'Confusion Ruled The Day' - Why The LPGA Tour's Tournament Of Champions Decision Proved Controversial

The opening week of the LPGA Tour's 2026 season was a strange one. It featured unusually cool and windy conditions in central Florida for the time of year and meant the Sunshine State was more akin to Scotland in Spring rather than Orlando.

Another reason the first week of the LPGA Tour season was odd is that it was shortened by 18 holes at around midday on Sunday.

Players battled stiff breezes and plummeting temperatures into the 30s which made navigating Lake Nona Golf Club especially difficult over the first three days.

Yet, Nelly Korda proved that it was possible to go low still, and she fired a third-round eight-under 64 that ultimately sealed her first LPGA Tour title in 14 months.

Luckily for the two-time Major winner, she finished her third round on Saturday before play was initially suspended due to, in part, the wind picking up and golf balls being blown from their starting spots on putting surfaces.

The tournament was supposed to continue on Sunday and be completed in conditions that were due to improve but were still far from ideal. However, that did not happen, with the start of play pushed back several times before a drastic call was made.

In a statement from the LPGA Tour released at midday on Sunday, it confirmed that the decision had been made to reduce the event to 54 holes with play unlikely to be possible on Monday, either.

The LPGA Tour said the call had been made in conjunction with players, sponsors, rules officials and the golf club's grounds team, based on the fact that "the weather and temperature for tomorrow [Monday] is forecasted to be the same as [Sunday] morning which will likely create similar conditions and prevent us from completing 72 holes."

The temperature in central Florida had dipped down into the 20s overnight between Saturday and Sunday and officials were concerned about multiple frosted areas and hard ground that would have significantly affected playing conditions.

Nevertheless, the eight players who had not finished their third rounds were allowed to resume at 2:15pm ET in order to complete the leaderboard.

However, there was a level of frustration from fans and media alike at the decision to cut the tournament short because conditions out on the course during Sunday were - according to Annika Sorenstam via Monday Q Info - "very playable" and the legendary player didn't understand why the pros weren't playing.

The reason Sorenstam knew that is because she was part of the celebrity division which was allowed to play nine holes from 10am local time.

That decision caused more confusion and frustration, with some asking why the celebrity tournament had appeared to take priority over the professional one.

According to Golf Channel's Amy Rogers, who spoke to LPGA Tour officials on the ground, organizers said the difference between the celebrity field and pro field being given the green light related to an "optimal competitive environment" for the pro golfers.

Golfweek reporter Beth Ann Nichols added that the LPGA Tour said the amateurs could play as their event was an exhibition.

The "optimal competitive environment" reportedly related to how the temperature was affecting the condition of the Lake Nona G&CC, but when Rogers pushed on how the temperatures were affecting the golf course exactly, she was not given a clear answer.

In a later statement from the LPGA Tour, the circuit called the move "a rare and difficult decision" before going on to explain more about why it felt it could not retain the tournament's 72-hole format.

The LPGA Tour statement read: "The ground crew did an outstanding job preparing the course and worked tirelessly through challenging circumstances.

"Even so, the combination of cold temperatures, wind, shaded areas, and, in some cases, hardened ground made it increasingly difficult to ensure fair and consistent playing conditions.

"After spending time on the course and listening directly to player concerns, we made the best decision we could based on the information available at the time.

"When celebrities began their round today, we still believed LPGA players would be able to complete Round 3 and continue into Round 4.

"We’re grateful for the flexibility and understanding of our partners and athletes, and we take responsibility for continuing to learn from moments like this so we can be even better going forward."

The subsequent statement did not answer some people's questions, though, with Nichols posting on X to say it "only added to the confusion."

She wrote: "This statement, posted well after play concluded, only added to the confusion.

"The tour never gave a good explanation for why play didn’t resume for LPGA players prior to 2:15pm. Nor was there a good explanation for they couldn’t play on Monday when temperatures climb into the 50s.

"This statement also says the tour will learn from this and do better but never acknowledges what went wrong...

"Confusion ruled the day, and ultimately, fans missed out on what could’ve been must-see golf from the world’s best. Such a shame."

One of those to defend the LPGA's decision was champion, Korda. The World No.2 explained that she felt the tour is "always going to do what's best for the players" and the difference in jeopardy for pros and amateurs is vast.

She said: "Listen, I think the LPGA is always going to do what's best for the players... At the end of the day, I mean, what we have on the line versus what the celebrities have on the line is a little bit different.

"I think the LPGA made the decision to look after their players, and at the end of the day we can't do anything about that. All we can do is prepare with the information we are told."

Runner up Amy Yang also confirmed that at least some of the greens weren't in a fit state to compete on.

Yang said: "I got here early warming up for 10:00am resume, and the greens weren't playable. It was frozen, so I could understand that we couldn't finish in time, yeah."

With no event this week, the LPGA Tour is set to return at the Honda LPGA Thailand between February 19-22.