Riviera Country Club takes center stage for U.S. Women’s Open

PACIFIC PALISADES — Riviera Country Club has long been considered one of golf’s great cathedrals, a venue admired by both players and spectators alike. Until this week, only golf’s best male players have had the chance to test their skills against Riviera’s challenging layout, but this week history will be made when the renowned course hosts the 2026 U.S. Women’s Open.

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Coinciding with the club’s centennial anniversary, the 81st U.S. Women’s Open features a $12 million purse and brings elite women’s professional golf to the iconic Pacific Palisades venue for the first time, including World No. 1 Nelly Korda.

“It’s an amazing place, and it’s in pristine condition,” Korda said of Riviera. “Obviously the men rave about it every year, and for us to get to play this golf course in a major championship under major championship conditions, it’s amazing. I mean, the vibe of the place, knowing that so much history has been played out here. It’s a great place for us to play.”

Korda, who won her third career major earlier this year when she won the Chevron Championship by five shots, admitted her knowledge of Riviera’s layout is limited so she is counting heavily on her team to develop her course strategy, including getting plenty of input from her instructor Jamie Mulligan, who teaches at Virginia Country Club in Long Beach.

“He’s from this area and he’s been at this golf course millions of times,” Korda said. “Obviously he has a lot of knowledge, and I was just asking him some questions, but sometimes too much information isn’t good. So, I just try to play the golf course and kind of figure it out on my own. I know Jason, my caddie, has done a lot of research as well on the golf course. I know the wind switches here kind of from morning to afternoon based off it coming from the water. So, yeah, every day is going to be a different game plan.”

Korda isn’t alone in her excitement about the women finally getting a chance to play at high-caliber venues like Riviera, especially when it comes to competing for major championships.

Hall of Famer Lydia Ko, who, like Korda, has three major titles to her credit, is pleased that over the last few years those involved with women’s professional golf have pushed to give women the chance to compete at courses which have hosted men’s major championships for decades.

“The Women’s PGA Championship, I think a few years ago, started taking us to golf courses where typically men have played,” Ko said. “It’s great that there is like no label of this is a men’s championship golf course. I think any golf course, when it’s set up right and set up right for the players, can be a very high caliber golf course. So, for us to have Riviera in the rotation is very exciting. I think to add to that, having the L.A. Olympics here and that being at Riviera, I think is going to be a great test. It’s awesome that the boundaries have really been broken in that sense. I hope that there are more courses down the line that we get to go play that typically men have.”

As a Southern California native, former Valencia resident Alison Lee has had a chance to play Riviera a handful of times, but she admits that competing in a major at Riviera is a whole different level of excitement.

“To have a major championship here in Southern California I think is super cool,” Lee said. “I’m going to hopefully have a lot of friends and family out here this week to come and watch. It’s always nice to have that kind of support. Being here in Southern California at a golf course where the men literally played a few months ago, I think is a cool aspect as well. We rarely get to be put on the same stage as them. It’s playing a little bit longer than what we’re usually used to, but I think it will be a great challenge for all of us this week.”

Lee was asked if she has a favorite hole at Riviera and not surprisingly, she chose the famed 18th hole, which has produced some memorable moments in men’s professional golf over the years.

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“It’s just such a cool finishing hole with the clubhouse in the back,” Lee said. “I think too what most people don’t see on TV is that green is quite small. I was talking to someone about that the other day when Rory played out here and made his long putt on 18. It looked like a long putt and the green looked so much bigger on TV, but it’s quite small and a bit tricky. So, I think it’s a great finishing hole.”

Michelle Wie West, who won the 2014 U.S. Women’s Open at Pinehurst, is stepping out of retirement for a week to compete this week. That win gave her a 10-year exemption into the U.S. Women’s Open, but her window was extended by two years after the birth of her second child in 2024.

Getting one more chance to compete in a U.S. Open, especially the first one at Riviera where her late father-in-law, former NBA great Jerry West, was involved with the Genesis Invitational for several years as tournament director, makes this a truly special week for Wie West.

“It feels really magical to be on property playing the U.S. Women’s Open, and I feel so honored to be here,” Wie West said. “I’m such a big believer that we need to continue to play at venues like Riviera, golf courses where fans now know each hole. Number 10 is iconic. I think there’s a lot of iconic holes like 8 and 6. I think the more we can have venues like Riviera, I think the more it elevates the women’s game.”

Making this week even more special for Wie West is that she’s getting a chance to share it with her daughter McKenna, 6, and son Jagger, 2, but especially McKenna who is old enough to appreciate seeing her mom compete.

“Last time I retired at Pebble Beach, McKenna was 2 and doesn’t really have any memories,” Wie West said. “Hopefully being 6 now, she’ll have a lot more memories of being here this week. Being able to share this with her – even the last couple months, just practicing, we talk a lot before she goes to bed, and I tell her what I do while she’s at school. I had a tough day at practice. This is what I overcame. This is what I was working on. I was excited that I got to do this. We start to share our stories, and she’s extremely insightful. So, it’s been fun to kind of talk to her about it.”

Having won three times already in 2026, Korda is the consensus favorite to win her first U.S. Women’s Open title. A year ago, at Erin Hills, Korda produced her best career finish in the Open, tying for second. The close call, along with her desire to add to her major championship resume, has the game’s top player excited to play this week.

“I’m just a lot more comfortable in my skin,” Korda said. “I know what I want to do when I come out. There’s a process. There’s structure. There’s not like looking around thinking, ‘Oh, should I do this? Should I do a little bit more?’ I just come out here with a plan and I execute it. There’s no better place to be in than in the hunt on a back nine on Sunday at a major championship, especially at the Women’s Open.”

Korda tees off No. 10 at 7:29 am on Thursday, along with Hannah Green and Hyo Joo Kim. World No. 2 player Jeeno Thitikul gets her tournament started at 1:03 pm, playing alongside Charly Hull and Patty Tavatanakit. Ko, along with Mao Saigo and Lauren Coughlin will follow Thitikul at 1:14 pm.   Wie West, along with Hinako Shibuno and Yani Tseng tee off at 1:36.

U.S. Women’s Open

When: Thursday (11 a.m.-4 p.m. USA Network; 4-7 p.m. Peacock/NBCSN); Friday (11 a.m.-4 p.m. USA Network; 4-7 p.m. Peacock/NBCSN); Saturday (2-4 p.m. USA Network; 4 p.m.-7 p.m. NBC/Peacock); Sunday (noon-5 p.m. Peacock; noon-2 p.m. NBCSN; 2-5 p.m. NBC)

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Where: Riviera Country Club, Pacific Palisades