindberg, Sweden; In-Kyung Kim, Republic of Korea
1:29 p.m. / 7:44 a.m. – Momoko Ueda, Japan; Moriya Jutanugarn, Thailand; (a) Bohyun Park, Republic of Korea
1:40 p.m. / 7:55 a.m. – Hinako Shibuno, Japan; Georgia Hall, England; Sophia Popov, Germany
1:51 p.m. / 8:06 a.m. – In Gee Chun, Republic of Korea; Megan Khang, Rockland, Mass.; Ryann O’Toole, San Clemente, Calif.
2:02 p.m. / 8:17 a.m. – Mina Harigae, Monterey, Calif.; Carlota Ciganda, Spain; Hyejin Choi, Republic of Korea
2:13 p.m. / 8:28 a.m. – Hyo Joo Kim, Republic of Korea; Nanna Koerstz Madsen, Denmark; Xiyu Janet Lin, People’s Republic of China
2:24 p.m. / 8:39 a.m. – Danielle Kang, Las Vegas, Nev.; Nelly Korda, Bradenton, Fla.; Atthaya Thitikul, Thailand
2:35 p.m. / 8:50 a.m. – (a) Rose Zhang, Irvine, Calif.; Lucy Li, Redwood Shores, Calif.; (a) Anna Davis, Spring Valley, Calif.
2:46 p.m. / 9:01 a.m. – Lauren Hartlage, Elizabethtown, Ky.; (a) Ami Gianchandani, Watchung, N.J.; Julianne Alvarez, New Zealand
2:57 p.m. / 9:12 a.m. – (a) Jeonghyun Lee, Republic of Korea; Britney Yada, Hilo, Hawaii; (a) Yunxuan Michelle Zhang, People’s Republic of China
Thursday (June 2), ninth hole / Friday (June 3), first hole
12:30 p.m. / 7:15 a.m. – Frida Kinhult, Sweden; (a) Saki Baba, Japan; Yuna Takagi, Japan
12:41 p.m. / 7:26 a.m. – Isi Gabsa, Germany; Marissa Steen, West Chester, Ohio; (a) Karissa Kilby, Honolulu, Hawaii
12:52 p.m. / 7:37 a.m. – (a) Lauren Kim, Canada; Wenbo Liu, People’s Republic of China; Lydia Hall, Wales
1:03 p.m. / 7:48 a.m. – Bianca Pagdanganan, Philippines; Maude-Aimee LeBlanc, Canada; (a) Sara Im, Duluth, Ga.
1:14 p.m. / 7:59 a.m. – Stephanie Meadow, Northern Ireland; (a) Annabell Fuller, England; Bronte Law, England
1:25 p.m. / 8:10 a.m. – Pauline Roussin, France; Paula Reto, South Africa; (a) Bailey Shoemaker, Dade City, Fla.
1:36 p.m. / 8:21 a.m. – Michelle Wie West, Honolulu, Hawaii; Brittany Lang, McKinney, Texas; Sung Hyun Park, Republic of Korea
1:47 p.m. / 8:32 a.m. – Hae Ran Ryu, Republic of Korea; Yuna Nishimura, Japan; Amy Yang, Republic of Korea
1:58 p.m. / 8:43 a.m. – Celine Boutier, France; Patty Tavatanakit, Thailand; Sei Young Kim, Republic of Korea
2:09 p.m. / 8:54 a.m. – Lizette Salas, Azusa, Calif.; Leona Maguire, Republic of Ireland; Jeongeun Lee6, Republic of Korea
2:20 p.m. / 9:05 a.m. – Na Rin An, Republic of Korea; Ayaka Furue, Japan; Charley Hull, England
2:31 p.m. / 9:16 a.m. – (a) Alexandra Forsterling, Germany; Yuri Onishi, Japan; Smilla Sonderby, Denmark
2:42 p.m. / 9:27 a.m. – Ilhee Lee, Republic of Korea; Karen Kim, Garden Grove, Calif.; Natsumi Hayakawa, Japan
PHOTO: Rich Schultz
