PRIOR LAKE, Minn. – Qualifying for her first U.S. Women’s Open at Pebble Creek Golf Club in 2016, 10-year LPGA veteran Jing Yan decided to try her luck traveling north once again in attempt to qualify in Minnesota.
Yan birdied three of her final four holes Tuesday at The Meadows at Mystic Lake to card a 36-hole total of 7-under 137 to earn a share of medalist honors and a spot in the national championship later this month at Erin Hills in Wisconsin.
"I really enjoyed being back in Minnesota—I like this state,” said the 29-year-old Yan, who will be making her seventh appearance at the championship. “I felt like I got off to a decent start, but I struck the ball relatively well and putted better than I expected.”
Yan shared the 18-hole lead thanks to a 5-under 67 in ideal conditions during the morning session Tuesday, helped by a pair of late birdies.
Playing her first 14 holes in 1-over during her afternoon round, Yan converted back-to-back birdie chances from inside of three feet at the 15th and 16th holes and finished the day with a birdie from 15 feet at the 36th hole to earn a share of top honors with Australia’s Grace Kim at 7-under 137.
“I was really just trying to stay steady and make as many birdies as I could,” Yan said after qualifying Tuesday. “My caddie and I had a good strategy on where to hit the ball, so we didn’t have that many big numbers. I struck the ball better today than I have the last month or so.
“It means a lot to go back. So many times, you’re making up scenarios in your head thinking, ‘This is for the U.S. Open,’ so it’ll be great to play again. Keep doing the things I’ve been doing and keep working hard.”
During her 10 seasons on Tour, Yan has collected 25 top-10 finishes and amassed more than $1.4 million in earnings, while searching for the first victory of her career.
Her best finish at the U.S. Women’s Open came in 2017 when she placed tied for 21st at Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster, N.J.
Posting a bogey-free 4-under 68 during her second round Tuesday, Kim punched her ticket to her third U.S. Women’s Open in four seasons.
“It was brutal—any type of [36-hole event] is always long and very taxing, for sure, on the body and the mind, but I got it done,” said Kim after qualifying Tuesday. “I made one bogey on the last hole of the first round, and I wasn’t quite happy about that, but I knew it was going to be a long day and patience was going to be a key factor today.”
Kim played her first 17 holes in 4-under before carding her only bogey of the day at the par-4 ninth.
After rolling in two birdies during her opening nine in the afternoon session, Kim took advantage of the par-5 10th and converted her birdie opportunity at the 15th to reach 7-under for the day and into a share of medalist honors with Yan.
“I didn’t make many mistakes and tried to keep it in play,” Kim said. “Coming in, I’ve been doing the right things, but unfortunately, I’ve been in the same state of checking all the right boxes but haven’t been achieving the numbers or performance. It’s pushing through that hard time mentally to keep it going. I know I’m doing the right things and my team is pushing me forward.
“I’ve just played four weeks in a row, so I’d like to take some time off,” the 24-year-old said Tuesday. “I’m swinging it good enough, but can always work on little tweaks here and there. Take some time off, refresh and get back on the road again.”
Joining the LPGA Tour in 2023, Kim won her first championship in just her third career start, claiming the LOTTE Championship, before finishing her rookie campaign with two more top-10s.
Since her rookie season, she’s added four more top-10 finishes and claimed more than $1.9 million in winnings.
Qualifying for her first U.S. Women’s Open in 2022, where she placed 63rd at Pine Needles Lodge and Golf Club in Southern Pines, N.C., Kim would then post back-to-back rounds of 71 during her final two days at Pebble Beach the following season to finish tied for 13th.
A mere two weeks prior, Kim finished in 14th place after a pair of closing 69s at Baltusrol in Springfield, N.J. at the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship.
Heading back to her fifth U.S. Women’s Open over the past seven seasons, Japan’s Minami Katsu posted a 36-hole tally of 6-under 138 Tuesday to claim the third and final qualifying spot.
Posting a 4-under 68 during the morning round Tuesday, Katsu played her opening nine of the second round at even par before a birdie at the 10th pushed her to 5-under for the tournament.
The 26-year-old, who became the youngest winner in the history of the LPGA of Japan Tour when she claimed the KKT Cup Vantelin Ladies Open as an amateur at 15, birdied two of her final three holes Tuesday to card a final-round 70.
Katsu’s best finish at the U.S. Women’s Open came in 2019 when she tied for 22nd at the Country Club of Charleston in South Carolina.
Yuna Nishimura, of Japan, finished as first alternate, while Heather Lin, Chinese Taipei, finished with second alternate honors.
This year’s championship, set to begin May 29, will be the fifth different USGA championship played at Erin Hill over the past 17 years.
The club previously hosted the 2008 U.S. Women’s Amateur Public Links, the 2011 U.S. Amateur, the 2017 U.S. Open and, most recently, the 2022 U.S. Mid-Amateur.