It’s getting increasingly troublesome annually to slender this down to simply 40 gamers as a result of the LPGA retains getting stronger yearly. Final yr we had winners from 11 completely different nations. We had twenty-nine completely different winners (an LPGA report) and simply 2 a number of winners. We had 12 first time winners (additionally an LPGA report). There are such a lot of nice gamers that may win on any given week. How will you decide simply forty? Effectively, I’m going to offer it a strive even when it means leaving some excellent gamers off this checklist. Listed here are my prime 40 picks for the 2026 season in reverse order: (Final yr’s Race to the CME Globe finishes in parenthesis)
40- Jin Younger Ko (39) – Many individuals are prepared to jot down her off since she hasn’t gained since 2023. She solely made 75% of her cuts, however her 70.34 strokes per spherical was nonetheless twenty second on tour. Wouldn’t be all that shocked if win quantity sixteen comes this yr.
39- Lauren Coughlin (33) – This late bloomer proved that 2024 was no fluke. Though she didn’t win in 2025, she had 2 prime fives, 4 prime tens, and ten prime twenties.
38- Ruoning Yin (34) – After successful 5 instances within the earlier 2 years, she took an enormous step again final yr. She managed simply 3 prime ten finishes and her stats have been down throughout the board. At simply twenty-three years of age, she continues to be able to climbing again up the rankings.
37- Miranda Wang (37) – Miranda acquired into the winners’ circle final yr on the FM Championship. She had two different prime ten finishes however must be extra constant earlier than I can put her additional up this checklist.
36- Brooke Matthews (60) – A rookie in 2022, Brooke had actually struggled to seek out success on the LPGA tour. Swiftly one thing appeared to click on in the course of final season. She had finishes of fifteenth, 14th, eighth, sixteenth, and ninth in her final seven begins. She has adopted that up with a prime fifteen end in her first begin this yr. I search for extra enchancment this yr.
35- Grace Kim (31) – She made her 2nd LPGA victory final season a Main Championship and had 3 different prime ten finishes. I don’t rank her greater as a result of she appears to vanish for lengthy stretches and her 71.24 strokes per spherical wants to enhance.
34- Carlota Ciganda (28) – Carlota was victorious on the Meyer traditional final yr. She had 4 different prime ten finishes. Her 71.00 scoring common was mediocre. Often called the human rain delay on tour for her gradual play, I search for her to complete about right here.
33- Austin Kim (32) – Austin has not but gained on the LPGA tour however that might change this yr. She had two prime 5 and 5 prime ten finishes in 2025. Her scoring common of 70.65 is ok.
32- Lindy Duncan (30) – Lindy got here into her personal final yr, her thirteenth yr on tour, with three prime 5 and 6 prime ten finishes. Search for extra of the identical this yr.
31- Gaby Lopez (29) – Gaby had a really constant season final yr when she posted 3 prime fives, 7 prime tens, and 10 prime twenties. She is a 3 time winner who finishes on this space yearly.
30- Yealimi Noh (25) – It was a story of two seasons for her final yr. She began the yr on hearth with finishes of 1, 11, 7, 6, and 17 in her first 5 begins. It was all downhill from there as in her final 10 begins missed 5 cuts and completed higher than thirty third simply as soon as.
29- Linn Grant (22) – Linn earned her 2nd LPGA victory final yr and got here shut a number of different instances as she had 4 prime 5 finishes. On the down facet, she made solely 12 cuts in 20 begins.
28- Ayaka Furue (24) – After an excellent 2024 season when she was not solely rookie of the yr but in addition gained a Main Championship, she took a small step backwards in 2025. She nonetheless managed 5 prime ten finishes and her 70.44 scoring common ranked twenty fifth on tour.
27- Brooke Henderson (27) – Brooke quietly gained her 14th profession victory final yr. Aside from that victory it wasn’t an excellent yr for her as she managed simply two different prime ten finishes in 24 begins. Her 70.22 scoring common is superb.
26- Jennifer Kupcho (20) – Jennifer recorded her 4th LPGA victory final yr, however had simply 2 different prime ten finishes. Her 70.23 scoring common is superb however hasn’t produced many stable finishes.
25- Minami Katsu (18) – Minami has not gained but on the LPGA tour however has come shut a number of instances. Her three prime 5 and 6 prime tens final yr inform us a victory could possibly be coming quickly.
24- Andrea Lee (23) – Her stats are wonderful throughout the board, however she solely has that one win means again in 2022. She posted 3 prime fives, 6 prime tens and 13 prime twenty-five finishes final yr. She missed only one lower in 22 begins. Why she hasn’t gained extra is puzzling.
23- Celine Boutier (19) – Celine achieved famous person standing when she gained 4 instances in 2023. She hasn’t gained since regardless of good numbers that included a scoring common of 70.16 final season.
22- Youmin Hwang (N/A) Final yr was most likely the very best season for rookies in LPGA historical past as seven completely different gamers have been victorious. I don’t see this yr’s crop being almost pretty much as good. Youmin appears to be the overwhelming favourite for rookie honors. She gained the Lotte Championship final yr as a non-LPGA participant and made the lower in all 4 of her begins.
21- Angel Yin (17) – The one factor protecting Angel from LPGA stardom is her skill to remain wholesome. When wholesome she is a prime participant. She posted her 2nd LPGA victory final season and had 6 prime ten finishes.
20- Nanna Koerstz Madsen (44) – I believe 2026 shall be an enormous breakout season for Nanna. Her very important statistics are simply too good to disregard. Her 70.14 scoring common was twelfth finest final yr. She ranked 4th in Greens in Regulation and ninth in putts per G.I.R. That may be a lethal mixture.
