High Stakes at the U.S. Women's Open: A Battle of Golf Titans at Erin Hills

Jinhee Im, A Lim Kim, Yealimi Noh, and Rio Takeda are tied for the lead after each carded a 4-under 68 in the opening round of the U.S. Women's Open at Erin Hills. This promising start was made possible by favorable weather conditions, differentiating this year's tournament from last year's at Lancaster Country Club, where only two competitors finished under par.

Erin Hills proved to be less challenging on Thursday, with minimal wind allowing for strategic play. "There are some tees out that are pulled up, and a lot of the par-5s, I think all of them are reachable," Noh observed. A Lim Kim, the only past Open winner among the leaders, expressed optimism about the course, saying, "That course condition is really good, I think green speed is really, really fast."

The high-profile event, featuring a $12 million purse with $2.4 million for the champion, complements a competitive LPGA season with different winners at each event. The list of top-ranked players included Nelly Korda, Ruoning Yin, Hyo Joo Kim, and Jin Young Ko, further raising stakes in this prestigious tournament.

(With inputs from agencies.)