CHICAGO, May 28, (V7N) – The 80th US Women's Open tees off on Thursday at the challenging par-72, 6,829-yard Erin Hills layout in Erin, Wisconsin, with world number one Nelly Korda, second-ranked Jeeno Thitikul, and third-ranked Lydia Ko all seeking to capture a major championship that has thus far eluded them.

Defending champion Yuka Saso of Japan will be looking for her third US Women's Open crown in five seasons. "Conditions here can be very difficult," Saso noted. "I think it's going to be a good challenge. It would be nice to win another one... Winning keeps me motivated."

Nelly Korda, a two-time major champion, enters the tournament seeking the only major title on home soil that she has yet to claim. She cautioned about the demands of the course: "It's going to test everyone's game, very demanding. The bunkers are not easy. It doesn't really matter how far you hit it. It's all about accuracy at the end of the day." Korda also warned about the impact of wind on the treeless course: "Weather plays a pretty big role out here... When it gets windy out here, it's really going to play with your golf ball." Korda's best finish in 10 previous US Women's Open starts is a tie for eighth.

 

Thailand's Jeeno Thitikul, who recently secured her first title of the year at the LPGA Mizuho Americas Open three weeks ago, is also vying for her maiden major victory. The 22-year-old emphasized the mental aspect of her game: "Game has been a little bit better ball-striking-wise. But I think what is doing pretty well is the mental side. I'm just more relaxing, like natural, not forcing anything." She added that winning a major "should be really tough for me. What I want to accomplish, just one major, it's just my process. Definitely going to test my patience. I promise that patience is really the key."

New Zealand's Lydia Ko, the reigning Olympic champion and a three-time major winner, aims to add the US Women's Open to her impressive resume, noting it's one of only two major prizes missing from her collection. "This would be the one that I'd say, 'Oh, I wish I was a US Women's Open champion,'" Ko expressed. She believes that playing on unfamiliar courses with limited practice time adds to the difficulty of this championship. "There's a lot of pressure," Ko said. "I think you need to have a really good short game and an open mind to how you're going to play around this golf course, and for the most part, I feel pretty comfortable. But I think this is also the type of golf course you need to hit a lot of quality golf shots and also get a little bit of luck."

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