The 2025 women’s golf year is wrapped up, which means it is time for the Fore-All awards again, where we will look at some of the best players in the world in a variety of categories, starting today with Comeback player of the Year:
No. 5 – Carlota Ciganda – One of the iconic Solheim Cup players of her era, likely clinched her spot back on the European team in 2026 with a nice season on the LPGA Tour. Ciganda had five missed cuts and three top-10 finishes with no wins in 2024, and she was the last player in the Tour Championship field. In 2025, she had five top-10s and a win at the thrilling Meijer LPGA Classic. She was safely in the field at the Tour Championship this season, finishing No. 28 in the final standings.
No. 4 – Nasa Hataoka – Statistically, Nasa Hataoka hadn’t fallen as far as it seemed in 2024 and early 2025, it was just the emergence of the incredible young talent from Japan, many of whom were inspired by Hataoka, that overshadowed her a bit. That all changed late in the season though. Hataoka finished in the top 10 in six of her last eight starts, including a win in Japan. In total she made 21/23 cuts and had eight top-10 finishes. In 2024 she finished No. 30 in CME Points, in 2025 she finished No. 9.
No. 3 – Yani Tseng –Yani Tseng’s stats don’t tell the entire, incredible story of her recent history. Tseng hadn’t made a single cut on the LPGA Tour since 2018, which totaled to 33 starts without playing the weekend. While her schedule’s have been light, it is still incredible to see from a five-time major winner who is only 36-years-old. Arguably the best moment of the year on the LPGA Tour was Tseng getting to the weekend at the AIG Women’s Open. She followed that up a couple months later with her first win on a major Tour since 2012, with a title at the Wistron Ladies Open on the Ladies European Tour. This wasn’t classic Tseng, but it was great to see her back in contention in 2025.
No. 2 – Hyo Joo Kim – For years, Hyo Joo Kim was arguably the most consistent player on the LPGA Tour. Dynamite with her irons and one of the best putters on Tour, she consistently racked up top-10 finishes with a win or two per season to go along with it. That is why her 2024 year, where she had the same amount of missed cuts as top 10s, no wins and one of the last spots in the Tour Championship, was so confusing. She came back early in 2025 though, with a couple early top-10 finishes, a win in Arizona and a near win at The Chevron Championship. In total, she had seven top-10 finishes, three runner-ups, and a finish at No. 7 in the CME rankings, as opposed to 59 in 2025.
No. 1 – Minjee Lee – There’s a strong argument to be made that over the 2020’s, Minjee Lee has been the best player on the LPGA Tour. That includes the nightmare (by her standards) 2024 year. Lee was arguably the worst putter on the LPGA Tour, and rode elite ball striking to just four top-10 finishes, five missed cuts and no wins. She finished No. 54 in the CME rankings. Somehow, she turned her putting completely around in one off season and was maybe better than ever in 2025. She made 21/22 cuts, had eight top-10 finishes, her third major title and finished third in the CME rankings. Her putting went from ranked No. 157 to No. 2 in one offseason. Incredible.
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