Welcome back to Golf Thursday, everyone, and happy start of the 2026 LPGA Tour season. We’re finally here.
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What better way to kick off a season full of excitement than with the Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions (HGVTOC) at Lake Nona Golf & Country Club in Orlando, Fla.
From Jan. 29–Feb. 1, 39 LPGA Tour stars that punched their ticket to this tournament during the 2025 season will play a 72-hole stroke play competition with no cut. On the other side of the competition, 44 celebrities and amateurs will play a Modified Stableford format with no cut, racking up points based on the type of score carded.
The Tom Fazio design will play at around 6,600 yards, give or take, this week. When the tees are forward for holes No. 14 and 15, they will present birdie and eagle opportunities if played correctly. Who doesn’t love a course with a driveable par-4 and a “go for the green in two” par-5?
A Lim Kim is set to defend her hard-fought 2025 title at Lake Nona, but the competition is stacked. Immediately, the odds of anyone else taking the title slim up with Jeeno Thitikul’s tournament debut. Thitikul’s 2026 schedule allows her to play in this event for the first time in her career. With her record in Florida, she’s always a contender to take home the trophy.
The 2025 Rolex Player of the Year comes off another dominant season on the LPGA Tour. The winner of the CME Group Tour Championship for the second consecutive year, Thitikul has all the tools and confidence to spring into 2026. It’s great that she’ll be playing this tournament, and maybe her spring and mid-season performance might improve because of the change in schedule. However, Thitikul is still battling some wrist woes and struggling with offseason practice.
“I think I had really good offseason. I haven’t hit the ball like practicing until new year because like I protecting my wrist. The same one as CME,” Thitikul said in a pre-tournament press conference on Jan. 28.
“I don’t really miss practicing to be honest. I have to rest my wrist. But obviously same as two years ago, ‘24, that I have been injured. I want to be 100% healthy to be just hitting balls, just go out and play, and that’s pretty much it for the offseason that I have.”
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But she seems to be working through those nagging troubles just fine, considering her massive success the last few seasons.
Last season, Thitikul’s first tournament was the Honda LPGA Thailand during the middle of February. She had a strong start to the season but just couldn’t close out the wins that were right on the horizon. Thitikul finished third in her home country, tied for second the next week at the HSBC Women’s World Championship and then had an off week (in Jeeno terms) at the Blue Bay LPGA, where she finished outside the top 10. Then, back in the U.S., she notched more top-10 finishes, had a forgettable Chevron Championship and got her first win of the year at the Mizuho Americas Open.
If Thitikul can get on a roll right from the start here at the HGVTOC, we might see some of those T2s or T3s become first place finishes. I’d like to say with confidence that she’ll win this week, but with the record-setting number of different winners on the LPGA Tour last year, no one golfer is a shoo in.
A player that I’ve got an eye out for this week is Orlando resident Angel Yin. Since she withdrew from the HGVTOC two seasons ago with an injury severe enough for a wheelchair and walking boot, there’s a fire to compete in this one. (She did tie for 18th in her return in last year’s tournament.) Yin has had her fair share of rollercoaster seasons, but she always finds a way to hang around the top 10. Her win last season at the Honda LPGA Thailand was one of seven top-10 results in 2025. We’ll see if Yin can close out a win early in 2026 to kickstart a positive season.
Some past champions are in the field this week and ready to vie for the title. 2024 winner Lydia Ko and 2023 winner Brooke Henderson will both tee it up and look to add more wins to their already impressive resumes.
“I think you really don’t know how you’re playing until you really tee it up this week. Luckily for us after this week we get a couple weeks off before Thailand, Singapore, and China, so I think this will be a good way to kind of assess my game and see what else I need to work on,” Ko said during a pre-tournament press conference on Jan. 28.
