U.S. Women's Open power rankings: Everyone is chasing Nelly Korda (2024)

The biggest week in women’s professional golf — 156 players on a 124-year-old golf course with $12 million in prize money at stake — is here, the 79th U.S. Women’s Open. The top female golfers in the world have touched down at Lancaster Country Club in Lancaster, Pa., to face one of the toughest tests in the sport and compete for the second major championship title of the calendar year.

All eyes are on world No. 1 Nelly Korda as she chases her third major and seventh win in eight starts. Simply put, Korda has dominated the LPGA this year and based on rankings and points, no one is even close to catching up with the 25-year-old. But the talent pool around Korda remains impressively and perhaps underratedly deep. The field includes eight past champions, 87 exempt players, 62 qualifiers, and 21 amateurs, with the group representing 27 countries.

As the longest-running major in women’s golf gets underway, here are the top 10 players in the stacked U.S. Women’s Open field, ranked:

1. Nelly Korda

At this point in the year of Nelly Korda, it’s appropriate to wonder what it would take for the world No. 1 not to win. Korda matched history earlier this season when she won five consecutive tournaments, tying Annika Sorenstam and Nancy Lopez’s record. The run ended in New Jersey just a week after Korda shined as an invitee at the Met Gala. Swapping her Oscar de la Renta gown for her Nike golf clothes, Korda went on to place T7 at the Cognizant Founders Cup. But it didn’t take long for the Florida native to spring right back into the winner’s circle. The very next tournament Korda won again, this time at the Mizuho Americas Classic, hosted at Liberty National. With six wins before June 1, Korda joins Hall of Famers Babe Zaharias, Louise Suggs and Lorena Ochoa as the only players to accomplish the feat. Korda is teeing it up in her 10th U.S. Women’s Open this week at just 25 years old, and will look to string together the second leg of a potential grand slam. One of Korda’s six wins this season included the first major of the LPGA season, the Chevron Championship. If Korda pulls this one off, the possibility of a “Nelly Slam” will provide a summer thrill for the LPGA.

2. Rose Zhang

The 20-year-old Stanford product could be Korda’s fiercest challenger at the moment. Zhang won the Cognizant Founders Cup to end Korda’s win streak, and she seems to be fully back in form after battling some inconsistent play during her first full year as a professional. Widely known as one of the greatest amateurs in the women’s game, Zhang threw the sport into a frenzy when she won in her maiden start on the LPGA Tour one year ago. Zhang proceeded to place in the top 10 of three major championships during her rookie summer, but an overwhelming off-course schedule and some putting woes kept her from finding the top of the leaderboard again — until the Founders Cup, where she won by birdieing four of her final five holes. Still pursuing her communications degree at Stanford, Zhang is done with classes for the summer, and her sights are solely set on a major championship trophy.

3. Hannah Green

Green has been silently and rapidly climbing up the women’s world rankings. Besides Korda, Green is the only other multiple LPGA winner this season. She won in Singapore in February and again in Los Angeles in March, rising to a career-best No. 5 in the world. Since January, Green has jumped more than 20 spots in the rankings. The 27-year-old has five career victories, including a major championship. She captured her first win on tour at the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship in 2019. Green’s approach play and putting have been headlining her success this season. Per LPGA.com, the Australian is ranked fourth in greens in regulation and first in putts per greens in regulation. Those skills will be key at Lancaster, known as a “second-shot” golf course.

4. Lydia Ko

Teeing it up in her 13th U.S. Women’s Open, Lydia Ko is eyeing her third major victory and has the LPGA Hall of Fame as an additional source of motivation. Ko is one point away from achieving the prestigious accolade and Lancaster presents the perfect opportunity for her to do it in grand fashion. Nine years ago when Ko competed at the 2015 U.S. Women’s Open at Lancaster, she finished tied for 12th. Ko won her first major just a few months later at the Evian Championship. Now, as she puts together a strong season to bounce back from her uncharacteristic slump in 2023, Ko looks to translate her momentum into her 21st career victory on tour. Ko won the first tournament of the calendar year at the Tournament of Champions. She then lost to Korda in a playoff at the Drive On Championship. Ko is third in the LPGA’s season-long points race, behind Korda and Green.

