Erin Hills prepping for 2025 U.S. Women's Open, 'absolutely' ready for more majors

Below are excerpts from articles that originally appeared in Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

TOWN OF ERIN – The state of Wisconsin has had its share of seminal golf moments, from Tiger Woods’ “Hello, world” press conference at the Greater Milwaukee Open in 1996 to Steve Stricker guiding the United States’ Ryder Cup team to a dominant victory at Whistling Straits in 2021.

Then of course, there was “The Shot.”

On July 6, 1998, Se Ri Pak stood calf deep in a water hazard on the 18th hole of Blackwolf Run and saved bogey, extending a playoff with amateur Jenny Chuasiriporn that Pak would win on the 20th playoff hole.

It was Pak’s second major title of 1998, but the stature of the U.S. Women’s Open and her iconic shot revolutionized the women’s game and gave Wisconsin an important place in the major championship’s storied history.

The 80th playing of the U.S. Women’s Open, and the state’s third, will be at Erin Hills from May 26-June 1, 2025 and the course hopes to be the canvas for another memorable chapter in women’s major golf.

“This state embraces golf,” USGA championships director Allison Burns said Monday. “Golf in general – it doesn’t matter what championship we’re hosting, whether it’s an amateur event or an Open or a tour event. They want to come out and the community really surrounds itself around golf. I think that’s super important for us. Then, in addition, this whole state supports events in general. I think you can see that.

“People are excited to be at the event of the year and this is going to be the event of the decade, so I think that’s important, too, about this state.”

The 2025 U.S. Women’s Open will be Erin Hills’ first time hosting the women’s national championship, which was awarded to the course in 2019.

In other national championships contested at Erin Hills, Matthew McClean won the 2022 U.S. Mid-Amateur, Brooks Koepka won the 2017 U.S. Men’s Open, Kelly Kraft won the 2011 U.S. Amateur and Tiffany Joh won the 2008 U.S. Women’s Amateur Public Links on its rolling terrain.

At its most diabolical, Erin Hills can be a windswept, beast of a course. It can be stretched to 8,000 yards – but no one plays it at that distance. The men played it at 7,741 yards in 2017.

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