There has been quite a bit of uproar about the USGA's modified exemption criteria into the US Women's Open.  Randall Mell has been doing a good job with the Golf Channel of covering the story of how the USGA changed it criteria for 2009.

Here's how the criteria used to work:

[T]he USGA offered exemptions to the top 40 players on the season-ending money list from the previous year, plus the top 35 on the money list as of June 1 of the current year.

For 2009, that criteria changed to this:

[T]he top 50 off the final 2008 money list were exempt, plus the top 10 on the money list as of June 1, 2009.

This has created quite a stir among the LPGA Tour, its fans, and players like Vicky Hurst, Michelle Wie, and Natalie Gulbis - all of which would have made the US Women's Open field under the old criteria.

Now, the LPGA Tour has zero input or influence when it comes to the determination of this criteria.  But, the rationale that the USGA's Mike Butz gave for the change was influenced directly by the lack of events on the LPGA Tour schedule this season.

With the shrinking women’s schedule, USGA officials became concerned that the LPGA was playing just 11 regular events before the June 1 money list criteria kicked in for the current year. By comparison, the PGA Tour played 23 events prior to June 1.
 
"The women used to play 15 events (by June 1)," Butz said. "There was a question whether it was right to exempt the top 35 off just 11 events."

In other words, the exemption criteria changed because the USGA felt that the LPGA Tour would not have played enough events this season to identify 35 players that were having a consistent season.  That could be called into question, but the basis of the decision is fairly sound.  If there were more events, the USGA would feel more comfortable exempting more players.

Given how next season is shaping up, I cannot see the USGA changing the criteria for 2010 at Oakmont.