5. Brooke Henderson

Of the current top LPGA players, Brooke Henderson might have some of the best Lancaster memories. The last time the William Flynn design hosted the U.S. Women’s Open, Henderson shot a final-round 66 to snag a tie for fifth place. It was her best major finish to date, and the following season she went on to win one. Now Henderson has 20 professional victories, including the 2022 Evian Championship — her second major. The Canadian has been trending for a win this season, consistently floating around the top 10. Henderson has three top-three finishes in 2024, including one at the Chevron Championship. A win is surely on the horizon for the 26-year-old

6. Charley Hull

The Englishwoman has been knocking on the door of major championships, and it’s about time she gets the job done. Hull, the No. 8 ranked player in the world, finished second at both the U.S. Women’s Open and the Women’s Open last summer, and she posted two other runner-up finishes in the regular LPGA season. Standing on the 18th fairway at Pebble Beach at last year’s U.S. Women’s Open, Hull told her caddie, “Shy kids don’t get sweets,” before launching a fairway wood at the green in an attempt to catch the eventual champion, Allisen Corpuz. Hull’s aggressive approach to the game and swift pace on the course make her style of play perfect for major championship golf, and it’s only a matter of time before she converts those strengths into a victory.

Shy kids don't get sweets. 🍭

A shot and a conversation to remember from @HullCharley at Pebble Beach. #USWomensOpen pic.twitter.com/SVFijjyYee

— U.S. Women's Open (@uswomensopen) July 10, 2023

7. Gabriela Ruffels

Gabriela Ruffels wasn’t exempt for the U.S. Women’s Open, but the rookie went ahead and played her way into the tournament through qualifying. Then the USGA announced that Ruffels had also earned a spot via world ranking: Her rank has improved from No. 146 to No. 40 this season with three top-3 finishes, two of which happened in her last two starts. Ruffels’ journey to this point wasn’t without its hurdles. In 2022, the Australian missed the deadline to sign up for Q-School — the qualifying series to earn a spot on the LPGA Tour — and was forced to compete an additional full season on the Epson Tour. She dominated the developmental circuit and finally earned LPGA rookie status ahead of the 2024 season. The USC product and former U.S. Amateur champion has solidified herself as one of the game’s next big stars, and the U.S. Women’s Open will be the perfect opportunity for her to prove she is exactly where she belongs.

8. Maja Stark

Maja Stark is inching closer and closer to her maiden major championship victory. The 24-year-old Swede has been trending this season in particular, coming off back-to-back solo second finishes at the Chevron Championship and the JM Eagle LA Championship. Since competing in the 2023 Solheim Cup alongside Team Europe, Stark has experienced a newfound sense of competitive ease on the course, citing the team environment as a training ground for coping with pressure. With that mindset, Stark could be a force at future major championships.

Hello, Lancaster! 😍 pic.twitter.com/dqZulDFkNO

— U.S. Women's Open (@uswomensopen) May 27, 2024

9. Celine Boutier

Of last year’s major winners on the LPGA, Boutier has the best shot at winning another one this season. World No. 2 Lilia Vu is still out with a back injury, Corpuz is having a below-average season, and Ruoning Yin is battling a hurt wrist. Boutier isn’t doing anything particularly noteworthy in terms of results — she’s posted one solo second-place finish and three top 20s, but she’s hanging in there and could emerge at any moment. If anyone knows how to perform under pressure, it’s Boutier. Last season she won four times, including at the Evian Championship where she became the first French winner of her home country’s major.

10. Minjee Lee

Never underestimate the potential of a two-time major champion. Minjee Lee hasn’t had her best season on tour so far this year, but the Australia native is locked in heading into her 11th U.S Women’s Open. With four top-20 finishes and three missed cuts this year, Lee declined media availability ahead of Lancaster to hone in on getting her game ready for the week. The sister of PGA Tour player Min Woo Lee, the 28-year-old is known for her consistent iron play, a strength that has already proven to be pivotal on USGA tests. In addition to her win in 2022 USWO, Lee has three top-15 finishes at the U.S. Women’s Open.

(Photos of, left to right, Rose Zhang, Nelly Korda and Hannah Green: Sarah Stier, Mike Strobe and Andrew Redington / Getty Images)

Gabby Herzig is a Staff Writer for The Athletic covering golf. Before joining The Athletic, she worked as a breaking news writer for Sports Illustrated’s golf vertical and a contributing editor at Golf Digest. She is a graduate of Pomona College, where she captained the varsity women’s golf team.