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U.S. Women’s Open: 10 champions from The Babe to Karrie Webb

By Elizabeth Bethel

OAKMONT, PA - JULY 11: Paula Creamer kisses the trophy after her four-stroke victory at the 2010 U.S. Women's Open at Oakmont Country Club on July 11, 2010 in Oakmont, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Scott Halleran/Getty Images)
OAKMONT, PA - JULY 11: Paula Creamer kisses the trophy after her four-stroke victory at the 2010 U.S. Women's Open at Oakmont Country Club on July 11, 2010 in Oakmont, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Scott Halleran/Getty Images) /
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BEDFORD HILLS, NY – OCTOBER 12: Annika Sorenstam is seen at a media round table during the Berenberg Gary Player Invitational Pro-Am held at GlenArbor Golf Club on October 12, 2015 in Bedford Hills, New York. (Photo by Michael Cohen/Getty Images) /

Annika Sörenstam, 1995, 1996, 2006

Annika Sörenstam was the dominant woman on the pro golf stage for more than a decade and it comes as no surprise that she finds her way onto my list of top-10 U.S. Women’s Open champions.

Sörenstam is a 3-time U.S. Women’s Open champion but so are Babe Zaharias, Susie Berning and Hollis Stacy. Betsy Rawls and Micky Wright beat them all with 4 Open championships each.

Sörenstam’s first Open win, in 1995, was a part of her breakout sophomore year on the LPGA Tour but it’s her 1996 win that gets her on my list. Sörenstam became the first non-American to record back-to-back Open championships, a very clear signal that the professional game was internationalizing at the highest level of competition.

In each of her Open victories, Sörenstam outplayed an American contender – Meg Mallon in 1995; Kris Tschetter in 1996; Pat Hurst in 2006.  Although two European players had preceded Sorenstam at U.S. Women’s Open champions – Laura Davies and Lisolette Neumann – Sörenstam made clear that the European presence on the American pro golf stage was neither passing nor incidental.

Next: Betsy Rawls, 1951, 1953, 1957, 1960

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