by Kim Shek
Why does an amateur golfer try to compete against professional players in a national championship? What is the appeal? The chances of success are so slim, the competition so fierce, the pressure so great.
And yet, try they do.
It is the great Romantic dream, playing in a national golf championship that is open to anyone. Shoot a good qualifying score, and you’re in, no matter who you are or where you come from. Amateur or professional, it doesn’t matter – it’s open to all.
Rainier Golf and Country Club will be the site of 2026 U.S. Women’s Open Qualifying on April 28. The A.V. Macan-designed course also hosted it in 2024.
On April 28, some of the Pacific Northwest’s best women amateur golfers will tee it up alongside the professionals at Rainier Golf and Country Club in Seattle, Washington, each hoping to punch their ticket to the 81st U.S. Women’s Open, which will be held at Riveria Country Club on June 4-7 in Pacific Palisades, California.
For one day, these competitors will grind through 36 holes of stroke play, a format that leaves no room for error. Open to female amateur golfers with a Handicap Index not exceeding 2.4, a Qualifier is the most direct pathway available to amateurs to play alongside the world’s best professionals on a major championship stage.
In the history of the U.S. Women’s Open, only one amateur has ever won the championship, when Catherine Lacoste held on for a two-shot victory in 1967. Lacoste never turned professional, later winning both the U.S. Women’s Amateur and British Ladies Amateur in 1969.
Near misses by amateurs in the U.S. Women’s Open include:
- Hye-Jim Choi in 2017, who finished second. She still holds the record for the championship’s lowest 72-hole score by an amateur (279).
- Jenny Chuasiriporn in 1998, when she sunk a 45-foot birdie putt on the 72nd hole to force a playoff with the legendary Se Ri Pak, but then lost on the second playoff hole.
- Morgan Pressel and Brittany Lang in 2005, with both amateurs tying for second after Birdie Kim holed a bunker shot on the 72nd hole to win.
- Nancy Lopez in 1975, when the future World Golf Hall of Famer tied for second as an 18-year-old.
The Qualifying at Rainier is one of 23 being held around the U.S. (and three others internationally) for this national championship, and Rainier is no stranger to this kind of spotlight. The club last hosted the U.S. Women’s Open Qualifier in 2024, the same year that the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship made its memorable visit to the Northwest, and its membership is thrilled to welcome back the event.
Jane Harris, Rainier’s 2016 president and a prior U.S. Women’s Open Qualifier participant herself, knows what the club can expect, and what the players will be going through.
“For the professionals and the amateurs, playing side-by-side, to navigate this course requires unwavering decision making,” Harris said. “Setting up the optimum approach to the small undulating greens will be key to scoring low at Rainier.”
What is the appeal to an amateur of attempting to qualify for a USGA Open Championship? As an amateur player, it is a chance to share range sessions with tour professionals, to observe their preparation routines up close, and to swap stories in the locker room. My personal favorite is how each player is willing to autograph your keepsake flag. The two days (maybe four, if the player makes the cut) at the Open will be cherished for the rest of their golfing lives. Few competitive experiences in amateur golf rival it.
Angela Zhang of Bellevue, Wash. knows very well how special this experience is. She was the youngest player in the field, at age 14, at the 2023 U.S. Women’s Open, held that year at Pebble Beach, having qualified for that national championship by sinking a 25-foot birdie putt in a playoff in the Qualifier.
“Having experienced what it is like to compete at the U.S. Women’s Open alongside the best players in the world makes me especially motivated for that opportunity again,” said Zhang, who is also a member of the U.S. National Junior Team. “Rainier is a challenging yet fun track, so I am excited to be competing there this year, and being close to home is always a bonus.”
This year’s Qualifier will feature some notable amateurs from across the Pacific Northwest:
Lauren Kim – Surrey, B.C.
U.S. Women’s Amateur Participant, 2024 and 2025; Augusta National Women’s Amateur Participant, 2024-2026; PNGA Women’s Player of the Year, 2023-2025
Madeleine Conser – Portland, Ore.
U.S. Girls’ Junior Championship Participant, 2025; PNGA Junior Girls’ Amateur Champion, 2025
Grace Lee -- the 2025 Washington Women's Player of the Year -- is a senior at Gonzaga University.
Grace Lee – Bellevue, Wash.
U.S. Women’s Amateur Participant, 2025; WA Golf Women’s Player of the Year, 2025; Washington Women’s Amateur Champion, 2025
Cienna Lee – Lacey, Wash.
WA Golf Junior Girls’ Player of the Year, 2025; U.S. Women’s Amateur Four-Ball Participant, 2026 (partnering with Niuniu Zhao)
Niuniu Zhao – Woodinville, Wash.
WA Golf Junior Girls’ Player of the Year, 2024; U.S. Women’s Amateur Four-Ball Participant, 2026 (partnering with Cienna Lee)
Angela Zhang, 17, will be trying for her second appearance in the U.S. Women’s Open.
Angela Zhang – Bellevue, Wash.
U.S. National Junior Team Member; U.S. Women’s Amateur Participant, 2024; U.S. Women’s Open Participant, 2023; U.S. Women’s Four Ball semi-finalist, 2023 (partnering with Alice Zhao); Washington Women’s Amateur Champion, 2022 and 2023; WA Golf Women’s Player of the Year, 2023-2024.This Qualifier at Rainier will be sure to test each of the competitor’s ability to shape the ball, control distances and read subtle breaks on the green. Managing energy levels and staying mentally sharp from the first tee shot to the final putt will be just as important. This Qualifier format – 36 holes of stroke play – is unforgiving, and for these ambitious amateurs, that is precisely the point.
Kim Shek is a Washington-based golfer with a distinguished record competing in USGA national championships. A three-time U.S. Senior Women’s Open participant (2022, 2024, 2025) and three-time U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur competitor (2023–2025, being a quarterfinalist in 2024), she brings first-hand knowledge of what it takes to perform under USGA conditions. Kim was named the WA Golf Senior Women’s Player of the Year four consecutive years (2022–2025) and has lived the amateur game at its highest level.
