Jun 5, 2026 
Becky Morgan is making her 13th appearance in a U.S. Women’s Open this week, but it’s a little different this time around.
“Back when I was playing the Tour, it was something for me to stress about,” notes the South Wales native, who played the LET and LPGA Tours from 2000 to 2022 and last teed it up in at a USWO in 2018. All told, Morgan made 6 of 12 cuts and her best finish was T28 in 2006.
Morgan admits this championship has not always inspired her best work.
Eight years later, Morgan is back and playing alongside the game’s latest phenoms thanks to her dominant performance at the 2025 U.S. Senior Women’s Open, a tournament she won by six shots over some of the best competitors in the history of women’s golf, including runner-up Juli Inkster.
Morgan, 51, is the oldest of the 156 players in this week’s field.
“This is probably the calmest I’ve ever been coming into a U.S. Women’s Open,” says Morgan. “I would be absolutely thrilled if I made the cut, but it is a thrill just being here. I’ve really wanted to play this course.”
None of the previous six U.S. Senior Women’s Open champions thus far has managed to make the cut at the U.S Women’s Open, and this week’s host venue Riviera Country Club may pose the toughest challenge yet, especially off the tee.
“It’s long,” concedes Morgan. “In the practice round, I played with Asterisk Talley, and I’m three times her age. She was absolutely bombing it, as were the other two young players in my foursome.” Opening round leader Jennifer Kupcho averaged 276 yards off the tee on Thursday on her way to a blistering 66; Morgan’s driving distance average at Riviera yesterday was 239 yards, a 37 yard difference.
But Morgan, a past champion on the LET and a 3-time LPGA Legends Tour winner, is accustomed to being shorter than most, relying heavily on hitting fairways, dialing in her approach shots and leaning into her remarkable short game and deft putting skills.
“They were all driving it well past me in the practice round, but that was a good thing,” notes Morgan. “I’m up against that the whole way anyway, so even though it’s a challenge to be that far behind all day long, there were times when I was still the one closest to the pin. You still have to hit the next shot, right?”
Morgan likes her chances with a 3-wood or hybrid on approach into some of the longer par 4 holes, as long as she keeps it in the fairway.
“The rough is sort of ‘bouncy’ – you could be sitting on top of it or settle down into it,” reports Morgan, referring to the Kikuyu grass that LPGA & World Golf Hall of Famer Amy Alcott, a longtime member at Riviera, recently likened in a pre-tournament interview to “chipping off a Brillo pad.”
“So that’s a bit tricky,” adds Morgan. “We also looked hard at places to miss around the greens, because if you’re on the wrong side of some of them, you’re screwed.”
Once on the greens, Morgan looks forward to the test, and why not? She certainly proved to be deadly with the flatstick on San Diego Country Club’s slick, ticklish greens on her way to claiming the USSWO title last summer.
“My lag putting has been pretty good here,” says Morgan. “The greens are stunning. If you miss a putt, it’s definitely your fault.”
Morgan’s pairing for the opening 36 includes Northern Ireland’s Olivia Mehaffey, 27, and American amateur Ina Kim-Schaad, 42. Her unflappable caddie, Beth, who was there for Morgan at the USSWO, is back on the bag. After a first round 81, Morgan’s chances of playing the weekend at this historic major are a bit slim, but it’s different this time around.
“I’ve got a nice, low-key pairing,” smiles Morgan. “Of course I get nervous – because I care. But I don’t feel the same pressure. Just being here is like a little bonus.”
Follow USWO action today and all weekend at USGA.org.
Jun 16, 2026 
