7 Under-The-Radar LPGA Players To Add To Your Watch List Now

When Miyu Yamashita won this year’s AIG Women’s Open there was a slight element of ‘Who’s she?’ This despite the fact that the Japanese star had already won 13 times on her home tour and had two Major top 10s. She had earned her LPGA card by leading the qualifying school at the end of 2024, but the women’s game is different to the men’s – it’s catching up quicker than ever but the coverage, TV, social or online, doesn’t get close.

If you follow the LPGA Tour closely then you’ll already be all over these players, but if you have an ordinary level of knowledge, then you should acquaint yourself with these seven.

Akie Iwai (Japan)

Like Miyu Yamashita, Akie Iwai joined the LPGA Tour this year and is also a serial winner on the LPGA of Japan Tour. Iwai enjoyed a a great year in the Majors in 2024, making all five cuts and finishing inside the top 10 at the Amundi Evian and St Andrews, and she then consolidated by coming through Q School. Her rookie year has been a relative breeze, there were some early top 3s and then she broke through at the Portland Classic when she prevailed by four shots.

Her twin sister, Chisato, also won on the LPGA Tour in Mexico this year. “This is a special year for us,” Iwai said. “When I saw my mom crying, oh. So many Japanese people this year won, so inspired me.”

Iwai was the fifth player from Japan to win this season, following her sister, Rio Takeda, Mao Saigo and Miyu Yamashita.

Mao Saigo (Japan)

Name sound familiar? That’s because she’s a Major champion, as of this season. Saigo landed the Chevron Championship in a five-person play-off, a year after being the Rookie of the Year. Saigo has been as high as 8th in the world this year and she became the first Japanese winner in the event and the fifth Major champion.

"A lot of Japanese players took on the challenge to do this, and my predecessors have also earned Majors and I really thought I needed to catch up with them. But instead of applying too much pressure on myself, I wanted to respect each process and move forward steadily. It's true that my predecessors have paved the way for me, but I also wanted to be myself and play this golf tournament.”

Saigo was then T4 in the US Women’s Open at Erin Hills.

Hae Ran Ryu (Korea)

Hae Ran Ryu shared the lead at the Chevron with Mao Saigo going into the final round but then came up one short, an eagle at 18 giving her a disappointing 76. The week after that she would triumph again though, for her third victory on the LPGA Tour and she would run out a five-shot winner on 26-under. Incredibly 23 Korean players have won at least three times on the LPGA Tour.

“This is the best one because my score is pretty good this week. Last week on final round, my shot is so bad there, so I just call my Korean coach every day. I ask him, ‘What's the problem? What's it mean? What's the problem for me?’ He said, ‘No problem, Haeran. Just keep focus and keep calm and more trust your golf.’ That's good for me. And then more consistency with my shots and came back to win here.”

Her previous victory was in a play-off with Jin Young Ko in Boston – her Major time could soon be coming.

Ingrid Lindblad (Sweden)

This is another player who really should be on your radar. We are now a year to go until the 2026 Solheim Cup and you can expect Ingrid Lindblad to be on that team in the Netherlands – she is only one spot behind her compatriot Linn Grant on the world rankings.

She only turned pro last year but there was a win on the Epson Tour in 2024 and then came her breakthrough success on the LPGA Tour and almost popped up from nowhere. The week before the year’s opening Major she was victorious in Los Angeles after Iwai bogeyed the 72nd hole.

“The Epson Tour prepared me a little bit for it. Back in January 2023, we had a camp in Phoenix and I talked to Anna Nordqvist about what my plan was. To have my Epson status was a really good step after college, to not go straight out here, trying to get your feet wet a little bit. The Epson is competitive but one of the coaches for the Swedish team looked at some stats. He was like all right, people who have come out from Epson tend to do pretty well out here. I think that was good preparation.”

Lindblad is a former World No. 1 amateur and she came so close to winning the ANWA in 2022 after posting a 68 around Augusta National.

Esther Henseleit (Germany)

Esther Henseleit is still only 26 but she was a winner on the LET as far back as 2019 - bizarrely both her wins in Europe have come in Kenya. She has played on the LPGA Tour since 2020 and this is her most solid season – she played all five major weekends – and she has built on a memorable 2024 for several reasons.

In August the German star produced a brilliant closing 66 around Le Golf National in Paris to sneak into the silver medal position in the Olympics and she then made her Solheim Cup debut the following month. Henseleit would team up with Charley Hull in the foursomes, claiming a valuable point after she hit her approach close on 18 on the Saturday. She would finish the matches with a record of 1-1-1.

Yealimi Noh (USA)

Yealimi Noh was a captain’s pick for the 2021 Solheim matches where she had a positive record in a losing home team. You might have expected a win on the LPGA Tour to have come before this season but she kicked off the year with her maiden win at the Founders Cup. Noh shot a nerveless 68 to beat Jin Young Ko by four strokes and it brought some closure on not quite living up to the original hype.

“I worked really hard the past few years and went through a lot of struggles. This means so much to me. I told myself 2025 is going to be my year, so this is the best way to start it. I've been in contention a couple of times and I told myself I could do it, but this is the first time it got done. This is a really big confidence booster."

The year hasn't quite moved on at the same pace, there were three mixed cuts in the Majors but also top 15 at the US Women's Open and PGA Championship.

Chanettee Wannasaen (Thailand)

Chanettee Wannasaen is another great talent in her early 20s. In 2023 she Monday qualified at the Portland Classic before shooting a 63 in the final round to win by four. She went into the week 367th in the world, having missed nine straight cuts, and finished it in 52nd.

She has been as high as 28th and is currently in 40th spot thanks to a second place in the Women’s PGA Championship at PGA Frisco this year. That was helped by a strong finish of 68 which moved her into the podium positions.