There is clearly an opportunity for one player to establish themselves as the dominant force on the LPGA Tour in 2026 following a remarkable year last season.
Heading into 2025, few would have ever imagined that Nelly Korda would go through the entire season without winning any event.
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There would have been even greater certainty that Korda would enjoy at least one victory if fans been told that there would be 29 different winners in 2025.
It will go down as one of the most incredible statistics in golf that the American was not among those 29 champions – particularly as she still played so well.
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As it turns out, only Jeeno Thitikul won more than once. The world number one ended the year with three victories. Nevertheless, she is still awaiting her first major title.
Perhaps that wait will not continue too much longer. Speaking on the Golf Channel, Brandel Chamblee tipped Thitikul to win one of the five biggest events this year.
Interestingly, he picked out one player to watch in 2026, noting that she is significantly better than both Korda and Thitikul in one particular area.
“Maybe my favourite ever LPGA player since I’ve been covering the game was Lorena Ochoa. There was just something about her game and her personality that was so magnetic. It really was. And I see that same sort of magnetism, that same sort of talent in Jeeno Thitikul,” he said.
“I talked at length last year at the CME Group Tour Championship and the early part of the week and all through the week about how impressive she was. And then she went on to win for a second year in a row, that $4 million winner’s purse right there. She is the dominant player. Way ahead of Nelly Korda in the number one world ranking, by five points. That’s going to be tough for anybody to topple her off of that.
“She hasn’t yet at 22 won a major championship. Looked like she was going to win Evian last year. I still can’t believe she didn’t. Grace Kim in the most magnificent way, eagles, eagles, chip ins, toppled her out of the playoff. But Jeeno’s going to win a major championship this year.
“Nelly Korda, shocker, didn’t win at all last year in spite of playing great golf. Seven wins the year before. It’s hard to believe Nelly Korda didn’t win. No doubt she’ll get back on the winning track.
“But a player to watch for me is Hae Ran Ryu. Hae Ran Ryu has won in each of the last three years, but by far the best ball-striker out there. When you put her golf swing up there and you watch her and you go out at an LPGA event, stand up and watch this woman hit a golf ball, you will absolutely have your jaw drop. It is long, it is high, it is powerful. She is, and it’s not even close, from off the tee and into the green the best ball-striker on the LPGA tour. So this could be a big breakout year for her.”
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Ryu won the Black Desert Championship this past season. As Chamblee notes, she has won in each of the last three years on the LPGA Tour.
The 24-year-old had an underwhelming major championship season, particularly after finishing tied for sixth at the Chevron Championship.
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That would prove to be the South Korean’s final top 10 in the majors. In fact, her best major finish after Chevron was tied for 23rd at the Women’s British Open.
She was first for strokes gained approach and third off the tee on the LPGA Tour in 2025. If she can improve her short game and putting this season – Ryu was 150th with the flat stick – she is certainly going to be a force over the coming months.
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