“I’ve had seasons where I’ve started the season off well and I’ve finished well, so I don’t think just one event is a reflection of how this season will be. But I feel like I’m trending in the right direction. I wouldn’t say I’m in the sharpest shape, but I do feel like I made progress, especially in the last week or so. Hopefully I can put that into play and just take a lot in for the rest of the season from this week.”
This season might be a reflection of the last, with many first-time winners and fresh faces immediately coming out of the gate to make an impression. With this much talent on tour, you never know what to expect. Is Nelly Korda going to finally get back to her winning ways? Will Thitikul continue in her scoring strides? The season’s tone will certainly be set with the 2026 Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions.
Come back next week to see how this one shakes out. See you then, golf fans.
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This week in women’s golf
LPGA News
Featured groups: 2026 Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions
Pro Shop enters licensing and rights agreement with LPGA
Field breakdown: 2026 Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions
TMRW Sports confirms Lottie Woad and Rose Zhang to compete in WTGL
Five things to know about the 2026 Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions
How to watch the 2026 Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions
LET News
Solheim Cup hopeful Lopez Ramirez excited for 2026 after earning LET card
LET Access Series announces schedule for 2026 season
Q-school winner Zalewska proud of not giving up
Amateur News
European qualification for the 2026 PING Junior Solheim Cup kicks off in Portugal
Five at The IX: Snippets from Charley Hull’s pre-tournament press conference ahead of the 2026 Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions on Jan. 28
THE MODERATOR: All right, very pleased to be joined by Charley Hull at the Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions. Welcome back to Lake Nona.
Q. Yeah, what is it about this course specifically that you enjoy?
CHARLEY HULL: I like that the greens are fast. There is quite tight lies all round the golf course you’re shipping on, which is a bit different to what obviously it’s been like in the UK.
So it’s a good warmup to the season, test your game, and I just like it. Just got a good vibe to it.
Q. How would you assess your game coming into this week?
CHARLEY HULL: I wouldn’t really know to be fair. Obviously been practicing a lot indoors at home. Went to Dubai for a few days and practiced and played well out there.
So, yeah, just like obviously I want to win this week. Great event. It’s good as well for a warmup to get back into the season.
Q. What have you learned from your win at Kroger last year that you’ll take and use to propel you to more wins?
CHARLEY HULL: Well, I went into that week with an injury, so I didn’t have too high expectations. What I’ve taken from it is I sometimes expect too much on myself, as in don’t put too much pressure on myself.
When I’m just kind of not too focused about golf that’s when play my best golf, so I need to get more of that.
Q. I know you took a decent sized break, five, six weeks. When you come to this week, does it give you a fresh start mentality?
CHARLEY HULL: I try not to have a fresh start mentality because I had such a good season last year. I’m a bit nervous coming into this week. I’ve only played like one lot of 18 holes the past six weeks because of the weather at home. It’s been pretty poor.
So I’ve been practicing loads working on my swing, but it’s just coming into it now we’ve got—playing 18 holes and got a scorecard in your hand. So it’s good to like slowly build up for the season.
Q. So the weather on Sunday obviously is going to be pretty brutal. When you’re back home what’s your threshold for I’ll go out and practice?
CHARLEY HULL: We played on New Year’s I think it was minus six outside and it was frosty and it was bouncy and I went out and played, carried my bag. I wasn’t that cold. I had a couple layers on, like leggings and trousers over top and then a couple layers on and I’m really not this cold because I’m walking and carrying my bag.
But yesterday morning when I came out here I was absolutely froze. Like my feet were froze. I feel like Florida cold is completely different to England cold. I was absolutely froze yesterday. I went into the locker room and put the hair dryer on myself and the players were like, what you doing? Are you English? I was like, honestly I’m froze.
I was in Thailand before, it was 35 degrees. So what’s that, 100 degrees Farenheit? I was cold that morning and I wore a rain jacket and pants and everyone was looking at me, what are you doing?
I must have poor circulation. I get so cold just randomly. As long as I keep moving I’ll be fine.
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