Iconic Venues Are Becoming the New Normal for Women’s Golf

The second major championship of the LPGA season will be played this week as women’s golf continues to level up and share more iconic locations with the men’s game.

For the first time, the U.S. Women’s Open is being played at the famed Riviera Country Club—the longtime home of the PGA Tour’s annual stop in Los Angeles. 

Today, the PGA Tour event at Riviera, formerly known as the Los Angeles Open, is called the Genesis Invitational and is hosted by Tiger Woods’ TGR Foundation. Riviera has also previously hosted two PGA Championships and the 1948 U.S. Open, among other notable men’s events.

The U.S. Women’s Open’s debut at Riviera is part of a recent run of esteemed courses for women’s golf majors.

In 2023, the U.S. Women’s Open was played at the iconic Pebble Beach Golf Links for the first time. The championship will return to Oakmont Country Club in 2028 and Pinehurst No. 2 in 2029—two “anchor sites” of the USGA.

The U.S. Women’s Open purse was an event record $12 million in 2024 and 2025—tied with the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship for the highest in women’s golf. This week’s prize money will be announced Wednesday.

Nelly Korda won the first major of the LPGA season—the Chevron Championship—earning $1.35 million and reclaiming the No. 1 ranking in women’s golf.

Riviera’s Run

This week’s U.S. Women’s Open also marks the beginning of a strong run of top-tier championships set to be held at Riviera over the next five years:

• 2026 U.S. Women’s Open
• 2028 Los Angeles Olympics: Men’s, women’s, and mixed golf events
• 2031 U.S. Open

Additionally, Riviera’s place on the PGA Tour’s schedule could be shifting in the future. Typically held in February, the Genesis Invitational is being considered for a potential move to the summer, as the PGA Tour explores playing its playoff events at iconic West Coast venues that would allow for finishes in primetime TV windows on the East Coast.

Michelle Wie West Is Back

Michelle Wie West is teeing it up this week at Riviera, marking her first start in a major championship since the 2023 U.S. Women’s Open, after which she officially retired.

The LPGA star, 36, missed the cut at the Mizuho Americas Open last month in her first start back on tour. Wie West is set to compete in the debut season of WTGL, which will launch at the end of this year. During her career, she won five LPGA events, including the 2014 U.S. Women’s Open, racking up $6.82 million in career earnings.