Celeste Dao Delivers Again in Massachusetts, Rallies at Salem to Qualify for Fourth U.S. Women’s Open
By: Steve Derderian
sderderian@massgolf.org
PEABODY, Massachusetts (May 5, 2025) – Gray skies hung low over Salem Country Club, jackets zipped tight to guard from the chill-soaked haze, red USGA flags snapping in the wind. It felt less like qualifying and more like an all-out battle with a title on the line, which suits Salem just fine. It’s hosted a couple of U.S. Women’s Opens previously.
Much like an old-school championship, on Monday, it was one day, 36 holes to decide one winner. And from a field with several nations represented, only one would walk away with what they came here for: a spot in the U.S. Women’s Open at Erin Hills.
Even when things started to turn a little sideways, Canada’s Celeste Dao didn’t panic. She’s been here, done that before. In fact, the Quebec native called Massachusetts her lucky state. She might be on to something. Dao caught fire over her final nine holes, rolling in five birdies, including an incredible chip-in on the 34th hole of the day, finishing off rounds of even-par 72 and 1-under-par 71, good for a four-stroke victory margin.
After two-putting to close out her round, she had an enthusiastic embrace with her brother Malik Dao, a junior on Campbell University’s golf team. Some excited cheers soon followed via FaceTime from the family back home, north of the border
“I think it is my lucky state,” said Dao, who has now qualified four times in Massachusetts for the U.S. Women’s Open, dating back to 2018. “Every year, I look forward to playing, even though it’s not always great, ideal [weather] conditions,” Dao said. “I love Massachusetts courses, and I look forward to playing more.”
Salem is notorious for its punishing rough, and its sloping greens, full of subtle contours, bear the unmistakable fingerprint of some of Donald Ross’s finest work. As celebrated as these features are, they took a toll on the field, including the eventual front-runners.
That included Round 1 leader Anna Morgan (Spartanburg, SC), whose college program, Furman University, has produced Hall of Famers such as Betsy King, Beth Daniel, and Dottie Pepper. Dao and Morgan were paired together in the first group and were the only players to shoot at or below par in the morning wave. By the final nine, the race for the single qualifying spot had essentially narrowed to just the two of them.
Dao’s only major blunder came on her 27th hole of the day, Salem’s par-4 18th, when her approach checked up short and rolled back down the steep slope. Her next pitch repeated the mistake, as a double bogey erased her lead. To regroup, she turned again to Malik.
“I told my brother, ‘If I start getting too fast, calm me down,'” Celeste said. “He did a great job of slowing me down.”
From there, she surged. A two-shot swing on the second hole of the afternoon round gave her the edge, and birdies at Nos. 4 and 5 padded the lead. Morgan’s best chance to claw back came on the 7th when she stuck her approach to about 5 feet, while Dao was in the back rough. But the chip-in on her 34th hole was the final blow. “I just told myself not to be too aggressive, and it went right in,” she said.
Even as fog rolled in and cloaked the course in an already-eerie, witch-themed ambiance, Team Dao said they saw their lines more clearly than at any other point in the day and executed every shot down the stretch with precision. “I’m glad it worked out like that,” Celeste said.
While a consolation prize is often just that, Morgan earned the First Alternate spot, with Dartmouth College junior Sophie Thai (Los Altos, CA) shooting even-par 72 in the second round to take Low Amateur and Second Alternate honors.
Rising junior standout Kaitlyn Doe, of Newton, led the Massachusetts contingent with a fifth-place finish, with rounds of 78 & 75. Doe is a member of Team Massachusetts, the state junior golf team created as part of the U.S. National Development Program (USNDP).
Morgan Smith, the 2024 Massachusetts Women’s Amateur champion, served as caddie for her youngest sister, Maddie Smith. She transferred last year to the University of Georgia. Dao is a fellow Georgia Bulldog, having graduated in 2023.
Anna Hedlund has long been a standout athlete in Sweden. She began playing golf at age four and competed in alpine skiing until high school, winning gold in Super-G and bronze in Slalom and Giant Slalom at the Swedish Youth Nationals. By 2012, she was selected for national sports schools in both alpine skiing and golf, ultimately choosing RIG Helsingborg, one of Sweden’s top national golf academies, where she soon earned a place on the Swedish Girls’ National Golf Team.
HERE IS THE COMPLETE LIST OF QUALIFIERS AND ALTERNATES
QUALIFIER (Names; Cities)
Celeste Dao, Canada; 72-71 – 143 (-1)
ALTERNATES (In Order)
Anna Morgan, Spartanburg, SC; 70-77 – 147 (+3)
a-Sophie Thai, Los Altos, CA; 77-72 – 149 (+5)
-a: denotes amateur
About Salem Country Club
It’s a rare opportunity to compete for a spot in the most prestigious women’s golf event of the year at a course that has hosted the actual event (twice) and remains quite suited to do so.
Salem Country Club, one of the finest layouts crafted by the legendary Donald Ross, stands as a shining example of architectural preservation in American golf. Though it has seen green expansions and bunker restorations, its original layout, character, and design remain largely untouched, remaining true to its Ross design.
Salem is most celebrated for its intricate green complexes, widely considered the pinnacle of Ross’s design philosophy. Pin placement and corresponding accuracy were a must on Monday, as these defining features have been a consistent hallmark throughout the club’s distinguished history of hosting top-tier competitions.
Players, caddies, and spectators stroll down the 8th fairway at Salem Country Club, just like many of the game’s greats have in the past. (Mass Golf)
In total, the club has hosted six USGA championships, including two iconic chapters in U.S. Women’s Open history:
1954 U.S. Women’s Open – Babe Didrikson Zaharias, already a towering figure in sports, returned from major surgery to claim her third Women’s Open title, her 10th and final major, by a record-setting 12 strokes, a margin that still stands. Her courageous performance at Salem is widely regarded as one of the greatest victories in the sport’s history.
1984 U.S. Women’s Open – Hollis Stacy secured her third Women’s Open championship in dramatic fashion. Trailing by five strokes after a double bogey on the 58th hole, Stacy mounted a stunning comeback, punctuated by an eagle on the par-5 13th. She ultimately shot a three-under-par 69 to finish at 290 (+2) over 72 holes on a sweltering day at Salem. Rosie Jones, a rising 24-year-old star from Ohio State, narrowly missed a playoff after bogeying the final hole, chipping from the fringe, and just missing the decisive putt.
The 2025 U.S. Women’s Open will be held at Erin Hills in Erin, Wisconsin, from May 29-June 1.
The USGA has accepted 1,904 entries (second-most in event history) for a final field of 156 competitors. There were 2,107 who entered to play in 2023 at Pebble Beach.
Qualifying is open to any female professional or amateur whose Handicap Index® does not exceed 2.4.
The 2025 purse was announced at $12 million, the richest of the LPGA’s five majors. The winner alone receives $2.4 million.
Rockland’s Megan Khang has already earned her exemption into the field, due to a top 30 finish in the 2024 LPGA Race to the CME Globe final points standings. Khang finished T44 overall in 2024 but finished in the top 8 from 2020-2022.
Japan’s Yuka Saso earned her second U.S. Women’s Open in 2024, winning by three strokes at Lancaster Country Club (PA).
It’ll be 20 more years, but The Country Club in Brookline will host the U.S. Women’s Open for the first time in 2045.
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