19- Haeran Ryu- (21) – There are occasions the place she seems to be like the very best participant on this planet. Sadly, she doesn’t look that means usually sufficient. She had a victory final yr and 5 prime ten finishes. She may end means greater than this.
18- Hye-Jin Choi (8) – How is it potential that Hye-Jin hasn’t gained but? 4 prime fives final yr. Twenty-nine prime tens in her profession and 63 prime twenty-fives. Her scoring common of 69.92 is elite. When she reveals she will end on Sunday afternoons I’ll rank her greater!
17- Jin Hee Im (16) – One other actually harmful participant. She gained the Dow Championship final yr (pairs) however continues to be in search of her first particular person win. She had a number of possibilities final season as proven by her 5 prime 5 finishes.
16- Nasa Hataoka (9) – Nasa had one other wonderful season in 2025. She not solely picked up her seventh win, however registered 4 prime fives, 8 prime tens, and 14 prime twenty finishes. Her 69.92 scoring common is superb. Why did I drop her to right here? Solely as a result of this checklist has so many new nice gamers.
15- A Lim Kim (11) – A Lim began final season with 3 prime ten finishes, together with 1 victory. She then performed mediocre golf for many of the season earlier than recording 4 straight prime tens late within the yr. Her 70.21 scoring common ranked 14th on tour.
14- Lydia Ko (26) – 5 prime tens in a season is an excellent quantity for many gamers, however for Lydia it’s a down yr. Exhausting to clarify her driving yardage common dropping from 255 yards in 2024 to simply 247 final yr. Her greens hit in regulation ranked forty ninth in 2024 and 113th in 2025. Lydia has had “off” years earlier than, however all the time bounces again.
13-Sei Younger Kim (6) – Sei Younger recorded her thirteenth LPGA victory in 2015, and her first in 5 years. She was stable all season registering 10 prime ten finishes. I anticipate one other stable season this yr, with a small drop-off from 2025.
12- Mao Saigo (12) – The 2024 Rookie of the Yr recorded her first victory in 2025 and it was a Main Championship! Her 70.31 scoring common ranked twenty first on tour. I anticipate one other related season this yr.
11- Rio Takeda (4) – In every other yr, Rio would have taken residence the Rookie of the Yr award. She had 1 victory, 4 prime fives, and eight prime tens. She performed in additional tournaments (30) than any participant on tour, and missed simply 2 cuts.
10- Hyo Joo Kim (7) – Hyo Joo had one other large season in 2025, choosing up the seventh win of her profession. Her 69.87 scoring common ranked fifth on tour, proving in any case these years she continues to be a prime participant.
9- Somi Lee (10) – Though she continues to be in search of that first particular person win of her profession (she gained the Dow Championship final season) her numbers final yr have been amongst the very best on tour. 4 prime fives, 8 prime tens, and 17 prime twenty-five finishes. Her 69.89 scoring common ranked sixth.
8- Minjee Lee (3) Are there seven gamers on tour higher than Minjee? Possibly not, however all of the remaining gamers are elite and somebody needs to be put right here. Final season was an enormous one as she registered a victory, 6 prime fives, and eight prime tens. Her scoring common of 69.64 ranked third on tour.
7 & 6 – Chizzy and Akie Iwai – They’re an identical twins and so they have produced virtually an identical numbers. They each gained as soon as final yr as rookies. They each had 11 prime twenty finishes. They each performed 26 tournaments with Chizzy making another lower. Chizzy’s scoring common was 70.27 and Akie’s was 70.26. Which sister is healthier? Your guess is pretty much as good as mine.
5- Charley Hull (14) – Charley has been a extremely good participant for a extremely very long time, however appeared to essentially put it collectively final season. She completed twelfth, twelfth, twenty first, 2nd, 1st, 14th, 4th, and nineteenth, in her final eight begins. Her scoring common of 69.93 was ninth finest.
4- Lottie Woad (40) – I can see the feedback coming in telling me that this rating is loopy. I don’t suppose it’s. Lottie turned the primary participant to realize LPGA standing through the brand new Elite Beginner Pathway when she completed third on the Amundi Evian Championship. She then gained her first begin as an LPGA member. Taking part in in simply 9 begins as a member after receiving membership, she had 3 prime fives, 4 prime tens, and seven prime twenty-fives. Her 69.31 scoring common would have been 2nd on tour if she had sufficient rounds to qualify.
3- Miyu Yamashita (2) – She gained the Louise Suggs Rookie of the Yr award final yr in opposition to the hardest competitors in LPGA historical past. She gained twice in 2025, considered one of solely two gamers to have a number of wins. She had 8 prime 5 finishes, 12 prime tens, and 17 prime twenty-five finishes.
2- Nelly Korda – (5) – After successful seven instances in 2024, Nelly was not within the winner’s circle in 2025. What makes that even more durable to imagine is that her scoring common of 69.44 (which ranked 2nd), was higher than the 69.56 when she gained seven instances. The probabilities have been there as proven by her seven prime 5 finishes. Search for her to show a few of these finishes into victories this yr.
1- Jeeno Thitikul (1) – At this level, how can I decide every other? She performed like she was a machine final yr. She had three wins and there may have been many extra if she had higher remaining rounds. She had 12 prime 5 finishes, and 14 prime tens which led the LPGA. Her scoring common of 68.68 was the bottom in LPGA historical past, breaking the report of Annika Sorenstam who had a 68.70 in 2002. Except she has an damage or Nelly Korda will get into considered one of her super-hot streaks once more, Jeeno will end within the prime spot once more.
Gamers most definitely to make me look silly this yr for leaving them off this checklist: Hannah Inexperienced, Sarah Schmelzel, Megan Khang, Maja Stark and Ariya Jutanugarn.
Characteristic Picture: Jeeno Thitikul – Picture courtesy PGA of America
