US Women's Open Golf 2016: Tee Times, Dates, TV Schedule, LPGA Prize Money

The 2016 U.S. Women's Open is set to begin on Thursday and run through Sunday at CordeValle in San Martin, California.

Per the LPGA, this is the "first time the championship will be held in the Bay Area and will feature the largest purse on tour—$4.5 million."

LPGA players are excited to be playing CordeValle, sharing their impressions of the course with Golfweek:

"

First impressions of CordeValle for the #USWomensOpen... a 'great test.' https://t.co/wEK6hjc2CChttps://t.co/7fKrdejFjA

— Golfweek Magazine (@GolfweekMag) June 29, 2016"

All the information you need regarding the TV schedule, tee times and prize money is below, including a preview of the women who will be competing for not only the LPGA title, but to qualify for the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro.

U.S. Women's Open 2016: What to Know

Dates: July 7-10

Location: CordeValle in San Martin, California

Tee Times: Round 1 start: 10 a.m. ET; Round 2 start: 10 a.m. ET; complete tee times at USGA.org

TV Schedule: ESPN

Live Stream: WatchESPN

Prize Money: $4.5 million 

The action kicks off with Round 1 on Thursday. The first tee time is scheduled for 10 a.m. ET, with Americans Angel Yin and Kasey Petty and amateur Yan Liu of China teeing off. 

Round 4 will conclude on Sunday. According to the USGA, if a playoff is necessary, it will take place following the end of Round 4 and will consist of "three holes of aggregate stroke play."

Some of the women hoping to win their first U.S. Open and/or an Olympic bid include No. 4 American Lexi Thompson, Sei Young Kim of South Korea, Rolex world No. 1 Lydia Ko and defending champion In Gee Chun. 

And while winning the U.S. Open would be fantastic, these women are focused on Rio. 

"The Olympics has been my No. 1 goal,” Thompson said, per Randall Mell of GolfChannel.com. "Winning the Olympics would be better than a major."

Per Mell, "According to Olympic rules, a country is allowed a maximum of four qualifiers, provided all four are among the top 15 in the Rolex Women’s World Rankings."

There will be fierce competition among the South Korean women for those four coveted spots, while the Americans have struggled in 2016 and may not even send four qualifiers to the games. 

According to Mell, "If the Olympics were staged today, Thompson and Stacy Lewis would be the only American women playing."

If you plan to watch golf at the Olympics, tuning in to the U.S. Women's Open is a great way to get a primer for the eventual representatives of each country, in addition to the usual excitement of the championship.