On Tuesday at Barton Hills Country Club in Ann Arbor, the mood was light, not what you'd expect with a United States Golf Association championship right around the corner. Players said the vibe felt more like a reunion than the buildup to a major championship. Of course, they expect that to change come Thursday morning.
"I also enjoy seeing everyone, seeing everybody and catching up, seeing what's going on," Annika Sorenstam, the World Golf Hall-of-Famer, said Tuesday. "It's so fun, because you've got 120 players here and we're all just excited to play and compete at a different level than maybe before. But we all try, and we're out there with our caddies reading the greens and trying to get the yardage books. "It's like old times, but it's not really old times. But it's kind of fun to be back and do it. "This is certainly the biggest tournament that we have all year. "We'll test our skills and go from there." Sorenstam, 55, who won 72 times on the LPGA, including 10 majors, is the headliner in the field at this week's U.S. Senior Women's Open at historic Barton Hills, which is hosting its third USGA championship. The other two were the 1998 U.S. Women's Amateur and the 2008 U.S. Women's Mid-Amateur. Four players in this week's field have competed in all three USGA championships at Barton Hills, including Michigan State women's golf coach Stacy Slobodnik-Stoll. Players from 44 states and 15 countries make up the field, including five members of the World Golf Hall of Fame: Sorenstam, Amy Alcott, Juli Inkster, Karrie Webb and Hollis Stacy. The tournament, which debuted in 2018, runs Thursday through Sunday. "Obviously, there's probably not the intensity of what a U.S. Open felt like when I was playing the U.S. Women's Open. But coming to a venue like this, and the USGA does it right, it does have a U.S. Open feel to it," said Webb, 51, a 41-time winner on the LPGA with seven majors, including back-to-back U.S. Opens in 2000-01. She also won the last Oldsmobile Classic in East Lansing in 2000. "I think in some respects you go back into the old patterns of what you used to do, which feels familiar, like getting back on the horse. I guess probably not much has changed." England's Becky Morgan, 51, is the defending champion, having won by six shots over runner-up Inkster in 2025. Inkster continues to play and play well at 66, having tied for 12th at the LPGA's Dow Championship in Midland in June. The U.S. Senior Women's Open may not have quite the intensity of the quote-unquote regular majors of yesteryear, but there's still plenty at stake, including a $180,000 prize for first place. The champion also receives a spot in the field for the 2027 U.S. Women's Open at Inverness Club in Toledo, and an exemption into the next 10 playings of the U.S. Senior Women's Open. The men's U.S. Senior Open first was played in 1980. It took 38 years for the USGA to launch the U.S. Senior Women's Open. The idea was a hit, especially with Sorenstam, who retired from tournament golf in 2008 but came back to play the 2021 U.S. Senior Women's Open and has finished top-10 every year since, including top-five three times. "I think it's been a motivator for me and for many of the other women. I really do think so," Sorenstam said. "We've got some players that are somewhat still competitive at that age. "I think it's a good addition for sure." This is the first USGA championship in Michigan since 2024, when the U.S. Junior Amateur was played at Oakland Hills Country Club in Bloomfield Township. Oakland Hills is set to host seven more major championships in the coming decades, including the U.S. Open (2034, 2051) and U.S. Women's Open (2031, 2042).
Everything to know about the U.S. Senior Women's Open
When: Thursday, Aug. 20, through Sunday, Aug. 23. Where: Barton Hills Country Club (6,237 yards, par 72), Ann Arbor 2025 champion: Becky Morgan 2026 field: 120 players, including five former U.S. Senior Women's Open champions (Helen Alfredsson, 2019; Annika Sorenstam, 2021; Trish Johnson, 2023; Leta Lindley, 2024; and Becky Morgan, 2025) Purse: $1 million (winner: $180,000) TV: Saturday-Sunday — Golf Channel (streaming), 4-7 p.m.; Golf Channel (tape delay), 10 a.m.-midnight. Tickets: Starting at $33. Details at usga.org.
tpaul@detroitnews.com @tonypaul1984 This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: 'It's like old times': Women's golf legends take aim at major in Ann Arbor