The Defending Champ

The women's U.S. Open begins Thursday at Pine Needles Golf Club in North Carolina.
Pine Needles won't be set up anything like Oakmont was for the men but it will still be a strong test for the women on the LPGA.

There is plenty in this year's Open that is as unique and enthralling as there was at the men's Open.

First, Annika Sorenstam will be defending her title. Sorenstam would love to win the women's Open and become just the third female golfer to win four U.S. Open titles after Mickey Wright and Betsy Rawls.

Make no mistake: Sorenstam can do it. She has 10 majors to her credit at the moment.

But Annika will be playing in just her third tournament since April, having been hampered and sidelined much of the time with a back problem.

So the story line around the defending champion is this: is she tournament-ready to defend her title and make golf history?

Because of her back injury, Sorenstam's world ranking has slipped from number one to number three. The current number one is Mexican sensation, Lorena Ochoa. Ochoa has three wins this season to go with her six victories last season.

She's obviously superbly talented but she hasn't won a major (of course, she's only 24 but, then again, Morgan Pressel won her first at 18).

So the story line here is this: can Ochoa's swing withstand the pressure of a major?

And then there's Michelle Wie. A wrist injury that still plagues her, or so we're led to believe, and no wins to her credit at all largely due to the time, energy and talent wasted pursuing the pipe dream of competing with the men on the PGA tour.

Here's her story line: can Wie manage to make the cut?

In all likelihood, Alexis Thompson won't make the cut. That's because Alexis is just 12. That's right. A 12 year old has qualified for the women's U.S. Open. Will she come with her babysitter?

I find it astonishing that a 12 year old can have a golf game so developed that she can qualify for such a tournament, hell, ANY tournament. It boggles the mind.

The poor kid will be surrounded by media hungry for a quote (unless you tell them that there's an open bar with food in the clubhouse. They'll vanish faster than a fart in a windstorm).

Finally, there will be one spectator watching with intense interest on the other side of the rope.

Her name is Catherine LaCoste de Pinero and in 1967 she won the women's U.S. Open as an amateur, the only time that has happened in the history of the tournament.

LaCoste de Pinero comes from sporting lineage. Her father is Rene LaCoste, the famous French tennis player who also has a pretty successful line of clothing that features a little alligator and bears the family name.

So, all in all, a pretty interesting women's U.S. Open is taking shape. It just might rival Oakmont. At least a little.