1996 U.S. Women's Open Winner and Scores
The 1996 U.S. Women's Open was the 51st time this major championship was played. The winner was Annika Sorenstam, still early into her professional career but, with this win, a 2-time USWO champ.
Winner: Annika Sorenstam, 272
Where it was played: Pine Needles Lodge and Golf Club in Southern Pines, North Carolina
Tournament dates: May 30-June 2, 1996
Leaders after first round: Beth Daniel, Kim Williams, 69
Leader after second round: Annika Sorenstam, 137
Leader after third round: Annika Sorenstam, 206
What Happened in the 1996 U.S. Women's Open
Annika Sorenstam won the U.S. Women's Open for the second year running in 1996, setting a tournament scoring record in the process.Sorenstam took the lead with a 67 in the second round. A 69 in Round 3 gave her a three-stroke advantage heading into the final round. And in that final round, Sorenstam scored 66 to win by six strokes over runner-up Kris Tschetter.
Sorenstam's 272 total set a USWO 72-hole scoring record that was tied several times over the coming decades but was not beaten until Minjee Lee posted 271 in the 2022 U.S. Women's Open (which was also played at Pine Needles). Sorenstam's 66 in the final round also tied the tournament record (since broken) for lowest final-round score by the winner.
Sorenstam's very first LPGA Tour victory was in the prior year's U.S. Women's Open. She was the sixth golfer in tournament history to win this title in consecutive years. And this win was just the fourth (of an eventual 72) overall of Sorenstam's LPGA Tour career.
Forty-five-year-old Pat Bradley, 1981 winner and overall 6-time major winner, tied for third place. This was her last Top 10 finish in any major.
Karrie Webb, winner of the 2000 and 2001 U.S. Women's Opens, tied for 19th place in her first appearance in this major. The low amateur was Cristie Kerr, who went on to win the 2007 U.S. Women's Open, also played at Pine Needles.
This was the first time that Pine Needles served as the host golf course for a U.S. Women's Open. The North Carolina facility eventually held the tournament record for most times as the U.S. Women's Open host site.
1996 U.S. Women's Open Final Scores
| Annika Sorenstam | 70-67-69-66—272 |
| Kris Tschetter | 70-74-68-66—278 |
| Pat Bradley | 74-70-67-69—280 |
| Jane Geddes | 71-69-70-70—280 |
| Brandie Burton | 70-70-69-71—280 |
| Laura Davies | 74-68-70-69—281 |
| Catrin Nilsmark | 72-73-68-69—282 |
| Cindy Rarick | 73-70-72-68—283 |
| Liselotte Neumann | 74-69-70-70—283 |
| Val Skinner | 74-68-71-70—283 |
| Tammie Green | 72-70-69-72—283 |
| Jenny Lidback | 70-76-68-70—284 |
| Alison Nicholas | 74-70-74-67—285 |
| Patty Sheehan | 74-71-72-69—286 |
| Stefania Croce | 72-70-74-70—286 |
| Cindy Schreyer | 74-70-70-72—286 |
| Maggie Will | 71-72-70-73—286 |
| Michele Redman | 70-73-69-74—286 |
| Cathy Johnston-Forbes | 72-75-71-69—287 |
| Meg Mallon | 77-68-72-70—287 |
| Karrie Webb | 74-73-68-72—287 |
| Beth Daniel | 69-78-68-72—287 |
| Wendy Ward | 76-68-71-72—287 |
| Mayumi Hirase | 74-69-69-75—287 |
| Michiko Hattori | 74-71-74-69—288 |
| Kim Williams | 69-78-69-72—288 |
| Becky Iverson | 73-71-71-73—288 |
| Nancy Harvey | 72-71-69-76—288 |
| Karen Weiss | 74-72-73-70—289 |
| Susie Redman | 73-73-71-72—289 |
| Rosie Jones | 71-70-76-72—289 |
| Tracy Kerdyk | 73-72-69-75—289 |
| Emilee Klein | 71-69-73-76—289 |
| Caroline McMillan | 72-75-73-70—290 |
| Juli Inkster | 74-71-71-74—290 |
| a-Cristie Kerr | 73-73-76-69—291 |
| Gail Graham | 72-70-76-73—291 |
| Hiromi Kobayashi | 77-71-69-74—291 |
| Sherri Steinhauer | 72-73-71-75—291 |
| Kim Saiki-Maloney | 73-70-73-75—291 |
| Barb Mucha | 74-71-70-76—291 |
| Kristi Albers | 75-73-73-71—292 |
| Cathy Mockett | 75-70-75-72—292 |
| Julie Piers | 73-72-75-72—292 |
| Missie McGeorge | 71-76-72-73—292 |
| Michelle McGann | 72-73-74-73—292 |
| Ikuyo Shiotani | 75-71-71-75—292 |
| Joan Pitcock | 71-71-72-78—292 |
| Kate Golden | 74-74-71-74—293 |
| Jill McGill | 74-74-71-74—293 |
| Trish Johnson | 71-72-74-76—293 |
| Danielle Ammaccapane | 75-72-74-73—294 |
| Catriona Matthew | 71-73-76-74—294 |
| Stephanie Farwig | 73-75-75-72—295 |
| Jan Stephenson | 77-70-75-73—295 |
| Michelle Bell | 72-75-73-75—295 |
| a-Marisa Baena | 76-72-68-79—295 |
| Kelly Robbins | 76-72-74-74—296 |
| Sherri Turner | 75-73-73-75—296 |
| Christa Johnson | 74-74-71-77—296 |
| Eva Dahllof | 75-70-80-75—300 |
| Nina Foust | 77-69-76-78—300 |
Previous and next:
1995 U.S. Women's Open - 1997 U.S. Women's Open
Sources:
Bamberger, Michael. "Second Coming," Sports Illustrated, June 10, 1996, https://web.archive.org/web/20181029090236/https://www.si.com/vault/1996/06/10/213792/second-coming-with-her-double-in-the-womens-open-annika-sorenstam-invited-comparisons-with-another-back-to-back-open-champ-ben-hogan
LPGA.com. U.S. Women's Open, Past Winners, https://www.lpga.com/tournaments/us-womens-open/results?filters=1996
LPGA.com. Players, "Annika Sorenstam," https://www.lpga.com/players/annika-sorenstam/81956/overview
United States Golf Association. U.S. Women's Open Records, https://www.usga.org/content/usga/home-page/media/online-media-center/usga-records/u-s--women-s-open-records.html
