The LPGA Tour is riding a wave of momentum heading into the 2026 season. Commissioner Craig Kessler has entered into a new broadcast partnership to ensure that every round of every tournament will be televised. This preceded the creation of the WTGL, a women’s version of the TGL, which has seen increasing commitment from some female players. Big names in women’s gaming.
Outside the ropes, deals are being made to advance the women’s game. But the LPGA Tour is on the brink, at a bit of a crossroads.
There was a time in 2024 when he was unable to catch Nelly Korda, who was the world number one at the time. His smoothly swinging right arm was head and shoulders above his competitors, both literally and figuratively. While Scottie Scheffler dominated the men’s competition, Korda had a similar performance on the women’s team.
Korda became the third player to win five consecutive tournaments on the LPGA Tour during the season, earning his second major championship, seven total titles, 11 top-10 finishes in 16 starts, and more than $4 million in earnings.
“I think as a golf fan, you like to see players become more dominant because you want to know what’s going to happen next and you go with it,” 10-time major champion, eight-time LPGA Tour Player of the Year and World Golf Hall of Famer Annika Sorenstam told CBS Sports. “I mean, there’s always going to be competition, there’s always going to be someone pushing, but I love the fact that someone stands out and pushes the limits and takes their game to another level.”
Some expected Korda to continue running until 2025, but that didn’t happen. In fact, she didn’t win at all. Instead, the wealth was distributed among 29 different winners across a season of 32 events. At the halfway point, there were more winners (18) than tournaments held (17) due to team events.
“It’s great to have multiple winners because you get to learn about different people’s games and the different personalities that exist,” said Lexi Thompson, who has won 11 times on the LPGA Tour. “Obviously it’s great to have guys like Tiger (Woods) and Nellie doing well. It’s great to see that, but to have all these different faces come into the game and win or get their first win is a big moment for this game.”
The past two years have begged the question of whether dominance or parity is better for gaming. Will the LPGA Tour benefit from one player standing above the other, like Korda did in 2024, or can it continue to push the sport forward without knowing which player will win in any given week?
With all the improvements surrounding golf as it is actually played, the answer may finally be revealed in the 2026 season.
“I think sports need dominant players. I think sports need rivalries,” said 16-year veteran Mel Reed. “It’s very easy to have a rivalry with a football team, a soccer team, a hockey team, a rugby team, a basketball team. In golf, you need some sort of rivalry or a very dominant player.
“For me, a season like last season proves that (1) there are great players in the LPGA and anyone can win, or most players can win, on any given week. (2) It’s because of the talent of the rookies and the players coming from Japan, for example. But at the same time, I think, “Why aren’t there any dominant players? Why aren’t the powers that be controlling the LPGA?” If they really change the narrative and even the dominant players and rivalries, they need to look deeper.
