Recent Major Winners Among Big Names Missing LPGA Tour Season Opener

The new LPGA Tour season gets underway in less than two weeks with the Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions.

The event has a limited field due to its qualifying requirements, with only players who have won LPGA Tour events in the previous two seasons eligible. However, per Golfweek’s Beth Ann Nichols, it will have at least three fewer big names than expected this year.

Nichols reports that two of last year’s Major winners, Minjee Lee, who won the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship, and Amundi Evian Championship winner Grace Kim, as well as Hannah Green, who won three times on the LPGA Tour in 2024, have opted to sit out the tournament.

As a result, there are currently 39 players confirmed for the Lake Nona Golf & Country Club event.

Perhaps significantly, as pointed out by Nichols, the tournament is the only one in the US before the LPGA Tour’s first visit to the Far East, beginning with the Honda LPGA Thailand three weeks later, and continuing with two more events in Asia, the HSBC Women’s World Championship and Blue Bay LPGA.

That has likely played a role in the three Australians deciding not to make the long journey to Florida.

Despite the absences of the trio, there will still be a world-class field in attendance, including defending champion A Lim Kim, who won by two over Nelly Korda a year ago.

At that stage, it would have seemed almost inconceivable that Korda would go through 2025 without a win, particularly having claimed seven LPGA Tour titles the previous year.

However, despite coming close on several more occasions, the American couldn’t add to her 15 titles on the circuit. She is also in the field, and will be hoping to get her season off to flying start with her first win at the tournament.

Other big names confirmed in the field include World No.1 Jeeno Thitikul, who capped a memorable 2025 with victory at the season finale the CME Group Tour Championship.

Chevron Championship winner Mao Saigo, US Women’s Open champion Maja Stark and AIG Women’s Open winner Miyu Yamashita also play.

They’ll be joined by the likes of 2025 LPGA Tour winners Lottie Woad, who qualified courtesy of victory on her professional debut at the ISPS Handa Women’s Scottish Open, and Charley Hull, who plays in Florida thanks to her win at the Kroger Queen City Championship.

Along with A Lim Kim, two other former winners of the tournament, Lydia Ko and Brooke Henderson, will also compete.