The U.S. Women’s Open, the second major of the year, tees off this week at Erin Hills in Erin, Wisconsin. Erin Hills previously hosted the men’s U.S. Open in 2017, which was won by Brooks Koepka. That course played long, with wide fairways and soft greens due to wet, calm weather. I expect the course to play somewhat similarly this week, though we will want to keep an eye on the weather report heading into the tournament. We could see some very low scores if we get rain Tuesday and Wednesday and relatively light winds during the tournament.

No matter the conditions, expectations will be high for Nelly Korda to win her third major and first tournament this season. That being said, there are a number of players who can win this week that may be less well-known. With that in mind, I present six players I’ll be keeping a close eye on at Erin Hills.

1. Hye-Jin Choi

Her two best career performances both came in the U.S. Women’s Open. She finished solo second to Sung-hyun Park in 2017 at Trump National and solo third behind Minjee Lee and Mina Harigae at Pine Needles Lodge & Golf Club in 2022. She has missed the cut just once in her last 15 events going back to last season, including a top 10 at the Chevron Championship and T4 at Mayakoba last week. Choi still hasn’t won on the LPGA, and her last KLPGA win came in 2023, but at 25 years old, there is a good chance her best golf is still ahead of her.

2. Lindy Duncan

One of the things that makes golf great is that a 36-year-old can break out seemingly out of nowhere. That doesn’t happen in other sports. After topping out at 70th in the world rankings back in 2018, Duncan is inside the top 50 thanks to the best stretch of golf of her career. She was one of four players to lose to Mao Saigo in a playoff at the Chevron Championship, but she bounced back to finish T36, T11 and T21 since then. Duncan ranks inside the top 35 on the LPGA Tour in Strokes Gained Driving, Greens in Regulation and Putts Per GIR. That should serve her well at Erin Hills.

3. Ariya Jutanugarn

If I’m not careful, I’m just going to list everyone who was in the playoff at the Chevron Championship. Jutanugarn sandwiched that result with a T3 at the T-Mobile Match Play and T6 at the Black Desert Championship. Overall, she has finished in the top 10 in half of her starts this season. She is 20th on tour in birdie or better percentage from the fairway and sixth in putts per GIR. If she drives the ball well enough to put herself in position to attack the greens, she could win her second U.S. Women’s Open.

4. Julia Lopez Ramirez

I had to choose someone who wasn’t T2 at the Chevron, and also who isn’t inside the top 50 ranked players in the world. Lopez turned professional last year after playing in college at Mississippi State and winning the European Ladies Amateur in 2023. She has played the AIG Women’s Open twice and made the cut both times, so she shouldn’t be overwhelmed by the major stage. She has only made the cut in half of her eight LPGA starts, but she is playing better lately. That being said, she is mostly on this list because her results haven’t yet caught up with her statistics. She came into the Mayakoba Open ranked eighth in Strokes Gained Driving. She is also in the top half of the tour in Greens in Regulation and Putts per GIR. She has shot 70 or better in four straight opening rounds, and I wouldn’t be shocked if she got out to an opening round lead at Erin Hills.

5. Chisato Iwai

This would have looked like a much bolder call before she ran away with a seven-stroke victory in the final round of the Mayakoba Open. Iwai came into the final round one shot back of Jenny Bae, but her 6-under-par 66 was three shots better than anybody else in the field Sunday. Iwai made just one bogey over the weekend, but her ability to make birdies has me excited for Erin Hills. Iwai came into Mayakoba ranked 11th on Tour in Birdie or Better from the Fairway. Back-to-back wins, including a major, would put her in rare company, but I believe she is capable. Iwai became the third rookie and the third player from Japan to win on the LPGA Tour this season, and one or both of those trends could continue at the U.S. Women’s Open.

6. Stephanie Kyriacou

Earlier this month, I wrote that one of the stories I would be following this summer was the youth movement on the LPGA Tour. So I suppose it is no surprise that Stephanie Kyriacou is the fourth player 25 or under to make this list. Kryiacou has made the cut in all 10 starts this season, including back-to-back top-tens in her last two events. She missed the cut at the U.S. Open last year but overall her record has been pretty solid in majors. I think Kyriacou is a good bet to make the cut again this week, and she could even contend at the end of the day.