Riviera Is About to Test a Loaded U.S. Women's Open Field, and That Is Exactly the Point

Image: Birdie Report

The 2026 U.S. Women’s Open is showing up at Riviera Country Club with the kind of setup that makes it very hard to pretend this is just another stop with a prettier logo.

The USGA’s latest championship-entry release says 1,897 entries were accepted for the event, with all of the top 25 players in the world and 11 past champions in the mix. Then the LPGA’s June 1 Riviera preview added the more fun part: this will be the first U.S. Women’s Open ever played at Riviera, and the course is set to play as a par 71 at 6,699 yards.

That is the kind of combination golf should want.

This article is based on official USGA and LPGA materials checked on June 2, 2026, including the USGA’s Riviera field update and the LPGA’s June 1 course preview. No pretending I got a private walk-and-talk with a setup team and a stimpmeter.

The Field Is Big in Every Way That Actually Matters

The lazy version of event hype is usually just yelling “loaded field” and hoping nobody asks a follow-up.

This one actually holds up.

The USGA says the 1,897 accepted entries tie for the third-highest total in championship history, matching Lancaster in 2024 and trailing only Pebble Beach in 2023 and Erin Hills in 2025. It also marks the fifth straight year the championship has cleared 1,800 entries.

That tells you two useful things:

• the event still carries real pull
• the funnel into the final field remains brutally competitive

The USGA also said entries came from 48 states and 65 countries, which is a much better indicator of championship gravity than any made-for-TV slogan.

Riviera Is the Point, Not Just the Backdrop

We have already spent a decent amount of time on the broader Riviera week build-up, and this is where the straight-news version catches up with the opinion version.

The LPGA’s June 1 preview makes clear that Riviera is not being used here as some generic famous-club flex. It is being used because the place has actual golf personality.

According to that preview:

• the course will play at par 71
• it will measure 6,699 yards
• the opening hole will play as a 499-yard par 5
• players still get Riviera’s famous first-tee announcement, which is a small detail but a very real atmosphere multiplier

That matters because Riviera usually makes players show a little more imagination than a lot of modern major setups. This place has angles, awkward visuals, and enough history baked into the property that even a calm Thursday tee shot can feel a little theatrical.

Good. Majors should feel a little theatrical.

The Star Layer Is Not Hard to Find

The USGA entry release singled out world No. 1 Jeeno Thitikul, world No. 2 Nelly Korda, and world No. 3 Hyo Joo Kim among the headliners, while Maja Stark returns as the defending champion after her 2025 U.S. Women’s Open win at Erin Hills.

That is before you even get to the names that have made the lead-in week more interesting.

We already covered:

• Celine Boutier arriving hot after winning the ShopRite LPGA on Sunday
• Farah O’Keefe playing her way into the championship by winning the NCAA individual title
• the late-field shape around Riviera in our rankings update piece

That is a real major-week blend. You have proven stars, a defending champion, recent winners with fresh confidence, and at least one young player whose week can get very loud very quickly if she starts well.

The Event Does Not Need Help Inventing Importance

This is the part golf sometimes screws up.

The sport loves acting like women’s golf needs an extra sales pitch when, in reality, the cleaner move is to just state the facts and get out of the way.

The facts here are already strong enough:

• first U.S. Women’s Open at Riviera
• 11 past champions
• all top 25 in the world
• a field built from nearly 1,900 accepted entries

That is before the first round even starts.

If you just want the broadcast logistics, we already laid out how to watch Riviera week. If you want the bigger point, our latest Riviera opinion column makes the case more directly: the championship is walking onto a serious stage with a serious field and should be treated like it.

Bottom Line

The 2026 U.S. Women’s Open starts Thursday, June 4 at Riviera Country Club, and the setup looks properly major from every direction.

The field is deep, the entry total is huge, the venue is finally worthy of the billing, and the course setup sounds like it will ask real questions instead of handing out soft launch content.

That is exactly what this championship should look like.