Nelly Korda holds a slim lead in the Rolex ANNIKA Major Award race, but Haeran Ryu is closing fast. Ryu captured her second consecutive major on July 12 at the Amundi Evian Championship, less than two weeks after winning the KPMG Women's PGA Championship.
That back-to-back run puts her at 120 points in the standings, only six behind Korda's 126.
Haeran Ryu & Nelly Korda Rewrite LPGA Tour History
Korda earned her two majors earlier in the season, taking the Chevron Championship and the US Women's Open. Her edge comes from an additional tied-for-eighth finish at the KPMG Women's PGA Championship.
Ryu, meanwhile, finished tied for 12th at the Chevron Championship and did not compete at the US Women's Open. Still, together they've made LPGA Tour history as no two players have ever won multiple majors in the same season before.
Current LPGA Rankings & Schedule Details
Both LPGA stars are familiar with Rolex hardware. Korda claimed the Rolex ANNIKA Major Award and Rolex Player of the Year during her 2024 campaign, while Ryu earned the Louise Suggs Rolex Rookie of the Year Award in 2023.
Now, the LPGA awards race comes down to one final event.
The AIG Women's Open is the last major on the LPGA 2026 schedule. A strong showing from either player could decide both the award and the LPGA rankings heading into the fall.
Haeran Ryu made LPGA history this weekend, as the world No. 7 won the Evian Championship to earn her second major title in just three weeks.
Ryu shot 60 on Saturday to record the lowest-ever single-round score at an LPGA major. She later fell behind in Sunday’s final round, subsequently forcing a sudden-death playoff against No. 20 Brooke Henderson.
“Today shots [were] pretty good, but my putting is too bad,” Ryu said afterwards. “I [was] just thinking like, ‘Oh, God, please go in the hole, please.’”
The 2026 LPGA Tour now has two double major winners, setting a new record after No. 1 Nelly Korda won the Chevron Championship and the US Open earlier this year.
“Before these three weeks, I didn’t have a major championship — now two in a row,” said 25-year-old Ryu. “This is just a dream.”
The fourth LPGA major of the year is underway, as the 2026 Amundi Evian Championship teed off early this morning in France.
World No. 1 Nelly Korda, newly minted Women’s PGA champion Haeran Ryu, and rising star Lottie Woad headline the 132-player field’s early group, with seven amateurs including US notables Kiara Romero and Farah O’Keefe joining the mix.
No. 2 Jeeno Thitikul — who lost last year’s title in a high-stakes playoff — leads the second wave alongside 2015 champion Lydia Ko and England standout Charley Hull.
The players are competing for a $9.1 million purse, with the winner taking home a $1,365,000 cut.
The Championship partnered with Porsche to sweeten the deal, offering up a new Cayenne Turbo Electric to whoever scores a hole-in-one on the 140-meter 16th hole.
“The Amundi Evian Championship stands for world-class sport in a unique setting — and it is precisely this combination that makes the tournament so attractive for Porsche,” said Porsche AG Director of Brand Management and Partnerships Deniz Keskin.
Evian Championship coverage runs through Sunday, live on The Golf Channel.
The Kroger Queen City Championship is facing an uncertain future after both title sponsors walked away from the LPGA Cincinnati event. Kroger and Procter & Gamble, both headquartered in Cincinnati, chose not to renew their sponsorship agreements following a five-year run that began in 2022.
"After thoughtful consideration, we've made the difficult decision to focus our efforts in other areas that align with our long-term priorities," a Kroger spokesperson said in a joint statement.
Changes Coming to 2026 LPGA Tour Schedule After Cincinnati News
As a result, the women's golf league has not committed to keeping its LPGA Tour stop in the region. Communications coordinator Matt Jesus pointed to broader changes ahead instead.
"We're focused on meaningful improvements in routing, courses, and purses," he said, adding that details on the 2027 LPGA Tour would come later this fall.
The tournament most recently took place at Cincinnati's Maketewah Country Club, where England's Lottie Woad captured the 2026 title. The event offered LPGA players a $2 million prize, tied for the lowest among US-based LPGA tournaments this season.
However, the Kroger LPGA event still drew strong local support, with 45 corporate partners listed on its website heading into this year.
Whether or not a new sponsor steps up to keep professional women's golf in Ohio remains to be seen.
Dewi Weber and wife Jentrie are looking at a very different future after Sunday's 2026 KPMG Women's PGA Championship finale. The LPGA golfer finished tied for third at 10-under at Hazeltine National Golf Club. The result earned her a $752,089 payout — exceeding her career earnings entering the week.
While Weber fell three strokes short of champion Haeran Ryu during tournament play, the week was anything but a loss.
Dewi Weber Earns Life-Changing LPGA Tour Payout at Hazeltine
The finish launched her from 101st to 46th in the Race to the CME Globe standings, putting November's LPGA Tour championship well within reach. She also became the first LPGA golfer from the Netherlands to finish a major tournament in the top five.
"It takes honestly a lot of stress away from my life," Weber said of her performance.
The timing of Weber's best LPGA 2026 result matters, too. Weber and her wife are expecting their first child in December, and the check eases pressures that were building off the course.
"My wife and I joke that I have to win this tournament like three times in order to afford a house where we live," Weber said. "[It's] life-changing in the sense that I can go through life a bit more stress-free."
Up next for Weber is the 2026 Amundi Evian Championship in France, slated to start July 9th.
Nelly Korda ended her bid for a third consecutive major on Sunday at Hazeltine National Golf Club.
