Cristie Kerr: She has a great track record in the U.S. Women's Open, with a 2-stroke victory over Lorena Ochoa and Angela Park in 2007; a tie for second in 2000; and four other top 10s, including a third-place finish last year. Kerr, 34, played in the '98 Women's Open at Blackwolf Run, her first as a professional. She finished 60th.
I.K. Kim: Ranked ninth in the world, Kim finished second in the Kraft Nabisco Championship three months ago and tied for 10th in the 2011 U.S. Women's Open.
Stacy Lewis: Lewis, 27, has won twice in the last two months (Mobile Bay LPGA Classic, ShopRite LPGA Classic) and is ranked No. 2 in the world. She leads the Rolex Player of the Year rankings by a slim margin over world No. 1 Yani Tseng and is second on the money list behind Tseng. As a young girl, Lewis suffered from scoliosis, which was diagnosed at age 11 and treated by a spinal fusion when she was in high school.
Ai Miyazato: She stands just 5-foot-1 but plays much bigger. Miyazato, 27, has eight career victories and held the No. 1 spot in the Rolex Rankings for 11 weeks during the 2010 season. She is ranked sixth.
Azahara Munoz: The 24-year-old Spaniard broke through for her first LPGA Tour victory in the Sybase Match Play Championship in May and has three other top-four finishes this year.
Se Ri Pak: It will be an emotional return for Pak, who was 20 when she won the '98 Women's Open at Blackwolf Run on the second hole of sudden death, after an 18-hole playoff with amateur Jenny Chuasiriporn. Pak considers the victory the biggest of her career and it helped launch the Korean golf boom.
Suzann Pettersen: One of the most powerful players in women's golf, Pettersen ranks 10th in average driving distance (267 yards) and led the tour in greens hit in regulation in 2010 and '11.
Morgan Pressel: She went 4-0-0 in the 2011 Solheim Cup and always seems to play well in major championships.
So Yeon Ryu: The defending U.S. Women's Open champion hasn't won this year, but she has six top-five finishes in 11 starts and ranks among the top 30 in every major statistical category except driving accuracy (45th) and sand saves (46th). She is ranked 19th in the world.
Yani Tseng: Possessing supreme talent and an effervescent personality, the 23-year-old Tseng is the youngest player, male or female, to win five major championships and is ranked No. 1 in the world. In 2008, at 19, she won the LPGA Championship to become the first Taiwanese player to win an LPGA major. She has since added the Kraft Nabisco Championship (2010), Wegmans LPGA Championship (2011), and the Ricoh Women's British Open (2010, 2011). Tseng has won three times this year and leads the money list with $1,005,527.
