A Beginner Viewer's Guide to Women's Golf in 2026

Last year marked the 75th anniversary of the establishment of the LPGA Tour. It's the longest-standing women's sports organization in the world, yet there's an argument that it's a league still trying to find its footing in the greater sports landscape.

This is a claim that I don't disagree with—women's sports are and have been experiencing an exponential rise in popularity and viewership—and yet, the LPGA seems to be left out of these conversations. But if 2025 taught me anything, it was to look at the Tour's rich history in fragments rather than as a whole.

At the time of its establishment, the LPGA's 13 Founders were pioneers. A collective of women advocating, marketing, competing, and officiating themselves during the second-half of the 20th century—enough said.

During the 60s, 70s, and 80s, female golfer's were rubbing shoulders with celebrities and other famed athletes, all while becoming household names themselves. (Think the era of Nancy Lopez, Laura Davies, Beth Daniel and Pat Bradley.)

And then come the 90s and early 2000s, when the modern era of golf blew up due to success and fame of Tiger Woods.

With each generation of the LPGA, there's been stars—those individuals who elevate the game and the ones around them. And this current era isn't without its own stars, but star power looks completely different now.

It's not just what you shoot and what you say in press conferences anymore. Now there's social media and endless points of access for fans and onlookers to really tap into the personalities of these athletes.

As it stands, the LPGA is still looking for the next ones up to really showcase what this class has to offer, and what makes them relatable. Relatability is the strongest currency one can have in the digital age. But when you're inhumanly good at a sport, coming off as like your average Joe can be difficult.

Golf in the year 2026 is a different beast. Content rules everything and as the LPGA looks to grow and take up space in the relevancy conversation, more is better. There needs to be an abundance of everything. Coverage, TV slots, camera, social videos, everything.

We're in for something that has never been before in women's golf in terms of TV and broadcast coverage. Story-telling will be the heartbeat of this Tour and getting its players into the mainstream fold.

Whether if you're a long-time fan of the LPGA or just tuning it, welcome. I want you to find a home here at Skratch.golf. Just like the Tour, we're growing, developing, honing. Women's golf will have a big 2026, so let's equip you with a beginner's guide. A place that you can come back to, reference from, and keep in your back pocket. (Actually, go ahead and bookmark this while you're at it.)

I'll continue to expand on the things that I'll mention here throughout the year, but this is a start. So let's dive in, and dive deep.

Players I Want You to Know, Watch, and Follow

The New World No.1: Jeeno Thitikul

She's the one that sits atop the throne. The top-ranked player in the women's game is a smiley 22-year-old golfer from Thailand—Jeeno Thitikul.

RELATED: We Can All Learn a Thing or Two From Jeeno Thitikul

She's one of the kindest souls you'll ever encounter, but when she's inside the ropes, she's a dialed, steady killer. She seldom make mistakes, and if she does she's kick to bounce back.

Jeeno also says insane things in press conferences.

The Rookies

A new year means new faces, get to know five 2026 LPGA Rookies we already have our eyes on.

Long-hitters

One thing we can always count on, is people loving the golfers who absolutely launch the ball. Distance isn't everything, but it is cool to see who the long-hitters on Tour are.

Not a Rookie, but still coming into her own: Lottie Woad

She's not a rookie, but she also hasn't played her first full year on Tour yet. Lottie Woad, hailing from England, played collegiately at Florida Sate and last summer decided to turn pro and pursue her dreams.

Before the big leagues, Woad won the coveted Augusta National Women's Amateur in 2024, cementing herself as an up and comer to watch.

She earned her LPGA membership through the Tour's elite amateur pathway called LEAP, and in her first event as a professional, she won the tournament. So yeah, this girl is a bad ass.

The Top American: Nelly Korda

The fandom and viewership of women's golf in the U.S. is severely lacking compared to other regions around the world. The LPGA is a global Tour, with members (players) representing over 60 different countries.

That said, the current face of American golf is world No.2 Nelly Korda. She (besides Charley Hull) is the most popular figure in women's golf.

