US Women's Open at Erin Hills, course set to join prestigious group

Erin Hills set to join prestigious group

Only 15 courses have hosted a U.S. Open and a U.S. Women's Open championship. Later this month, Erin Hills Golf Course will become the 16th.

ERIN, Wis. - Only 15 courses have hosted a U.S. Open and a U.S. Women's Open championship. Later this month, Erin Hills Golf Course will become the 16th with that honor as it hosts the 80th U.S. Women's Open.

What they're saying:

"When you pull in here, this is ‘Field of Dreams’ for golf," said Mike Whan. "I was the LPGA commissioner for 11 seasons. I can tell you when the women show up here, they’re going to be blown away. First, the beauty and then the test."

RELATED: Check out the new and improved FOX Sports app

USGA CEO Mike Whan has been close to the players for a long time and knows what adding "U.S. Women’s Open champion" to a resume means.

"In the women’s game, the U.S. Women’s Open is the one. It’s the one they talk about. It’s the one they want to win," he said. "You show up and you get your Lexus for the week. You don’t play in a pro-am. If you miss the cut at this event, you make $10,000."

U.S. Women's Open at Erin Hills

"It’s such a special week. It’s pressure-packed, for sure. But at the end of the day, it’s the event that everyone’s trying to play in, to perform well at," said Tiffany Joh. "I played on tour for 11 years, and it was like the one tournament that you really, really wanted to do well at."

It’s a championship that creates dreams even before some even know it, like U.S. National Development Program coach Tiffany Joh.

"I picked up golf because I saw Se-ri Pak win at the U.S. Open at Blackwolf Run in ’98. I picked up a club the very next week," she said.

FREE DOWNLOAD: Get breaking news alerts in the FOX LOCAL Mobile app for iOS or Android

All these years later, the same impact might be made on a young person watching the 2025 U.S. Women’s Open.

"I couldn’t even put a number on how many players on the LPGA would tell me a story about when they were young and they went to a women’s professional golf event and some player smiled at them, gave them a ball marker, signed their name on a golf glove," said Whan. "They’re playing on tour today, but they will tell you about when they were 8, 9, 10, 11, 12 years old being at a women’s professional golf event and seeing a female athlete that their dad was blown away by. At the time, it changed their dream a bit."

"A lot of it is just seeing it and knowing that it’s possible," Joh said.

U.S. Women's Open at Erin Hills

In 2008, Joh won the U.S. Women’s Amateur Public Links at Erin Hills, the first USGA championship at the course. Now her name sits on top of a plaque commemorating her win.

"It’s really special, right. I don’t play very much golf anymore because – full-time job," she said. "I think there’s a part of me that is really proud of that, and it’s something that will never get taken away from me. Also, to be up there next to Brooks Koepka, that’s pretty cool, too. Just a really big honor."

The next name will be added to the Wall of Fame at Erin Hills in 2025 with the U.S. Women’s Open, and many more to come.

SIGN UP TODAY: Get daily headlines, breaking news emails from FOX6 News

"We’re going to be here five more times. We’ll have played nine different USGA championships here in the next 15 years," said Whan. "It’s a pretty young golf course to have that kind of pedigree, but it’s just that good."

What's next:

The U.S. Women's Open will take place the final week of May with the champion being crowned on June 1. Tickets are still available, and kids get in free with a ticketed adult.