The LPGA Tour enters its final stretch with high stakes on all fronts: Nelly Korda leads both the CME Globe and Player of the Year standings, a tight bubble battle looms for the season finale in Naples, and 15 Epson Tour graduates have officially locked in their tour cards for next season.

Nelly Korda Leads Race to CME Globe as LPGA Tour Enters Final Stretch

The Race to the CME Globe, a season-long points competition, will culminate with the top 60 players and ties following The ANNIKA driven by Gainbridge at Pelican qualifying for the field.

At the center of the race is Rolex Women’s World Golf Rankings No. 1 Nelly Korda, who holds a commanding lead with 3,713.875 points. Korda leads second-place Jeeno Thitikul (2,830.375 points) by nearly 900 points, followed closely by Miyu Yamashita (2,683.626), Haeran Ryu (2,470.358), and Hyo Joo Kim (2,192.919) inside the top five.

While those at the top vie for position, a fierce battle unfolds near the bubble for the final spots in Naples.

Weiwei Zhang holds the No. 58 spot with 459.200 points, followed by Nanna Koerstz Madsen at No. 59 (455.844) and Wei-Ling Hsu at No. 60 with 443.842 points.

Just outside the bubble are Nataliya Guseva (No. 61, 440.380 points), Grace Kim (No. 62, 437.042), Minji Kang (No. 63, 421.428), Soo Bin Joo (No. 64, 418.307), and Jodi Ewart Shadoff (No. 65, 403.072). All eight players on or near the bubble are competing in this week’s Buick LPGA Shanghai field, offering a critical opportunity to gain ground before the field is set.

The winner of the 2026 CME Group Tour Championship will be crowned the Race to the CME Globe Champion and take home $4 million—the largest single payout in women’s golf history—while the runner-up will earn $1 million.

Nelly Korda Holds 75-point Lead in Player of the Year Standings

Nelly Korda leads the Rolex Player of the Year standings with 239 points, 75 points ahead of Haeran Ryu (164) and 87 points ahead of Jeeno Thitikul (152).

The gap between Korda and Ryu is three victories, with a win worth 30 points and second place worth 12. If Korda maintains a lead greater than 60 points after the TOTO Japan Classic, she will mathematically lock up the honor with two events remaining.

An early clinching would mark a rare LPGA milestone. Over the past 10 years, seven Player of the Year awards were decided at the season-ending CME Group Tour Championship. If Korda seals the title early, she will become the first player in that span to do so twice before the finale, having previously secured the 2024 award with three events left. Only Ariya Jutanugarn (2018) and Jin Young Ko (2019) have achieved early clinches in the past decade.

Korda’s dominant season includes four wins—highlighted by two major titles at the U.S. Women’s Open and The Chevron Championship—along with 10 top-10 finishes and $6,220,214 in earnings across 15 starts.

Ryu, who also has two major titles (The Amundi Evian Championship and KPMG Women’s PGA Championship) and 10 top-10s in 15 starts, ranks second with $4,521,414. Thitikul sits third with $2,840,611 and four victories in 17 starts.

Rookie of the Year Race Tightens as Erika Hara Holds Narrow Lead Over Youmin Hwang

The race for the Louise Suggs Rolex Rookie of the Year award has tightened into a compelling down-the-stretch battle between Erika Hara and Youmin Hwang.

Hara currently leads Hwang by 132 points in the standings. With 150 points for a win and 80 for runner-up, Hara’s margin is effectively equivalent to a single win.

Hwang took early control of the rookie race, leading the standings through the season's first 17 events up to the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship. However, Hara surged ahead after a top-15 finish at The Amundi Evian Championship and has held the top spot since.

On the season, Hara has made 12 cuts in 21 starts, highlighted by four top-10 finishes: a tie for eighth at the ISPS HANDA Women’s Scottish Open, ties for ninth at the Mizuho Americas Open and Riviera Maya Open at Mayakoba, and a tie for 10th at the Blue Bay LPGA.

Hwang has been equally consistent, making 13 cuts in 20 starts. Her season is headlined by a top-five performance, finishing tied for fifth at the Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions.

If the differential between the two remains 150 points or fewer, the season-ending CME Group Tour Championship will decide the Rookie of the Year honors. However, a larger lead by Hara could end the race early. A lead of more than 300 points after the TOTO Japan Classic, or more than 450 points after the Maybank Championship, would mathematically seal Hara's title.

Ryann O’Toole Leads Aon Risk Reward Challenge Heading Into Late-Season LPGA Stretch

American golfer Ryann O’Toole leads the LPGA Tour’s season-long Aon Risk Reward Challenge, positioning herself for the trophy and a $1 million grand prize. The competition tests players' strategy on select designated holes throughout the season, with players taking their best two scores from each challenge hole to compute an average score relative to par. Players must complete at least 40 tournament rounds to qualify.

O’Toole tops the leaderboard with a -0.917 average score to par (22-under across 24 challenge holes). Expecting her first child, she last played at the FM Championship. Chasing her in the standings are Jeeno Thitikul (-0.824), Sei Young Kim (-0.750), Gaby Lopez (-0.733), and Lottie Woad (-0.711).

With players competing in the Buick LPGA Shanghai field, several top contenders still have a mathematical chance to catch O’Toole. However, it will require near-perfect execution on remaining challenge holes. Thitikul needs at least one birdie and three eagles, Kim needs a birdie and five eagles, Lopez needs three birdies and five eagles, and Haeran Ryu needs at least six eagles to make up ground.

15 Epson Tour Graduates Secure 2027 LPGA Tour Cards at Indian Wells

The Epson Tour awarded 2027 LPGA Tour membership to its top 15 Race for the Card finishers following the Epson Tour Championship at Indian Wells. This marks the third consecutive year that 15 athletes earned cards through the points ranking.

Since 1999, the official qualifying tour has awarded 237 LPGA Tour cards, expanding from three cards initially to five in 2003, 10 in 2008, and a record 15 in 2024.

The 15 players moving on to the LPGA Tour are Mirabel Ting, Lauren Olivares, Kaleiya Romero, Annabelle Pancake-Webb, Carla Bernat Escuder, Cholcheva Wongras, Liqi Zeng, Amari Avery, Mariel Galdiano, Reagan Zibilski, Rachel Kuehn, Megha Ganne, Lauryn Nguyen, Megan Schofill and Samantha Wagner. Meet the 2026 Epson Tour Graduates.

Making Moves: From CME Bubble to Rookie Races, What’s at Stake as LPGA Heads Down the Stretch

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