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PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. - Brandi Chastain's voice started shaking. Her eyes welled up with tears.
She couldn't contain the flow of emotions talking about what the 2023 U.S. Women's Open at Pebble Beach Golf Links means, not only to her, but to women playing sports everywhere. Chastain, a soccer legend famous for ripping off her shirt while celebrating her team's 1999 World Cup triumph, has been on the front lines of empowering women fighting for equal pay and treatment for decades. She could feel this was a significant moment in the movement.
"My grandfather loved golf," she recalled at media day in May. "He used to wear the light yellow pants and he used to tell me about Jack (Nicklaus) and Gary (Player). He would bring me here to the property (for the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am). I was 8 years old and he would walk me around the whole course. We would eat strawberry shortcake along the 18th fairway. I realized I'm going to be bringing my two grand daughters and we are going to have the same walk."
She took a long pause to compose herself before continuing: "As you can tell, sports is very meaningful. It's not just did you win or lose. It's about the journey. This journey (striving for equality) has been long. Just like our women's national team playing the World Cup at the beautiful, wonderful Rose Bowl, this place has been missing something and it's women's golf."
The 2023 U.S. Women's Open, set for July 6-9, will be the 14th United States Golf Association championship at Pebble Beach, adding to a legacy that includes six U.S. Opens, five U.S. Amateurs and two U.S. Women’s Amateurs. Its first women's major comes at the ideal time for the game. National Golf Foundation statistics show that the post-pandemic golf boom has been fueled by female and minority golfers, especially younger ones, trying the game in larger numbers than ever before. Maybe hundreds - or how about thousands? - of young girls lean harder into golf after watching this weekend.
"There's nothing more important to elevate these championships than to put them on historic venues like Pebble Beach," said Morgan Pressel, a former major champion who will be on the announcing crew for NBC's coverage. "They withstand the test of time. They outlive any single player of any era. Just think about how incredibly historic events have been hosted here over the years. ... People will tune in just to see Pebble Beach."
How to watch or stream the 2023 U.S. Women's Open
This year will mark the first time NBC will air women’s major championship golf in primetime. The live broadcast will also be complemented by 26 hours of Golf Central’s “Live From the U.S. Women’s Open.”
| Day/Date | Time (Local/PDT) | Network | Coverage |
| Thursday, July 6 | 1-3 p.m. 3-8 p.m. | Peacock USA Network | First Round First Round |
| Friday, July 7 | 1-3 p.m. 3-8 p.m. | Peacock USA Network | Second Round Second Round |
| Saturday, July 8 | 12-6 p.m. | NBC | Third Round |
| Sunday, July 9 | 12-6 p.m. | NBC | Final Round |
Following a 2024 visit to Lancaster (Pa.) Country Club, the U.S. Women's Open goes on an epic run at past U.S. Open venues, including Erin Hills (2025), Riviera (2026), Inverness (2027), Oakmont (2028, 2038), Pinehurst No. 2 (2029), Interlachen (2030), Oakland Hills Country Club's South Course (2031), Los Angeles Country Club's North Course (2032), Chicago Golf Club (2033) and Merion (2034, 2046).
Beyond the venues, the USGA announced last year its first-ever sponsor for the U.S. Women's Open. The 2022 U.S. Women's Open purse topped $10 million, a $4.5-million jump from 2021. This year's purse will be announced this week, likely to generate more buzz after another bump.
"It really sent shock waves through the world of women's golf," Pressel said of the purse jump last year. "I think it's encouraged other people to join in and say this really matters and it's something we need to invest in for the future."
Last November, the Associated Press reported that the LPGA Tour would pay out more than $100 million for the first time in a single season, an increase of about 18% over what was planned and more than doubling what was paid out on the tour just a decade ago. Those increases are being fueled by the majors. The purse for the 2023 KPMG Women’s PGA Championship increased from $9 million in 2022 to $10 million last month. The AIG Women’s Open will likely announce a 2023 purse increase in July after its 2022 purse improved to $7.3 million, a 26% increase from 2021.
Women's sports advocates like Kristi Yamaguchi, who won a gold medal in figure skating in 1992, applaud the changes but realize there's still a ways to go before female athletes are treated as equals to the men.
"Back in the 1990s, we were just starting to reap the benefits of Title IX and see success in women's sports," she said at media day. "Now we are here to stay. To see it grow like this and continue to elevate it does mean so much."
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