But there are other rising stars (and stripes...see what I did there?). Do a quick Google or search on Yealimi Noh, Angel Yin, Lauren Coughlin, and Andrea Lee—all Americans inside the top-25 in the world rankings.

The Cool Girls: Charley Hull and Minjee Lee

Hull, another name you may be familiar will went viral for ripping cigs on the course, but she's as cool and real as they come. You can always count on her to keep it real and The Athletic actually just wrote up a great feature on the English golfer and who she is behind the internet fame.

Minjee Lee, three-time major winner and sister to PGA TOUR player Min Woo Lee, is another player to know because she has this very easy-going, approachable charm to her. When you watch her play golf, she's every methodical with her shots, she's automatic, and never wavers in attitude. I'm a huge Minjee fan.

Both players are also on the Malbon roster as brand ambassadors.

Best Social Media follows: Lily Muni He and Jenny Shin

As exciting as on-course viewership can be, let’s be real, we love to keep up with athletes during their normal lives.

The most aesthetic player on tour is Lily Muni He. Not only is her street-style to-die-for (like truly Pinterest worthy) but she travels the world with Formula 1 driver bf Alex Albon. From the paddock to the range, He is living her absolute best life and we should all be envious.

RELATED: Lily Muni He is Golf's Fashion Girlie

As a 14-year vet, Jenny Shin has plenty of stories and anecdotes to share about her time on tour—which she chronicles on her Twitter (yeah it’s X but it’s Twitter forever and always to me). It’s safe to say that her account is her internet diary and I’m obsessed with it.

The Can't-Miss Events of the Season

There are 33 official LPGA Tour Events this season, with the season opener a couple weeks away in Lake Nona, Florida—the Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions. It's a super cool event that features a celebrity field, that plays alongside the pros. Skratch will be on site that week along with our friend Wells Adams from Vanity Index! So stay tuned!!

As for other notable events, the Tour has five majors: the Chevron Championship, the U.S. Women’s Open, the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship, the Amundi Evian Championship, and the AIG Women’s Open.

Major season kicks off in April with The Chevron Championship with a new home at Memorial Park Golf Course just outside Houston. In June, the LPGA Tour will make its first trip to the iconic Riviera Country Club in LA for the U.S. Women’s Open. Just three weeks later, the Tour will head to another legendary course for the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship—Hazeltine National. The Amundi Evian Championship at Evian Resort Golf Club in France will catalyze the summer European swing in July, and the AIG Women’s Open at Royal Lytham & St. Annes Golf Club will end majors season in early August.

RELATED: Top 5 Moments From The 2025 LPGA Majors

The CME Group Tour Championship is the season finale in Naples, Florida and another great event to mark down in your calendars. It's one of my favorite weeks all year—here's why.

See the full 2026 schedule here.

Women's Golf's Biggest Stage: The Solheim Cup

This one needed it's own section.

The Solheim Cup is the most coveted event in women's professional golf. It's the biennial competition between the United States and European teams, where 24 of the world's best go head-to-head. If you're familiar with the Ryder Cup, this is the LPGA's equivalent to that event.

This year's Cup will be contested at Bernardus Golf in the Netherlands, September 11-13.

Meet the captains: Angela Stanford (USA) and Anna Nordqvist (Europe).

How to Follow Along All Season

In November, new commissioner Craig Kessler announced a historic milestone for the LPGA and its broadcast coverage. In 2026, all rounds will air live for the first time, supported by a 50% increase in cameras, slow-motion angles, triple the microphones, drone coverage, richer player storytelling and 4x more Trackman shot-tracing technology.

RELATED: Can 2026 Be The Year of Women's Golf?

Full broadcast details for the season have yet to be released but you can expect to see women's golf on your screens a whole lot more this year.

As for us, be sure you're tapped into Skratch socials all year long, where we will be continuing to cover and report on the LPGA in refreshed ways—you're not going to want to miss the inside the ropes access at exclusive events!

That's all for now, golf fans.