9 Perks Of Winning The US Women's Open

After last year's championship at Lancaster Country Club, where Yuka Saso won her second US Women's Open, it is Erin Hills' turn in 2025 where there are plenty of incentives for winning the second women's Major of the year.

Saso won a record purse last year as well as a number of other great perks, so along with the glory, what else is on offer at the 2025 US Women's Open? We take a look...

The Harton S. Semple Trophy

What signifies a Major triumph, and what will be the highlight for the winner is hoisting the coveted trophy on the 18th green after it's all said and done.

Presented annually by the USGA since 1953, the Harton S. Semple Trophy is handed out to the US Women's Open winner each year - and she gets custody of the hardware for the year as reigning champion.

The sterling silver, two-handled trophy produced by J.E. Caldwell and Co. The original trophy was replicated in July 1992 by the family and friends of Harton S. Semple, who served as USGA president in 1974 and 1975.

Although the actual trophy has to be returned, a replica is produced for the winner showcase in their trophy cabinet.

The Mickey Wright Medal

Along with the trophy, the winner of the US Women's open gets a gold medal - which since 2020 has been named in tribute the late LPGA Hall of Famer Mickey Wright, who won the event four times.

The USGA redesigned one side of the medal with Wright's name and likeness, just as they did for the men's US Open medal that was named in honor of Jack Nicklaus back in 2012.

Record prize money

Along with all the silverware, there's obviously a financial reward for winning a Major, and this year the rewards are higher than ever.

For the second consecutive year, the US Women's Open prize money stands at a huge $12m, which is the most of all five women's Majors.

Last year, Yuka Saso won $2m for her triumph at Lancaster CC but this year's champion will earn $2.4m.

"If you think about firsts, we like to kind of bring firsts," USGA CEO Mike Whan said.

"First to get to a $3 million purse, $5 million purse, $10 million purse, $12 million purse."

10-year US Women's Open exemption

Lifting that coveted trophy is one thing, but players at the top level want more of that feeling once they've sampled it, and special exemptions are a great perk of conquering a Major field.

For the likes of Nelly Korda, who looks set to stay at the top of the golfing tree for years to come, then qualifying for Majors won't really be a problem, but for a slightly more unexpected winner, an exemption back into the US Women's Open for the next decade is a great bonus.

It takes a lot of the pressure off players knowing they don't have to worry about qualifying for the US Women's Open for the next 10 years.

Five-year Major exemption

The US Women's Open champion gets back into that Major for the next 10 years, but as an added bonus they also get their immediate future in the other Majors secured for five years.

That means they don't have to worry about getting into the next five renewals of the Chevron Championship, AIG Women's British Open, KPMG Women's PGA Championship and Amundi Evian Championship.

Together with a decade of US Women's Open exemptions, that's a tidy little package to secure playing rights in upcoming Majors.

Rolex Women's World Golf Ranking Points

One of the big perks of winning a Major is the huge number of points on offer for the Rolex Women's World Golf Ranking.

Like the men’s game, Major winners claim 100 world ranking points, which is significantly more than other LPGA Tour events and just another carrot dangled in front of players.

ANNIKA Major Award points

Winning gets world ranking points, but there's also a big incentive for winning the US Women's Open in terms of points allocated towards the annual Rolex ANNIKA Major Award.

Introduced in 2014, the Rolex ANNIKA Major Award is handed out each year to the player with the best record in the Majors that season.

Points are allocated for a top 10 finish in each Major, but the one stipulation is that the winner must have actually won one of the five Majors to win the prize.

Hall of fame

Winning Majors is one thing, but the ultimate honor for female pro golfers is getting into the LPGA Tour Hall of Fame - which winning a Major certainly helps with.

It's no easy task to get into the Hall of Fame, with 27 points needed to book a place among the all-time greats. For context, just one point is awarded for each regular LPGA Tour win.

While in the five Majors, two points are awarded for victory.

Hall of Champions

Along with trophies, money and world ranking points, golf is all about legacy and nothing adds to a legacy like winning a Major.

And just to illustrate the point - the US Women's Open champion gets their name inscribed on a plaque that will reside in the Hall of Champions at the USGA Golf Museum in Liberty Corner, N.J.