Erin Hills set to host U.S. Women’s Open this weekend

Erin Hills golf course in the town of Erin is welcoming nearly 160 pro golfers, tens of thousands of spectators, and media from all over the world this week as the United States Golf Association’s (USGA) 80^th annual U.S. Women’s Open is set to take place.

Players, coaches, caddies, USGA executives and media gathered at the course on Tuesday for a press conference and some practice swings before tournament play commences on Thursday.

The 2025 U.S. Women’s Open will be the first professional women’s championship played on the course, despite having hosted several significant events in years past. In 2008, two years after the course was completed, Erin Hills hosted its first tournament, the Women’s Amateur Public Links championship. Since then, the course has been host to the U.S. Amateur Championship in 2011, the men’s U.S. Open in 2017 and the Mid-Amateur Championship in 2022.

The course’s Links-style topography including firm and fast fairways, few trees, and the challenge of Mother Nature – the wind – makes this course worthy of a USGA championship, according to Shannon Rouillard, senior director at USGA.

“This partnership with Erin Hills started 20 years ago,” said Rouillard. “When USGA staff come here, we feel like family and it’s a mutual feeling for (Erin Hills) too.”

The event is estimated to have an economic impact of $13.3 million, according to Visit Milwaukee.

Between 50,000 and 70,000 spectators are expected to attend the tournament over its four days of competition, according to the USGA.

Ally Financial is this year’s U.S. Women’s Open presenting sponsor along with the USGA’s other partners American Express, Cisco, Deloitte, Lexus, Sentry, and Rolex.

Golfers will play from Thursday, May 29 to Sunday, June 1 for the chance to take home the $2.4 million prize, pulled from a $12 million purse, the largest payout of any women’s golf tournament.

“This is a field of dreams for golf,” said Mike Whan, chief executive officer of the USGA.

Erin Hills is slated to host five more championships in the coming years including the U.S. Amateur Four-Ball Championship in 2027, the U.S. Women’s Amateur Four-Ball Championship in 2030, the U.S. Women’s Amateur Championship in 2033, the U.S. Amateur Championship in 2035, and the U.S. Junior Amateur Championship in 2039.

“We believe in Erin Hills and we believe in Wisconsin quite frankly,” said Whan.

The next time Erin Hills could host another U.S. Women’s Open would be in 2037 and another U.S. Open for men in 2043 as all dates prior have been booked elsewhere for those tournaments.

The USGA is no stranger to Wisconsin’s golf scene. In addition to Erin Hills’ upcoming tournaments, Kohler’s Whistling Straits championship course will also host three USGA events including the 2028 U.S. Amateur, the 2033 U.S. Junior Amateur and the 2037 U.S. Girls’ Junior.

Whan, a Chicago native, touted Wisconsin as a sports destination claiming the state’s residents “don’t just like sports, they really learn (them) and know (them),” he said.

“I think the sport IQ is high in Wisconsin,” he said.