| 1996 U.S. Women's Open | |
| Dates: | May 30 – June 2, 1996 |
| Location: | Southern Pines, North Carolina |
| Course: | Pine Needles Lodge and Golf Club |
| Org: | USGA |
| Tour: | LPGA Tour |
| Par: | 70 |
| Yardage: | [1] [2] |
| Cut: | 148 (+8) |
| Purse: | $1.2 million |
| Winners Share: | $212,500 |
| Champion: |  Annika Sörenstam |
| Score: | 272 (−8) |
| Previous: | 1995 |
| Next: | 1997 |
The 1996 U.S. Women's Open was the 51st U.S. Women's Open, held May 30 to June 2 at Pine Needles Lodge and Golf Club in Southern Pines, North Carolina.
Defending champion Annika Sörenstam retained the title, six strokes ahead of runner-up Kris Tschetter.[2] [3] [4] It was the second of her ten major titles; her third came nearly five years later. ESPN and NBC Sports televised the tournament.
Sörenstam was the sixth of seven to win consecutive titles at the U.S. Women's Open, most recently accomplished by Karrie Webb in 2001, also at Pine Needles. The championship returned to the venue for a third time in 2007, won by Cristie Kerr.
This was the first women's major with a winner's share of $200,000 or more; the U.S. Women's Open became the tour's richest major this year, passing the LPGA Championship.
Thursday, May 30, 1996
| Place | Player | Score | To par |
|---|---|---|---|
| T1 |  Beth Daniel | 69 | −1 |
| Kim Williams | |||
| T3 | Brandie Burton | 70 | E |
 Riko Higashio (a) | |||
 Jenny Lidback | |||
| Annika Sörenstam | |||
| T9 | 71 | +1 | |
| Trish Johnson | |||
| Rosie Jones | |||
| Emilee Klein | |||
| Catriona Matthew | |||
| Missie McGeorge | |||
| Joan Pitcock | |||
| Maggie Will |
Friday, May 31, 1996
| Place | Player | Score | To par |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Annika Sörenstam | 70-67=137 | −3 |
| T2 | Brandie Burton | 70-70=140 | E |
| Jane Geddes | 71-69=140 | ||
| Emilee Klein | 71-69=140 | ||
| 5 | Rosie Jones | 71-70=141 | +1 |
| T6 |  Stefania Croce | 72-70=142 | +2 |
| Laura Davies | 74-68=142 | ||
 Gail Graham | 72-70=142 | ||
| Tammie Green | 72-70=142 | ||
| Joan Pitcock | 71-71=142 | ||
| Val Skinner | 74-68=142 |
Saturday, June 1, 1996
| Place | Player | Score | To par | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Annika Sörenstam | 70-67-69=206 | −4 | |
| 2 | Brandie Burton | 70-70-69=209 | −1 | |
| 3 | Jane Geddes | 71-69-70=210 | E | |
| T4 | Pat Bradley | 74-70-67=211 | +1 | |
| Tammie Green | 72-70-69=211 | |||
| T6 | Laura Davies | 74-68-70=212 | align=center rowspan=5 | +2 |
| Nancy Harvey | 72-71-69=212 | |||
| Mayumi Hirase | 74-69-69=212 | |||
| Michele Redman | 70-73-69=212 | |||
| Kris Tschetter | 70-74-68=212 |
Sunday, June 2, 1996
| Place | Player | Score | To par | Money ($) | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Annika Sörenstam | 70-67-69-66=272 | −8 | 212,500 | ||
| 2 | Kris Tschetter | 70-74-68-66=278 | −2 | 125,000 | ||
| T3 | Brandie Burton | 70-70-69-71=280 | align=center rowspan=3 | E | align=center rowspan=3 | 60,373 |
| Jane Geddes | 71-69-70-70=280 | |||||
| Pat Bradley | 74-70-67-69=280 | |||||
| 6 | Laura Davies | 74-68-70-69=281 | +1 | 40,077 | ||
| 7 | Catrin Nilsmark | 72-73-68-69=282 | +2 | 35,995 | ||
| T8 | Cindy Rarick | 73-70-72-68=283 | align=center rowspan=4 | +3 | align=center rowspan=4 | 29,584 |
| Liselotte Neumann | 74-69-70-70=283 | |||||
| Tammie Green | 72-70-69-72=283 | |||||
| Val Skinner | 74-68-71-70=283 |