Golf fans from here and abroad enjoy the US Women's Open

Fans at the 2024 US Women's Open

LANCASTER, Pa. (WHTM) – Thursday, May 30 was the first official day of the U.S. Women's Open and golf fans, some locals and some area travelers, were enjoying the event.

“It’s pretty surreal,” Scott Hanson said. “[I’ve] I've been to a few PGA events around the country and just hosted them here in Lancaster County. . .it’s a really fun event.

Hanson, who is a big fan of golf, lives in Mount Joy, Pennsylvania.

“When we heard they were coming back, friends of ours meeting us here, we said we were definitely going,” Hanson said.

Hanson was unable to attend in 2015, the last time the event was held at Lancaster Country Club, due to work, so he is especially excited to be in attendance now. Hanson is a golfer himself and plays throughout Lancaster County. In March, he was able to play golf at Pinehurst, a PGA course.

“I have to play number two, which is the men’s U.S. Open that’s in a few weeks,” Hanson said. “I have a friend who is trying to qualify for the event. So if he wants to be able to play, he will definitely go down.

Rick Carey, another fan at the event, has followed women's golf and played golf his entire life. The Reading, Pennsylvania native grew up near Betsy King, which he says led him to get into the sport.

“I started [attending events] back in the '70s in Plainfield, New Jersey, when JoAnne Carner and all were playing,” Carey said. “I grew up with Betsy King. I grew up there, just down the street, so that's what got me into it.

This is Carey's 8th US Open event and he was on the course every day in 2015 when the US Women's Open was first held at Lancaster Country Club.

“It’s awesome,” Carey said. “38 minutes to get here is great. And it's a great course.

Fans Melissa and Patrick Wells are from a little further afield in the Keystone State. They took a day trip from Newton, Pennsylvania, with their two young daughters for the event.

“We want to see the women, we want to see Nelly, I hope she does well [and] Lexi Thompson and all the girls see how well they are doing,” Patrick Wells said.

Patrick is a big golf fan. He competed in the men's event while at Merion Golf Club in Haverford, Pa., but this is his first women's event.

“We are trying to get [our daughters] in it,” Patrick said.

They're doubling this special road trip as a celebration for one of their daughters, who graduated from kindergarten on Friday.

Nathan Johnson and his family came from Woodbridge, Virginia to attend the U.S. Women's Open.

“One of these kids that works in this field, I coached him in high school,” Johnson said. He got an internship here after he graduated from college and he said, “Coach, I have four tickets for you.” I said I was up for it.

Johnson is excited to be at the event.

“It’s great to come here and see them play at a professional level,” Johnson said.