7 Players to Watch at the 2023 U.S. Women’s Open at Pebble Beach

Plenty of attention will be on young phenom Rose Zhang but world No. 1 Jin Young Ko and No. 2 Nelly Korda also should be in the mix at the season's second major.

No matter who comes out on top as the winner of the 2023 U.S. Women’s Open, this week’s championship at Pebble Beach Golf Links will go down in the history books. The 78th Women’s Open will be played for the very first time at Pebble Beach, the renowned oceanside venue that has hosted 13 previous USGA Championships. The course’s breathtaking layout and extensive history are storylines of their own, but the 156 women competing in the third LPGA major of the season will take precedence when tee times commence Thursday morning.

A mixture of blossoming young phenoms, top-ranked veterans, underrated amateurs and hometown heroes make up the all-star U.S. Women’s Open field. Here are seven players to pay special attention to as the action unfolds on the Monterey Peninsula.

U.S. Women's Open players to watch pictured clockwise from top left: Nelly Korda, Rose Zhang, Mina Harigae and Jin Young Ko / AP, USA TODAY Network

Rose Zhang

Rose Zhang is without a doubt the most talked about player heading into this week’s championship. The 20-year-old, playing on a special exemption from the USGA after arguably the greatest female amateur career in history, turned pro last month after two years at Stanford and promptly won her LPGA debut at the Mizuho Americas Open. Zhang then went on to post a T8 finish at the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship in her first major as a pro, and she didn’t even have her “A” game. But there is one reason why Zhang’s name is particularly hot this week: It’s already etched in the Pebble Beach record books. At the Carmel Cup, a college event she played in for Stanford, Zhang set the women’s course record at Pebble by shooting 63.

Mina Harigae

A native of Monterey, Mina Harigae has unbeatable crowd support at Pebble Beach. She was just 11 years old when she first teed it up at the world-famous links and now she says she’s played 50 rounds at Pebble. But Harigae will have more than just a home turf advantage this week, she’ll also have the proper major championship experience to be a serious contender. At last year’s U.S Women’s Open at Pine Needles, Harigae was runner up to Minjee Lee and cashed the largest paycheck of her career: $1.08 million.

Nelly Korda

Nelly Korda is coming off a missed cut at the Women’s PGA and a back injury that took her out of competition for a month, but the world No. 2 says she’s feeling healthy and ready to take on Pebble Beach. Korda, who posted three consecutive top-6 finishes before her brief hiatus, told the media that she almost aced Pebble’s iconic par-3 7th on her first attempt in practice rounds.

Jin Young Ko

The world No. 1 should never be underestimated when a major championship week approaches. Jin Young Ko was the only top-5 player in the Rolex Women’s Golf Rankings to contend at Baltusrol last month, and she can easily get hot again at Pebble Beach. The infamously minuscule greens at the oceanside venue will favor Ko’s precise iron play. Plus, two-time major champion’s preparation for this week extends beyond just on-course practice. Ko told the media that she rewatched Tiger Woods and Gary Woodland win their U.S. Opens to get a feel for the links before she even stepped on property.

Emilia Migliaccio

There are plenty of accomplished amateurs in the field, but Emilia Migliaccio of Wake Forest deserves extra attention because out of all of her peers, she’ll be the busiest. Migliaccio, who just won a NCAA D-I National Championship with her college team as a fifth-year student, will work as an on-course reporter for NBC’s Peacock featured groups coverage when she’s not playing in the tournament herself. Through her tenure at Wake Forest, Migliaccio has worked as a golf writer and commentator and hopes to continue in golf media when she graduates.

Angela Zhang

The youngest competitor in the field at 14 years old, Angela Zhang has proved that she’s ready to compete alongside the world’s best. Zhang qualified for the championship in Pittsburgh at Shannopin Country Club, where she sunk a 25-foot birdie putt in a 4-for-2 playoff after making the playoff with rounds of 70 and 73. Zhang was one of 2,107 women to submit entries for the 2023 championship, and it will be fascinating to see how she fares on the biggest stage of her young career.

Amy Olson

Amy Olson will be walking the fairways of Pebble Beach with some additional company, and not just her playing partners. Olson is teeing it up in this week’s championship at 30 weeks pregnant. The 31-year-old qualified for the event when she was six weeks pregnant, shooting 72-66 at Somerset Country Club in Mendota Heights, Minn. She told Golfweek’s Beth Ann Nichols: “The fact that there will be two of us walking down the fairway together, that’s pretty awesome.”