| 1956 U.S. Women's Open | |
| Dates: | July 26–29, 1956 |
| Location: | Duluth, Minnesota |
| Course: | Northland Country Club |
| Tour: | LPGA Tour |
| Format: | Stroke play – 72 holes |
| Par: | 74, 73 (Thu) (295 for 72 holes) |
| Yardage: | [1] |
| Purse: | $6,000 |
| Winners Share: | $1,500 |
| Champion: |  Kathy Cornelius |
| Score: | 302 (+7), playoff |
| Previous: | 1955 |
| Next: | 1957 |
The 1956 U.S. Women's Open was the eleventh U.S. Women's Open, held July 26–29 at Northland Country Club in Duluth, Minnesota. It was the fourth edition conducted by the United States Golf Association (USGA).
Kathy Cornelius won her only major championship in an 18-hole playoff over amateur Barbara McIntire by a score of 75 to 82.[2]
Northland was designed by noted course architect Donald Ross.[3]
Saturday, July 28, 1956
| Place | Player | Score | To par | Money ($) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| align=center rowspan=2 | T1 | Kathy Cornelius | 73-77-73-79=302 | align=center rowspan=2 | +7 | align=center rowspan=2 | Playoff |
| Barbara McIntire (a) | 75-79-77-71=302 | ||||||
| align=center rowspan=2 | T3 | Patty Berg | 78-75-76-74=303 | align=center rowspan=2 | +8 | align=center rowspan=2 | 875 |
| Marlene Hagge | 74-74-75-80=303 | ||||||
| 5 | Joyce Ziske | 76-74-79-76=305 | +10 | 600 | |||
| 6 | Marilynn Smith | 76-78-78-74=306 | +11 | 500 | |||
| align=center rowspan=2 | T7 | Betty Jameson | 77-75-78-77=307 | align=center rowspan=2 | +12 | align=center rowspan=2 | 350 |
| Louise Suggs | 76-73-80-78=307 | ||||||
| 9 | Mickey Wright | 77-80-78-73=308 | +13 | 250 | |||
| align=center rowspan=2 | T10 |  Fay Crocker | 82-80-76-71=309 | align=center rowspan=2 | +14 | align=center rowspan=2 | 200 |
| Mary Lena Faulk | 75-75-81-78=309 |
Sunday, July 29, 1956
| Place | Player | Score | To par | Money ($) | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kathy Cornelius | align=center | 40-35=75 | +1 | 1,500 | |
| 2 | Barbara McIntire (a) | align=center | 41-41=82 | +8 | 0 |