The world No. 1 moved within three strokes of the lead through the turn and birdied the 10th hole to keep pressure on at the 2026 KPMG Women's PGA Championship. But soft greens from a morning downpour and an unsteady putter caught up with her.
How Nelly Korda Snapper Her Major Streak at Hazeltine
Nelly Korda three-putted five times across four rounds and double-bogeyed the 16th after finding the water. She closed with a 1-over 73 to finish in a tie for eighth at 6 under.
Still, Korda wasn't focused on the history she was chasing.
"You guys made that such a big thing. I didn't think about that," Korda said of her shot at another LPGA Tour record. Currently, only Inbee Park (2013) and Babe Zaharias (1950) have won the first three majors of the season.
"I was just trying to take it a shot at a time, really," Korda explained. "I didn't know where the leaders were at."
Brooke Henderson Ties for 3rd as Haeran Ryu Claims 1st Major
Meanwhile, No. 19 ranked Brooke Henderson played steady all week in Chaska, Minnesota. The 28-year-old Canadian posted three rounds in the 60s before finishing in a tie for third at 10 under. The performance marked another strong major showing for the two-time champion.
Ahead of them both, Haeran Ryu captured her first major title at 13-under 275, beating Ina Yoon by two strokes.
Korda, for her part, plans to rest before heading to Europe for the 2026 Evian Championship. She need just two points to earn a spot in the LPGA Hall of Fame, and win the 2026 Women's British Open would seal the deal.
World No. 1 Nelly Korda arrives at Hazeltine National this week chasing more than a third consecutive major title.
The 27-year-old has already claimed the 2026 Chevron Championship and the 2026 US Women's Open this season. A win at the 2026 KPMG Women's PGA Championship would make her just the third LPGA player to capture the year's first three majors — and the first since Inbee Park in 2013.
Beyond that, however, a trophy would clinch her place in the LPGA Hall of Fame.
The LPGA's points-based system requires 27 for entry, and Korda currently sits at 25. Major wins are worth two points, so one more major title seals a spot for the young US star.
Nelly Korda Stays Focused on PGA Championship, Not Hall of Fame
Of course, Korda isn't thinking about the math. She admitted Wednesday that she didn't even know her current point total or the threshold needed to secure her LPGA Hall of Fame entry.
"I kind of like to be oblivious about it in that way," Korda told reporters.
"I don’t want to put extra pressure on myself. I feel like the game of golf is already hard enough. If I add more pressure on myself then it’s going to be even harder."
Instead, she's leaning on her preparation. Korda has posted four wins and three runner-up finishes in her first eight LPGA Tour starts this season. That record has her entering Thursday's opening Women's PGA Championship round with a simple plan: trust her game and block out the noise.
Nelly Korda has history in her sights, as the world No. 1 opens her 2026 KPMG Women’s PGA Championship run with a record $13 million purse and a third straight 2026 major title on the line.
A win would see Korda join Babe Zaharias (1950) and Inbee Park (2013) as the only golfers in history to sweep the LPGA Tour’s first three majors, while also delivering the two points she needs to qualify for the LPGA Hall of Fame.
“Nelly has already won four times here in 2026,” said Championship Director Laura Frick. “As she enters into the third major championship of the year, we’re so excited with all the different ongoing stories with her game.”
Top LPGA Stars Climb Women's PGA Championship Leaderboard
Korda’s path won’t come easy, as 2025 champion Minjee Lee plus top-ranked Jeeno Thitikul, Hyo Joo Kim, Charley Hull, and Lottie Woad headline this week’s field.
“It just gets sorer and sorer every time I come second in a major,” Hull told Sky Sports Golf. “If I just get over the line and then have some confidence in me, I don’t feel like there’s any stopping me.”
The PGA Championship runs through Sunday, live on The Golf Channel.
The KPMG Women’s PGA Championship upped the stakes, raising its total prize money to $13 million to become the highest-paying LPGA major ahead of this week’s tournament.
Marking its ninth consecutive increase, the PGA Championship reclaimed the payout crown by narrowly eclipsing the 2026 US Open’s $12.5 million.
“Working with the PGA of America and the LPGA Tour, we’re combining a record purse with technology that gives players better, real-time insight into their performance, along with broader, more dynamic coverage for fans,” said KPMG US Chair Tim Walsh in a tournament statement.
Competition tees off tomorrow, as world No. 1 Nelly Korda strives to become just the third women’s golfer to start the season with three straight major wins.
Almost all of the LPGA Points List’s Top 100 will battle for the 2026 prize money at Hazeltine National this week, including reigning champion Minjee Lee.
LPGA star Lexi Thompson has officially pulled out of this week's 2026 KPMG Women's PGA Championship at Hazeltine National Golf Club.
The PGA of America did not provide a reason for the 11-time LPGA Tour winner's late-Sunday withdrawal. However, the timing points to a familiar problem.
Lexi Thompson Injury Troubles Disrupt LPGA Majors Run
Thompson sat out this month's 2026 Meijer LPGA Classic with persistent hip pain, a decision she called heartbreaking in an emotional Instagram post.
This latest LPGA Tour exit only deepens what has been a difficult stretch for the 31-year-old US golfer.
Just weeks earlier, Thompson failed to qualify for the US Women's Open. That miss snapped a majors tournament appearance streak dating back to 2007. This latest withdrawal also ends a 15-tournament Women's PGA Championship appearance streak, a run that includes four-career Top 10 finishes.
Thompson is playing a limited LGPA schedule in 2026, with only six starts so far this season. Her best result came at the 2026 Chevron Championship, where she finished tied for 12th.
Her absence at Hazeltine leaves a clear gap in one of the LPGA's premier major fields.