Beth Ann Nichols Reports Live From Riviera Ahead of the U.S. Women's Open

Golf Today's Beth Ann Nichols joins live from Riviera Country Club with the latest news and insight ahead of this week's U.S. Women's Open.

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It'll be our friend and colleague, Beth Ann Nichols, who joins us from Riviera.

Beth Ann, before we start talking about the US Women's Open, can we give some props to the LPGA Tour here?

For the second time this year, they've given a meaningful slow play penalty where the person who received that penalty finished second in the tournament.

Absolutely.

You know, I, I, I definitely wanna give the Tour props for that.

You know, I think we've, we've seen over time that, that fines aren't enough of a deterrent, no matter who you are.

so you know, so to see the LPGA, you know, dish out strokes is, is definitely meaningful.

Someone asked me on Twitter, would they do that to a star player on the final round?

Which I think is a fair question.

I mean, this was obviously The, the penalty actually occurred on Saturday.

but still, e- even so, that's a hypothetical.

and it's, it's great to see it happening at all.

Speaking of stars, none shining brighter than the world number one, Nelly Korda, this season.

She seems like a perfect fit for Riviera, just in terms of star power meeting star power.

What's different for her in 2026?

Three wins, including her third Major.

You know, I think it's, I think it's a number of things.

I think she's been, first of all, brilliant with her schedule this year and the way she's paced things out.

you know, skipping the week before the Chevron to make it easier for, for travel and, and, and the unfortunate weather at the beginning of the week.

And then obviously that paid off, winning in Mexico the next week as well.

I think she's extremely refreshed and rested.

She was actually on my flight coming here, and she was traveling with her fiance and her parents.

And I think in her personal life, she's just in a really great place.

She's very settled and happy.

A lot of great things happening in the Korda family.

And then I think probably the most important piece of the puzzle is something that she mentioned at the Chevron, and that's That her ability to get over bad situations where it's, it's a bit of bad luck on the golf course or a missed shot that rather than beating herself up over about the moment, that she just seems to say, "You know, I'm gonna figure this out," and kinda move on quickly.

And I can't think of a tournament where it's more important to do that than the US Women's Open.

So I think being able to, to get over the, you know, the misses, if you will, quickly, even if, even if it's not your fault, I think is key.

It was nice of you to give Nelly a ride on the Golf Week private jet out to the West Coast- Beth Ann, 'cause I'm sure that's the way- you travel.

She was in the front.

Addie Dobson- She was in the front.

I was in the back, just to, you know.

Addie Dobson is a great story this week as well, as we're watching Nelly here out on the 10th hole at Riviera.

Addie Dobson, took up golf at 15 years of age.

She's still only 22 years old.

She's qualified for the US Open- this week.

You just wrote about her in Golf Week.

Tell us a little more about her.

Yeah, I think this is, you know, the open in US Open, Addie Dobson defines that.

You know, even she can't believe that she's here, to, to be honest.

You know, when she was 15, she's just hoping to break 100.

You've got two 15-year-olds who've already qualified and are in this field.

So you know, she is the definition of a late bloomer.

But you know, a walk-on at Missouri, comes from a small town in Illinois.

You know, only, only about 20,000 residents.

She said her, her graduating class had, had 25 students and only five boys.

She, she had to go to the, the public school to find a date for prom.

So the e- the epitome of the underdog story.

And one thing I love about, about Addie, who just, you know, is a, was a three-sport athlete in high school, just a lot of, raw natural talent, is that her rise in, in the game has, has actually sparked a lot of junior players to take up the game in her small town.

There's now a junior high girls golf team.

There's a, there's a high s- full high school girls golf team.

There's even a young junior player who's tra- from her hometown, who's traveling out to Riviera this week to watch her play.

So I think that inspiration, you know, that's what it's all about, right?

It is what it's all about.

I feel like these amateurs are amateurs in name only when you look at the strength of resumes in the field this week.

Is this the week we get our first amateur to win the US Women's Open since Catherine Lacoste in 1967?

Are these young women that good?

I, I think we might see something special, Beth Ann.

I'm, I'm, I'm hoping for it.

You know, you have nine of the top 10 amateurs in the world in the field this week.

I think when you look down the roster of, of the top amateurs, it's arguably just as exciting as, as when you look at the top 10 on the Rolex rankings.

So you know, I, I, I think these players, they come in with so much experience.

They've played in so many major championships already.

You know, they've, they've been in front of the TV cameras at the NCAA Championship.

You know, Fare O'Keefe coming in hot.

You know, I was on the, the first tee yesterday with Kiara Romero, who has Actually, her sister's in the field as well.

Kalia, who's, who's actually number 15 right now on the Epson Tour list, but, race for the card list, so trying to get out here as quick as she can.

But, you know, I d- I, I definitely think we could see an amateur make a, a really strong run this week.

It wouldn't, wouldn't surprise me at all.

I was talking to Lottie Woad yesterday.

I said, "Can you believe it?

This time last year, you were battling for low amateur honors, and here you are, a two-time winner on the LPGA not even a year later."

Another name in the field this week, Beth Ann, Michelle Wie West, who's obviously got a family connection now to Los Angeles.

When she was on the show a couple of weeks ago, she didn't definitively say that this is it, this is the last start she's gonna make.

Does it feel like the last start to you?

You know, I think unless maybe some senior golf is in her future, the I We could see her back here, you know, down the road.

This is my plug for the USGA lowering the age limit for the US Senior Women's Open, even though that's still a while for Michelle, even if they lower it to 45 or 40.

But, but yeah, you know, I, I think Michelle, she is here this week in particular because of Riviera.

If it wasn't at Riviera, she wouldn't be playing.

her father-in-law, the late Jerry West, was Just lived down the, the road here on Capri.

you know, he, he was the executive director of the Northern Trust for several years, a longtime member at Riviera, and then of course, down the road at Bel Air.

So you know, I think she's going to have dozens of family members out watching.

She's gonna have her husband, Johnny, on the bag.

you know, it's, it's gonna be a really special family affair for, for Michelle.

And, and if you haven't watched the, the Jerry West, the logo documentary on Amazon Prime, I highly recommend it.

Michelle is in it.

their, their daughter, McKenna, is in it quite a few times, and it's, it's riveting.

I'm gonna watch it after I finish, the Rafa doc that I've been watched the last couple of nights.

Enjoy my hometown, Beth Ann.

We'll be reading you this week.

Thanks so much.

Thanks, guys

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